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."