Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Dekorasi sederhana di rumah membuat resepsi terasa hangat dan bukan terlalu mewah. - The simple decorations at home make the reception feel warm and not too luxurious.

Dekorasi sederhana di rumah = subject
→ dekorasi = decoration(s)
→ sederhana = simple
→ di rumah = at home / in the house
membuat = verb, “makes / causes”
resepsi = object, “the reception”
terasa hangat dan bukan terlalu mewah = complement (how the reception feels)
→ terasa = feels
→ hangat = warm
→ bukan terlalu mewah = not too luxurious

So literally:
“Simple decoration at home makes the reception feel warm and not too luxurious.”

What exactly does Dekorasi sederhana di rumah mean? Is it “simple decorations at home” or “simple decoration of the house”?

It can mean both, depending on context. Indonesian does not mark singular vs plural in the same way English does.

Dekorasi sederhana di rumah can be understood as:
- “simple decoration at home”
- “simple home decoration”
- “simple decorations in the house”

di rumah is a location phrase modifying dekorasi, telling you where the decoration is, not where the reception is held (at least in the most straightforward reading of this sentence).

Why is there no word like the or a in dekorasi sederhana di rumah or resepsi?

Indonesian does not have articles like a/an or the. Definiteness is understood from context or added with other words if needed, for example:

sebuah dekorasi = a decoration (one decoration, somewhat specific)
dekorasi itu = that decoration / the decoration
resepsi itu = that reception / the reception

In a natural context, dekorasi and resepsi here are usually understood as “the decorations” and “the reception” that both speaker and listener already know about.

What does membuat resepsi terasa hangat literally mean? Why use terasa?

Literally:

membuat = makes / causes
resepsi = the reception
terasa hangat = feel warm

So membuat resepsi terasa hangat = “makes the reception feel warm”.

The pattern is:

membuat + [thing] + terasa + [adjective]
= “makes [thing] feel [adjective]”

Examples:

Musik lembut membuat suasana terasa nyaman.
= Soft music makes the atmosphere feel comfortable.
Cahaya redup membuat kamar terasa tenang.
= Dim light makes the room feel calm.

terasa is used because we are talking about how something feels to people, not simply stating a neutral property.

What is the difference between terasa and merasa?

terasa = feels / is felt (about a thing or situation)
Used when you describe how something seems or feels to the senses.
- Kamar ini terasa dingin. = This room feels cold.
- Resepsi terasa hangat. = The reception feels warm.
merasa = to feel (emotion or sensation) as a person
Subject is usually a person or living being.
- Saya merasa senang. = I feel happy.
- Mereka merasa lelah. = They feel tired.

In your sentence, resepsi (the reception) is not a person, so we use terasa, not merasa.

Could we say just membuat resepsi hangat instead of membuat resepsi terasa hangat?

You can say membuat resepsi hangat, and people will understand it, but it sounds less natural and slightly more “direct” or “flat”.

membuat resepsi hangat
= makes the reception warm (sounds like a simple factual statement)
membuat resepsi terasa hangat
= makes the reception feel warm (suggests people’s perception; more idiomatic in this context)

Using terasa emphasizes the subjective, emotional impression, which matches the idea of a cozy or welcoming reception.

What does hangat mean here? Is it physical warmth or emotional warmth?

Hangat can mean both:

Physical warmth (temperature):
- Airnya hangat. = The water is warm.
Emotional / social warmth:
- Sambutan mereka sangat hangat. = Their welcome was very warm.

In resepsi terasa hangat, it’s primarily emotional/social warmth:
A reception that feels cozy, friendly, intimate, welcoming. It doesn’t usually mean “the room temperature is a bit warm” unless the context says so.

Why is it bukan terlalu mewah and not tidak terlalu mewah? What’s the difference between bukan and tidak here?

Standard rule:

tidak negates verbs and adjectives:
- tidak pergi = not go
- tidak mahal = not expensive
bukan negates nouns and noun phrases, and is also used for contrast/emphasis:
- bukan dokter = not a doctor
- bukan rumah saya = not my house

In this sentence, the most “textbook correct” version would be:

… terasa hangat dan tidak terlalu mewah.

However, in real spoken Indonesian, people often use bukan terlalu X with adjectives to add a nuance like:

“not really too X”
“not particularly too X”
or as a soft contrast, almost like:
hangat, and not (overly) luxurious

So:

tidak terlalu mewah = plainly “not too luxurious”
bukan terlalu mewah = “(it’s) not really that luxurious / not overly luxurious”, with a slight contrastive or softening feel

Both would be understood; tidak terlalu mewah is more standard, bukan terlalu mewah sounds a bit more colloquial or stylistic.

Is terlalu mewah always negative, like “too luxurious (in a bad way)”?

Usually yes. terlalu means “too / excessively”, which often implies something is more than desirable.

terlalu mahal = too expensive
terlalu ramai = too crowded
terlalu mewah = too luxurious / overly luxurious

In many contexts, terlalu mewah suggests that it’s more luxurious than necessary or maybe feels showy, extravagant, or not in good taste for the situation.

If you want a positive sense, you might say:

sangat mewah / begitu mewah = very luxurious (without the negative “too much” feeling)

Why is there no yang in dekorasi sederhana di rumah? Could I say dekorasi yang sederhana di rumah?

Both are possible, but the nuance is different.

dekorasi sederhana di rumah
= simple decoration at home
Here sederhana is just an adjective describing dekorasi.
dekorasi yang sederhana di rumah
= the decoration that is simple at home / the decorations that are simple
yang can:
- add a bit of emphasis, or
- introduce a relative clause (yang sederhana = “which is/are simple”)

In many everyday sentences, adjectives directly follow nouns without yang:

baju merah = red shirt
rumah besar = big house

You only add yang when you want a clearer relative-clause feeling, extra emphasis, or need to attach a longer description. In your sentence, dekorasi sederhana di rumah is more natural.

Can di rumah be placed somewhere else in the sentence? Would the meaning change?

Yes, word order is somewhat flexible, but it affects emphasis and sometimes meaning.

Dekorasi sederhana di rumah membuat resepsi terasa hangat…
→ Focus is on the home decoration as the subject.
Usual reading: “The simple decoration at home makes the reception feel warm…”
Dekorasi sederhana membuat resepsi di rumah terasa hangat…
→ Now di rumah more naturally modifies resepsi, so it sounds like:
“Simple decoration makes the reception at home feel warm…”

Both can be understood either way in context, but:

Position just after dekorasi → more likely modifying dekorasi
Position just after resepsi → more likely modifying resepsi

Native speakers use word order and context together to interpret it.

Is dekorasi singular or plural? How do you say “decorations” in Indonesian?

By default, dekorasi can mean either “decoration” or “decorations”. Indonesian normally does not mark plural unless it’s important.

To emphasize plurality, you can:

Repeat the word: dekorasi-dekorasi (more formal/written, or when you really want to stress “many decorations”)
Use a quantifier: banyak dekorasi = many decorations

In this sentence, dekorasi sederhana di rumah is naturally understood as “simple decorations at home” (plural), but grammatically it’s just dekorasi.

What kind of resepsi does this usually refer to? Is it only for weddings?

Resepsi generally means “reception” (a formal or semi-formal event/party), and is very commonly used for weddings:

resepsi pernikahan / resepsi nikah = wedding reception

But it can also be used for other types of receptions:

resepsi resmi = official reception
resepsi kenegaraan = state reception

In everyday conversation, if someone just says resepsi without a modifier, it most often implies a wedding reception, but context is important.