Separate but equal: Crating a homey shop-house

Maria Endah Hulupi, Contributor, Jakarta

A noisy, activity-filled shop-house does not seem an ideal place to set up a comfortable home.

But that is not the case for a family living in Pondok Gede, East Jakarta. With the help of architect Gregorius Supie Yolodi, they have been able to create a homey space atop their busy store.

Standing on a 643 sq m plot of land, the two-story shop-house is divided into a shop and storage area occupying the ground floor, and the living quarters on the second.

The objective was to create a design that provided a seamless separation between the shop owner's private life upstairs and the commercial activities down below.

"Apart from practical and security reasons, living in a shop-house allows the owners to supervise all activities in their store. On the other hand, they also need a comfortable and tranquil home where they can rest and get away from the business," Supie said.

From the outside, neighbors and shoppers would be unaware that there is a simply designed but comfortable home for the show owner's family.

The entrance to the living quarters is through a stairway leading to the living room. The staircase is tucked at the end of the access way, next to a loading area where trucks periodically drop off supplies for the shop storage.

"From the stairway, the shop owner can easily control delivery of supplies. In the evening when the shop is closed, this access way also serves as a garage," the architect explained.

On the second story, a soothing view from the reflecting pool along the corridor radiates a totally different atmosphere from the bustling shop and the packed loading area.

"There was not much of a view from the second floor and one of the challenges was to create a pleasant scene at the site that would make the living area comfortable and relaxing," Supie said.

The corridor is separated from the reflecting pool with a wall screen with vertical strips. The pool is actually an open space that connects the shop owner's living area to the adjacent house of their relatives.

"The pool is more like a shared open space that connects the two families, but privacy is maintained by the use of the wall screen."

A plain open area, the reflecting pool is simply adorned with coral stones and potted papyrus plants. The plants and several bamboo plants screen the unsightly view to the street below and at the same time provide greenery.

Along the corridor are the children's bedrooms, a study and the master bedroom at one end. The architect created a void space shielded with glass to allow sunlight to penetrate into the interior.

Every part of the living area is properly ventilated, with each room given a huge opening that enhances a sense of spaciousness.

The master bedroom is equipped with a simple yet functional shower, set up next to a small dry garden. The garden separates the shower in the master bedroom with another one. Like the reflecting pool, the garden, only accessible through the bedroom, has loose coral stones and grass-like plants along its sides.

Supie said the bathrooms enabled cross ventilation, sun penetration and gave a peek to the outside.

The architect used low maintenance, local materials, such as marble, for the floor and glass. "The rest is just plastered wall, nothing that needs special care," he added.

The study, located next to one of the two children's bedrooms, has a generous opening overseeing the pool. In order to optimize the utilization of space, the architect added a huge window with a ledge that can double as a seat when opened.

Since the shop employees live in separate living quarters on site, the wet kitchen is easily accessed from the ground floor while ensuring the owner's privacy is maintained.

It was a tough task to keep the shop-house in business during the renovation of the upper floor.

"The shop was open during construction and we tried not to disturb the flow of work during the process. It was quite challenging," said Supie.