The bare essentials in a stylish minimalist home

Maria Endah Hulupi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Caught up in fast-paced routines, some of us choose to pare down the comforts of home into a modern, clean design, eliminating the fuss of unnecessary detail and creating a refuge from the rat race.

It's exactly what a busy young couple living in a housing complex in North Jakarta sought for their home.

Architects Sukendro Sukendar Priyoso and Jeffry Sandy were appointed to design the couple's dream home of a modern tropical house with open views throughout the interior.

The newly built, five-story split level house standing on a 200-square-meter plot was designed to be energy efficient but also provide sanctuary from the tropical climate.

From the outside, the geometrically shaped house has a solid look, with a sharply sloped front yard and a 1.5-meter-high entrance gate, both working to create the impression of a home "shielded" from the outside world.

"The entrance gate was specially designed to allow the electricity man and mail carrier to check the meter or drop off letters without having to open the gate," Sukendro said, adding that the couple is out of the house for most of the day.

Of course, security is a priority, but the couple did not want a fortress-like exterior, hence the sloping yard instead of an imposing high front wall.

"But the front yard was kept as minimalist as possible to match the house concept without restricting the owners from growing some plants in the future to beautify the yard."

A staircase right behind the yard leads to the front door, which is hidden behind a huge wooden louvre. Besides serving as an accent and additional safety measure, the latter serves to separate the inside and outside parts of the house, what the couple terms a "reception" area.

Inside the house, there is a pantry and a dining room that also functions as a living room.

"We scrapped the living room on the consideration that if the guests are strangers, they can be received outside the house or in the reception area, while close friends can be hosted and entertained here in the dining room," said Sukendro, adding that the pantry provides a view to the street.

The dining room is separated from the center of the house -- a small dry garden -- by three huge windows.

Covered with loose natural stones, the garden has a reflecting pool, from which water trickles over one of its walls.

The architect said the owners would be able to add a couple of potted plants to the dry garden.

"Unlike ordinary gardens, a dry garden with potted plants requires less maintenance," he explained.

The garden is situated at the center of the house to ensure optimal cross ventilation, provide a soothing view and allow the rooms next to it, including the bedrooms and home theater, to be bathed with natural light during the day.

"We use a lot of windows and, in the morning, the owners can simply open the windows to allow fresh air and sunlight inside most parts of the house."

The huge windows also allow an unrestricted view to every room inside the house, except the service area. It also allows the owners to monitor the house from different rooms.

"To maintain privacy, the service area is designed in the lower part of the house," Sukendro said, explaining while that the service area consists of a storage room, wet kitchen, laundry area, bedroom and bathroom.

The home theater also serves as a library, equipped with a bookshelf in one corner and a white wall that can serve as a screen.

Each story of the house is connected by a ramp instead of a stairway. The ramp, the architect added, is a novel feature and adds a modern feel to the interior.

Since optimal sunlight penetration is one of the owners' concerns, the architects also designed skylights in different parts of the house to brighten rooms without the use of artificial light.

In creating the lighting design, the architects' main aim was to create a comfortable atmosphere for the interior. Some spots are provided with downward lighting for proper illumination, while others, including the ramp, are illuminated with indirect lighting to highlight their design.

"During the evening, the lighting design gives a floating effect to the ramp. We used mostly indirect lighting for this house," Sukendro said.