That cosier feeling upstairs

Nyatoh wood covers most of the floor on the second level.

It gives the area on the second floor a feeling of a home-like place - albeit a grand and big one. It contrasts with the formality of the rooms below.

Scroll on and step right up to the grand staircase to see how it will lead you to a space with a cosier atmosphere.

You get that cosier feeling when the Statuario white marble of the grand staircase, which begins at the entry foyer, ends at the second landing. The latter is finished in hardwood floorboards and leads to flights of timber treads and rises on each side.

On your way up, your feet will sink into an Axminster woven runner carpet in red sitting on the central portion of the staircase.

You will pass by the Guardian Of The House statue. The convict-artisans who built the Istana worshipped the divine entity as a spiritual benefactor.

But if climbing the stairs is not for you, there is a lift.

It is finished with teak-veneered panels on the sides, a bevelled mirror at the rear, and rust-coloured leather padding on the lower wall panels.

The lift door is etched with a classic trellis design.

At the reception area on the second floor, a Maria Theresa-style chandelier hangs from the ceiling. It is even bigger than the one in the Banquet Hall below, measuring 3.6m by 1.7m, and weighing a massive 350kg.

Mahogany armchairs with blue upholstery, blackwood-stained Chinese coffee tables and a fine wool Persian carpet in red and blue tones complete the look of the reception area.

It might just tempt a visitor to sink into a chair to gaze at the dazzling chandelier for a while before heading into the drawing rooms on either side.

Perhaps you would prefer to head to the verandahs instead to enjoy more of that pleasing wooden floor.

The verandahs enclosing the rooms on the second level add to that sense of cosiness. Standing there while enjoying a view of the grounds, you are protected from the heat and humidity by glass panels enclosing the verandahs. You are also shielded from harsh sunlight by mechanically operated louvred shutters.

Although there is air-conditioning in the Istana main building, there are still period ceiling fans in it. It is a nod to the tropical architectural aspects of the building, along with the antique furniture, from the Chinese altar tables to the mother-of-pearl inlaid chairs.

The choice of furnishings in the West Drawing Room is dominated by Louis XIV chairs in dark leather, complemented in turn by sofas upholstered in rich damask.

The West Drawing Room is separated by a chinoiserie divider from the Sheares Room with its boat-shaped mahogany table.

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