Rumah Hujan Estate is a private residence located in Ubud, Bali. Consisting of two properties - Rumah Hujan (3 bedroom home) and Rumah Senja (3 bedroom home), which can be rented individually or as a whole - and a badminton pavilion, all designed using locally sourced materials, including volcanic stones and reclaimed timber, it is surrounded by abundant nature, providing privacy between each house while maintaining a harmonious unity. The estate was originally designed by Studio Jencquel’s Maximilian Jencquel as a home for his family, who had moved to Bali from Paris for a new adventure, having grown up between the metropolis and the deep jungle of Venezuela. After a chance meeting with a local contractor, a stockpile of ironwood, which had formed a bridge in Borneo, came into his hands. Combining his design experience with knowledge shared by local craftsmen, this unique material formed the structure of what became Rumah Hujan Estate. THE VILLAS A humble Balinese door marks the entrance to RUMAH HUJAN, before opening up to the vast expanse of the tropical valley. Formed around a central open living space, nature is all around you, the soundtrack and view to whiling away the hours in total relaxation. Meals can be prepared in the open kitchen, stocked with local ingredients and handmade Gaya ceramics, and shared at the large ironwood dining table. A few steps away, daytimes are made to be spent out on the deck, laid out on cotton daybeds, or under the gazebo with a book and icy coconut water, before a refreshing plunge in the fresh saltwater infinity pool, whose dark granite edge drops dramatically off into the valley below. Three large bedrooms each with ensuite bathrooms are equipped with air conditioning, fans and linen mosquito nets to ensure a restful sleep. Start each morning under the outdoor rain shower, surrounded by the sounds, scents and greenery of the jungle. All bedrooms are designed facing East, to make the most of the golden morning light. RUMAH SENJA is located up a few wooden steps from the courtyard, a two-story villa bult using a reclaimed Joglo (traditional Javanese wooden house). Slipping off your shoes to step inside, floor to ceiling windows surround you, acting as a frame for the panoramic view, and topped by a central atrium, rising 9m high to the traditional woven ceiling. A low marble-topped table sits at the heart of the sitting room, surrounded by soft pillowy chairs, and a long sideboard stacked with paperback books and games. The outside patio open up to a large pool surrounded by bamboo and “monkey’s tail” ferns. Climbing the outdoor wooden staircase, the balcony gives way to views across to the sacred Campuhan hill. The upper floor is crafted from lighter, reclaimed wood revealing its intricacies and faded carvings. Enjoy a deep sleep in king-sized beds, with roomy wooden wardrobes and metal and rattan bedside lamps, prepared for the ambient environment with air conditioning, ceiling fans and linen mosquito nets. With en suite bathrooms, each also has its own outdoor shower, enclosed in wood for privacy, but open above to the sight and sounds around you. A bridge connects the two bedrooms of Rumah Senja to the third bedroom Loft. Translating to “bird’s nest” in Balinese, SEBUN KEDIS is a tropical hideaway nestled above the treetops. A loft space imagined in reclaimed timber; it blends traditional Indonesian architecture with a Western way of living. It is defined by rest spaces - a soft double bed and a deep 3-sided sofa at either end, with a central living space, with bench seating around a marble-topped table, a perfectly formed kitchen, and a hammock slung from the overhead beams. The separate bathroom overlooks the tops of palms through hand painted windows. Sat on the balcony, you have the most expansive, uninterrupted views on the estate; it feels like the most intimate and special spot of all.