Wanting to take a piece of Bali home with you? You’re not the first one sunshine, the Island of the Gods has a well-earned rep for temptingly gorgeous, handcrafted, original interior design and furny. Here are our picks of Bali’s top workshops and showrooms famed for bedecking luxe hotels, villas and the occasional label-Mabel stable – next up, chez vous.
Carlo Innovative Furnishings
Milanese Signor Pessina expertly elevates humble, sustainable Balinese materials like seashell, coconut, mother of pearl and tree bark to glittery designer heights, and the results are phenom. This is seriously, bold, contempo, gallery-worthy home decor as inhabits dames Aman and Four Seasons. The showroom is 45 mins outside of Seminyak (on a good day), but worth the schlep, if only to have a gander.
Jl. Danau Poso No. 22, Sanur Denpasar. +62 361 285 211. carloshowroom.com
Zapp Designs
If it’s teak n’ wicker that sets your heart a-flutter, then Brazilian-born Reynaldo Zapp is your man. With an aesthetic influenced by his homeland and eastern philosophies, his elegant, simple, retro-tinged in/out furniture creations in wood and natural fibres are found in many an A-list pad around the isle.
Always introducing new lines and experimenting with form and shape, you can see the latest collection at his showroom, albeit strictly by appt.
Jl. Mertasari No. 96, Kerobokan. +62 361 847 6150. zapp-design.com
Etienne de Souza
Globetrotting French designer and longtime Bali-phile Etienne’s exuberance and charm are infectious, while his divinely elaborate, ultra-mod objets d’art are, quite simply, astonishing. Taking no less than three months to design, each individual piece is inlaid with thousands of miniature fragments of cut horn, bone, mother of pearl, silver or coconut shell – it’s little wonder they’re snapped up by the likes of Chanel and LV. Beyond marvellous.
Jl. Raya, Gang Bima 12, Seminyak. +62 361 730 942. etiennedesouza.net
Gaya Ceramic and Design
If ceramics are more your wheelhouse, have the artisans at Gaya cast some clay for you. From raku to stoneware, they’ve fashioned top-notch cerams for all the hotel bigwigs and will do custom orders too. If you’re feeling so inclined, go potty at their workshop and throw your own mug. Smashing.
Jl. Raya Sayan No. 105, Ubud. +62 361 976 220. gayaceramic.com
Kim Soo
One-stop retailvana for idiosyncratic, World of Interiors-worthy Indo and Balinese-inspired decor as functional as it is fun. You’ll find it hard to resist stocking up on songket lampshades and carved teak bases, seashell wall hangings, hand-crochet throws, appliqué quilts and other kooky collectibles as souvenir reminders of your vacay – excess baggage alert!
Jl. Kayu Aya No. 21, Seminyak. +62 822 4713 0122. facebook.com/kimsoohome
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