Indonesia Design - Defining Luxury
A Design That Reflects Spiritual Beauty
Since the beginning of time, humans have expressed their spiritual connection through art. From the raw cave paintings to the magnificent Sistine Chapel, humanity has been using art to enhance spiritual pursuits. Throughout civilisation, we have continued to create beauty to get closer to godliness as well as beholding great works of creativity that remind us of our godliness. This great essence is captured at the private residence of Poppy Dharsono.
The beautiful Javanese mansion that is located on a 4.200sqm land in the East Jakarta vicinity was built and designed personally by Poppy Dharsono. Known as the savvy businesswoman and prominent Indonesian fashion designer since the late 1970, Poppy has always believed that good design is a design that can provide a spiritual beauty for others to feel at all times. Coming from a Javanese family, she has always been fascinated and inspired by the elegance of Javanese houses, especially the ones that were once occupied by high official members. As a result, her private residence shows her great heritage in a classic modern style. Starting from an empty land, Poppy created a compound that resembles the traditional Javanese architectural design consisting of three main structures – the omah (main house), a pendopo (pavilion) and a gandok (additional structure). Adding the modern twist to her Javanese compound, we can also find a large swimming pool and a few gazebos by the pool and one at the front garden. There is also a lush landscape showcasing a myriad of beautiful and exotic tropical vegetations, making this residence look picture perfect. The omah or the main house is created using tropical design principles where all main rooms are connected and big windows can be found all around the house to help circulate fresh air. The main house also has a front and back terrace, where the front side is facing the garden and the back terrace juxtaposes the pendopo and the swimming pool. The pendopo is also unique, as it has a hipped roof with a trapezoidal longitudinal section and five roof ridges known as a Limasan-type roof that is associated with a higher status of a Javanese family. Once inside, the house’s façade continues into a harmonious combination of the “east meets west” interior design concept. The first part of the main house is the main foyer that is
connected to the dining room (and kitchen) on the left side, the office on the right side, and the main living room in the back, where a red and gold large painting featuring the image of Poppy by the famous Dutch contemporary artist Walter Van Oel is featured. The layout in principal is divided into two big areas, the first part mentioned above and the private side on the other side of the living room wall. The private area has its own living room and bedrooms. The interior design represents the image of Poppy as a 20th-century modern woman with a sophisticated design palate. The eclecticism that is presented here from European style chandeliers, an Iranian carpet, Balinese carvings, antique Dutch colonial period marble tables to the beautiful collection of chinaware are set in perfect equilibrium. Like in all her other creations, Poppy designed this house as a reflection of her immaculate spiritual beauty.