Cover The glass-encased sunken living room in the villa retreat features a sloping plane that is part of the adjoining dining zone’s elongated table
The glass-encased sunken living room in the villa retreat features a sloping plane that is part of the adjoining dining zone’s elongated table
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Set inside a three-hectare teak plantation, Omah Jati is a rejuvenating forest retreat composed in an elegantly articulated spatial sequence
Teak wood is a familiar material here in Southeast Asia. Whether for furniture or as a surface material, its golden hue lends a certain warmth that is unique to the region. Lesser known is the beauty of the actual hardwood tree, which resonated with Indonesian architect Andra Matin’s heart when he visited a client’s teak plantation in Anyer, a coastal town located a two-and-a-half hour drive from Jakarta.
Planted in neat rows, the teak trees in the three-hectare plantation were 18 years old. They would be mature enough to harvest in seven years, but the client’s mother decided against it, and the family approached Matin to build a villa on the site instead.
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Above An aerial view of the teak plantation’s lushness, surrounding the villa in the middle of it
An aerial view of the teak plantation’s lushness, surrounding the villa in the middle of it
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“I decided that my design must be humble, that it must not disturb the beauty of the teak forest,” shares Matin. He found a clearing deep in the site where the trees had died naturally, and declared it an ideal spot on which to erect the villa. He then designed the spatial journey to reach it. “The villa itself should not be directly accessible by a vehicular road,” he says. “One should experience the full beauty of the forest to arrive there at the retreat.”
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Above A close aerial view of the verdant surroundings with the villa nestled in the middle of everything
Above A narrow, stone-lined pathway leading up to the amphitheatre
A close aerial view of the verdant surroundings with the villa nestled in the middle of everything
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The site’s natural slope and 70-metre setback from the road worked to Matin’s advantage. He created a narrow, stone-lined pathway that one navigates until an amphitheatre flanked by massive, shallow pools appears. These pools feature circular openings occupied by existing trees, so from a distance, the trees look mirrored, emerging from a vast, green swather.
Capping the journey is the slender retreat villa itself, which is dubbed Omah Jati, Javanese for “teak house”. Built from balau wood and timber shingles, it features three spacious terraces: the first welcomes visitors into the dining area and sunken living room, the second provides some breathing space between the glass-encased interior zones, and the third extends the bedroom space outdoors.
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A wooden boardwalk flanked by shallow pools leading up to the villa
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Omah Jati is open for bookings and is currently one of the most popular accommodations in the area. The retreat also marks the first time for Matin that a client approved his initial design without any revision requests. As you take in its unique charms and verdant surrounds, it’s easy to see why.
Credits
Photography: Davy Linggar
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.
