/ Story: Kor Lordkam / English version: Bob Pitakwong /
/ Photographs: Courtesy of Design Hotels Virtual Press Office /
Innit Lombok is a luxury oceanfront hotel overlooking sparkling white sands on Ekas Bay, Lombok, Indonesia, a Tropical paradise island east of Bali known for being a great surfing destination. From here, the roar of the surf can be heard loud and clear. The quiet and secluded retreat offers seven modern villas with a private beach and well-thought-out design that syncs with its natural surroundings.
By and large, Lombok is more than just warm-water great waves. It’s also home to some of the most beautiful hiking routes with the Lombok volcano offering the best place for trekking and adventures.
In terms of design, each villa on the property has two hotel rooms located upstairs, while the lower floor holds an open sitting room with ocean views for relaxation. Total areas come to about 170 square meters apiece. To provide the best hotel customer service, there’s a beachfront restaurant nearby, separated from the residential zone by a swimming pool covered in black tiles and spacious terraces positioned to catch the sun.
The beachfront villas boast the beauty of box-shaped architecture that’s simple yet attractive, thanks to natural building materials being used that blend seamlessly with surrounding landscapes. They include concrete, glass, stones and timber. Worthy of note is the building envelope built of hardwood that’s organic, renewable and climate smart.
For strength and durability, the platform next to each building is built of hardwood, while the perforate façade is covered with wood panels consisting of Raju wood strips put together with spaces in between for good air circulation. Together they go to work creating a beautiful shaded retreat and doubling as a privacy screen.
The building facade consisting of Raju wood strips with spaces in between allows just enough natural light into the room while doubling as a privacy screen.
Raju timber used to build the external envelope is sourced locally from Lombok and nearby islands, while interior construction and furniture is made of teakwood native to the Region.
Inside and out, it’s a design that puts harmony with nature high on the list of priorities. This results in visual continuity that effectively blurs the boundaries between indoors and outdoors.
The open lower floor space boasts the simplicity of a living room, dining room and kitchen set on soft beach sand floors that effectively blur the dividing line between indoors and outdoors.
The same treatment applies to the open lower floor without a wall. There is just enough furniture in the room with a view of sparkling white sands and the ocean beyond, plus a kitchen island for food preparation and dining area set on soft beach sand floors designed to bring the outdoors in.
As the architect intended, it’s a design embracing the belief that nature has a profound positive impact on human lives. Like so, it makes perfect sense to integrate natural elements in the building plan. And this gorgeous hotel in Lombok, Indonesia has shown that to be the case. Innit?
Architects: Andra Matin, and D-associates (by Gregorius Supie Yolodi, and Maria Rosantina)
/ Story: Wuthikorn Suthiapa / English version: Bob Pitakwong /
/ Photographs: Soopakorn Sriskul /
Everything about this modern home by Andra Matin presents a perfect example of tropical residential architecture. Check this out.
Andra Matin, the homeowner and designer of AM House, greeted us with a smile in his spacious multi-purpose room dominated by a solid-wooden long table.
His tropical modern home was made of concrete, its unique stilt structures were outstanding. These elements intrigue us to hear what he had to say about the house.
The living room on the second floor is visible from the street. Patches of greenery provide camouflage for privacy
According to Matin, this state-of-the-art work took five years to finish.
“I began building this house in 2008, starting out with a cube-shaped design. As construction was underway, more details were added. By slowly and gradually building the house, I had time to consider the best option for our family.”
The pathway glides past a pond to the second floor. The entire ramp is paved with strips of timber set at half-inch intervals.A wood deck extends from the multi-purpose space.
Matin is widely known for his attention to detail. He is responsible for pioneering modern tropical design projects across Indonesia.
When it comes to designing a house to suit a hot and humid climate, he relied mostly on nature and a clever floor plan.
There are only two air-conditioning machines in the house. One is located in the basement bathroom, to control the humidity. And the other is on the top-floor bedroom.
The multi-purpose room on the second floor is easily adaptable. The design is in accordance with tropical climates.The cooking station is built into the tabletop. An oven and a nearby refrigerator are disguised by Ulin, Indonesia native timber.The staircase is protected by a screen of vertical strips that double as a handrail.
“I have always been interested in spatial relationships rather than the form per se,” Matin mentions his interest which he adopted to his works and the designing of his home.
“Good design is one that takes ‘Spatial Relationships.’ into account. It looks into all kinds of activity that will take place within, and not just the room hemmed in by four walls.
“In reality, there exists an in-between space that subtly tells one room apart from the next, be it sitting or sleeping, walking or standing. After that, we look for the form or configuration that best fits in with those spaces, the climate, and ways of living.”
The spiral staircase leads to a spacious bathroom with a walk-in closet. A shower area and a bathtub lie under a skylight.A small lodge in the backyard is Matin’s favorite hideout spot.The third-floor living space is adequately lit by natural light via the skylight, right. On one side, floor-to-ceiling windows allow soft, diffused light in. During the day, there’s no need for an artificial light.
Matin sourced materials locally. This is not only to support the locals, Matin believes local artisans know their stuff.
“Local builders have insight know-how and skills. These materials weren’t hard to find and savvy,” said Matin
Apart from architecture, Matin also has a strong passion for travel. Hence, this house is full of fun gimmicks to make walking from room to room like an exciting adventure.
The entrance is through the hill. Followed by a lounge area with a spiral staircase as a shortcut to a rooftop on one side and a tilted floor leading to a small lodge. A children’s room is also accessible through the lodge. A working space on the ground floor also has a backdoor hidden behind a bookshelf.
The endless wonder in this modern tropical home is indeed no less than Peter Pan’s Neverland.
The sloping lawn that covers the rooftop gradually descends and ends up on top of the bedroom window.
The horizontal opening in the wall allows just enough natural light inside. The design is to avoid strong tropical sunlight.
/ Story: Ajchara Jeenkram / English version: Bob Pitakwong /
/ Photographs: Soopakorn Srisakul /
This house among the trees is part of a suburban residential development nestled in a wooded area where calming fruit orchards once grew. It is comforting to know the developers have made every effort at preserving as many trees as they possibly could. Like so, the houses are built around mature trees that have long been there. Here’s one of them.
The cube-shaped façade looks out over the front yard. Large glass windows in wood casings stretch across the entire face of the building. To let nature permeate, patches of greenery occupy every open space including the rooftop deck.
The cube-shaped façade looks out over the front yard. Large glass windows in wood casings stretch across the entire face of the building. To reconnect with nature, patches of greenery occupy every open space including the rooftop deck. Meanwhile, open concept floor plans allow abundant natural light. The positioning of windows and other features ensures minimum consumption of electricity, which translates into big savings. More than anything else, it’s about building a relationship with the natural world.
“Tanah Teduh” is the name of the housing development. It’s a reminder of the residential projects where a large number of houses of similar design are built closer together, creating a friendly neighborhood in which everybody knows everybody.
Here, all the residential units have access to common areas via both front and back doors. Well-thought out design ensures security is achievable without sacrificing privacy. Taken as a whole, the housing development is situated on 21 Rai of land (roughly 8.3 acres) that once upon a time was a thriving fruit orchard.
Exterior walls covered in coat-button vines help cool down the interior living spaces.
Inspired by the need for nature conservation, the project developer offers only 20 modern houses with a view of the lush garden landscape. The privacy of its residents takes priority over any other matter. But the beauty of the landscape is important, too. So, instead of building boundary walls that can be unpleasant to look at, the homes are kept separate from each other by green hedges and other smart architectural hacks.
It takes a team of top ten Indonesian designers to make this housing development exceptionally good. To avoid repetition, the front façade varies from one unit to the next, and each unit is a signature of an individual designer.
A relaxing multi-use room in the front part of the house. The sliding door and exterior wall are glazed using clear glass to take in the garden view and ensure there’s plenty of natural light in the house.
Oranat Pernquist is the owner of the house that we visited on this housing development. A Thai lady who has come to call Jakarta home, she welcomed our editorial team to take a look around. Overall, the home was beautiful, well-designed, and nicely decorated.
Andra Matin, the designer and project director, sure did a good job at it. He put in a small center courtyard to let nature pervade throughout the home. Natural light and correct building orientation were taken into account, resulting in well-connected, warm, and inviting interior living spaces.
Meanwhile, the external envelope showcased the charm of modern design, something akin to the works made famous by world-renowned architect Le Corbusier, but with an Asian outlook.
The dining room features a large wood table capable of seating 6 to 8. The table and chairs are made to order from Jakarta. Glass-front armoires in the backdrop are imported from Thailand.
The house has two wings. The ground floor of the first building offers a good-sized sitting room, dining area and kitchen. Glass siding fills the entire exterior wall on one side, making the center court clearly visible from within. The second floor holds a home office, while the third is a sundeck converted into a sky garden.
The kitchen is connected to the dining room. A utility table on wheels compensates for the absence of a kitchen island. The center courtyard can be seen in full view from here, thanks to glass siding that stretches across the exterior walls.
The second building also has two levels with multi-use spaces on the first floor. The second floor contains a sitting room with access to the garden. It’s decorated with a sofa in soft hues and a set of table and chairs. There is a park bench made of concrete for relaxation in the outdoors.
The perimeter wall made of perforate cement blocks not only protect from the sun’s harsh glare but also allows air circulation. Breathe block design adds modern curb appeal to the home.
The designer is passionate about Thai-modern design that’s evident in the interior decorated with simple materials. They include real wood, bare concrete walls in lighter shades and a perforate shell. Every living space is designed for specific use. It looks uncluttered and opens to let nature permeate.
Oranat said that her other half, Anders Pernquist, traveled abroad for business often and brought home beautiful objects from Italy, Taiwan, and India. She wrapped it up nicely: “Anders is responsible for purchasing,” and she for installation. No wonder home interior design is so full of life.
The master bedroom on the third floor has floor-to-ceiling windows and wood flooring in glossy finishes. Different materials serve as boundary markers among the internal spaces. The en suite bathroom showcases fine-stone terrazzo flooring with a dressing room and walk-in closet.
“Anders likes Asian style handicrafts. Works produced in this region are beautifully crafted. We have glass-front armoires with superb wood carving imported from Thailand, area rugs from India, and other pieces that are made to order in Jakarta,” said Oranat.
“Our collections come from various parts of the world. They remind us of our long journey.”
The bedroom overlooking the courtyard has a wooden bed with area rugs and bed cover in complementing hues from India. A birch veneer IKEA chair adds Scandinavian vies to the room.Wall openings keep the interior well-lit by natural daylight. The architect put this opening in the kitchen on purpose to take in the views.
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