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‘The Bold and the
Beautiful’ among
first to resume
shooting
Page 15
THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2020
Adding a dash of colour to Kampong Ayer
There are many areas in life that
require an appreciation for aesthet-
ics. For one senior citizen, such an
appreciation can be seen from a
hobby of decorating his home with
vibrant detailing, which has led to
visits by more than 2,000 tourists
from all around the world.
Among the thousands of
wooden homes in Kampong Ayer,
69-year-old Ahmad bin Haji Tim-
bang’s house really makes a state-
ment and stands out from the rest.
His outdoor porch, when looked at
from afar, brings a burst of colour-
ful fun to Kampong Ayer.
The bridge leading towards
his house is simply breathtaking,
with every passerby greeted by
the house’s vibrant paint-job and
colourful decorations. There are
tons of interesting fun elements to
enhance the look of the house, such
as hundreds of plastic ishing loat
balls and recycled bottles that he
hung on his front porch, painted in
This retired woodcraftsman’s eye-catching home in Kampong Ayer has attracted tourists from around the world with its
bold and colourful decorations.
Syazwani Hj Rosli
an array of different colours. The
home’s fancy outdoor space is in-
triguing, with bright colours and
bold patterns bringing about curios-
ity to know more about the owner’s
character and personality.
In an interview with the
Bulletin
,
Ahmad spoke about his creative
self-expression, and also shared a
peek inside his residence.
He explained that his outdoor
space is open for anyone, but the
interior of the house is off limits.
“Tourists can freely take pho-
tos of my house from the outside
and enjoy their fun time. However,
I hope they understand my fam-
ily’s privacy and, so far, they did.
Sometimes they would even drop
by while I was doing working out-
side. They would take photos of me
working or even wanting to take
photos with me,” he laughed.
“For me, this is the only way
that I can contribute to my country
particularly in the tourism sector. I
am growing old, I am a senior citi-
zen. I don’t have the stamina I used
to when I was younger. This is all I
have, and I am quite proud of it,”
said Ahmad.
The retired woodcraftsman
shared that he has had an interest
in home decoration and styling
ever since he was young.
“My love for decorating and
making things beautiful just grew.
From what you can see, I made the
loral arrangements, designed and
arranged my personal collections
throughout my house,” he said.
The interior, particularly the liv-
ing room, is neatly arranged and
illed with displays of items from
Ahmad’s personal collection such
as antiques, coal iron, lanterns,
plates, model cars, model aircraft
and others. He said that he loves to
add elements that are a little off but
still work and look good in the space
while still giving a relection of the
family that lives in it.
“This collection slowly grew
from when I started to live in the
house. When I see a particular thing
that is interesting to be put up in my
display rack, I would buy it. When-
ever I travel, I also buy souvenirs for
memories and I keep them as well.
Your space should have things you
truly love. One might think that all
these items might not go together,
but when you actually see them to-
gether, it looks effortless and per-
fect,” he said.
One particular special collec-
tion that caught the eye was a
100- year old
Tajau
(a gigantic jar
used by older generations to store
water) covered with old coins and
Colourful decorations at the entrance of Pottery House. PHOTOS: BAHYIAH BAKIR
coated and painted to make the
surface shiny.
“This is why my house is also
called Pottery House (
Rumah
Tembikar
) by many. I do have sev-
eral other
Tajau
I keep around the
house, but this particular
Tajau
embellished with coins is the one
I like most, because it is one of the
irst items that triggered my cre-
ativity many years ago when I was
young,” he added.
For Ahmad, these treasures are
precious as they relect the cul-
tural heritage and past traditions,
which need to be preserved for
future generations.
He has spent endless hours
and dollars to build his dream
house illed with vibrant detailing
and decorations, personalising his
own space.
Continue to Page 17
Ahmad bin Haji Timbang shares his memories with the Bulletin