Designer Denny finds harmony in simplicity

Maria Endah Hulupi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Less is more, said the architect Mies van der Rohe. Inspired, perhaps, by Mies' international style, Indonesian fashion designer Denny Wirawan displays minimal furnishings for his house and emphasizes function and simple ethnic details instead.

A wooden fence on an iron and brick wall greet visitors to his two-story house in Bintaro, South Jakarta. The sturdy wall conceals a small garden -- which would appear to require little maintenance -- a garage and a comfortable terrace behind.

A few steps up to the terrace, a set of rattan furniture and several terra-cotta pots containing large leaved plants are arranged in such a way as to give the area a natural ethnic look.

"I've just renovated this house. It took me six months to finish the project," said Denny.

The salon is calm and peaceful, and is furnished with a Bali- style rattan chair with two cushions, and a wooden table decorated with a vase holding a white lotus, and three oil lamps of clean minimalist design.

Denny was unable to stop himself experimenting with textiles for the comfortable modern orange sofa in the salon. "I upholstered the sofa myself with tri silk cloth, which is not even a material for sofas," he laughed.

Four postcards, featuring sketches of the Virgin Mary and Jesus by Michelangelo, are framed by different sized simple yet modern wooden frames hanging on the wall.

A phoenix palm in a large pot sits in the corner of the salon to screen it off from the family room. For the drape, Denny uses soft-tone woven fabric from Pekalongan.

The center of the house is a wide space, divided into a family room on the right and a modern kitchen on the left by an elegant staircase that leads to his unfinished work area.

"I designed the staircase myself. I used a combination of wood and thin rolled iron for the railing and parquetry for the treads as well as the upper room. From the family room, they (the stairs) give a modern but ethnic look," he said.

Denny has furnished his family room with a brown sofa and a single chair, separated by a simple wooden trunk on top of which he displays some of his photos. In the center of the room is a large wooden table where he has placed two photo albums, twin oil lamps and some fashion magazines. "These oil lamps are only used for special occasions," he added.

The wall is decorated with a traditional Indian fabric and below it is the television set sitting on a low table of the same design as the wooden trunk, with a console table placed against the back wall.

A banana tree is in one corner, and a white orchid elegantly embellishes the console.

Right next to the room is a small koi fish pool, with a Japanese-style garden lamp rising up from the center of the pool. The lower wall is lined with dark gray candi (temple) stone, stressing the natural Zen simplicity of the atmosphere.

Denny also adopts a similar clean and functional interior design concept for his bedroom. A twin bed with two small tables, one on each side. He uses parquetry to line the floor and has placed a natural fiber mat near the bed, radiating a harmonious simplicity.

The wall on the other side of the bedroom has been transformed into a ceiling-high wooden armoire, where he keeps all his clothes, shoes and a TV set. The functional armoire has a tall door behind it hiding a beautiful small Mediterranean bathroom, lined with soft-hue terracotta floor tiles.

"I've made major changes to the house structure. This bedroom was originally a salon, but I like the way the sun shines through that large window in the morning. That's why I moved the bedroom to this area," Denny said.

The glass window allows not only a little sunshine in the morning but also a pleasant and relaxing view of the garden greenery.

Next, we headed to the dry kitchen. "The wet area is in the room next to it. There is also a stairway heading to the maids room on the second floor," he said.

Denny also plans special improvements in other parts of the house.

"I'm planning to place a dining table near the (dry) kitchen and make a few changes to the guest room and my work area," Denny laughed.