5 Things You Wish You Knew Before Renovating Your Home as Told by a M'sian Doctor

We spoke to Dr. Nursyahirah who runs the Instagram page @the.palm.38 that gives an inside look into the intermediate terrace house that she lives in with her husband and three kids to get some tips on home renovations.

Despite a tight schedule of working every day at her own private clinic from 9.00am to 10.00pm, Dr. Nursyahirah manages to squeeze in the time to decorate her place.

As a testament of her dedication to the project, either she or her husband will take a few days’ leave if they have any impending house decoration projects or any new projects in mind.

She shared, “Decorating gives me peace, satisfaction, and creates a euphoric mood. You can never feel stressed when it comes to decorating. You can express your mood and feelings through your decoration ideas and the results will later bring you joy!”.

Starting their home renovation project a few days before the COVID-19 lockdowns began in Malaysia back in 2020, the renovations took almost a year to complete due to the various restrictions.

In general, her house is decorated based on a 'transitional' styled theme which is a balance of modern and traditional elements. A quick scroll through her Instagram page will show you that the items in her home are tasteful and carefully selected, most of which were sourced locally. There were also several unique items which she bought from the US, either through personal shoppers or from online websites and shipped to Malaysia via Mailboy. 

Here’s five tips that Dr. Nursyahirah shared that you should keep in mind before you decorate or renovate your home:

How to choose furniture

First things first: decide wisely! Even though there might be ongoing sales that will make you feel compelled to make on the spot purchases, don’t buy in a hurry.

Always take the time to survey, think, and decide after browsing through multiple furniture shops to make sure that you are getting the best value for your money. 

It’s also important to make sure you measure every single item you want to buy so that the item will fit in the area according to its size. Buy items that you really like and don’t be persuaded by salespeople because after all, you will have to look at it every day for many years yet!

How to save money

It’s all about D.I.Y.! Don’t be lazy, people. If you take the time and effort, you can save a lot of cash, which can go into purchasing better quality items for your home. For example, instead of buying a new vase, you can breathe life into your old vase and give it a new look that you want.

You can also try out wall panelling yourself to enhance a certain area in your house and give it a distinctive look. Instead of having a boring old plain wall, check out local or international YouTubers for tutorials such as how to D.I.Y. a fluted wall, shiplap wall, wainscotting, and batten walls.

She suggested hiring experts if the area is too complicated and to stick to transforming only simple areas.

Tips for Using Patterned Tiles

Dr. Nursyahirah loves her pattered tiles and this can be seen in some of her favourite areas in her house. She used geometric Moroccan tiles at the kitchen area and Victorian tiles at the open balcony. But these can make a space look cluttered so make sure you tone down the colour of your furniture's before opting for them. Choose soft colours for the furniture that it will blend in with the tiles for a harmonious look.

Tips for Kitchen Cabinets

Sure how it looks on the outside is important and you will usually be focused on what colour paint to choose or the type of handles that would blend in with the rest of the kitchen. But what’s inside matters too. If you want to design your kitchen cabinets, she suggests putting plenty of drawers and shelves inside! This can help you to store kitchenware such as pans and cutlery, food, and even appliances like blenders. 

How to make your house look spacious

With houses, every square feet counts and you can never have enough. It’s always a good idea to make your house look spread out and spacious and larger than it is. After all, who was to live in a home that feels claustrophobic?

The good doctor suggests using earth tone colours that are usually a mix of browns and tans for your furniture and walls. She also suggests choosing simple plaster ceiling ideas as crowded designs will tend to make your space look small and crowded.

Were these tips helpful? If you have a beautiful home of your own to show off, DM us!!