Note from the editor, Diana Khoo:
A friend caught up with me over lunch recently to update me on her upcoming move to Sydney, Australia. Hailing from France, she remarked how she was looking forward to seeing the seasons shift, however mildly pronounced they may be Down Under. Living in a tropical climate, we Malaysians are just used to monsoon, no monsoon and the short, dry spell that usually occurs around the Chinese New Year. Despite the lack of autumnal leaves and snow, summer is the one season we enjoy all year round. And whatever special reason you may have, one that comes to mind — and always makes me smile — is a sentence by Jeannette Walls, the Arizona-born author of The Glass Castle and Half Broke Horses: “One benefit of summer was that each day we had more light to read by”.
It is this yearning for the seasons that also compelled the homeowner of Bungalow 19 to choose a magnificent olive tree, carefully and lovingly shipped from Spain, as the centrepiece of his driveway landscape. It is the primary European accent in a contemporary villa of otherwise overwhelmingly tropical Asian expression. Read all about this stunning home, tucked away in a lofty, residential enclave, on Page 36.
In an era where high-rise living is — pardon the pun — on the rise, it should come as no surprise that the other two homes featured in this issue are condominium units. One is a dramatically creative nook with bold artistic flourishes and Thai-Nusantara touches; the other is a paean to its owner’s love of clashing prints, colours and textures. Discover their stories from Page 20.
We also travelled south to Melaka to cajole Jennifer Tan to share simple recipes from her popular Nyonya supper club, launched this year. If you feel the need to whip up a relatively fuss-free otak-otak or laksa lemak, flip to Page 72. With Penang’s George Town Festival and the Merdeka celebrations in the offing, we hope you find our pages filled with inspiration for design, decorative touches as well as discovery. Life, after all, is a journey. Make it beautiful.
Haven is complimentary with every copy of The Edge Malaysia (June 2 issue). Get the Summer 2025 edition at your nearest newsstands now.
