Stylist Heidi Albertiri from The Life Style Edit shares what to buy in homewares mecca Bali.
We have all heard of the must go places to visit whilst in Bali and there are many. In the world of interiors and styling, Bali has definitely made its mark with its contribution to beautiful interior pieces and spaces.
When faced with the plethora of wares that are on offer in Bali, it’s good to know just what things you should be honing in on. As an interior stylist, Bali to me is interiors heaven. I have heart palpitations when I see the wares on offer!
The trick to shopping in Bali is to take a closer look; once you see through the layers of the not-so-hot, there are hidden gems to be found.
I always make sure I travel light when I head to Bali and my first stop is generally the local flea market to grab a few floaty kaftans, which I tend to lie in for most of the trip. You can use the extra room in your luggage for a few select homewares!
My hit list of what to buy when in Bali
Cushions: I love the variety and different styles in Bali. Purchase without the inserts and they flat pack perfectly. The variation of styles is fantastic and you will always find something to match your own personal style.
Photo: Kim SooPhoto: Bungalow Living
Beaded bowls, baskets and trays:I love handmade beaded bowls. They are the perfect size to bring home and you can buy them singularly or in a set. Everywhere you go you will find little baskets, trays and storage boxes. They are the perfect little addition to your vignettes at home and come in various sizes. Fill them with your smalls when packing to save room.
Photo: Kim Soo
Ceramics:There are a few ceramics stores in Bai and they are a must visit on my trips. I always love buying a piece to add to my collection at home. From little jugs to bowls, I always find one piece that captures my heart.
Photo: The Lifestyle Edit
Last but definitely not least, I always make sure I leave with a beautiful item of clothing. With so many wonderful fashion designers calling Bali home, it is easy to discover some wonderful new items to add to the wardrobe.
Photo: The Lifestyle Edit
But wait!
When returning home, I always declare everything I have at Customs. It is so important due to the different materials they use in Bali. I have never had a problem bringing my goodies back but it always better to be safe than sorry.
–If you have always wanted to go shopping in Bali for homewares and fashion but just don’t know where to start, you can join the team from The Life Style Edit on their shopping and design tours. The next ones are 3-to-11 June or 4-to-12 October 2017.
It’s that time of year where we start reflecting on the year almost gone and contemplating the year almost upon us. And quite frankly, if you’re anything like me, high on the agenda for the new year is wondering where in the world (literally) 2017 will take you. Well, interiors addicts, may I suggest you add Bali to the top of your 2017 travel list, and pronto. For the culture, sunshine, scenery and the adorable people, absolutely. But also for the plentiful homewares shopping that you simply must feast your eyes on.
Need some convincing? Ok, sit back and allow me to tempt your inner shopaholic, who admittedly may be a tad weary from those pre-Christmas sales. I write this on location in Bali. Well, where better to collate a Bali buyer’s guide for you than Bali?
I’m almost three weeks into a month long trip. Think Eat, Pray, Love meets Interior Design Diaries. Being your own boss certainly has its benefits when you ask for a month off. I asked. She said yes! And, before she could change her mind, the plane ticket was booked.
With the exception of a backpacker stint in Kuta many many years ago, this is my first ‘real’ visit to Bali. And very quickly I had an appreciation for the magic of this island. A place where endless beauty and ritual can’t help but awaken your senses to a another way of life. Bali and the balinese seem to just ooze creativity. My camera has never been out of hands as I constantly capture a beautiful carved door here, or a colourful explosion there. It’s just so pretty, and lush! Instagram addicts will love it (guilty as charged!).
So, where better than amongst so much beauty, for an interior decorator stylist to travel solo for a big dose of inspiration…and shopping?
UBUD
When I could could drag myself away from the magic that was Trinity Gardens where I was staying, I managed to do quite a bit of shopping in Ubud.
Trinity Gardens
OH (no website yet) – I spotted ‘OH’ while scooting up Money Forest Road one day and knew I had to visit. The store itself is beautiful; pristine white walls and concrete floors and I can only imagine OH must be short for “Oh, I’ll have one of everything please,” such is the selection of beautiful homewares on display. In keeping with the brand, there is lots of black and white and so if monochromatic is your thing, then so too is OH.
OH
Jl RAYA ANDONG is the road leading in and out of Ubud and both sides of the street are lined with stores selling furniture, crafts and homewares. Think shells, pendants, wall hangings and more. It feels like it goes on forever and may also feel a little overwhelming. It can also, I’m told, be a bit hit or miss. Luckily for me, Susanna, the creative genius and interior designer responsible for my beautiful accommodation, led me there on scooter one day and we did a quick recce of the ‘go to’ stores she’d discovered after years of research! This involved me taking a photo of the store and then retracing our steps to stop at those recommended stores and a few others which took my fancy! It was fun.
Feel free to bargain although the prices are already so reasonable and if you’re buying in volume, of course there are always deals to be had. I eventually had to accept defeat when my scooter handles could carry no more!
Another way to to do it though is to hire a driver for the afternoon and ask them to stop at the places that take your fancy from the road. Go forth and explore! Remember to take cash, oh and a bottle of water. A good shopper always hydrates!
CLOTH Owned and run by Australia designer Carina Yulianto, Cloth is also a must visit when your Bali travels take you to Ubud. And the good news is it’s on the same street (Jl. Ray Andong). An abundance of beautiful cushions, tie-dye floor mats and hand woven cotton throws, to name but a few products you can expect to enjoy. Cloth’s philosophy is to support the time honoured traditional production of the skilled craftspeople of Indonesia, supporting their trade and giving back to the community. It was here that I bought some beautiful carved out coconut tealight holders but to be honest, had I not been restricted by my scooter, I could have bought much much more.
CLOTH
CANGGU
Next, my travels took me to Canggu, a destination popular with surfers but, of course, it was not the surf I was chasing…
BUNGALOW LIVING Cushions, homewares, bags, Bungalow Living has it all. A beautifully curated homewares selection displayed rather perfectly in a store that you might get lost in for some time. I managed to spend over a million in here. Indonesian Rupiah I may add, not dollars, but very easily done nonetheless! Purchases included some great little brass pineapple hooks (IDR 80,000/AUD $8).
Bungalow Living
BILLIE’S Another cute little lifestyle shop on the same street (Jln Pantai Berawa) that you might like to swing past is Billie’s. They had a rather lovely display of wooden homewares, including a pineapple-shaped chopping board if pineapples are you thing (clearly they’re mine!) and a range of their own body product which looked and smelled divine.
CANGGU MARKET On the last Saturday of every month, Old Man’s (worth a visit for a sunset Bintang) hosts a market where island creatives come to sell their handicrafts as well as vintage clothing, jewellery and more. I was rather chuffed to find it fell on the first Saturday of my Canggu stay and I must say, I really loved it. It was here that I bought one of my favourite purchases of my trip (so far!) – a handcrafted macrame wall hanging for a steal at $15. Sold direct by the lovely Balinese man who makes them, who also spent some time with me, explaining his craft as I eagerly asked questions and delighted in his skills.
CAFE CULTURE In between shopping, I can often be found playing the role of digital nomad in one of Bali’s many impressive eateries, chomping on some organic fare and sipping on a kombucha. The interior of some of these cafes and restaurants is worth the trip alone. It’s easy to see why creatives from across the globe head here for just that. Hmm, I wonder if I could make this a yearly trip…
Laura’s purchases
What are you waiting for? Pack your bags. Oh and pack an empty bag too, something tells me you might need it!
After studying architecture, sculpture and set design, Rory Unite found himself working in the movie industry as a special effects artist – not your typical route to furniture design. “I started in Jim Henson’s creature shop on the production of Farscape, then went on to the Matrix, Star Wars episodes 1,2 and 3, Superman, Narnia, Peter Pan and The Great Gatsby. During this time, I renovated my in-laws’ house up in Palm Beach which gave me the opportunity to create all the furniture which basically started my design practice,” says Rory, who then set up a small workshop on Sydney’s northern beaches before Andrew Goldsmith, owner of the Boathouse restaurants, discovered him.
Rory Unite in his Java workshop
“I started making all of the Boathouse signage and then designed a range of furniture for them. As Andrew’s business expanded, I started looking in Indonesia for workshops to help create the volume of product he required. During this period, I met many great craftsmen and started to realise that the best way to work with them was to create my own workshop and employ them all under one roof.
“Australian designers making product offshore is a pretty standard routine these days. The difference for me is that I have made the decision to set up my own workshop in Java in order to maintain the quality and consistency of my designs. As a maker, it is very important for me to be integrated within the workshop environment in order to drive the culture of our brand,” says Rory, who travels to Australia regularly for client meetings but spends most of his time in Indonesia at the workshop and with his family.
The Omni bracket
Setting up a business in Java wasn’t without challenge – the cultural gap in particular. “I come from a very different world from the guys I work with. The glue that binds us is making and designing together. There are universal truths in making an object that manage to bring us together. It’s such a fascinating journey. When I started my exploration in Java I knew nothing of the language or the people. It was very daunting. It was amazing how we were able to connect through the creation of a chair! It seems ridiculous, but the process of making together transcended all our differences,” says Rory.
One of the designer’s most notable creations is the Omni bracket which emerged from the need to create flat pack furniture. “One of the great challenges in making furniture are the joints. By making the main connection joint a universal joining device, not only are we able to flat pack for efficient shipping but the joint itself inspires multiple connection possibilities, creating a constant stream of design ideas.” Rory says the bracket is inspired by the numerous metal factories in Java. “We design and produce all our own hardware with these metal workshops. Being around all this machinery capable of creating almost anything in metal is very inspiring.”
You can find Rory’s designs in Sydney at the Boathouse venues (Palm Beach, Shelley Beach and Balmoral) and Sibella Court’s Society Inc. Warehouse in St Peters.
Growing up surrounded by her mother’s timber furniture, Priska Leona always had a great appreciation for its natural beauty.
“My mother loves quality timber furniture and she taught me all about it,” explains Priska. “With a minimum amount of care and maintenance, a good quality piece of timber furniture will last forever. It is also an investment, as it will become more expensive by age. I love it!”
As a result, she – along with her husband Ricky – decided to collaborate with Indonesian furniture makers James, Patricia and Chris Tirtoprodjo, starting up Kayu, a Sydney-based timber furniture store.
With the furniture being manufactured in a small city in East Java, Indonesia, they are constructed using a variety of timber ‘patches’, an integral part of Javanese furniture-making culture. “The ‘patches’ method minimises waste, which is of crucial importance in our policy of being environmentally responsible,” says Priska. “Our furniture is also mostly made of salvaged materials from torn-down houses, railroad ties and old furniture, which also helps in our designs being sustainable.”
With a style that is natural, elegant and modern with an antique touch, all their furniture emphasises the natural beauty of timber. Having two types of furniture: one-off products and the living/dining series (which features everything from tables and chairs to cabinets and shelving), all their designs make the grain, burl, and knots of the wood an integral part of the overall design.
As well as housing their furniture, their Alexandria showroom also offers beautiful gallery space. “We showcase works by local artists. We have the choice of two spacious areas to display the artworks and welcome submissions from local artists and curators, but mostly accept ones that sync with our philosophy and products.”
When Nikki Freeman and Sam Bailey left on a whirlwind mini-break to Indonesia they didn’t realise they would come home with a new and exciting plan. What started out as a “frantic” four-day trip to Bali to source homewares and unique products for their own home renovations, ended as a business trip, and the idea for Two Girls and a Container was born.
Friends for 12 years, Nikki and Sam combined their interior design, art and home renovation experience and launched their online store early this year, with a focus on unique, interesting and eco-friendly products. Although the fateful trip was their first together, Nikki and Sam have been travelling to Indonesia for years to source products for their own homes.
Nikki says she had often thought about how she could bring unique materials and homewares back home for other Australians. “I’ve spent a lot of time over the years thinking of how to turn it into a business.”
