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.