Not all building styles and materials are suitable for the weather conditions of Southeast Asia.

HOME is where the heart is, or so the saying goes.

And it can’t be denied that, whatever you think of your current digs, the place we call home has an amazing capacity to affect the way we feel – pleasant, fresh, warm, loved, happy or dull, messy and lonely.

Your home can also act as a mirror, reflecting your feelings and where you are in life, perhaps your status or the state of your relationship with your family.

And just as we are all different, the places we live are different too. But creating something that you can call your own isn’t necessarily easy.

Simply copying a beautiful house, mimicking another’s home, won’t really be an accurate reflection of who you are.

So, if you plan to build a home, how do you prepare and what should you know before starting to create your new place of paradise?

Ko Thaw Min Hline, the architect from ZEAICX Design & Furniture, offers some advice.

“First, it is important to know your favourite building style and how much you are willing to spend to make it all happen. It’s a place you are going to live, probably for a long time, so you should choose the designs that make you feel relaxed and comfortable, before consulting with a professional,” Ko Thaw Min Hline said.

Today, there are a lot of trendy decorations readily available that can make it hard to settle on a single style or theme.

Ko Thaw Min Hline advises that the first choice in accessories for your house should be furniture and curtains – something most people think isn’t so important in decorating a home.

“Some people buy furniture and curtains after the room is painted. It is difficult then to find examples that suit perfectly with your room colour. Even if you get the colour match, they might not be the best design or pattern, so you should choose these things first, before you select the colour of the paint, of which there are many to choose from,” he said.

He warns that it is important to consider where you plan to build when selecting designs. Designs in a catalogue from the US might not be practical for a home in Southeast Asia, for example.

“Some of the designs don’t suit the weather, geographical location or culture of our country. In the Asian region, people mainly focus on having good ventilation and natural light in their houses,” Ko Thaw Min Hline said.

“People normally use pale colours but increasingly they are using vivid colour to decorate. However, you shouldn’t use multiple colours for the walls, it’s best to pick three or four shades based on your favourite colour. Remember, too, that if you don’t want to paint your walls, you can decorate with wood or stone instead.”

He said it’s important to consider every room when decorating as they are all important. In the shrine room, for example, some people like an open style, while others prefer a more cosy and private style.

While most houses contain one living room, some have two: One for meeting with guests and one for the family to rest. These need to be decorated differently, according to their purpose.

For the bedroom, all the furniture – bed, closet, wardrobe, desk and dressing table – should be placed according to the size of the room.

Small pots, paintings, wall hangings and antiques can be used to make your entertaining areas more attractive.

And don’t forget to make your kitchen, bathroom and toilet well-lit and ventilated.

Ko Thaw Min Hline also says that creating a good outdoor environment with a carefully planned garden is another step to turning a house into your home.