Not Your Average Jakarta HomeJuly 31, 2009
By Katrin Figge
http://thejakartaglobe.com/newsletter/not-your-average-jakarta-home/321370
It is not hard to see even from the outside that the house known as Roemah 7a on Jalan Lebak Bulus, in South Jakarta, is special.
A white Plymouth vintage automobile greets you in the front courtyard. On the right-hand side, there are three joglos — the skeleton of a traditional wooden house from Kudus, Central Java, with four main pillars and a carved roof. Joglos are often used as a house extension in a garden or backyard, as is also the case with this house.
Inside Roemah 7a, it feels as though time stood still. The rooms are filled with antique furniture, lamps and accessories from all over Indonesia.
The house-turned-function-hall is owned by husband and wife Anthon Novianto and Dewi Syarah.
“My parents built this house back in the 1970s,” Anthon says. “I inherited it after they both passed away. Initially, they rented it out to expats.”
But he says it eventually became hard to find new tenants, as expats now prefer to live in apartments with 24-hour-security instead of houses. So the couple decided to turn the house into a place that can be used for events.
These days, the house is used for weddings, business gatherings and film or photo shoots.
Renovations, which started in 2005 and took more than year to complete, led to significant changes in the way the house was furnished.
“I am a collector of antiques, especially furniture, and with the house being empty, I finally found a place to put my collections,” the 39-year-old Anthon says.
His wife laughs at this particular remark. “Actually, it’s not only furniture; he collects just about everything,” Dewi explains.
How the house is put together proves her point. The entrance hall features Anthon’s Indonesian comic book collection, mostly from the 1950s and ’60s, arranged by genre. “Almost all of them are first editions, too,” he says proudly.
A beautifully carved wooden door leads into the spacious house. The dining area features a long table, decorated with a batik table runner.
Anthon used the sideboards to show another one of his many collections: old wooden radios and, as a special feature, a gramophone.
“All the accessories in this house might be old, but they all still work,” Anthon says. To prove his point, he cranks the device, and the room is filled with the typically scratchy sound of a record playing old Indonesian pop songs.”I bought this gramophone in Japan,” says Anthon, who studied in Tokyo for two years. “I found it at a flea market.”
Behind the dining area is another large room, which Dewi calls the ceremonial room, also decorated with antique furniture. Three bedrooms complete the main house, although nobody uses them to stay overnight. “The bedrooms are now being used as make-up rooms for the bride and groom,” Dewi says.
At the back of the house is a large and lush garden that is home to two more joglos. An oval-shaped swimming pool lies in the center. The joglo at the far end of the garden provides space to host large parties. “Most of the furniture I buy here in Jakarta,” Anthon says. “I don’t have time to go all the way to Central Java to buy the furniture there myself.”
But the collector does have good connections and knows where to get antiques for a cheap price, such as the market in Ciputat, South Jakarta.
“Sometimes, young people inherit old furniture from their parents,” he says. “But they don’t use it because they prefer modern furnishing, so they sell them.”
Sitting on one of the rattan armchairs, you can look out into the spacious garden and at the main house comfortably, while observing more collector’s items.
Two becaks (pedicabs) from Central Java sit quietly on the neatly cut lawn.
On one pillar of a joglo leans an old rusty tandem bicycle from the Netherlands, which, Anthon says, is a very popular feature for wedding photos.
There are also three German motorbikes from the 1950s parked on the grounds.
The couple has also recently opened an antique shop in the right wing of the main house. Here they sell furniture such as day beds, chairs and tables. The shelves and cabinets have given Anthon yet another place to accommodate his collections.
On a sideboard, hundreds of wayang puppets are piled up. A glass cabinet shows off Japanese porcelain and, only for display, lovingly arranged old Indonesian books and novels. But despite the beauty of the house, the traditional touches and the antique treasures, business has not been too good this year.
“Last year, we had functions and weddings almost every weekend,” Dewi says.
“In 2009, however, things have been slowing down.”
Anthon is beginning to plan for the future of this special place.
“Even if we keep it as a house [that hosts functions], it still remains empty on weekdays because most of the weddings and other celebrations take place on the weekends,” he says.
Seeing that Jakarta still lacks spaces for cultural performances and events, Anthon says Roemah 7a may have enough space to serve as an art center or to host shows like traditional dance performances.
“This is just an idea, though,” he says. “But it would be great if we could turn this house into a place for cultural exchange between locals and expats.”
A white Plymouth vintage automobile greets you in the front courtyard. On the right-hand side, there are three joglos — the skeleton of a traditional wooden house from Kudus, Central Java, with four main pillars and a carved roof. Joglos are often used as a house extension in a garden or backyard, as is also the case with this house.Inside Roemah 7a, it feels as though time stood still. The rooms are filled with antique furniture, lamps and accessories from all over Indonesia.
The house-turned-function-hall is owned by husband and wife Anthon Novianto and Dewi Syarah.
“My parents built this house back in the 1970s,” Anthon says. “I inherited it after they both passed away. Initially, they rented it out to expats.”
But he says it eventually became hard to find new tenants, as expats now prefer to live in apartments with 24-hour-security instead of houses. So the couple decided to turn the house into a place that can be used for events.
These days, the house is used for weddings, business gatherings and film or photo shoots.
Renovations, which started in 2005 and took more than year to complete, led to significant changes in the way the house was furnished.
“I am a collector of antiques, especially furniture, and with the house being empty, I finally found a place to put my collections,” the 39-year-old Anthon says.His wife laughs at this particular remark. “Actually, it’s not only furniture; he collects just about everything,” Dewi explains.
How the house is put together proves her point. The entrance hall features Anthon’s Indonesian comic book collection, mostly from the 1950s and ’60s, arranged by genre. “Almost all of them are first editions, too,” he says proudly.
A beautifully carved wooden door leads into the spacious house. The dining area features a long table, decorated with a batik table runner.
Anthon used the sideboards to show another one of his many collections: old wooden radios and, as a special feature, a gramophone.
“All the accessories in this house might be old, but they all still work,” Anthon says. To prove his point, he cranks the device, and the room is filled with the typically scratchy sound of a record playing old Indonesian pop songs.”I bought this gramophone in Japan,” says Anthon, who studied in Tokyo for two years. “I found it at a flea market.”
Behind the dining area is another large room, which Dewi calls the ceremonial room, also decorated with antique furniture. Three bedrooms complete the main house, although nobody uses them to stay overnight. “The bedrooms are now being used as make-up rooms for the bride and groom,” Dewi says.At the back of the house is a large and lush garden that is home to two more joglos. An oval-shaped swimming pool lies in the center. The joglo at the far end of the garden provides space to host large parties. “Most of the furniture I buy here in Jakarta,” Anthon says. “I don’t have time to go all the way to Central Java to buy the furniture there myself.”
But the collector does have good connections and knows where to get antiques for a cheap price, such as the market in Ciputat, South Jakarta.
“Sometimes, young people inherit old furniture from their parents,” he says. “But they don’t use it because they prefer modern furnishing, so they sell them.”
Sitting on one of the rattan armchairs, you can look out into the spacious garden and at the main house comfortably, while observing more collector’s items.
Two becaks (pedicabs) from Central Java sit quietly on the neatly cut lawn.
On one pillar of a joglo leans an old rusty tandem bicycle from the Netherlands, which, Anthon says, is a very popular feature for wedding photos.
There are also three German motorbikes from the 1950s parked on the grounds.
The couple has also recently opened an antique shop in the right wing of the main house. Here they sell furniture such as day beds, chairs and tables. The shelves and cabinets have given Anthon yet another place to accommodate his collections.On a sideboard, hundreds of wayang puppets are piled up. A glass cabinet shows off Japanese porcelain and, only for display, lovingly arranged old Indonesian books and novels. But despite the beauty of the house, the traditional touches and the antique treasures, business has not been too good this year.
“Last year, we had functions and weddings almost every weekend,” Dewi says.
“In 2009, however, things have been slowing down.”
Anthon is beginning to plan for the future of this special place.
“Even if we keep it as a house [that hosts functions], it still remains empty on weekdays because most of the weddings and other celebrations take place on the weekends,” he says.
Seeing that Jakarta still lacks spaces for cultural performances and events, Anthon says Roemah 7a may have enough space to serve as an art center or to host shows like traditional dance performances.
“This is just an idea, though,” he says. “But it would be great if we could turn this house into a place for cultural exchange between locals and expats.”
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