Article written by The Studio owner, Mark
In 1999, when the rupiah was low and I had a modest pot of money to spend, I bought a gamelan set and a traditional Javanese joglo from a village near the famous Prambanan temple complex in my wife’s hometown. The gamelan set is in my wife’s village south of Yogyakarta – where it has been used by the community for over twenty years. The joglo is now in Lombok. The idea was to dismantle the dilapidated old timber house and reconstruct it wherever we ended up buying. Over the years, my wife and I also acquired the teak pillars and antique carved panels with which to assemble a traditional Javanese limasan house.
The two architectural forms – joglo and limasan – are part of the same Javanese tradition. The joglo is built around a simple four-pillar frame, the pillars creating a central space and load-bearing structure upon which the house rests. The limasan is essentially the same thing but with eight pillars, creating a rectangular rather than square building. The roof line reflects the importance of this structure, with a high central high-pitched, hipped roof denoting status in the village. Like the brim of a wide-brimmed hat, the surrounding roof slopes at a lesser angle to low outer walls which surround the house. The entire structure is built of teak and is held together with joinery, rather than bolts, meaning that it can be dismantled, like a giant piece of knock-down furniture.
The structure of the traditional joglo is rich in meaning. For those who can read the symbolic language, The Studio tells a story. The basic structure is said to derive from old temple forms. The architecture tells a story of the human body, of the soul and the balance of male and female. Traditional Javanese homes are fronted with an open-sided pendopo pavilion, a spiritual mountain, representing the male – the phallus – and the inside of the house, a cave, the dalem, is regarded as sacred, female – the central space beneath the high roof form is the vulva. The high roof is the head and the stone base of the central wooden pillars, the feet. Detailed carvings on the wooden panels tell another story, flowers representing fertility, dragons over the doors, providing protection against evil, and stylised suns symbolizing life.
The old building was lovingly restored in Lombok by the owners, Mark and Sopan. The rustic teak Javanese joglo, is now a stylish two-bedroom cottage located in The Studio complex on the Hill, Lombok’s most prestigious development, overlooking Senggigi Bay.
What is it about islands? About islanders?
Is it something to do with having clearly defined boundaries, a sense of being held in the embrace of a cold sea, self-contained, isolated, far from the centres of power, from the smoky conurbations of the world; is it this that creates resilience, that gives us such a strong community, such a powerful sense of home, such a powerful identity?
From impromptu lessons with locals, to bathing in spring water pools and kayaking through rushing canyons, Indonesia is nothing but intrigue and imagination for kids.
Our team is on hand to offer assistance and answer any questions.
Our team is on hand to offer assistance and answer any questions.
The Studio Lombok
Jalan Lembah, no.12.
Bukit Batu Layar
West Lombok, Indonesia, 83355