Note from the editor, Diana Khoo:
Pattern, shape, space, texture … it all comes together rather well (if we do say so ourselves) in this issue of Haven, the quarterly design and living magazine distributed with The Edge Malaysia’s compliments. One of the great perks of the job is being able to travel the world in search of stories. Along the way, it is inevitable that we return refreshed and inspired by everything we have seen and experienced.
In this design-centric light, the team was asked to compile summaries of the most interesting (and beautiful) hotels in which they have bedded down and we hope you will be delighted by the non-cookie-cutter selection — from The Hoxton in London’s Southwark (just an eight-minute walk from Tate Modern) to the soothingly luxurious La Nauve Hôtel & Jardin in France’s Cognac country housed in a former distillery — our choices are presented on page 72 onwards.
But lest we forget, homes have and always will be the anchor of Haven. Qualifying this statement is a quintet of living spaces, each reflecting the distinct tastes of their owners; from the Nordic chic of an oil and gas engineer’s residence to a smart terraced house that combines posh Mayfair club feels with a hearty dose of English eccentricity, it just goes to show that Malaysians are an expressive and highly creative bunch. You can’t help but feel inspired seeing how our fellow countrymen live.
And what is a Malaysian abode without the kitchen and dining areas taking pride of place? To ensure your accoutrements are up to date for the season, turn to pages 62 and 86 for shopping ideas on seasonal fancies while renowned Peranakan chef Pearly Kee, who runs a cooking school in the heart of George Town, Penang, shares with us four super easy recipes (we have our hearts set on trying the sambal udang and Egg Belanda) to replicate chez maison. Give them a try. Turn to page 90.
Design is also an open book, meant to be interpreted as one pleases and, ultimately, serve a purpose. In the case of Little Giraffe Story House, a small community library in a Chinese new village in Cheras, Selangor, that has grown from a container to a transformed, once-decrepit building, it just goes to show that creativity and a clever eye, and not just big budgets, are all you need to “make” spaces of substance. Till the next (and final) issue of 2024 then.
Haven is complimentary with every copy of The Edge Malaysia (Sept 2 issue). Get the Autumn 2024 edition at your nearest newsstands now.
