KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 4 — Birds are chirping away. Natural sunlight pours in from the glass windows. It’s so peaceful that you feel inspired to create beautiful craft pieces. That’s how one feels when you visit The Pondok. Nestled in a well-hidden corner of Taman Desa, it’s the perfect spot to unleash your creativity.

Set in the surrounds of a nursery garden, The Pondok has been running craft workshops since June. The venture is the brainchild of Kylee Lee who had already made a name for herself under Craft Kitchen.

With the opening of The Pondok, Kylee Lee has realised her dream for craft workshops

About three years ago, she started selling Twist and Bake jars that offered a convenient way to bake up edible goodies like gingerbread, brownies and cookies, where all the ingredients are packed in one jar.

Designed as gifts, these caught the attention of many who were looking for unique items to give as favours during their weddings. "It was an ice-breaker for Craft Kitchen.” She also started doing other wedding favours and props for brides who wanted something unique to remember their milestone occasion.

Her first love has always been crafting though, a passion that started from her school days. She recalls how she would painstakingly collect paper with different textures from MPH, and store them carefully for any of her crafting projects.

Later, she became a graphic designer and worked in the advertising industry. After Craft Kitchen took off, her energy was spent customising wedding favours even though her love for crafting never waned. "Doing craft workshops was always in my head,” she explained.

Bringing the blooms to colour with Anni Tai’s floral watercolour painting workshop

Using string art, you can learn how to create your masterpiece at The Pondok

The dream came true this year when she stumbled upon the perfect place to host the workshops by chance. Located a few steps away from her own home, Desa Gardens is a bungalow hidden in a nursery garden.

Listed on Agoda and Airbnb, the place offers studio rooms for rent. The Pondok is actually an annexe that overlooks the city. It took her some time to convince the owner to allow her to convert it into The Pondok as he had original plans to outfit it as a studio room for rental.

The classes are designed to be fun so just chill and let your creative juices flow (left). Create beautiful painted glassware for your home (right)

Once he agreed, they both worked together to design the place. The place exudes a rustic feel with unfinished cement walls and repurposed wooden doors from the owner’s own collection. "All the doors were used for the flooring and the wood must match as the owner is incredibly meticulous,” said Kylee. From March onwards, they did the renovations and The Pondok opened its doors in June.

Since she started, The Pondok has offered classes for glass painting, stamp carving, wood carving and string art. Usually the workshops are conducted by Kylee herself.

Throughout the time, she’s honed her own crafting skills by attending classes and also through lots of practice. For instance, the stamp carving borrows techniques she picked up from classes she took for Japanese wood block printing in Singapore.

A participant for the string art workshop gets creative with a hammer and nails

Instead of using wood as a medium to carve the stamps, she prefers linoleum since the softer material makes carving easier for beginners.

She’s also roped in other crafters to conduct classes at The Pondok. "The craft scene is still growing hence it’s good to support and share skills. We support each other and become friends. There are a lot of talented Malaysians.”

Guest instructors include Anni Tai (https://www.instagram.com/annitai_/) who recently conducted a floral painting workshop. Anni is the one half of Pebble Paper Design that designs beautiful notebooks.

An Instagram worthy picture, your very own painted glass

Inspired by florals that she finds to be easier to draw compared to structured objects, Anni believes in making her workshops more chilled and less about concentrating and being meticulous with the details. "It’s a fun and relaxing skill for students who are new to floral watercolour painting to pick up, enjoy the learning process and be happy with their end result.”

Participants also learned weaving from Yuzmin (https://www.instagram.com/yuzminmakes/) and styling tips from Sherly who is a wedding planner at Tie The Knot (https://www.instagram.com/tietheknot.my/).

For the stamp carving class, you get to learn how to carve intricate designs on linoleum that will be used to stamp on fabric

The styling workshop was a popular one among the participants who were eager to learn practical tips from Sherly to set up a dessert table or make floral arrangements. These included would-be brides looking to use their newly-acquired skills for their own weddings.

In the future, Kylee hopes to conduct another styling workshop with Sherly since it’s so highly sought after. When other instructors have their workshops at The Pondok, it not only offers a wider breadth of craft skills to the participants but Kylee also benefits from it.

During class, Kylee takes the participants through the various techniques for glass painting (left). Learn how to paint marble effects on glassware (right)

"I also get to learn a new skill,” she said enthusiastically. She also enjoys good camaraderie with the instructors who inspire her own craft projects like weaving.

Classes are also kept small (maximum 10 to 12 people) to allow more one-to-one guidance as it’s mainly hands-on sessions. "People come here to relax, take the time to learn, meet new friends and have a good time.”

The Pondok is blessed with natural light that makes workshops a delight

She’s extremely happy when she observes all the crafters sitting down for lunch and bonding over their love for crafting. On average, the classes run for four hours. It may seem long but as Kylee explains, it’s more than sufficient time for beginners to learn and comfortably work on their pieces.

The classes start first with a demonstration of the techniques. Then each participant gets to work on their own pieces. The instructors will gently guide them on the techniques, correcting them if they go astray. For the classes, she also includes a starter kit with the basic materials that allow the participants to continue crafting at home.

One of the stunning pieces that Kylee made is this glass painted mosaic mirror tiles embedded on a wooden tray (left). For each of their classes, Kylee believes in starting every participant with the right tools to bring home, like this glass painting kit with all the supplies (right)

As the place offers a cosy environment, it’s also caught the eye of those who want to hold their milestone events in the small intimate space. It’s been featured on the Wedding Notebook website, where a styled shoot featuring natural tones and blush pink hues by Sherly was conducted.

"The planner had came out with the idea and proposed it to the Wedding Notebook.” Designed like a rustic table, it was arranged with terrariums and glass bottles filled with all kinds of leafy greens to suit the Nature theme.

As classes are kept small, Kylee is always at hand to guide the participants on a one-to-one basis

The stylist also gave a Malaysian twist to the offerings on the table since nasi lemak bungkus (wrapped in floral paper) and Nyonya seri muka were served on wooden platters. Definitely a Kinfolk meets Malaysia moment which has given fruit to many ideas for others on the possibilities of this space.

(Kinfolk is an international lifestyle magazine known for its beautiful writing, stylish photography and distinctive styling.)

Located on a hilltop at Taman Desa, you get a lovely view from The Pondok

The Pondok has also become a beautiful backdrop for a family portrait series. In December, a couple have also booked the space to solemnise their wedding. As the space is tiny, it’ll be a cosy party that fits 30 people.

"People are looking for something new and the place is cosy with a lot of Nature,” explained Kylee. The possibilities are endless, as it can be used for product launches, bridal showers, etc.

The Pondok conducts smaller classes for their participants for closer attention

As it’s right next door to Desa Gardens which has rooms to let, Kylee also points out that it makes perfect sense to host an event here since the guests can conveniently stay there. The proximity to the city is also an added bonus. "Who would think Mid Valley Megamall is just at the back?” said Kylee.

Looking back at her journey so far, Kylee is incredibly happy. "It’s a longtime dream to have my own space. I love it, it’s so peaceful here and you can listen to the birds. It’s a challenge but we have to move forward with it.”

The Pondok is located at Jalan 2/109, Taman Desa, KL.

For details on workshops and event space booking, look for http://craftkitchen.com.my or Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/craftkitchenmalaysia/), and Facebook page (https://www.facebook.co/CraftKitchenMalaysia/).