The Nyambu houses are the latest creation in a string of stunning villas designed and built in a co-operation between Gianni Francione and Mauro Garavoglia, both architects of Italian heritage, who have been living and working on Bali for many years.

Nowadays the word villa is much abused on Bali, but no one who will visit the Nyambu houses will dispute that these villas are in a class totally of their own and really do deserve the name. These are true designer homes of the very highest quality and class and they have such a unique personality that they will undoubtedly appear in many architectural magazines and coffee table books for years to come.  

The location is approximately fifteen minutes inland from Tanah Lot and the Nirvana Golf Course and the houses are built on a site of exquisite natural beauty that is hard to describe properly. It really needs to be seen to be fully appreciated. The property is on a hillside that is three quarters encircled by a small river and gives the impression of a majestic jungle site such as the ancient Balinese could easily have selected for a superb temple setting. Yet, it is on the edge of a wonderful traditional village with all the security of communal village life.  

Here the architects were give the task to design two spacious villas of roughly equal size and a slightly smaller guesthouse. The client's brief offered a measure of leeway that has been the dream of architects throughout the ages and without any doubt this greatly contributed to the final result of the three exceptionally beautiful houses that now proudly stand on the site.

There is an abundant use of natural material in the finishes: local Indonesian hardwood shingles covering the roof with woven rattan matting underneath, hardwood floors, ironwood decks, cool marbles and splendid granites. However the building techniques also incorporate many contemporary concepts of form and function and there are perfect combinations with steel, Plexiglas and other high-tech components.

Most important is the fact that over the duration of the project, which was almost a year and a half, the architects never 'lost sight' of the site. The landscaping was no afterthought or finishing touch, but done before the building even started. The flow of water through the property is as traditionally Balinese as can be and finally, the soul of the site remains perfectly intact…

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