This tropical Bali dream house for rent, located in Sanur, Bali, is what couple Anni Crofut and Mel Maliki like to call their 'third child' (they also have two boys).   A testament to their cross-cultural marriage, the house blends the open-air feel and tropical materials of Mel's native Indonesia, with the exposed wood, open floor plan, and cathedral ceilings of the old barns of Anni's rural Massachusetts.

Before building, Anni and Mel had spent years renting houses in Bali, so they were very clear about what they did not want.  "We wanted to avoid the sort of villa you see all over the island that is built look romantic - open-air, no doors, thatched roofed - but is in fact quite impractical.  Coming from New England where the winters are so rough, I'd always thought of the tropics as gentle, but those houses taught me that a tropical climate has its own hazards: bugs, dust, mosquitoes, ants, mold, Gecko's, smoke from burning fields, and a very fast pace of decay.   In the open houses, we couldn't keep nature out because there was no way to close in the space.  And the thatch would shed, and the geckos living in the thatch would contribute their own fall-out.  We'd essentially spend a good part of each day just sweeping up!"

The original concept came from Anni's wish for a New England barn-like space, combined with detail and design elements from Bali and Java.  Anni and Mel also had a clear idea of what they wanted to avoid; they'd spent years renting houses in Bali that were built to look romantic - open-air, no doors, thatched roofed - but which in fact were very impractical.   "Coming from New England where winters are long and cold, I'd always thought of the tropics as gentle, but those houses taught me that a tropical climate has its own hazards: bugs, dust, mosquitoes, ants, mold, Gecko's, smoke from burning fields, and fast decay.   In the open houses, you can't keep nature out because there's no way to close in the space.  Thatch sheds, and geckos living in the thatch poop!  You spend a good part of each day just sweeping up!"

Armed with a concept and a list of things to avoid, Anni and Mel chose Balinese architect Ketut Arthana.  Internationally recognized, Ketut has a reputation for optimizing and managing space.  "He instantly understood what we wanted.   He set the ceilings high, like a barn's, but added variety to the roof-line by slightly lowering the kitchen roof and using the typically Balinese cross-hatched exposed rafters.  He wasn't afraid to recommend tile over thatch, for its strength and ease of maintenance, and we found that by lining the under-side of the tile with basket-colored woven rattan (shipped up from Kalimantan), we were able to achieve the same soft, natural effect from inside as you get with thatch, but without the problems.  Ketut placed giant sliding glass doors and windows around the perimeters of the entire house, giving the space plenty of light and ventilation during the day and an open-air feel, but with the option of shutting out the bugs, water and dust at night and during storms.  Above these doors, Ketut added a ring of slim rectangular windows for ventilation and style."

Once complete, Ketut handed the drawings over and Anni and Mel took charge. "Mel oversaw the entire building process, and I made all the design decisions. I didn't pay attention to rules and conventions.  I was never focused on making the house fit into a category (rustic, modern, contemporary…).  I just did what I found beautiful.  The result is a huge mix of influences, combining primitive and the modern, old and new, raw and finished.  I was very relieved when, in the end, it did in fact all come together."

Color is a major theme.  The main living space has a soft cream terrazzo floor contrasting with two bold papaya-orange walls and another sailor blue wall.  The ventilation windows hold circular coins of colored glass framed in teak, giving a warmth and funky flare to the entire space. The kitchen and bedroom floors are richly colored in traditional Dutch-style cement tiles.  More color flows through the deep-set playful stained-glass windows along the stairs.

In contrast to the bright colors, raw materials ground the house in the natural and neutral, creating what architect Yew Kwan famously described as "high-style primitive." Raw teak trees frame the kitchen space and act as pillars on the terrace; Y-shaped stripped coffee balusters and teak banisters form the railings along the stairs and balcony; marble stones and large plates of slate form a mosaic on the master bathroom wall; and worn gray river stones provide drainage where house meets land.

Outside, the property is ringed with a mustard-yellow fence overflowing with pink, purple and yellow bougainvillea. A rice-terraced-shaped pool fills one corner, while a giant rubber tree grows at tropical speed at the center of the property creating an umbrella against the sun.   Ocean breezes blow in from the east, cooling the land and house, even in the hottest season.

And can you see the ocean from the house!  Anni muses; "That third floor room wasn't in the drawings, but one day, Mel was up on the rafters and he realized that from up there we had a full view of the ocean.  We learned that it wouldn't cost much to raise up the roof and add an extra room, so we just did it.  No permits needed.  Nothing.  Just like a wave of the hand. You could never do that in the US!

In this same brave and spontaneously creative spirit, Anni and Mel have recently made the decision to move back to the US after living in their house for only two years. "We want our kids to discover their American half, and to be educated there. Mel and I are at a cross-roads professionally, so this is the time to go.  It'll be hard, a major change, and of course we're so sad to leave this house.  But we're suckers for adventure."

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