Claire Turrell
While Zecha declined to share how much the build cost, she admitted
they spent much more on the furnishings than they did on the 5,000
square meters of land they bought. Courtesy Uluwatu Estate
Renee Zecha and her husband Christopher Wood spent 10 years building a clifftop villa in Bali.
It was a difficult plot of land: The site was split by a 15-meter-deep gully.
Today, Uluwatu Estate is a sprawling set of interconnected walkways and villas that lead through the grounds.
Renee
Zecha and her husband Christopher Wood first set eyes on the plot of
land in 2002. They were in Uluwatu, one of the most remote parts of
Bali. The plot of land in question was arid and inaccessible, perched at
the top of a cliff. But when Zecha and Wood reached the end of the
country road, they discovered the site's true beauty.
"There was
nothing to indicate there might be something special at the end of it,"
said Zecha. "But when I saw it, I was blown away. The view is a million
dollars."
Zecha, a former investment banker, had stumbled across the plot of land by accident.
"It
was a poor and arid region of Bali. Nobody wanted it," said Zecha. But
to Zecha, who was born on the island of Java, Uluwatu was something
special: It was a piece of the Bali she remembered as a child.
"Bali
has become quite built up. But Uluwatu was the only place in Bali where
nothing had really developed, except for a few surfing huts and beach
cafes," Zecha told Insider. "We thought there won't be much opportunity
to buy land on the coast in Bali for much longer, so we grabbed it."
Zecha's biggest wish for the property was that she wouldn't lose the view. Courtesy Uluwatu Estate
A difficult beginning
As
an Indonesian, Zecha was able to buy the land, but as she was building a
home in Switzerland and renovating a home in Singapore, she waited
until 2009 to break ground. She declined to share how much she purchased
the land for.
The plot of land was not without its complications. For one, the clifftop site was split by a 15-meter-deep gully.
To
design the home, Zecha worked with architecture firm Tristan & Ju.
Architect Juliana Chan said the length of the site was the biggest
concern. "The most stunning part of the plot is at the end where it
overlooks the Indian Ocean," Chan told Insider. "The challenge for us
was how to plan the spaces, so that one can enjoy the journey of going
through the villa without feeling the sheer length of the site."
Zecha's biggest wish for the property was that she wouldn't lose the view.
By
terracing the land and placing the villa on different levels, the
design team made sure the ocean was visible from every room, including
from the back of the house. That's how Uluwatu Estate became a sprawling
set of interconnected walkways and villas that lead through the grounds
and across the gully to the clifftop view.
A shot of the bridge that stretches across the property's gully. Courtesy Uluwatu Estate
The real work begins
When
work first began, the plot didn't have electricity or water, so the
construction team had to install a generator and water mains. Large
construction vehicles couldn't make it up the winding roads that led to
the clifftop site, so the rocky limestone landscape needed to be cleared
with small vehicles — and even manually.
The excavated limestone didn't need to travel far: It was repurposed in the villa's walls and foundations.
Palimanan
stone from the volcanic isle of West Java was used to line the walkways
and solid teakwood was carved into furnishings. Traditional Balinese
tools were turned into art installations for the walkways, and
400-year-old mercury jars that had been salvaged from shipwrecks in Java
were used to create statement lights in the home.
While Zecha
declined to share how much the build cost, she admitted they spent much
more on the furnishings than they did on the 5,000 square meters of land
they bought. "The land was good value back in the day," said Zecha.
It
was seven years before Zecha and her family could live in the property,
and a further three years before it was complete. "I was being very
Indonesian," Zecha said of the unhurried process. "You go with the
flow."
"I was being very Indonesian," Zecha said of the unhurried process. "You go with the flow." Courtesy Herbert Ypma
A build in three stages
At
the beginning of the build, three giant volcanic boulders were shipped
from East Java, then craned and cemented into the courtyard. The home
grew around them.
"The rocks had to be big in order to
stand out amongst the big trees," said Chan. "We wanted their form to be
unusual so that they serve as sculptural objects in a landscape
gallery."
"Once I am there I don't want to leave," said Zecha. "It is very peaceful and the view is magical." Courtesy Uluwatu Estate
During
the first four years of the build, the team created the living areas
and four bedrooms. They also built a bridge across the gully in the
garden and perfected the infinity pool.
Zecha knew she wanted to
share the villa, which is why she built four more bedrooms — and a spa —
in the second phase. Each bedroom became a specially designed
apartment, from the Tosari Suite with its koi carp-filled ponds that
wrap around the room, to the teak-filled Bromo Suite with its
frangipani-scented courtyard.
In the third phase of the build, a
two-story building was created at the back of the house with space for a
games room and an office for staff members.
During the first four years of the build, the team created the living areas and four bedrooms. Courtesy Herbert Ypma
A giant runway to the ocean
Before
the pandemic, Zecha would visit the villa every two months and stay for
up to four weeks at a time. Now she can't wait to return. "Once I am
there I don't want to leave," said Zecha. "It is very peaceful and the
view is magical."
When Zecha isn't in Bali, she rents the villa
to guests. Angelina Ypma, consultant and former managing director for
Bulgari, stayed at the villa with her family when it first opened.
"It
was like discovering a hidden gem," said Ypma, who lives in Hong Kong.
The pared-down luxury aesthetic appealed to her, as did the villa's
soundtrack, created by the rhythmic pounding of the waves on the shore.
Ypma
also embraced the drama of the home's layout. She told Insider:
"Uluwatu Estate is like a giant runway leading all the way to the edge
of the cliff."
Monday 28 February 2022
A couple bought an inaccessible strip of land on a Bali clifftop and spent 10 years building a multi-tiered villa on it. Take a look.
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