Black is a very powerful yet neutral colour and normally, you wouldn’t see it used a lot in houses. This is why this terrace house in Taman Sri Hartamas stands out so much, due to the fact that the entire facade is black. It’s a standard 22ft x 85ft house and is aptly named Black-on-Black House. Created by One Earth, the house was an older terrace house that has been transformed.
Exterior Area:
You may be thinking that an all-black house would look very gloomy and boring but it’s the opposite. The entire house is wrapped in black and uses recycled dark wooden pallets as louvres everywhere for a well-ventilated effect. It’s a big, boxy structure when viewed from the front and has several beautiful trees at the front. At the back, it’s more of the same design and has plenty of greenery as well.
Interior Area:
Inside the house, it centres around the open courtyard with a footpath that traverses across it. The courtyard is directly open to the sky which allows sunlight and rain to enter. The living room has full-height glass doors and similar louvres to the outside. At the back, there is a water feature in the form of a koi pond that looks beautiful and complements the natural feel of the house.
Above, there are steel bridges that are built alongside the courtyard connecting the front portion of the house to the rear end. The iconic wooden louvres are used as dividers whenever suitable. The bedrooms have boxed-in balconies that connect the outside to the inside and allows the owners to enjoy the view. The striking black-on-black look was chosen for its elegant masculinity and the owners wanted to embrace the tropical nature of the house by allowing as much air and light inside as possible. The decor is rather rustic yet classy as smooth and rugged textures are used. Nature is brought inside the house with plants in almost every available space.
All images taken from Atelier International’s Facebook unless otherwise stated.
