A contemporary home braves the elements in style

Maria Endah Hulupi, Contributor, Jakarta

Grown tired with their old, washed out-looking house in the flood-prone housing complex, a couple decided to take on nature for a revamped look.

With the help of architect Daniel Sandjaya, a new house on the 15-meter by 17-meter plot was built. Now, the house is a comfortable living space that offers stylish storage solutions and may ensure that floods are merely a bad memory.

Its contemporary look makes the house stand out in its neighborhood in Muara Karang, North Jakarta. But the fact that it was elevated around two meters higher than street level does not make it appear unnaturally high or out of place among adjacent buildings.

The architect used straight lines, subtle textured surfaces and soft earthy colors, which manage to provide serenity and cleanliness inside the house's environs.

Apart from the gate leading to the four-car garage, the house has no other fence except for the around two-meter-high outer wall, topped by a fenceless garden that is accessible through a narrow flight of entrance stairs.

An iron door opens to a simple, calm seating area, shielded behind a straight-lined wall screen. Called the koi gallery, this area is divided into two parts -- a seating area lined with wooden flooring and equipped only with a wooden bench, and a fish pond with ornamental koi fish in the other.

"The owners are fond of koi fish and they want to be able to keep koi in the house. This arrangement was made to enable the owners to keep and enjoy watching the fish while sitting on the bench," Daniel said.

On the side of the seating area, narrow, 83-centimeter-wide stairs lead to the house's main entrance. This door opens to a great expanse of space where the family room is. The spaciousness of the area compensates for the preceding narrow staircase.

The designer said that in general, the three-and-a-half-story, semi-split house was designed to fulfill basic functions as well as provide much needed storage for the owners' collections of books, magazines and documents, without sacrificing cleanliness and comfort. Functionality gets the priority and is tangible in every corner of the house.

True to his statement, not an inch of space is wasted on unnecessary features as every space is used optimally. In fact, every feature is carefully exploited in terms of design and function -- meaning that, wherever possible, a feature can accommodate two functions.

"The stair's railing also acts as storage cabinets where magazines are neatly kept. A railing above the family room doubles as a desk along the corridor, while underneath the desk is a set of drawers to keep bills," Daniel said.

Apart from its multipurpose function, the railing also separates the pantry and dining room as well as providing a work surface, while the railing near the entrance to the family room also serves as a TV cabinet. A piano is neatly concealed under the staircase leading to the upper floor.

The house is equipped with a master bedroom, three children's bedrooms and one for the owner's parents, while a study/gym is accommodated on the third floor. The bathroom on the second floor is narrow -- only 1 x 4 square meters in size -- but highly functional because it accommodates a shower, a wash basin and a closet without sacrificing comfort.

"The measurements are unusual. Some people might have problems accepting the idea of such a narrow bathroom, let alone have it in their house. But the owners have no problems using this bathroom," Daniel said.

The house interior is dominated by soft earthy tones like brown and gray with simple yet modern furniture. The windows, shielded by wooden blinds, allow plenty of sunlight to soak the living room.

The use of built-in cabinets, wardrobes and work tops is unavoidable to ensure optimal use of space. Some furniture, like the sofa and dining table, were store bought and only a few others were specially ordered.

"The house was custom-built for the owners. Besides the storage areas and the koi pool, it is equipped with three kitchens, a wet one near the garage, an oven kitchen and a pantry near the dining room. The wife loves to cook," explained the architect.

Besides cooking, the wife likes gardening and for the small garden, she preferred low maintenance potted plants and terra- cotta pots. The architect, after spending some time in Bali, added some frangipani that with other plants provides a tropical touch.