A home, a playground

Film director Hanung Bramantyo used to bring his work home, but he changed this habit after the renovation of his house was completed last year.

Some Jakartans have customized their houses to become a part of their workplace, setting up a room to bring home work, or even working from home all or most of the time.

“I use my energy outside the house, so I recharge at home. Once my battery of energy is full, I will go out to work again,” Hanung told The Jakarta Post.

Located on Jl. Ampera in South Jakarta, the two-story house has simple and minimalist lines, with a slight feminine touch on its roof and windows. Hanung, who bought the house in 2010, said he initially felt reluctant to accept the idea of renovating the house. The idea to renovate came from his wife, actress Zaskia Adya Mecca.

After some heated discussions, Hanung eventually succumbed to his wife’s strong wish to beautify the house. He entrusted the whole design and renovation process to her, saying that she was more meticulous than him.

Hanung said he was lucky to be away early in the renovation process, because he was shooting a film, ?, in Semarang, Central Java.

The most important phase of the renovation was strengthening the construction of the corners of the house, because the couple wanted to expand the main room on the second floor. The construction was not complete when he returned home, so his little family had to remain in a small room.

“I felt like we were living in a rented room, which stressed me out. We later rented a house nearby in Kemang,” he said.

The heated discussions between him and his wife continued because Zaskia wanted to change the floor tiles to marble. Again, she won the debate. However, all the disputes became history once the renovation was completed. Hanung said he was impressed with the results.

When it came to designing the interior of the house, they both agreed to fill the house with film-related furniture and decorations, so that guests could promptly realize that the owner is a filmmaker. Their selections are a combination of contemporary and antique items.

Their couch and table were custom-made, and resemble the shape of a camera, with a table as the lens.

Besides decorating a wall with a funny telephone box, they also have some antique cameras on the table, while some more are put in small hollowed-out places in the floor, and covered with glass. The couple also turned their garage into a room with the ambience of a cafe.

He hunts for non-Hollywood DVDs when he travels to Bangkok and Singapore, because the stores there have more collections than those in Jakarta.

“My first destinations when I go abroad are bookstores and DVD stores. I barely shop for clothes or other things,” said the PlayStation maniac.

Hanung still maintains his working room, but he has removed his personal computer in order to avoid bringing work home.

He says he only uses the working room for light activities, such as reading books related to films and drawing storyboards.

He said Zaskia teaches him to treat their house as a place to relax with the family. While other people go to other towns and spend nights in a fancy hotel for a vacation, Hanung says going home is a vacation to him.