Most houses in Indonesia divide their space into formal “public” areas at the front, and private “inner” areas at the back. They both have open spaces at the front where visitors and guests are received. The “Mutiara” even locates its master bedroom right at the front of the house. The back part of the house is the inner, family area. The “Joglo” has a private, family verandah in the back part of the house at the side which contrasts with the pendopo at the front for the formal reception of outside visitors.
Indonesia’s class differences are built in to both houses too. Both have side doors and side passageways (gang) so that servants can come and go without passing through the more formal, high status front of the house. And the servants’ accommodation is at the lesser status rear of both houses. If the front is formal, public and “civilised”, the rear is informal, intimate and “natural”. So the kitchen, where the “natural” process of preparing food takes place, is at the rear.
House drawing taken from http://indodesain.files.wordpress.com
