Cover In the evening, when the interiors glow, the uppermost floor of the tropical home appears as a thin, floating slab held aloft by glass
In the evening, when the interiors glow, the uppermost floor of the tropical home appears as a thin, floating slab held aloft by glass
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K-Thengono Design Studio explores the art of layered living in this tropical home in Jakarta’s Pantai Mutiara neighbourhood, where veiled balconies, “floating” planes and framed perspectives negotiate privacy and ocean views
In the upscale seafront enclave of Pantai Mutiara in North Jakarta, K-Thengono Design Studio was commissioned to craft a house for a couple seeking a tropical home that mediates between openness and privacy. With a total built area of over 15,400 sq ft, the four-storey residence was envisioned as a sanctuary that could accommodate evolving family needs while engaging with its coastal and urban context.
Designing in the Big Durian is never without its paradoxes, and Pantai Mutiara is a fine example—an elite enclave flanked by canals and ocean views, yet just a whisper away from the street-level bustle and a very busy cafe called Toby’s Estate—a North Jakartan institution. Its presence, along with the street-facing exposure, informed the architects’ decision to buffer the house with layered facades and screened balconies.
Read more: Home tour: A waterfront home in Jakarta built on stilts to mitigate land sinking
Above The property has direct access to the canal and includes a private jetty for mooring small boats
Above The house sits on a long, narrow site with its short sides facing west and east
The property has direct access to the canal and includes a private jetty for mooring small boats
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Above K-Thengono Design Studio explores the art of layered living in this tropical home in Jakarta’s Pantai Mutiara neighbourhood
K-Thengono Design Studio explores the art of layered living in this tropical home in Jakarta’s Pantai Mutiara neighbourhood
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The house sits on a long, narrow site with its short sides facing west and east—one towards the sun, noise, and neighbours, the other to peace and water. The property has direct access to the canal and includes a private jetty for mooring small boats. “The brief was for openness, but the site demanded protection,” recalls studio founder Kelvin Thengono. “That tension became the starting point.”
The couple who own the property, a “dream client” who got in touch with Thengono after learning of his past work online, trusted him with broad creative freedom. They envisioned a home that felt like a tropical retreat—open, breezy, and filled with greenery—yet also practical for urban life and future family needs. “They wanted something serene, but not showy,” he shares.
Above The lofty height of each level is proportionate to the home’s width, as shown in this living room
The lofty height of each level is proportionate to the home’s width, as shown in this living room
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Above The abode rewards its inhabitants with a series of evolving moments
Above The property took nearly four years from design to completion
The abode rewards its inhabitants with a series of evolving moments
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Above To balance the large built area, the house is dotted with pockets of greenery as in this courtyard between the two wings
To balance the large built area, the house is dotted with pockets of greenery as in this courtyard between the two wings
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The project also proved to be a pivotal learning curve for the architect’s eponymous studio, marking a moment of growth in navigating both design ambitions and executional realities.
The tropical home is composed of two main volumes: the western block for the bedrooms and the eastern block for the living spaces, connected by a central spine. This spine also divides the open space between these two blocks into two courtyards: a front one serving as a discreet entrance, and the other blooming as a lush private garden.
Above The project also proved to be a pivotal learning curve for the architect’s eponymous studio
Above The tropical home stands as a striking landmark along the busy street
The project also proved to be a pivotal learning curve for the architect’s eponymous studio
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Above The four-storey residence was envisioned as a sanctuary
The four-storey residence was envisioned as a sanctuary
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Above The red-tinged timber finish of this bedroom gives it a distinctly Southeast Asian vibe
Above One of the bedrooms facing the street opposite a popular cafe, which can be shielded from view by timber screens
The red-tinged timber finish of this bedroom gives it a distinctly Southeast Asian vibe
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Each bedroom level opens to a deep shared balcony screened by folding timber panels, facing the busy western street. While it might seem counterintuitive to locate the bedrooms towards the bustle, this allowed the quieter canal-facing eastern side to be reserved for the communal spaces.
The timber panels help to mitigate the glare from the western sun and the noise—tapering in thickness, heavier below to block prying eyes, and thinner above to admit air and light. “It’s like wearing sunglasses, but for a room,” Thengono says. “Filtered, comfortable, but still connected.”
The uppermost floor crowns the residence with a generous entertainment room and garden balcony. Here, the roof structure becomes sculpture: a steel lattice exposed to the interior, anchored to the party walls, lifting the volume to welcome the sky and breezes. “We didn’t want to fake it with a ceiling—we wanted you to see how it’s held together,” says Thengono.
Above A circular cut-out above a mini garden lets the sunlight and rain through
A circular cut-out above a mini garden lets the sunlight and rain through
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Above The top-floor lounge features a cooling pool and panoramic waterfront vistas
The top-floor lounge features a cooling pool and panoramic waterfront vistas
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A circular cut-out above a mini garden lets the sunlight and rain through, nurturing the plants and heightening the drama. The interiors, shaped by Nadia Lee, subtly amplify this sense of ease and refinement, while the tropical landscaping by Larch Studio completes the residence’s retreat-like quality with pockets of living greenery.
The project’s official name, From Inside Looking Out, reflects the design’s core gesture of framing views while ensuring privacy. In the evening, when the interiors glow, the uppermost floor appears as a thin, floating slab held aloft by glass—made possible by the roof structure being anchored to the load-bearing party walls.
Above The expansive view from the double-volume living room, an inspiration for the project name: From Inside Looing Out
The expansive view from the double-volume living room, an inspiration for the project name: From Inside Looing Out
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Above The lofty height of each level is proportionate to the home’s width, as shown in this living room
Above The breakfast counter and dining area
The lofty height of each level is proportionate to the home’s width, as shown in this living room
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From within, the abode rewards its inhabitants with a series of evolving moments: the hush of the entry, the rhythm of the timber veil, the surprise of a balcony garden against the sea. It’s a dwelling designed to be lived in slowly, with time revealing new relationships between light, structure, and views.
Thengono sees this house as a quiet milestone. “It pushed us to resolve so many opposites—city and sea, open and closed, structure and softness,” he says. It’s also a celebration of architecture’s ability to choreograph emotional cadence: a home where the layout itself modulates public and private, brightness and shadow.
Above The project’s official name, From Inside Looking Out, reflects the design’s core gesture of framing views while ensuring privacy
The project’s official name, From Inside Looking Out, reflects the design’s core gesture of framing views while ensuring privacy
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Above The homeowners envisioned a home that felt like a tropical retreat
Above The generous height of this bathroom makes it ideal for a freestanding tub
The homeowners envisioned a home that felt like a tropical retreat
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Is it a resort? A townhouse? Or simply a quiet study in how architecture can navigate urban constraints with grace? What’s certain is that K-Thengono Design Studio has pulled off a quietly confident project—pragmatic yet poetic, and entirely at ease in its complexities. Taking nearly four years from design to completion, the project stands as a clear demonstration of the young studio’s thoughtful, methodical approach—balancing spatial nuance, environmental responsiveness, and resilience in navigating logistical hiccups across every phase of development.
Above The timber panels help to mitigate the glare from the western sun and the noise
Above The red-tinged timber finish of this bedroom gives it a distinctly Southeast Asian vibe
The timber panels help to mitigate the glare from the western sun and the noise
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Above A corner study in this bedroom features hanging shelves for a touch of industrial chic
A corner study in this bedroom features hanging shelves for a touch of industrial chic
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Today, the tropical home stands as a striking landmark along the busy street, and also frequently captures the attention of other residents and passers-by. One such passer-by, who lives in the neighbourhood, was so captivated by its design during her routine jogs that she later reached out to Thengono to design her own home nearby—a quiet affirmation of the project’s resonance within its immediate context.
Credits
Photography: Indra Wiras
Topics
Jakarta-born, Bandung-raised and Singapore-based, Asih Jenie trained in Visual Communication Design at Bandung Institute of Technology and Architecture at Parahyangan Catholic University. She brings both rigour and heart to design journalism, infused with a distinct Southeast Asian voice.
As a child, she doodled on the edges of her schoolbooks and never outgrew her fascination with all things well-made and well-told. Her 15-year career spans editorial roles and bylines in Singapore, Indonesia, Hong Kong and Australia, across spatial design titles such as Dwell Asia, Cubes, Design Anthology, Habitus Living, and Home & Decor.
After a brief stint in public relations, she returned to publishing in 2023 to lead Tatler Homes Singapore, where she continues to tell stories about how we shape the spaces that shape us.
