This 2,300-square-foot house, completed in 2013, It was built in
the traditional Balinese style, on a single level, with white stucco
walls and a roof made of ironwood. Each room has access to the outdoors;
flooring is mostly terra cotta tile; the woodwork on cabinets and
windows is reclaimed old-growth teak.
The entry is approached via a stone path that winds among frangipani
trees. Orchids and staghorn ferns cling to the trunks of palms. The teak
front doors open into a hallway flanked by the living room and the
dining room. The kitchen, farther back, has a wood-topped breakfast bar
and a sink handmade by a local steel worker; the countertops are Italian
black granite. A covered outdoor walkway leads to the master bedroom,
which has a timbered cathedral ceiling. Three walls enclose its en-suite
bathroom; in place of the fourth is a private walled garden. The other
two bedrooms, on the opposite side of the house, also have open-air
bathrooms.
The house is surrounded by countryside planted with rice paddies and
coconut palms. Ubud is about 10 minutes away by car, although most
people prefer to navigate the island’s narrow streets on scooters. Well
known as a hub for the fashion industry, Ubud is home to many expatriate
artists and spiritual seekers. The airport is an hour and a half away,
in Denpasar.
Published in New York Times