A soulful home celebrating life in the tropics

Maria Endah Hulupi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

A fondness for architecture and appreciation of nature inspired house owner Sajan Koch to design and build a beautiful tropical courtyard house in Kemang, South Jakarta.

Located in a housing complex, the house is also evidence of Koch's strengths in calculation, construction and artistic touches, even though he does not come from an architectural background.

The two-story house, called Chidambaram (Sanskrit for "dance of the soul"), was designed to provide his wife Claire and daughters Hannah and Sophie with a home where they can live harmoniously with elements of tropical nature, sun, breeze, humidity and rain -- a truly tropical experience.

"I have skills for calculation and I like designing houses. It's my hobby. This house isn't my first and it's not going to be my last project," said the founder of Insight Asia marketing research company.

The wooden carved windows, balustrade balcony and tall solid teak pillars are the house's characteristic features which make it stand out in its neighborhood. It has a front staircase, lined with paras stones, leading the way to a huge two-leaved carved front door of solid teak.

The house interior evolves like a drama consisting of different acts. Its rich textures and openness awaken the senses and each section is an interesting destination.

There is an overwhelming sense of serenity, offering an escape from the stressful routines of living in a crowded urban metropolis. The soothing atmosphere envelops visitors as soon as they enter the house.

The front door opens to an inner courtyard with a fountain in the center. The fountain is adorned with a piece of onyx carved into a sculpture of Brahma, the Hindu God of creation, which Koch designed.

Surrounded by a comfortable sitting area, the courtyard is a place where the owners can enjoy a fresh breeze and sounds of water from the fountain. On rainy days, water cascading from the roof provides the area with a relaxing view.

Next to the courtyard is the living area, separated only by a wooden screen, adorned with hundreds of tiny tropical flowers. Like most of the carved objects in the house, the screen was hand carved in Jepara, Central Java, based on the owner's artistic design.

The distinctive sweet scent of sedap malam flowers fills the tranquil airy living area and the high ceiling, large windows and doors further enhance the feeling of openness and spaciousness.

Like a place of worship, the house was designed with a high ceiling, reflecting the spiritual concern in the design. "It's an expression of spiritualism, a gesture of trying to reach the heavens," Koch said.

The living room is furnished with orange sofas and armchairs, with a huge traditional Javanese bed transformed into an interesting table at the center. Since it is located near the rear part of the house, the living area is far removed from bustle of the street.

Both the living area and the formal dining room next to it are lined with wooden flooring. Here, a number of artifacts, mostly from India, are beautifully displayed, adding warmth to the area.

Large windows and doors connect the living room with the balcony at the rear of the house. The latter has a soothing view from the rear tropical garden, which is encircled with tall bamboo trees to screen the view from the neighborhood.

The balcony, stretching along the house, is simply yet attractively furnished with a couple of sets of rattan furniture and a pair of chaise longues. In the morning, the fresh breeze and gentle light make it an ideal place for the owners to invite visiting friends to enjoy breakfast or morning tea.

The house's upper floor includes a master bedroom, children's and guest bedrooms. A modern kitchen and a wine cellar are inconspicuously placed in the front of the dining room. The study, two other guest bedrooms, a TV/media room, servant's quarters and the garage occupy the lower floor.

The open interior enables optimal air circulation and plenty of natural light to enter into every room, reducing the need to use the air conditioner or artificial light.

"We tried to build it around tropical features, how to optimally enjoy living in tropical conditions. The tropics is about sun, rain, humidity and breeze. There is something that is beautiful about it and there are things which create discomfort as well," Koch said.

The house, he added, was built to please the senses. Its carved screens, window panels and doors as well as the garden please the eyes; the use of different materials, such as Lombok tiles and Citatah marble, for the floor in different areas in the interior stimulate the sense of touch when walking barefoot; the openings provide exposure to the breeze, natural light, rain and humidity.

Some materials for the house and pieces of furniture were collected during Koch's travels to different parts of the country. He found the antique-looking tiles in Lombok and most of the carved items and the solid pillars are from Jepara in Central Java. Another Central Java town, Muntilan, is where he obtained the carved stones for the base of the pillars.

"It's very much a celebration of Indonesian craftsmanship," said Claire.