A Humble Narrative

The roof looks really thin and sispended above the mass of the house. This result in a strong image of modern house but the composition form a dynamic feeling, especially the colorful floor in the foyer and some interesting material exploration.

story by Sunthy Sunowo photos by Mochamad Ramadan

project Cikarang House architect Desadisain Architects location Cikarang, Indonesia

the process of designing this charming yet humble house in Cikarang. It belongs to Andrian and Patsy, a young couple who, with their two children, wanted a house that catered for their daily activities as a family. A requirement that was not too complicated for Samuel Kusuma, one of the co-founders of Desadisain Architects, to understand. With active communication, the architect and his clients were able to develop a good understanding of the needs of this small family.

The challenge was how to arrange the space and function in order to make a compatible set up that would work like a ‘machine.’ It all starts from the corner of the house where guests are warmly welcomed and entertained in an open-foyer-like room. Connected to the outdoors, it quickly turns into a place where the owners can also relax and enjoy afternoon tea with the family. Room to room, function to function, becomes a web of space that transforms into a beautiful house for this active family.

Since function is the main focus of the design, the architect and the homeowners agreed to create a raw look in some areas of the house, which resulted in a number of exposed walls and some interesting material details. As a reflection of the owners’ taste and lifestyle, the contemporary look is humble even from the exterior façade. This modern interpretation of personal preference turns out to be a modest story about the family who own the house.

Earth tone meet concrete surface is the signature combination in this house. This gives the owner a chance to put on some cushion with a cute graphics on a light green couch. The steel formation has many function, as a safety screen and leave a nice shadow on the pool. The innercourt becomes the centre and also the key success to how the design brings in the sun lights and the wind. The water in the pool is also plays a role to lower the temperature.

While the aesthetics were not the fundamental aspect here, some areas required a certain ambience and quality related to open space, colors, lights and natural breezes. It was also necessary to provide visual access to some of the rooms in order to control the children’s activities. Samuel, as the architect of the house, maintains that Andrian and Patsy gave him the freedom to explore materials and spaces, together with their absolute trust in the design and construction process. The house design is a reflection of a controlled use of materials. There are not many different kinds of materials used in this house, and this is what makes it so eye-catching, yet humble at the same time. There seems to be a reason for every detail in this home, and it’s not merely for decoration purposes.

Besides function, Samuel paid a great deal of attention as to how the building would react and respond to the tropical climate. The sunlight, the wind and the rain were defining aspects of how the design unfolded. Therefore, all rooms are oriented towards the inner court, which holds the key to the success of the ambience. The existence of the inner court bestows the building with natural light, and allows the cool breezes to circulate and provide a comfortable temperature, even without air conditioning.

The rooms are filled with natural light during the daytime, even on cloudy days. This is due to the

Corridor is one solution to give distance to the window to get the reflective lights, not the direct ones. This is how the building in tropical climate to response. Meanwhile concrete dominate the look of the house, wood material turn out to be an element of warmth. using reclaimed wood as a window frame, the material also appear in a private area such as bedroom and tv room.

Some colors pop in the wall as an accent, hence, the art work selected is somehow brings a dynamic spirit to each room and also pin point the characteristic of each room function.

provision of a glass wall and also to an opening along the side of the building that faces the inner court. This set up also allows Andrian and Patsy to control and monitor their children’s activities from anywhere within the house. This openness actually connects the rooms by drawing them all closer to the inner court, where the pool and some natural vegetation imparts a lovely fresh feel.

Well matched with the overall raw look, the interior detail brings a colorful mood to the house. Some vintage posters, texture on the floors, 3D geometric texture above the dining table, and graphic cushions on the sofa enhance the charisma to provide a delightful set up for the owners and their two children. Some walls are painted in bright colors, which make the rooms look vibrant.

The architect chose reclaimed wood for the window frames, not only to save on cost but also because it has a different texture and more character than new timber. The house doesn’t claim to be of green design but the energy usage for the lights and air conditioning is significantly reduced due to the inner court. Since the beginning, Andrian and Patsy – who have a background in the fashion industry – decided that their budget for the house was one billion rupiah. Some of the details are the answers to their budget constraint. Desadisain Architects have successfully designed a very comfortable, functioning ‘machine’.

The roof turn into a bog room for family gathering. This is the space under the thin roof and looks suspended from the outside.