East meets West in Ghea's family home

East meets West in Ghea's family home

Maria Endah Hulupi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Fashion designer Ghea Panggabean combines the ethnic themes of
her clothing designs in a harmonious eclectic "East meets West"
interior at her two-story house in Menteng, Central Jakarta.

Ghea and her husband Baringin Panggabean love artistic and
unique objects. Her fondness of ethnic elements and his
preference for clean, comfortable and modern items blend
artistically in their house.

"The eclectic concept was adopted to avoid monotony," said the
mother of twin teenage daughters and a baby boy.

Different ethnic interior elements are displayed in groups,
based on themes. There is the Indonesian corner, Majapahit
section, peranakan (Chinese-Malay) corner, Indian section and
those based on materials of her collection, like silverware and
frames, antique white-and-blue Chinese ceramics and ivory.

"These elements create a warm and artistic atmosphere. It's
inspiring and relaxing, especially after a stressful day at the
office," explained the designer, a collector of antique
traditional cloth and textiles.

"I often find my inspiration from interior elements. I'm
currently working on peranakan designs and I'm spending more time
on the peranakan section in the living room."

Ghea emphasizes colors to maintain harmony. She chose cream
for the wall and sofa in the guest rooms and earth-tone colors,
like terra-cotta, dark brown and her favorite cinnabar from her
peranakan furniture.

"I even chose white and red terra-cotta orchids to make it
match the surroundings," she said.

She gladly accepts input from friends, like interior designer
Ted Sulisto, who helped her redecorate the main living room and
library, and Hudi Suharnoko, who helped in arranging the antique
furniture and artifacts.

In the right corner of her living room is the Indonesian
section. It features a painting of a Balinese girl by R. Bonnet
and her ivory collection, all displayed on a round wooden table.
An antique red and gold Limar traditional cloth from Palembang
hangs on the wall.

In front of it is her Majapahit section. Here she displays her
Majapahit statues on an antique wooden chest. There is also a
long Raffles chair and a round table in the center of the room,
with her interior design book collection and a piece of Burmese
lacquerware serving as a potpourri container.

Next to the guest room is the English-style library, which is
also embellished with objects from North Sumatra, an Afghan
carpet and wooden boxes from Palembang. Tucked discreetly in the
corner of the library is a Javanese original red armoire with her
antique traditional cloth collection.

"For me, books are the source of inspiration and the windows
to the world," she said.

There is also a peranakan armoire in the living room where she
keeps her antique songket traditional cloths from Palembang. But
most of the peranakan objects, like armoire, cups, teapots, table
and chairs from across the region, are grouped in one corner of
the living room.

For her, textiles are very important and her love for paisley
motifs can be seen in the cloth used on cushions, sofa, chairs,
tables and curtains of the windows in the guest room, living and
dining rooms. Another old paisley print that she bought in a flea
market in Paris adorns the wall in her living room.

"I collected these things when I traveled to other parts of
the country and abroad during fashion shows. I was lucky because
I got to travel to India, Morocco, Jordan, Tunisia and other
Middle Eastern countries."

Her silverware was collected from Turkey, India and
Yogyakarta, Central Java, among other places. They are arranged
in two different parts of the living room. Photos of loved ones
are framed in silver, mostly in Italian frames, and are displayed
on top of a round antique Javanese table.

The wall in front of her bedroom is bedecked with Indian silk
paintings. Indian elements are so intense in this area that she
dubbed it the Indian section.

The living room has tall windows allowing sunlight to come in
and a view of the pool at the rear part of the house. The room is
furnished with a comfortable sofa and armchairs and the floor is
lined with dark-colored Afghan carpets and kilim cushions from
Turkey, which match the overall atmosphere.

In the corner of the living room are several pictures of Ghea
with famous personalities, like Diana, Princess of Wales, Hillary
Clinton and Julia Roberts (the latter wearing one of her
designs), all arranged on top of a piano. "Ibu often plays the
piano to entertain her friends," said one of her staff.

The dining room window is also dressed with paisley cloth and
several ancient kamasan Balinese paintings hang on the wall.
Under it is a table where her white and blue Chinese plate
collection and golden Buddha statues are neatly arranged. In the
back of the room is a wooden cabinet with her Chinese ceramics
and silverware collection.

In the rear part of the house is the swimming pool and a
terrace, which also serves as an outdoor fitness area. Ethnic
themes also prevail here. It is decorated with three stone Hindu
statues, placed among the cycas, ferns and palm trees in huge
pots surrounding the pool.