Traditional Malay houses get second life as resorts and even the set for horror flicks

– Traditional Malay houses – made of wood and raised on stilts for flood protection and ventilation and featuring ornate carvings – are becoming an increasingly rare sight across Malaysia as owners opt for newer bricks-and-mortar homes with modern creature comforts.Even in the country’s rural areas, many of those homes are left to the elements as the families they sheltered move to the cities in search of better opportunities.As recently as the 1990s, traditional Malay houses could still be found in Kuala Lumpur, including the “Stubborn House” at 41 Jalan Chow Kit which was eventually relocated to the National Art Gallery in 2018.Today, few such houses remain in KL, in the Kampung Baru neighbourhood, and many are either dilapidated or heavily modified.But while many of these structures fall to ruin, others are being given a new lease of life.For almost 60 years, a riverine valley in the hills of Janda Baik in Pahang has served as the quiet retreat of photographer Omar Ariff and his family.What was once 1.8ha of a padi field some 600m above sea level has been slowly cultivated by generations of the family into a garden, with lotus and lily pads replacing rice stalks, and wild orchids clinging to its trees.“These wild orchids are all very small, unlike the hybrid ones in Singapore,” Mr Omar, 60, told The Straits Times.He added that while his mother planted the garden, these wild orchids grew naturally, signalling the property’s pristine environment. Sentosa, as the family calls the Janda Baik property, consists of four traditional houses: the Rumah Sentosa, the Islamic Gallery, the Grandfather’s Gallery and the White Gallery.Rumah Sentosa is where the family has spent countless weekends away from KL; the Islamic Gallery houses a collection of artwork belonging to Mr Omar’s father; and the Grandfather’s Gallery – the house of Mr Omar’s grandfather – was relocated from Kelantan and restored to its original state.The inside of the more than 100-year-old Grandfather's Gallery, the house of Mr Omar Ariff’s grandfather, which was dismantled and relocated from Kelantan.ST PHOTO: HADI AZMIAnother traditional house – the White Gallery – was also rescued from Kelantan.It now houses Mr Omar’s collection of keris or Malay daggers from all over the Malay archipelago, and other types of knives and swords.For over five decades, the artwork, garden and architecture within Sentosa were exclusively for the family’s enjoyment.But when Mr Omar took over the care of the property, he convinced his father – a poet and avid art collector – that what lies within its grounds is too precious to keep hidden.Under Mr Omar’s care, the property has opened its garden, houses and artwork for visitors to tour. It also offers stays at Rumah Sentosa, which operates as a guest house.While guests can book a stay at the main house and laze on the verandah overlooking the pond, Sentosa is more than just that.“It was hard for my father to agree, but I was able to convince him,” Mr Omar said. “We’ve only been open to the public for three years.”The inside of the main house is a snapshot of their lives: cases filled with sculptures, many depicting felines, and walls showcasing works by some of Malaysia’s most well-known painters.The padi field-turned-lotus pond at the heart of Sentosa Janda Baik, seen from the verandah of the house.ST PHOTO: HADI AZMIMr Omar’s own photobooks fill the shelves of the central library, documenting his journeys deep into the jungles of Perak, where he traced the source of the 400km-long Perak River, as well as travels through Siberia and across China.“It’s hard to say what this place is: a retreat, a museum, an art gallery. It’s a bit of everything,” said Mr Omar.The building housing the family’s Islamic art collection contains intricate pieces within its hall-like space, including items that Mr Omar says rival those in the Islamic Arts Museum in KL.These include handwoven prayer rugs from Persia and a 200-year-old handwritten copy of the Quran from Indonesia.“There will be a wedding here tomorrow, and the ceremony will be here,” he said.Continuing the family stewardship of the property, Mr Omar’s daughter Merissa Alyea, 27, helps manage Sentosa and promotes it on Instagram and TikTok.“I’m mostly focused on finding ways to share the space in a way that feels human and relatable,” she said.While the family has preserved its heritage and shared it with the public through Sentosa, others have found their own ways to keep these fragile structures alive.In Terengganu state capital Kuala Terengganu, Mr Alex Lee has made it his life mission to rescue traditional Malay houses and has become an expert at it.Speaking to ST, Mr Lee traced his entry into the travel, hospitality and conservation industry to a backpacker’s hostel he opened in the old wooden shophouses of Marang, just south of Kuala Terengganu.“It did so well that I forgot about my studies,” he said of his plans to go to the US.“We had backpackers coming from all over the world to stay before they went to the islands.”But when the wooden shophouses were demolished in the late 1990s to make way for brick buildings, the backpackers stopped coming.That was when he realised the value of these old structures, setting him on the path to preserving them.Since then, he has rescued and restored 29 traditional houses from across the state, and has had them relocated to Terrapuri, a resort he owns and operates in the coastal town of Setiu.Built without nails and held together by interlocking wooden joints, traditional Malay houses can be dismantled and relocated piece by piece.These houses, built in the Terengganu vernacular style, were once homes of the Malay aristocracy, and this is reflected in the quality of the wood and the intricacy of the carvings.That also makes them expensive to maintain.“We spend RM250,000 (S$81,000) a year maintaining them,” Mr Lee said.The popularity of Terrapuri has since led him to expand with a new project, Terramalai, a short drive south in Batu Rakit.Unlike the houses in Terrapuri, Terramalai will feature homes from across Malaysia, including Sabah and Sarawak.They will also be painted in brighter colours, rather than retaining the traditional wooden finish, to cater to local tastes.“For locals, there is this stigma about these traditional houses that is tied to the supernatural, or ghosts,” Mr Lee said.“They are scared to stay, so we are adapting by giving the houses a more cheerful look.”Hotelier and conservationist Alex Lee at a traditional house under restoration at Terramalai in Batu Rakit in Terengganu.ST PHOTO: HADI AZMIWhile the appeal of modern comforts and contemporary tastes are the main reason many prefer brick houses, architect and conservationist Raja Kamarul Bahrin Shah Raja Ahmad Baharuddin Shah said it has also become increasingly difficult for those who still wish to build or maintain traditional homes.“It is a dying art,” Mr Kamarul Bahrin told ST at his studio in Kuala Terengganu.“We have lost a lot of the raw materials, the kind of wood needed for these houses.”Though the traditional houses are similar at first glance, each region of Malaysia has its own distinct vernacular style, shaped by local landscapes as well as the status of the owner.Intricate carvings often serve not just as decoration, but they also carry spiritual meaning or reflect the heritage of the household.And the appreciation for old Malay houses is not limited to buildings with high artistic value and aristocratic provenance.In the hill country of Hulu Langat, just 40 minutes east of central KL, Madam Saiminah Sarip’s quaint wooden home in Sungai Lui is one of several houses in the area favoured by film crews.Speaking to ST, Madam Saiminah, 50, said that her father started renting the house to production houses from the late 1990s, and she has continued to do so after his passing.“People already know the house – Rumah Wak, they call it, after my dad’s nickname,” she said.Unlike Sentosa or Terrapuri, the house is still the full-time residence of Madam Saiminah and her granddaughter, so whenever there is a shoot, they have to pack up and stay at her sister’s house next door.While others find it an intrusion to have film crews walking in and out of their homes, she said she appreciates the money that comes from it, which helps to supplement her income from working at a traditional kueh stall down the road.“It’s good money, and I get to see local celebrities,” she said.She added that in January, the house was used for a Hari Raya advertisement one week, and as the set for a horror movie by an American production house the next – a first for her.A Hari Raya commercial being shot at Rumah Wak in Hulu Langat, Selangor, in January 2026.ST PHOTO: HADI AZMIHowever, location scout Idros Omar said it is hard to keep up with demand for such shooting spots.“Some TV stations have asked production houses to find other (traditional) houses, as places like Rumah Wak and a couple of others in the area have been featured too many times,” Mr Idros said.Nowadays, some production houses are venturing into the town of Ijok – north of KL – to scout for locations, while others seeking even more unique houses travel as far north as Kuala Kangsar in Perak.Given that there is always the need to shoot Hari Raya commercials and period pieces, such houses are always going to be in demand.“I wish more people would know about this and care for their kampung houses,” Mr Idros said.