Downsizing to make a small but complete home
Downsizing to make a small but complete home
Maria Endah Hulupi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The economic crisis could have put paid to architect Yuke
Ardhiati's plan to design and build her small home office.
Instead, it inspired her to explore less expensive
possibilities to finish and decorate her dream home.
Located in a quiet neighborhood in Kalibata, South Jakarta,
the house stands on a 6 m by 19 m piece of land which was
formerly the side yard of the adjacent home. It is a true display
of Yuke's artistic touch, with her creative experiments giving
warmth to every corner of the house, built with the concept of
studio living.
The house's front gate is a foldable 80-centimeter-tall steel
bar fence, designed with interesting curves made from Yuke's
initials.
The small carport at the front of the house was specially
designed so it can be transformed into a cozy sitting area and/or
outdoor office.
The three-story structure consists of a 6 m by 8 m first floor
-- compactly accommodating a bedroom, living room, dining room,
office and a service area.
The second floor, consisting of the same measurements as the
first, has a study, sitting area and bedroom. The 6 m by 6 m
third floor is allocated as an art gallery and a painting studio.
Every floor has a separate entrance, a bathroom/toilet and a
mini pantry.
For the house, Yuke used mainly inexpensive materials that are
available locally, like Kalimantan timber, bricks, ceramics,
including those with textiles resembling natural stone, parquet
and coral.
Use of artistic objects and framed fashion sketches show the
owner's fondness for artwork, paintings and fashion design.
"I painted most of the paintings in the house. Fashion design
was and is still my passion," said Yuke, who designed in the
1980s and is currently a researcher at the University of
Indonesia's School of Cultural Science.
Some of the furniture is modern European, as well as a few
antiques, which she bought in Central Java. However, there are
also other pieces which were made based on her own designs. She
mixes the antique Javanese furniture with modern ones, creating
an East-meet-West interior style.
"It was an experiment... I found that mixing (different kinds
of furniture) can be interesting," she said.
The interior elements also give the architect room to
rearrange and remodel it when she wishes.
"I change the interior arrangement and the dominating colors
every now and then to bring out novelty, which I find energizing
and refreshing," Yuke explained.
For accents, besides the exposed brick walls, Yuke also
designed mosaic floors and used ceramics with textures resembling
natural stone for the floor. The latter gives a rustic feel in
the painting studio and the sitting area.
Yuke said she was strongly inspired by the works of Spanish
architect Antonio Gaudi when designing the mosaic floor, used for
the carport and the painting studio.
In general, the house does not require difficult maintenance;
routine cleaning and polishing the wooden surfaces with wood
polisher are sufficient.
Lighting was specially arranged to highlight various artistic
objects and paintings and to give adequate illumination, for both
the interior and exterior, making sure it brings out the
character of the small house.
Despite the limited size of the property, Yuke managed to
create a small front garden. Besides palms, shrubs and papaya
trees, other plants in her garden include ixora, a symbol of joy.
"(To obtain the desired greenery), I have to grow some of the
plants in pots because of the land limitation," she said.
When designing the house, Yuke also carefully considered other
possibilities for the future. For instance, separate mechanical
circuit breaker, air phone and telephone lines were installed on
each floor.
"Who knows, someday I may rent each story separately. This is
why since the beginning, the house was designed with separate
access."