SCREEN.SHADOWS AND THE SEA

K-Thengono Design Studio explores the art of layered living in this tropical home in Jakarta's Pantai Mutiara neighbourhood, where veiled balconies and framed perspectives negotiate privacy and ocean views

- Asih Jenie

K-Thengono Design Studio explores the art of layered living in this tropical home in Jakarta's Pantai Mutiara neighbourhood, where veiled balconies 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.

A SITE OF CONTRASTS

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.”