Opening up: Crafting an open interior in a home<\/p>\n
Maria Endah Hulupi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The exterior of this sharply defined, rigid-looking house in
\nTanah Kusir, South Jakarta, may trick you into assuming its
\ninterior is similarly spartan.<\/p>\n
Once inside the house, however, people get a totally different
\nexperience as they enter the "open" concept for the interior.<\/p>\n
"The house strongly resembles a simple white box, an
\nexpression to represent honesty," said architect Kusuma
\nAgustianto, better known as Anto, who chose the whitewashed,
\nstrong yet simple geometric shape for his own home.<\/p>\n
Despite the massive white walls, there is not a single corner
\ninside the house which does not receive optimal natural light --
\nthanks to the careful positioning of the openings.<\/p>\n
"I added openings only in parts where windows and doors are
\nmandatory. Otherwise, there are only massive walls," said the
\narchitect.<\/p>\n
The 8 m x 18 m house, which stands on a 12 m x 24 m plot of
\nland, was built on the west side of the site, leaving a four-
\nmeter-wide section along the east border.<\/p>\n
Anto said the decision was taken to allow the morning sunlight
\nto flow into the rooms; during sunset, the areas are overshadowed
\nby the high walls.<\/p>\n
The space in the east is planted only with grass and the area
\nis embellished with a reflecting pond to create a soothing
\noutdoor atmosphere. The greenery -- stretching from the front to
\nthe rear part of the house -- gives a sense of freshness along
\nwith the relaxing sound of water from the pool.<\/p>\n
During the design phase, Anto emphasized the house's
\nfunctional aspects as priorities. They were carefully planned
\nwith a design theme that he selected in order to bring to life
\nthe soul of the house.<\/p>\n
The interior concept was created with an open orientation,
\naimed at making it easy for the house owners to see different
\nparts of the house from one point. For this reason, a huge void
\nspace in the center of the house was created to act as the core
\nof the building to which every room faces.<\/p>\n
The ground floor is allocated for semiprivate rooms, like the
\nfamily room and an open dining room. The same floor also
\naccommodates a two-car garage, a kitchen and the service area;
\nthe last two areas are contained in the rear part of the house.<\/p>\n
The second story is for private areas, like the master
\nbedroom, two bedrooms for children, a play\/computer room and a
\nstudy. Anto said the latter also serves as a small studio where
\nhe can find inspiration.<\/p>\n
Both the study and the master bedroom are equipped with an
\nindividual terrace -- with a simple steel structure, neatly lined
\nwith bars of merbau wood.<\/p>\n
The staircase, located between the garage and the dining room,
\ndoubles as a massive divider. There is also a skylight in the
\nstudy room allowing sunlight to fall evenly on the white painted
\nwall under it, and also enabling the natural light to reach the
\ngarage in the ground floor.<\/p>\n
Anto created a flexible interior with white walls so that they
\ncan act as a huge canvas, which can be filled with any motif or
\nelements to harmoniously complement the interior theme.<\/p>\n
"White walls instill calmness, spaciousness, honesty and peace
\nin the interior. While on the exterior, it helps accentuate the
\nbox shape," explained Anto, who acknowledged Japanese influences
\non his work.<\/p>\n
To bring out warmth, the architect chose dark brown colored
\nfurniture with a dash of orange for accents. Panels of wooden
\nstrips aligned horizontally are displayed as wall ornaments,
\nwhile one in the exterior also doubles as a wooden screen.<\/p>\n
Communication between rooms is also facilitated with the use
\nof glass walls equipped with white horizontal blinds, allowing
\nthe owner to view every room when standing in the void area on
\nthe ground floor. The limited space seems to expand during the
\nday as all openings allow optimal views inside and outside the
\nhouse.<\/p>\n
Stark contrasts prevail in the house, where massive walls come
\ninto contact with the openings and between the greenery and the
\nblack-painted neighbor's wall.<\/p>\n
Now the house has been completed, Anto recalled that the
\nprocess of its building -- from choosing the location to
\ndesigning it -- was a crucial stage in his life for it is where
\nhe and his wife will raise a family.<\/p>\n
"It is like a 'living partner' with whom my wife and I will
\ngrow together," the architect said, adding that he felt a unique
\nsatisfaction from overcoming challenges to design the home.<\/p>",
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