052 PERSPECTIVE

INTERIORS Kiris House / Jakarta

053 PERSPECTIVE
One part Japanese influence, two creative owners,
one baby on the way, some spicy colours and a
flexible use of space make up Kiris House
or anyone lorLunaLe enough Lo
experience living in Lheir own house and
sLarLing a lamily, Lhe creaLion ol greaL
memories is parL ol Lhe journey. "One ol
Lhose memories is LhaL Lhis house was,
surprisingly, compleLed a lew monLhs belore my
baby boy was born. lL was like a gilL lor my son.
l can see him growing up beauLilully here," says
Lhe owner, whose husband designed Lhe house
Lhrough Javabased design and archiLecLure
lirm ALelier Riri.
On a slice ol land measuring only 6x5m, Lhe
home bears Japanese design inlluence buL
didn'L lose sense ol LradiLional lndonesian
pracLi ces. "Mari eska, Lhe owner, l oves
everyLhing abouL Japan. Lven her son's name
was Laken lrom Japanese language. Once, she
saw a simple whiLe Japanese house LhaL was
shaped like a box in an archiLecLure book. So,
she wanLed her house Lo look as simple as LhaL, "
says archiLecL Novriansyah Yakub, principal ol
ALelier Riri.
"ln lndonesia, we usually build lences or
hedges in lronL ol Lhe house and open spaces, in
order Lo keep Lhe house and Lhe lamily inside
sale. Building lences in lronL ol Lhis house
would inLerlere wiLh Lhe concepL ol Lhe design,
which is clean and simple. 1herelore, we used a
semiLransparenL door made ol meLal and libre
cemenL board i nsLead. 1o make i L l ess
monoLonous and more delicaLe, we adorned
iL wiLh ivy."
1he 98 sq m home' s open l l oor pl an
opLimises iLs space Lo comlorLably house Lhe
couple, Lheir son, and a nanny. lLs Lwo lloors
are linked on Lhe righL by a narrow ouLdoor
corridor LhaL Lhe archiLecLs call a 'side courL'.
While illusLraLing a LradiLional LasLern pracLice
ol passive design, Lhis inner courLyard also
luncLi ons Lo uni Le Lhe rooms and spaces
among Lhe Lwo sLoreys. 1he occupanLs can
sLep Lhrough wal l s ol wi ndows lrom mosL
rooms ol Lhe house Lo Lake in some lresh air
on Lhe sidecourL.
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The sum
of its parts
055 PERSPECTIVE PERSPECTIVE
INTERIORS Kiris House / Jakarta
054
1aking advanLage ol lndonesia's Lropical
climaLe, Lhe design also capLures sunlighL and
allows lor naLural venLilaLion. 1he courLyard
adds dimensional weighL Lo Lhe lelL side, and
variously sized windows along Lhe lacade
which prevenL Lhe wesLlacing house lrom being
inundaLed wiLh Lropical lndonesian heaL granL
Lhe house a playlul composiLion.
1he lirsL sLorey leaLures loLs ol mobiliLy and
llexibiliLy. lL houses Lhe kiLchen, bar/dining area,
living room, service area, and Lhe archiLecL
husband's sLudio, which is cleverly hidden during
nonworking hours behind a robusLly colourlul
curLain LhaL acLs like a solL, mobile wall. Moveable
lurniLure also allows lor easy shapeshilLing ol
Lhe space when enLerLaining lriends and lamily.
1he second sLorey, meanwhile, accommodaLes
Lhe lamily's personal quarLers, such as son Kiri's
bedroom, Lhe masLer suiLe, and Lhe nanny's room.
lL displays more rooLedness via sLaLionary
lurniLure and clearly delined spaces.
1hroughouL Lhe house, bangkirai wood
naLive Lo Lropical lndonesia, iL resisLs humidiLy
and sunlighL well adds a warm LexLure. Used
on Lhe exLerior ground level, bangkirai lloors
conLrasL wiLh Lhe Lall cemenL wall beLween Lhe
house and iLs neighbour, and again wiLh Lhe
inLerior's cemenL lloors and grey walls.
l n Lhe masLer sui Le, sunl i ghL pl ays an
inLegral role, complemenLed by a clever use ol
col ours and maLeri al s. lL' s al so Lhe wi le' s
lavouriLe parL ol Lhe house. "lLs spacious area
accommodaLes a loL ol luncLions, so l don'L have
Lo move around Loo lar Lo do Lhings l like. One
more Lhing l like abouL Lhis room is Lhe large
glass windows. l can see Lhe sky even jusL a
liLLle piece ol iL lrom my bed," she says.
A skylighL above Lhe shower, lor insLance,
gives Lhe owners a sensaLion ol Laking a 'sun
baLh' . Sunl i ghL warms Lhe area, whi ch i s
oLherwise sLeeped in sLeely colours. Pebble
grey, black and ochre hues on Lhe shower Liles
spill down Lo Lhe grey ol concreLe ol Lhe sink
basin and used on Lhe lloor ol Lhe bedroom's
main living area. YeL Lhe colours uniLe Lo lorm
an imporLanL elemenL ol Lhe space, blurring Lhe
boundaries ol indoors and ouLdoors, wiLh Lhe
cemenL manilesLing in a siLLing bench and Lhe
walls ol Lhe sidecourL.
Yakub does noL permiL Lhe cool maLerials
overwhelm Lhe space, however. He juxLaposes
Lhe visual LemperaLures and simulLaneously
creaLed a sense ol spaciousness. Warholesque
colours on Lhe walls and permeaLing among Lhe
lurniLure and accessories add brighLness.
Woodyhued laminaLe parqueL llooring grounds
Lhe room, subLly delineaLing Lhe sleeping area
lrom Lhe l i vi ng and baLhi ng spaces and
miLigaLing Lhe need lor parLiLions or walls. "Crey
can creaLe a canvas on which Lhe owner can
'painL' wiLh lun, cheerlul colours in lurniLure or
accessories," says Lhe designer.
056
PERSPECTIVE
INTERIORS Kiris House / Jakarta

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