Nearby, women work on laptops, sip coffee and slowly drift into conversation as they get to know one another. Hours later, another mother returns with her children in tow, somehow having carved out a little space for herself there too.
These are the scenes unfolding inside Aida’s Loft, a cosy community space in Taman Tun Dr Ismail (TTDI) that feels less like a business and more like a home shared by everyone.
Since opening in February this year, founder Aida Ihsani’s space has become an unexpected refuge for women seeking something increasingly difficult to find today.
“The women told me, ‘It’s so depressing to work from home where you don’t have any interaction with other women’,” Aida, 36, shared with FMT Lifestyle.
On Wednesdays, the venue becomes Aida’s Loft Lounge, a women-only community space where they can work, read, create, rest or simply step away from home for a few hours.
For just for RM20, the space offers free drinks, books, a mini surau, and other thoughtful amenities. But Aida says that is not what truly makes it special.
“The beautiful thing is the women interact with one another,” she said. “One big table, a few women working, and then during lunch they have a meal together.”
Aida’s Loft sits atop a furniture shop in TTDI, which used to be the shop’s storage space. Now, Aida’s mother has rearranged the furniture there and brought decorative items and flower arrangements from her own home to enhance the décor.
Indeed, that’s what gives Aida’s Loft the living room vibe. There are touches of batik, intentionally mismatched decorations, books tucked into corners and furniture that somehow makes you want to sink in and stay awhile. You could imagine yourself reading there. Or working. Or doing absolutely nothing.
What fascinates Aida most is that many of these women walk in as strangers and end up as friends. “And you know how rare that is nowadays to have conversations with strangers,” Aida pointed out. “They interact, and then they continue doing their own work. That’s really beautiful to see.”
Perhaps Aida notices these small moments because she has spent years creating spaces where women feel comfortable enough to show up. Long before Aida’s Loft existed, the law graduate, who decided not to practice, had already built a life around empowering women.
A self-taught woodworker, she spent a decade in the craft after discovering her love for working with her hands while volunteering to build homes for Orang Asli communities.
She later started Malaysia’s first women’s woodworking workshop, teaching them how to use power tools and craft furniture. She also organises hikes for women, and in both cases, the community element stands out.
“Women just need a space and also someone – a woman – to show that they can do it too,” said Aida.
That same thinking eventually found its way into Aida’s Loft. The space itself reflects the community Aida hopes to build. A baby cot was donated by a friend. Books arrived from others. Many of the decorations are second-hand or borrowed. Different pieces from different lives now sit together under one roof.
Some moments still affect her deeply, particularly messages from mothers. One new mum came with her baby, sat quietly in a rocking chair until the child fell asleep, and later headed home. Shortly after, Aida received a message.
“She said, ‘Thank you so much for having this space. I just needed to get out of the house. It’s so hard being a new mum, not having a space to go to and being around other women’,” Aida recalled, tears welling up.
With the rise in mental health problems, Aida hopes to play a role in creating a safe space for women.
“A lot of medical conditions like dementia is because we don’t have interactions anymore,” Aida stressed. “I want this space to counter this so that women can come and have interactions and communicate. That’s my hope for the future.”
Follow Aida Ihsani on Instagram.