Kampong cool where it's at for one family<\/p>\n
Maria Endah Hulupi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Architect Denny G. and his wife Joke sought the peace and quiet
\nof the kampong in designing their family home.<\/p>\n
\"We always wanted to own a kampong-style but cleanly designed
\ntropical house. I think it better fits our taste and lifestyle as
\nwell,\" Joke, also an architect, said.<\/p>\n
The tropical kampong feel is everywhere, from the use of
\nwooden materials, tropical plants throughout its garden and the
\nlittle details that stir a sense of nostalgia in the home in a
\nreal estate complex in Serpong, Tangerang.<\/p>\n
After two renovations, the couple's 210-square-meter house
\nstanding on a 500-square-meter plot of land is twice as big as
\nthe other standard houses in its neighborhood.<\/p>\n
The first renovation project was carried out to transform and
\nmodernize the then standard home, but two years later the couple
\nhad the opportunity to buy the house next door. Further
\nrenovation connected the two houses into one integrated
\nstructure.<\/p>\n
No significant changes were made to the first house -- the
\ncouple just enlarged the living room and set up another bedroom
\nto the first house on the new plot of land for their second
\nchild.<\/p>\n
\"We had to demolish the kitchen and the garage in the old
\nhouse to make way for a fish pond and a corridor, which were
\nadded to harmoniously connect our old house with a newly built
\nsection,\" said Joke, referring to a section which houses a
\nsmaller living room, guest bedroom and a kitchen.<\/p>\n
The pond provides an esthetic element in the home, embellished
\nwith a huge terra cotta pot in the middle.<\/p>\n
The service area was moved to the second story of the new
\nsection, providing privacy for the family on the ground floor.<\/p>\n
Joke said they selected simple materials like terrazzo to line
\nthe floor in the corridor, and camphor wood for window and door
\nframes. Marble was used for the kitchen area simply because the
\nmaterial requires low maintenance.<\/p>\n
Both architects enjoy experimenting with materials to come up
\nwith unique finishing that acts as a lovely accent in different
\ncorners of the house.<\/p>\n
\"We try out different materials for our own house and if it
\nworks well, we adopt them for our clients' houses,\" Joke said.<\/p>\n
Among the experiments was the specially designed spring bed-
\nsofa in the living room, which Joke created to do away with the
\nbother of cleaning a regular sofa from the inevitable spills in a
\nhousehold of youngsters.<\/p>\n
\"Cleaning can be difficult and time consuming, like when the
\nchildren wet themselves on a sofa. So I created a sofa with a
\nslip cover, layered with a baby mat underneath it. Cleaning
\nbecomes easy since I only need to remove and wash the slip
\ncover,\" said the mother of two, who also creates the sofa for her
\nclients.<\/p>\n
The couple also experimented with motifs, using terrazzo
\nmaterial for the floor along with the corridor. The result is a
\nbatik Karawang motif that adds an ethnic nuance to the area as
\nwell as being pleasing to the eyes.<\/p>\n
The couple has been collecting timeless designed antique
\nfurniture to adorn their house, but the designer dining chairs,
\ncreated by Philippe Starck, were a wedding present.<\/p>\n
\"We cannot afford to follow trends in interior design that
\nchange every few years. And since we like antiques, especially
\nones with a long-lasting appearance, we avoid heavy, complicated
\nlooking ones -- unless for accents -- because they aren't
\nflexible to mix and match with other stuff.\"<\/p>\n
For the lighting, the couple decided to choose yellow toned
\nlights; indirect lighting is used in most areas. Direct ones are
\nset up only on spots that require functional, bright
\nilluminations.<\/p>\n
\"Kampong-style houses usually use yellow-toned light which
\ngive a warm feeling. We wanted to have a similar ambience for our
\nown home,\" Joke said.<\/p>\n
To complete the tropical atmosphere, the couple planted
\ntropical plants. In the back garden, for instance, the walls are
\ncovered with bamboo and dollar plants, while the serene fish pond
\narea is embellished with frangipani and thunbergia. For the front
\ngarden, ketapang kencana (a type of nut-bearing tree) and kelapa
\ngading (a coconut tree with yellow-colored hull) are arranged
\nneatly.<\/p>\n
The two have succeeded in creating their tropical kampong,
\neven if it's the lone oasis amid the encroaching urban sprawl.<\/p>\n
\"The idea is to create a resort like appearance but it is
\ndifficult, because the other houses in the neighborhood don't
\nsupport (the theme) since there is too little greenery around
\nhere,\" Joke said.<\/p>",
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