Despite having different hobbies, there is one thing that bonds Amirul and Awis, a dynamic husband and wife team, together. That is home improvement. They love it so much that they make time from their busy schedules to work together on numerous DIY projects.
Why DIY?
“We decorate and style based on our needs and budget first, aesthetics second. We wish we could do both simultaneously, but we’re individuals who have to mind our spending!” Awis explained.
From designing and building their own Ikea kitchen to painting the exterior of their house, they’ve transformed their 8-year-old home many times. They even created an Instagram account four years ago to document their home improvement journey.
This creative pair shows us that you don’t need a blank canvas to work your magic. Sometimes all you need is an idea, a willing spirit, and a can of paint!
And if things don’t work out? Laugh it off and share your experience with the world anyway. Awis and Amirul are not afraid to try, make mistakes, and show their progress to others. They are as real as it gets, and I love their home more because of this!
This cozy house of five continues to be a collaborative effort between the couple. Follow their journey as they continue to work on their labor of love, Caspia Home.
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Name: Amirul & Awis | caspiahome
Location: Johor Bahru, Malaysia
Type of home: Intermediate terrace house
Number of rooms: 4 rooms + 3 bathrooms
Size: 22×83 ft
Years Lived In: 8
Rental / Owned: Owned
How would you describe your home style?
Honestly, we don’t really have a specific home style. While other people can easily identify their home style as transitional, industrial, farmhouse, minimalist, and whatnot, it’s rather difficult for us to do the same. This is simply because we decorate and style our house based on our needs and budget first, aesthetics second.
We wish we could do both simultaneously, but unfortunately, we’re individuals who have to mind our spending (you can call us cheapskate, haha). Nonetheless, we love experimenting with colors in our house. We’re definitely not afraid of colors. The latest paint job we had was painting our guest room plum! We love it so much as it’s rather bold and cozy. Paint is a great way to elevate your house, especially when you don’t have a big budget for wall paneling.
What inspired your home decor?
We’re forever thankful for Pinterest and Instagram. We love seeing other people’s houses and admiring their beauty and the owners’ touch to transform them into homes. Besides local home accounts, we follow home accounts from different parts of the world too. We learn a lot from these people—the culture, the style, the taboos, the tips, and so on. There are just so many things to be inspired and learned from!
What do you think makes your home you?
Although we can’t point out the exact style of our house, one thing for sure is that we pretty much DIY-ed things in our home. I guess that is what makes our home ours.
Did you renovate your home?
Yes, but it was just a small renovation in 2015 that did not involve any structural changes. It happened two years after we moved in. Our original kitchen floors were ripped and replaced with herringbone floors, while the wall tiles were replaced with new tiles with a Japanese motive called Asanoha. We had new floor tiles installed in our backyard too. Also, we removed our staircase railing and put up bricks instead. The minor renovation took less than two weeks to complete.
We didn’t hire an interior designer because we had little knowledge/exposure to ID services when we first bought our home. However, with the emergence of social media, ID services have begun to establish their expertise online. Unlike us, new homeowners are so blessed as they’re so spoilt for choices and ideas!
What is your favorite element in your home?
This is a difficult question, haha. But given the current situation, we would certainly choose our balcony! We recently transformed it to be a functional space for us.
We get to chillax (we just sat on the floor before we did the makeover, haha). We get to work there at night and we even had a virtual reunion with our friends outdoors! We have a working space at home; it’s just that sometimes it is relaxing to be doing things outside, especially now that we’re stuck at home due to Covid-19. Such bliss!
What is the best investment you’ve made for your home?
We believe that our best investment would be buying power tools! Having power tools help us to improve our house, and we’re able to create home décor pieces.
What were the DIY projects in your home?
We assembled almost all the furniture in our home, including our Ikea kitchen! We did board and batten, shiplap, and all the painting jobs (including the exterior) with our own hands. We also designed our laundry area with raised washer & dryer. Again, we did everything from scratch!
However, we would like to emphasize that while it is possible to DIY, please don’t attempt plumbing and electricity on your own. We’re fortunate that Amirul comes from an M&E background, hence why we DIY-ed these parts ourselves. But if you don’t, please leave it to the experts.
Name one regret you have about your home.
Ah ha. This is a good question! Well, the only regret that we had was installing grills for the house! Being young-and-naïve homeowners at that time, we didn’t put much thought into it. We should’ve spent that money on the alarm system rather than spending RM5K on the grill, right? Haha. Anyway, alarm systems are getting cheaper now with all these apps, wireless systems, etc. So I guess it’s never too late. We’ll start looking into it soon.
Where do you shop for furniture and home decor?
We mostly shop from Ikea simply because it offers affordable home furnishings! However, we sometimes create our home décor pieces too. Just simple DIY pieces that you can find in tutorials online.
What will be your next home project?
We would like to tackle our current home office. It is situated in the upper living area that has a high ceiling. As much as we love high ceilings, we find it challenging to design such an area. We’re still looking at some ideas on how to make it functional and how to decorate it.
Any advice you would like to share with others?
Don’t be afraid to do, design, create or buy anything you love for your home. It could be cheap stuff, or it could be high-end pieces! You’re the one who is living in your house. You do you and be you! Never compare with others, and always be content with your home progress, no matter how small or big it is!
What do you love most about Awis and Amirul’s home? Follow their journey on Instagram for more updates!