Inspired Home In Bali

Deeply connected with its stunning surroundings, the design of this luxurious holiday home reflects a contemporary spin on local materiality and vernacular architecture. The architects designed this house on an expansive east-west oriented site, where it faces the ocean on the eastern side. The vastness of the site enabled for the design of a resort‐inspired layout, where individual suites and living spaces were set in a fragmented arrangement that connects indoor and outdoor spaces.

A series of courtyards, gardens and other planted terraces are deftly woven into the architecture, combining structured and naturalistic planting and creating a sense that landscape and architecture are meaningfully integrated. In fact, the design of this resort-inspired home was partly inspired by the way in which rocky ruins are, in time, reclaimed by the landscape, and come to seem almost as if they are part of it.

Not only does the fragmented nature of the building and outdoor spaces do away with internal passages entirely, but it also facilitates the home’s “chameleon quality”, a responsive arrangement that expands or “shrinks” to accommodate both small and large groups of people. Even if the homeowner was to visit without guests, he could occupy the main suite and living areas without being aware of the additional guest rooms, so the grandeur of the arrangement never loses a sense of intimacy. Similarly, throughout the plan, large spaces such as the entrance, pool terrace and western courtyard are balanced with intimately proportioned living spaces.

In the main living areas, the distinctive vernacular timber pavilions typical of Balinese architecture have been reinterpreted using glass curtain walling, and the local lightweight timber roofs have been re‐envisioned as a floating concrete roof form, beautifully crafted with board‐marked concrete. This subtly playful reference to the timberwork prevalent in the local architecture has once again been elevated in keeping with the scale of the project. The eye‐catching slope of the roof is a climatically appropriate response to the east west‐orientation of the house, inviting in the morning light and opening up ocean views to the east, while providing shelter from the harsh afternoon light from the west.

The way in which architecture and external courtyards are interwoven means navigation through the buildings involves constantly crossing between architecture and landscape, facilitating a powerful sense of place. The seamlessly integrated indoor‐outdoor lifestyle is also a response to Bali’s climate. A range of covered outdoor spaces and courtyards, pavilions and terraces offer a variety of outdoor experiences with varying degrees of cover. The porous nature of the design encourages naturally cooling cross ventilation to flow in from the ocean. When the heat becomes oppressive, it’s possible to retreat into fully the fully enclosed, air‐conditioned lounge and dining areas.

Throughout the house, the texture of the concrete and natural finishes such as local stone have been overlaid with distinctive timberwork. Vertical screens, joinery and decorative metalwork, such as the faceted bronzed aluminum behind the bar and in the cigar lounge, enrich the raw materiality with thoughtful details. Honed and unfilled travertine floors provide a luxurious finish underfoot while the continuity of the finishes imparts a sense of calmness and cohesion. High‐quality imported European furnishings and finishes introduce a sense of understated luxury with a contemporary take on pared‐back mid‐century design.

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