A Symphony of White on White

OPPOSITE The central staircase connecting the two floors of the house has an internal elliptical bearing structure made of wooden studs and an external

“skin” in wood and polycarbonate. It houses a central staircase, the treads of which are inserted into the studs and splay out at ground level into a bed of white pebbles. At the top are an assembly of Balinese statuary and a statue of the Buddha placed to welcome guests.

ABOVE The entrance to the home on the top level. The wooden walkway is thoughtfully provided with small concealed lights on either side.

LEFT A slightly stark bathroom features a rigidly designed bathtub in pre-cast grey terrazzo set in a floor of extra large tiles in reconstructed white limestone. Large picture windows of bamboo and bougainvillea give the room life and colour.

asymphonyof whiteonwhite

ABOVE One of the four villas, each of which has a generously glazed master bedroom with stunning views over the ocean on the first floor. The bedroom’s shape, characterized by a low-sloping wooden shingled pitched roof, plays well with the uneven elongated volume beneath. On the left is an impressive glass sculpture by Seiki Torige.

PREVIOUS PAGE The resort’s communal swimming pool seemingly juts out over the Indian ocean. On the right, under a manicured flat roof, is the breezy, open-to-the-ocean bar and lounge with beguiling vistas over the Bukit’s famed surfing beaches. The Calyx, a four-villa boutique resort with a stunning clifftop location in southwest Bali, takes its name from the part of a plant that supports the flower. It is intended to portray the caring attitude of the Japanese owners.“Just as a calyx, or to use the Japanese word, the utena, supports its flower, we support the guests in the resort,” says the management. A large part of that support structure comes from the richness of the resort’s chosen location, the architecture and the clean-lined interiors.

The commissioned architects were Gfab, a firm that tries to introduce energy efficiency and sensitivity to the environment into each and every project.“As with all projects,” says Gary Fell of the firm, “the design of the Calyx was dictated by the site.” In order to preserve uninterrupted views of Dreamlands beach below and the volcanoes behind, Gfab “buried” all the buildings so that you enter at a high level and drop down into the living spaces. The soft sandstone that was cut from the site during excavation work was then resized and used to clad the walls, giving the villas a creamy cool look. Pitched roofs were minimized; indeed, many are flat and covered with either plantings or water. This has the dual purpose of further blending the buildings into the landscape as well as adding to their thermal capacity.

Fell explains: “With plantings, the soil acts as insulation and the water roofs reflect the sun’s rays off the spaces below, so all rooms are naturally cool without air conditioning despite being in the tropics. The effects are aesthetic, yet the principals behind are practical and vital.” Gfab believes that in the present economic and cultural situation intelligent designers should be concerned about their carbon imprint—and all of Gfab’s work explores ways of minimizing impacts.

In keeping with Gfab’s usual modus operandi, the company oversaw the Calyx’s interiors, lighting and landscaping as well. A huge Seiki Torige glass sculpture forms the centerpiece of the resort, which retains the site’s indigenous gum trees. The villas are built so as to make the most of open-air living with floor-to-ceiling glass fronts, private infinity-edge pools with whirlpools and plantings instead of walls between villas. White limestone combines with wood, suede and white cotton furnishings. Floors are cool underfoot in polished and roughly-finished terrazzo. The overall feeling is sequestered, tranquil, refreshing – with a hefty dose of modernism.

Each two-bedroom villa has been named after the elements—water, fire, earth and air. We’re not too sure about the fiery aspect (though perhaps that comes from being able to see both sunrise and sunset from one vista), but water, earth and air are all supremely present—the resort’s water bodies, cool breezes and characteristic local paras stone see to that.

ABOVE A walkway with steps leads from the parking area to the villa complex at the Calyx.

The walls are clad in local white paras limestone, while a modernist glass-and-metal structure stands above. The floor is in pebblewashed concrete.

LEFT The Calyx has Japanese owners, and this is reflected in the interior living space of the villas. Diners are offered the choice of the central horigotatsu table or a dining table adjacent the kitchenette, while seating is in-built. Tones are rigorously ivory and white, in furnishing, paras-clad walls and polished terrazzo flooring. On the wall is an artwork by Japanese artist Sumio Suzuki.