A house in West Jakarta offers a serene oasis amidst the constant hustle and bustle of the city. An excellent example of contemporary architecture, the house's interior is designed according to the needs and tastes of all the family members. It offers privacy and at the same time encourages togetherness.
Photos by Evonil Architecture Doc.
Sitting in a corner of an old real estate complex in Jakarta, the house enjoys two outward facing sides that have been cleverly exploited by Evonil Architecture to create a clean, modern façade. The contemporary composition of the windows and the balcony make the house stand out in the neighbourhood.
Willy Sulwyn of Evonil Architecture hid an outdoor swimming pool inside the U-shaped plan of the house. This layout means that all the indoor spaces are showered with natural daylight and also allows for natural cooling through cross ventilation. The balanced outer and inner landscape designs, along with good-sized awnings, achieve a comfortable temperature inside the house, even when it’s sunny outside.
The first floor is raised 1.8 metre from the street level, along with the landscape. The ground level holds the carport, garage, and storage. Stepping into the entrance of the house is a pleasure, with a view of the lush green planting in the garden and the luxurious terrace, which continues to the foyer.
At the back of the foyer, there is a generously sized living room that connects the garden and the swimming pool. The living room is one of the family’s favourite places. It is also connected to the pantry and the dining room, hence the family can still feel like they’re together while doing different activities. One of the walls is decorated with a stone mosaic effect in monotonic brown colours with the staircase in black marble adding a balancing contrast on the facing side of the room. The subtle colours are then jewelled with the playful candy colours of the ottomans. This spacious room is often used as a venue for family gatherings.
The house has four bedrooms. A guest bedroom is located on the first floor near to the living room. The architect kept the second floor as a private zone, and so the three bedrooms for the family members are located on this level.
The bedrooms for the two children have been put next to each other as they often spend time together. Although they have different colour schemes due to the children’s individual preferences, their bedrooms are connected on two sides, from the private living room on one side and to a shared-balcony facing the neighbourhood on the other.The master bedroom also has a balcony looking over the swimming pool area. The owner has a passion for singing birds – he keeps his birdcage on this private balcony and we could hear the sound of the birds from just about everywhere in the house.
The master bedroom has a walk-in closet which leads to an en-suite bathroom, with an indoor Jacuzzi for the couple. Outside the bedroom there is a small living room, where the family can gather before bedtime. The house has secret stairs to the top floor, which features a rooftop terrace and an indoor entertainment room where the family do yoga, work out and play musical instruments.
The family enjoy their time together in this house, but still have personalised spaces where they can enjoy private and intimate moments. This is a house that makes you feel ‘at home’ whether you’re a child, a parent or friends and family dropping in.