Jakarta couple builds their dream home

---------------------- Maria Endah Hulupi The Jakarta Post Jakarta ----------------------

Change is good, goes the adage, and that is what Antonio and Maya Rana believed when they decided to remodel their South Jakarta home.

While maintaining the structure of the two-story house, the couple have plans to gradually remodel it into their dream house.

"We've made some small changes to the house to make it more comfortable for us to live in," Antonio said, adding that further alterations would be made during their "spare time".

Among the changes he mentioned included removing a door, which separated what he termed the salon, or guest room, and a large room on the first floor. The room has been divided into two areas for family and dining rooms. A curtain was hung to replace the door.

"I think a curtain is warmer and more welcoming than having a door to separate these rooms. It can also give an impression that the salon is more spacious," he added.

Antonio, who is French, also added a little style to the otherwise plain window frames by embellishihng them with carved wood.

The family and dining areas receive plenty of sunlight through the high windows. The windows look out to a swimming pool and greenery in the rear garden.

Hidden next to the dining area is a small kitchen, equipped with a wooden spice shelf on the wall, and a wooden console with twin high rattan chairs which separate the dining and kitchen areas.

Two dark-colored carpets are laid out on the floor in the family room.

"Before we bought these carpets, we consulted first with Tariq, the owner of Kashmiri's carpet store in Kemang Raya area and showed him this room. We needed his advise because we wanted to buy the ones that really match with the atmosphere and he chose these two for us," said Maya.

As for the furniture, the mother of one baby boy explained that their choice was carved furniture from Jepara, Central Java, and Madura, East Java.

The family area is furnished with a TV set and a set of comfortable soft-toned sofas and armchairs. There is also a small wooden table where the couple display their photos, a wooden Compact Disk case and small terracota pots.

The walls in the family area are bedecked with posters, mirrors framed with wooden carvings from Madura, and interesting old product labels. "We collected these labels from magazines," Maya said.

The marble staircase that leads to another family room and a work area on the second story is ornamented with wrought iron railing and several brass pots, one on each tread.

The tall windows on the second story allow sunshine to penetrates the room and from which the couple can also see tree tops in the surroundings.

On the first floor, right in front of the staircase, is a glass door that leads to the rear terrace and the pool. The terrace is decorated with parquetry floor and furnished with a large wooden round table and two leather chairs among other.

From this terrace, the couple can enjoy the relaxing view of the swimming pool and the rear garden, which is neatly planted with ferns and a variety of other plants.