Bisnis Indonesia, Minggu 7 Desember 2014

Menggapai Kenyamanan Di The Roemah 7a

by: Agnes Savithri

http://properti.bisnis.com/read/20141206/48/380175/menggapai-kenyamanan-di-the-roemah-7a

Bisnis.com, JAKARTA--Dari kejauhan rumah yang terletak di bilangan Lebak Bulus, Jakarta Selatan ini nampak asri dan terkesan klasik. Sebuah joglo besar menjadi bagian depan rumah ini. Tidak ketinggalan, mobil tua berwarna putih parkir di depannya. Di sebelah kanan dari bangunan utama, terdapat dua joglo kecil yang berisi kursi dan meja kayu yang tidak beraturan.

 

Rumah tersebut adalah The Roemah 7a yang dimiliki oleh pasangan Anthon Novianto dan Dewi Syarah. Bangunan seluas 3.000m2 ini sudah berdiri sejak  1978."Dahulu sebelum dibangun rumah, tanah ini merupakan kebun rambutan," tutur Anthon.

 

Almarhum ayah Anthon lah yang kemudian membeli rumah ini dan membangunnya menjadi rumah dengan model  70-an pada masa itu. Namun, rumah tersebut tidak pernah ditinggali oleh keluarga Anthon. Rumah ini pada awalnya dibangun untuk disewakan kepada ekspatriat yang bertugas di Indonesia pada masa itu.

 

Namun, seiring berjalannya waktu dan perkembangan properti di Indonesia. Rumah ini mulai kalah dengan apartemen dan cluster-cluster yang baru dibangun. Akhirnya pada tahun 2006, Anthon memutuskan untuk mengubah rumah ini menjadi sebuah fungtion house.

 

Anthon yang sejak muda memang menyukai barang-barang vintage mendekorasi rumah ini menjadi rumah tradisional unik yang tentunya ada sentuhan modern. Di bagian depan rumah, Anton meletakkan sebuah rumah joglo besar yang dia beli di Jakarta. Namun, gebyok tersebut berasal dari Kudus. Dia mendapatkan rumah joglo tersebut secara kebetulan karena orang yang memesan rumah joglo tersebut mendadak membatalkan pesanannya.

 

Di samping rumah joglo bagian depan, terdapat dua joglo kecil yang Anthon pergunakan sebagai tempat meletakan mebel vintage yang hendak dia jual. Mobil-mobil tua yang menghiasa halaman depan rumahnya pun merupakan hasilnya berburu mobil bekas di kampakan mobil di Jakarta dan sekitar Jawa.

 

Memasuki rumah ini, terlihat banyak pajangan barang vintage. Anthon menyebutnya barang vintage bukan antik karena menurutnya kedua barang tersebut memiliki makna yang lain.

 

"Barang antik itu seperti tempat tidur raja yang bisa dilihat di museum, sedangkan barang vintage itu barang yang memiliki nilai nostalgia dan kisah menarik untuk diceritakan karena pernah mengalami menggunakan barang itu," cerita Anthon.

 

Banyak koleksi Anthon yang dipajang dalam rumah ini. Di bagian depan, bisa dilihat sederet televisi zaman dahulu yang masih berbentuk tabung menyerupai helm dengan berbagai warna. Disampingnya bisa dilihat lemari yang berisi komik-komik jaman dahulu yang dilihat dari warnanya sudah berumur lebih dari 10 tahun.

 

Memasuki bagian dalam rumah, nuansa kental dari tradisional Jawa yang dipadukan dengan nuansa modern semakin terasa. Di beberapa sudut rumah terlihat gebyok-gebyok yang Anthon dapatkan dari sekitar Jakarta dan Jawa. Hampir semua gebyok ini terbuat dari kayu jati. Hanya ada satu gebyok yang Anthon dapatkan dari rumah betawi. Dan gebyok tersebut terbuat dari kayu nangka karena rata-rata gebyok betawi jaman dahulu terbuat dari kayu nangka.

 

Di salah satu pojok rumah pun terlihat display yang sangat menarik. Anthon memajang koleksi boneka Jepang milikinya. Boneka ini tertata rapi dalam kotak-kotak kaca yang memang langsung dibeli dari Jepang ketika Anthon sekolah disana. Di sisi lain rumah, terdapat pajangan vespa-vespa mini yang digantung di dinding.

 

Vespa ini sudah berumur puluhan tahun, tak sengaja Anthon dapatkan dan dia cat ulang. Selain itu diseluruh penjuru ruangan dapat ditemukan semua koleksi barang vintage Anthon dari mulai kaset, proyektor, kaset, view master, pemutar piringan hitam dan barang vintage lainnya. Untuk hiasan dinding pun, terlihat beberapa relief yang menggantung di dinding. Selain itu tidak sedikit pula poster dan iklan film tahun 60an-70an yang dibingkai rapi. Semua koleksi ini merupakan milik Anthon yang dia dapatkan dari Jakarta dari sekitar Jawa seperti Semarang, Solo dan Malang.

 

Memasuki halaman dalam rumah ini, akan langsung terlihat pemandangan kolam renang yang dikelilingin rumput hijau dan pepohonan. Di belakangnya terlihat sebuah rumah joglo yang besar. Di depannya terdapat sepasang patung Gupala yang mengapit di kanan dan kiri pintu. Anthon menjelaskan Gupala ini merupakan patung penjaga yang memang sepaket dari rumah joglo. Joglo bagian dalam ini menurut Dewi sering digunakan sebagai pelaminan ketika ada acara pernikahan. Saat ini, The Roemah 7a ini memang digunakan sebagai rumah serbaguna dari mulai pemotretan, gathering hingga pernikahan.

The JAKARTA GLOBE, December 4 2009

A Dream Venue for Javanese Weddings
December, 4 2009
By Sylviana Hamdani
http://thejakartaglobe.com/culture/a-dream-venue-for-javanese-weddings/345524

A wedding can be one of the most complicated events that you will ever have to organize. In Javanese tradition, the big day is a major cause of celebration for both extended families and their neighbors.

“Once in a lifetime” becomes a catchphrase for many future brides and bridegrooms, as they make meticulous arrangements for their wedding day. But the pressure for everything to be perfect can sometimes take away from the newlyweds’ enjoyment of the big day.

Roemah 7a is a wedding venue run by a young couple, Anthon Novianto and Dewi Syarah, who have anticipated this problem by providing a list of wedding organizers, photographers, caterers and decorators.

“Before, the bride- and the groom-to-be would come to us, looking lost about how they should organize their special day,” Dewi said. “Now, they can simply choose from our list of vendors.”

Located in a leafy residential area, Roemah 7a is designed like the home of a traditional Javanese noble family. A magnificent Joglo (traditional wooden Javanese house) stands by the terrace between a pair of stone gupala (mythical creatures that guard the entry of a house) on each side. A delman (traditional horse carriage) stands on the corner of the front lawn, accompanied by a pair of old cars, a three-wheeled Reliant Regal MK1 from 1953 and a Mazda R 360 from 1960.

The parking lot in front of the house can accommodate up to 40 cars. “For large weddings, we usually rent the vacant lot next door for the guests’ cars,” Dewi explained. In total, the venue can accommodate up to 600 people.

In the foyer stands a magnificent teak table topped with Italian marble, adorned with a fresh flower arrangement and old kerosene lamps.

The room also features a collection of old projectors for 8 millimeter, 16 millimeter and 35 millimeter films. “My dad used to play movies for my birthdays with these projectors when I was a little boy,” Anthon said.

On the right side of the foyer stand floor-to-ceiling cupboards featuring Anthon’s collections of Indonesian vintage comic books from the 1950s. Among his collections are “Si Buta dari Gua Hantu” (“The Blind Man from the Haunted Cave”), by Ganes T H, and “Jaka Sembung,” by Djair. The prize of his collection is the original manuscripts for a Medan comic book.

The dining room boasts of a long dining table made entirely of teak. An antique crystal chandelier casts a romantic yellowish light over the room. On a side table is a vintage Victrola phonograph from the 1920s, which Anthon said he “bought from an old man in Japan.”

One side of the wall features a brightly-colored 1950’s enamel signboard for Prijaji cigarettes, featuring a noble Javanese man smoking a cigarette, while the other side of the wall is decorated with dada peksi (long intricately-carved wooden beams often used for hanging crystal chandeliers).

“I salvaged them from ruined Joglo houses in Central Java,” Anthon said.

Wedding ceremonies usually take place in the spacious room at the back of the house. Adorned with an intricate teak panel from Demak, Central Java, and antique hand-crafted Javanese doors with a Loro Blonyo (a Javanese sculpture of a couple) standing in front of them, the room possesses a sacred and solemn ambience.

The homeowner’s collection of traditional weapons, such as kris, daggers and javelins from around the country, is also displayed in this room.

“In this room, the couples usually perform temu [a Javanese ceremony in which the bridegroom and his family meet with the bride and her family], ijab kabul [the marriage ceremony] and sungkeman [where the bride and the bridegroom ask both sets of parents for their blessings at the end of the wedding],” Dewi said.

On one of the walls is a wide teak carving depicting an episode in the Ramayana, an ancient Hindu epic.

Two bedrooms are also provided as dressing rooms for the bride and her bridesmaids. The larger one features Anthon’s collection of handmade Japanese dolls in glass boxes. The smaller one features an intricately hand-crafted daybed from Madura Island, East Java.

“The Chinese influence show in the dragon and phoenix-like patterns on the carvings,” Anthon said.

The room also boasts art deco furniture from the 1920s and jengki furniture from the 1950s.

Wedding receptions usually take place outdoors in the leafy backyard, which boasts bamboo shoots, a giant rambutan tree, frangipanis and a large traveller’s palm tree. A Joglo gazebo from Kudus, Central Java, functions as the center stage where the bride and groom are seated for the reception.

A tandem bicycle from the Netherlands and a pair of becaks (tricycle rickshaws) stand by lagoon pools, as if promising to take the newlyweds safely through their life journey together.

“The becaks are male and female,” Anthon said. Brought from Solo, Central Java, the steps of the becak wadon (female becak) is slightly lower than the becak lanang (male becak) to accommodate women wearing a traditional jarik (tight wraparound batik cloth).

“At Roemah 7a, we provide a unique ambience for your wedding,” Dewi said. “One that is homey and intimate, as well as rich in tradition and history.”

Roemah 7a
Jalan Lebak Bulus 1 no. 7A
Cilandak, South Jakarta
Tel. 021 751 2332

Tabloid NOVA, 12 Februari 2010

Roemah 7a Pesona Rumah Jawa Kuno, Tren Lokasi Pre-Wedding
Jumat, 12 Februari 2010
oleh: Sita Dewi
http://tabloidnova.com/Nova/News/Peristiwa/Tren-Lokasi-Foto-Pre-Wedding-1

Biasanya, latar belakang langit biru dengan laut membentang atau panorama sawah yang hijau nan elok kerap menghiasi foto-foto prapernikahan. Kini, banyak bangunan atau rumah-rumah dengan tema unik yang diburu pasangan yang sedang berbahagia untuk jadi saksi kala mengikat janji.

Tak jarang, dua sejoli rela merogoh kocek dalam-dalam untuk terbang ke Yogyakarta atau Bali dalam rangka berburu lokasi untuk membuat foto-foto prapernikahan. Rumah bergaya Jawa seperti Keraton Yogya sering jadi tujuan pasangan yang ingin membuat foto dengan tema etnik Jawa. Tapi, kini tak perlu jauh-jauh ke Yogya, karena banyak rumah-rumah bertema Jawa yang bermunculan di beberapa kota. Salah satunya, Roemah 7a di kawasan Lebak Bulus, Jakarta Selatan.

Rumah yang berdiri di atas lahan seluas 3.000 meter persegi itu awalnya adalah rumah bergaya modern yang dibangun di tahun 1980-an. Sejak awal, pemiliknya menyewakan rumah tersebut sebagai rumah tinggal. “Penyewa biasanya ekspatriat, makanya dibangun dengan standar barat dan konstruksinya pun sangat kuat,” kata Gandhi Priapratama, pengelola Roemah 7a. Tapi, beberapa tahun belakangan ini, ekspatriat-ekspatriat tersebut beralih ke apartemen sehingga sempat terjadi kekosongan.

Anthon Novianto, sang pemilik, memutuskan untuk mengubah fungsi rumah yang memiliki kolam renang dan halaman yang luas menjadi arena pesta. Pria berdarah Jawa, yang hobi mengumpulkan barang-barang kuno itu, mengubah interior rumah menjadi etnik ala Jawa kuno. Di sudut halaman belakang dibangun pendopo lengkap dengan segala pernik antik. Perajin ukir-ukiran dari Jepara didatangkan langsung untuk menyempurnakan sentuhan Jawa. Bahkan saat ada pesta digelar, perajin yang dibiarkan bekerja di halaman depan ini, menjadi daya tarik tersendiri bagi para tamu.

Gandhi, yang masih saudara sepupu Anton, digandeng untuk mengelola rumah yang kemudian diberi nama Roemah 7a. Rumah itu disewakan untuk resepsi pernikahan dengan kapasitas maksimum 600 orang. Kebanyakan, pengantin yang menggunakan adat Jawa yang ingin pestanya digelar di Roemah 7a, “Banyak juga pengantin yang pasangannya ekspatriat yang menikah di sini, karena mereka suka yang etnik-etnik.”

Sebagai bonus, pengantin yang merayakan pernikahannya di Roemah 7a, diperbolehkan membuat foto prapernikahan di rumah itu juga. Belakangan, banyak pasangan yang tertarik untuk membuat foto prapernikahan di Roemah 7a, meski resepsinya tidak digelar di sana. “Lama kelamaan, desain interior Jawa kuno rumah ini menyebar dari mulut ke mulut, dari tamu yang pernah diundang ke sini. Banyak juga fotografer yang pernah meliput pesta di Roemah 7a merekomendasikan tempat ini ke kliennya,” terang Gandhi. Sejak itu, manajemen Roemah 7a memberlakukan harga khusus untuk pemotretan foto prapernikahan. Hanya dengan Rp 500.000, calon pengantin bisa menggunakan Roemah 7a selama 6 jam.

Sudut-sudut favorit yang biasa digunakan sebagai latar belakang antara lain, pendopo dan halaman belakang yang terdapat pintu kayu besar dengan ukiran khas Jawa Tengah (gebyok). “Di Roemah 7a juga banyak ornamen lainnya yang bisa ‘dimainkan’ seperti, becak, motor dan vespa antik.” Mobil antik Plymouth keluaran tahun 1930-an juga jadi ‘aksesori’ kesukaan. Hanya saja, ada ongkos tambahan jika harus mengeluarkan mobil tersebut dari garasi.

The JAKARTA GLOBE, July 31 2009

Not Your Average Jakarta Home
July 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.”