Obin's House: Keeping true to tradition<\/p>\n
Maria Endah Hulupi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Situated in the shady Teluk Betung area of Central Jakarta,
\ncloth designer Josephine W. Komara's boutique and house, the Bin
\nHouse, is a reflection of the typical Menteng houses of the
\n1930s.<\/p>\n
The cars of clients and guests are neatly parked in front of
\nthe gate. The front garden is filled with leafy plants that shade
\nthe terrace and also provide a natural barrier from prying eyes
\nlooking in from the street.<\/p>\n
Guests enter the house through a glass door that is
\nembellished with several long garlands of dried jasmine. Inside
\nthere are beautiful pieces of cloth and garments, created by the
\ndesigner, who is popularly known as Obin.<\/p>\n
\"I didn't design this house. It wasn't designed, it just
\ngradually became the way it is now,\" said Obin while looking
\naround her artistic boutique.<\/p>\n
When her family and staff moved into the house in November
\n1993, they decided to preserve the old structure.<\/p>\n
\"We wanted to preserve everything in it, and we tried to bring
\nback the original elements of the house,\" her assistant, Budi
\nSuryadi, explained.<\/p>\n
For this purpose, a renovation project was undertaken, which
\nincluded removing the modern ceramic tiles to reveal the house's
\nold terra-cotta tiles.<\/p>\n
\"When we moved in here, Obin didn't like the tiles. We told
\nthe workers to dig up the floor, which exposed the house's old
\ntiles. We found them more interesting and we decided to use
\nthem,\" Budi said.<\/p>\n
He said it was a time-consuming project that required the
\ncareful removal of the ceramic tiles one by one so as not to
\ndamage the old tiles lying beneath them.<\/p>\n
\"It was worth the effort and it was also in harmony with our
\ninitial plan, which was to preserve a typical Menteng house of
\nthe 1930s,\" he added.<\/p>\n
Some other renovations were made, including knocking down
\nwalls to join adjacent rooms, creating a spacious and more open
\ndisplay room, stretching to the middle part of the house, which
\nused to be a guestroom, a living room and a bedroom.<\/p>\n
The public area goes back to the fitting room, which is
\nconnected to the back part of the house -- consisting of a
\nkitchen, dinning room and store room -- through a door.<\/p>\n
A modern touch was added to the house by renovating the old
\nhigh ceiling, which also allowed in more light to highlight the
\ncloth being sold.<\/p>\n
Obin furnished her display room with her collection of old
\nwooden furniture. Among the pieces are a traditional bale-bale
\n(divan), several round tables made from rare Ambon sutra wood,
\ncarved chests and a table and chairs in the peranakan (mixed
\nChinese-Malay) style.<\/p>\n
There large mirrors create a more spacious effect and, of
\ncourse, enable guests to get a look at themselves in the garments
\nthey try on.<\/p>\n
Obin's wide range of cloths, which include wall hangings and
\nsofa covers, are also used as aesthetic accents on the walls, as
\nwell as for the interior in general.<\/p>\n
She has also decorated her house with interesting plants,
\nincluding the zingiber zerumbet and tapeinochilos ananassae. Also
\ndisplayed are dried paddy, as a symbol of prosperity, along with
\nher nature-inspired, leaf-shaped wooden containers.<\/p>\n
There are several bowls filled with scented flowers like sedap
\nmalam, rose petals, jasmine and kenanga, put in different
\nlocations in the display room. Their fragrance fills the air and
\nfurther enhances the atmosphere.<\/p>\n
For Obin, beautiful flower arrangements are not only there to
\nadd decorative touches to her display room.<\/p>\n
\"I love to feel this leaf,\" she said, caressing the upper part
\nof a large and thick leaf that has a velvety texture. \"But don't
\nask me the name of the plant.\"<\/p>\n
She went to another round table and rubbed the tip of a fennel
\nbranch in a large vase.<\/p>\n
\"Give me your hand and put this in your mouth,\" she said as
\nshe did the same. The aromatic fennel seed released a sweet and
\nminty flavor. \"It helps soothe a sore throat.\"<\/p>\n
\"I like to eat them (fennel seeds) even when I'm talking with
\nfriends. I guess they don't understand why I eat my own
\nornaments. But that's OK, I like it even when it means ruining
\nthe arrangement,\" she laughs.<\/p>\n
And she took a branch from an ornamental plant in a nearby
\narrangement and gave it to a client leaving the boutique. Maybe
\nthis was just Obin's way of saying, \"See you again\".<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/obins-house-keeping-true-to-tradition-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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