Note from the editor, Diana Khoo:
It is finally time to exhale. After years of global obsession with starkness and sterility, it would seem that people are, once again, beginning to embrace reality. Life is never just about cold minimalist looks and aggressive jet-black contrasts. Just take a closer look at the natural world and you will see few things are truly monochromatic. On safari in Kenya recently, it was observed that while a herd of zebra appeared high-contrast from a distance, said “black” stripes up close were actually deep shades of brown. Bird-spotters in the English countryside can also attest to how the beautiful tuxedo-like feathers of a magpie really hide glossy sheens of green, blue and purple.
So, in a bid to fade impersonality out, rich dark woods, expressive colours that do not just evoke a rainbow but a Pantone chart, and decorative accents that show who we really are — versus a copycat of a hotel lobby or retail space — are ushered back. One community that does maximalism to great effect is, without doubt, the Straits Chinese of Malaysia and Singapore. Those familiar with the Peranakan aesthetic will know it to be an unabashed blend of Euro-Asian styles that influence décor, dining and dressing, sometimes fabulously over the top but always eclectic and inimitable.
For Nyonya-maxxing par excellence, few can rival Christopher Ong, an award-winning hotelier and all-round aesthete whose collection is matched only by his depth and breadth of knowledge. His hotels, all in the heritage heart of George Town, offer the perfect immersive experience of this world that literally drips with symbolism and embellishment. He has also expanded his sell-out, monthly Tok Panjang or Th’ng Tok culinary feast to his various properties that sit within the city’s Unesco World Heritage Site zone. He generously opens up his dining room and kitchen for us this issue. Find out more on Page 100.
A trio of residential spaces is, as always, included in every edition of Haven. For autumn, we travel south to feature two beautiful homes in Johor and Singapore — a bijou gem in tranquil Batu Pahat and an art-filled cluster town house in Bukit Timah, respectively — as well as a splendid guest house-cum-workspace in Kajang, Selangor, that puts climate-responsive (and aesthetically pleasing) bamboo to more than good use. If the idea of using plentiful, locally sourced materials that are not just kind to the planet but good for personal well-being appeals to you, the story is on Page 32.
Humanity, after all, is the antithesis of cold steel and hard stone. Yes, incorporate the new but always remember how man has thrived for millennia by living with, in and around Mother Nature. Many hold the belief that we are children of the Earth, our forms gently filled with breath, and bodies organically sculpted and covered with warm flesh made real. The spaces that give us comfort, that we retreat to, should, likewise, reflect that.
Haven is complimentary with every copy of The Edge Malaysia (Sept 7 issue). Get the Autumn 2026 edition at your nearest newsstands now.
