Home tour: Inside Scha Alyahya and Awal Ashaari's luxury hotel-inspired Kuala Lumpur home

Inspired by luxury hotels, celebrity couple Awal Ashaari and Scha Alyahya’s home combines tasteful design with a real sense of character

This glamorous take on the modern classic style is home to celebrity couple Awal Ashaari and Scha Alyahya. They brought their discerning tastes to bear in creating a residence that is at once welcoming, elegant, and full of personality.

Located in a gated community in Kuala Lumpur, the semi-detached house occupies 4,800 sq ft of built-up space and has grown to be a well-loved home for the husband and wife, their two daughters, and their two cats.

Personal Best

The design process was a labour of love for the couple. During the planning stages, budgetary considerations led them to decide that they would manage without ID consultants. This turned out to be exactly the right decision since they were able to give full expression to their personal tastes.

Above Inside Scha and Awal's beautiful home

There was some trepidation, of course; as Scha explains: “We were not well-versed in architecture”.

“[But] we both knew what we wanted,” says Awal and the couple relished the challenge of giving the house “a total makeover”. The good thing is that Awal and Scha complemented each other’s approaches while also nudging each other in new directions.

Above The living room is a tasteful tableau of neutrals punctuated by bright prints

Scha shares that “Awal is more detail-oriented while I am actually more instinctive in choosing things.” She admits that she tends to be more minimalist, but in the end, she was surprised by how much she loved the eventual opulent style.

The direction that they ultimately agreed on was to emulate the look and feel of high-end hotels.

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Natural light streams into the elegant dining room

Above A marble island was included in the dining room

According to Awal, there was a natural lead-up to this inspiration: “We used to live in a townhouse, which was compact and basic, so we wanted something totally different.”

The hotel idea was a perfect fit because, as Awal explains, “We travel so much and have stayed in so many beautiful hotels.”

Above A marble island was included in the dining room

Put Together

In order to evoke the classic polish of a luxury hotel, the design had to be coherent in its use of repeated elements. One such element is the wainscotting that is found in many rooms throughout the house: this panelling does require a lot of maintenance, but it adds a subtle texture to the walls and binds the spaces together.

Above The dry kitchen with its blush coloured cabinets

A similar function is fulfilled by the ceiling cornices, which add their own rhythmic flair.

Then there is the sense of gravity that is imparted by the recurrent use of darker tones, such as in the floors of the living room and the master bedroom.

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Above The wet kitchen was outfitted with stainless steel fixtures

The continuity of the background elements provides a context for the different personalities of each space. There is a whole range here: from the scholarly charm of Awal’s study to the more muted formality of the family areas.

Awal’s study, which is also his “man cave” is lined with wallpaper depicting books and has a skylight that illuminates this slim, wood-panelled space.

Above Tigo the cat enjoys the King Living Delta Outdoor Circle sofa

Meanwhile, the kitchen areas are not just focal points for the whole house but also serve as a showcase for Awal’s cooking skills. The dry kitchen has SMEG ovens, elegant marble cladding as splash back, calm black-and-white mosaic floors, and blush-coloured cabinetry, which adds a touch of femininity.

The wet kitchen has a more assertive personality, decked out as it is in commercial kitchen style, with stainless steel finishes and hanging copper pots.

Scha’s favourite spot in the house in the outdoor terrace decked out in King Living Outdoor furniture

Above The outdoor terrace

The outdoor terrace decked out with relaxed yet chic King Living furniture is a favourite spot for the couple. Awal loves that “it’s so chill”, and Scha appreciates that it is a “quiet” space. This balcony, surrounded by the greenery of treetops, is clearly a sanctuary for the busy couple.

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Above Awal and Scha looking comfy in their home

Furnishing Touches

“The thing I love the most is the colour palette!” Scha enthuses. The choice of furnishings and details means that there is a balance between tasteful neutral hues and pops of brighter tones.

Thus, there are the hushed silver, grey, and beige of the pieces from King Living, which include the Max sofa in the family area, the aforementioned outdoor furniture on the terrace, and the modern four-poster bed with its high King Living Sleep+ mattress in the master bedroom.

Above The master bedroom is a sophisticated mix of furniture

In the living room, touches of colour and texture are added by the Christian Lacroix Maison throw cushions from Janine. The play on texture and form is carried over into the selection of wallpaper in certain rooms.

In the powder room, there is a whimsical Cole & Son print representing fish. In the attic dressing room, the slanted roof is decorated with an ornate and intricate pattern.

Above ;Scha’s “attic” has a mysterious air

Scha explains that this particular choice felt risky but was ultimately worth it: “I decided to be bold and go with it—it has a mysterious air”.

The couple always opted for the very best, whether it was Christian Lacroix Maison wallpaper for the family area or Janine wallpaper for their daughters’ bedrooms.

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Above The pink built-ins and monochromatic wallpaper make for a chic kid’s room

Their older daughter had originally requested for her bedroom to be papered in pink but the couple thought better of it. A compromise was made. As Scha recounts: “We didn’t want pink wallpaper that they could grow out of, so we went for pink beds”.

This was just another instance where the overall design of the house became a part of this family’s charming story.

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Credits

Photography

David Yeow

Topics

Home Tour Luxury Hotels Schawal Awal Ashaari Scha Al-Yahya’ Modern Classical Celebrity Home Family Home

Tatler Asia

Home tour: Inside the luxuriously appointed home of Scha Alyahya and Awal Ashaari

Personal Best

Put Together

Furnishing Touches