With SE House, this Indonesian home's clients had a clear reference point. A family of five, they had studied and lived in Australia, and what they wanted to bring back to Surabaya wasn't a style so much as a quality of space: the ease of large openings and covered terraces, alongside spaces that spill between inside and out. As it turned out, local architect Giovanni Gunawan of KantorGG, who came recommended through a past client, had worked with that vocabulary before. The fit was immediate.

Step inside this new Indonesian home, in Surabaya

The site is a 1,261 sq m corner plot in a dense residential neighbourhood, rectangular and nearly square, making it well-suited, as it turns out, for a courtyard configuration. Two road frontages meant two exposures, and privacy became the project's first problem to solve. Gunawan's answer was to turn the house inward with a breathable skin of synthetic woven rattan wrapping the south-facing street façade to admit air and light while blocking sight-lines and the strong afternoon sun.

From the kerb, the house gives little away – four storeys and approximately 2,528 sq m of built area – before pulling you in through a concealed entrance. Inside, a water curtain suspended between two glass walls marks the threshold, plants flanking either side, before a gallery-like passage opens onto the central courtyard. This is the house's true centre: a U-shaped massing around a void of light, greenery, and moving air, with the street noise effectively blotted out.

The scale of the open-plan living spaces is generous. The ground floor holds the main gathering areas, kitchen, and dining. Connected by a cantilevered bronze staircase, the second floor opens into bedrooms, the principal suite finished in timber-stamped concrete that telegraphs warmth without relying on natural timber. The rooftop unfurls an office, tea room, and prayer room.

The basement is essentially an adult playpen – karaoke, billiards, bar, cigar lounge, golf simulator, and gaming at one end; indoor pool, gym, sauna, and a moss corridor inspired by Japanese dry gardens, or karesansui, at the other.

Gunawan was careful to keep these zones firmly distinct. 'The basement works precisely because the contrast between quiet and active is clear,' he says. Sound control, smoke separation, and careful partitioning do the work, while shared views toward the garden hold the level together.

The material choices cleave to a tactile logic. 'Australian residential design often carries a certain honesty, where materials are valued for their own character rather than made to imitate something else,' Gunawan says. In SE House, that translated into travertine, green marble, wood-stamp concrete, and rattan – an earthy palette smartly adapted to Surabaya's heat and humidity.

The Melbourne-trained architect’s favourite moment in the house is the waiting room behind the rattan screen at the entrance. Neither fully inside nor out, with breeze and the sound of water coming through, this space is where the house's central tension between openness and privacy is most plainly felt, and most cleanly resolved.

These are busy times for KantorGG with projects underway in Jakarta, Bali, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Phuket, and Dubai, including two houses under construction in Singapore and a villa with valley, mountain, and golf-course views in Indonesia. In Perth, a house facing a body of water is in the works – calmness and openness, once again, the brief.

kantorgg.com

For city dwellers, silence and solitude are a luxury. That burning desire to escape civilisation is a shared experience, surfacing the moment you step into a sensory-overloading mode of transport. It’s hard not to be lured by the idea of a change of scenery on a daily basis. In recent years, hospitality has leaned into this instinct; we've seen hotels expand their portfolios with sprawling villas and private residences. It’s a winning formula: combining the calm of a private home with the unrivalled allure of five-star service.

We’ve rounded up our favourite retreats, not only for their astonishing design and architecture, but for their generous sense of space, to inspire your next escape. It won’t take much convincing, though.

8 of the best design-led villas to rent this season

Amanoi Ocean Pool Residence (Vietnam)

In a secluded coastal area within Vietnam’s Núi Chúa National Park, a Unesco Biosphere Reserve an hour’s flight north-east of Ho Chi Minh City, Amanoi has been (like its name indicates) a ‘place of peace’ for over a decade. Last year (2025), the Jean-Michel Gathy-designed property began a tony new chapter with the unveiling of its 9,957 sq ft gracious Amanoi Ocean Pool Residence, featuring not only a private beach but also its own spa house. Accommodating up to eight guests, the architectural feat can be configured with two or three contemporary bedrooms, subtly camouflaged amid the lush, rugged surroundings. With a fully stocked minibar, daily champagne afternoon tea and other complimentary experiences such as a private barbecue, a Vietnamese cultural dinner, and a nightly movie screening by the pool with popcorn and ice cream, being a homebody may never feel this good again.

Amanoi is located at Commune, Vĩnh Hy, Vĩnh Hải, Khánh Hòa, Vietnam

Read our full review of Amanoi’s Ocean Pool Residence

.Here

Perched on a long sandbank within the Baa Atoll, a UNESCO-designated biosphere reserve, .Here takes the Maldivian resort in a more private, design-led direction, unfolding as Somewhere and Nowhere, two distinct stays with different intentions. Somewhere comprises seven expansive villas, while the soon-to-open Nowhere is reserved for full private hire with just two residences and its own dedicated facilities. Both sit within the Seaside Collection portfolio and are accessed via its sister property Finolhu, by a short boat transfer along the connecting sandbank. Rather than separating beach and overwater villas, the residences at Somewhere span the width of the sandbank, combining both in a single footprint. Guests can also choose to linger at Safar, the resort’s only restaurant and bar.

.Here is located at Kanufushi, Baa Atoll, 21002, Maldives

Read our full review of .Here

Magugu Suite at Mount Nelson (South Africa)

A couple of months ago, South African fashion designer Thebe Magugu, who founded his eponymous label in 2016, inaugurated a landmark collaboration with Belmond: the unveiling of the Thebe Magugu Suite and next-door Magugu House, a concept store and cultural space for creative exchange. The secluded two-storey suite unfolds as a visually charged Afro-modernist sanctuary, with views across Lion’s Head, the hotel gardens and Palm Avenue. A palette of invigorating greens, deep indigos, warm neutrals and earthy ochres anchors the space. Guests staying here can enjoy the wider amenities and facilities of Cape Town’s legendary ‘Pink Lady,’ from its two pools, tennis courts and a spa housed inside a trio of restored Victorian heritage homes.

Mount Nelson, A Belmond Hotel, is located at 76 Orange St, Gardens, Cape Town, 8001, South Africa

Read our full review of Magugu Suite

Santani (Sri Lanka)

Around an hour’s drive from Sri Lanka’s sacred city of Kandy sits Santani, the country’s leading wellness retreat designed by two-time winner of the Geoffrey Bawa Award for Excellence in Architecture, Thisara Thanapathy. Spanning 48 acres of hilly terrain, Santani’s paradisical grounds are cut through by the Hulu River, where daily swims are encouraged. This hilltop sanctuary recently added two villas to its esteemed lineup: a two-bedroom suite and a three-bedroom residence featuring self-contained kitchens, indoor and outdoor lounge spaces, and individual private infinity pools overlooking far-reaching valleys and pristine forests. Both structures utilise natural ventilation through careful design that eliminates the need for air conditioning. The result? Pure silence.

Santani is located at Arantenna Estate, Werapitiya, 20908, Sri Lanka

Read our full review of the new villas at Santani

Vale Palheiro (Portugal)

The Algarve’s beautifully wild, western corner has been smartening up its act with several new hotels and restaurants. Case in point is Vale Palheiro, an ‘Earth Resort’ designed with character and a real sense of place. The 13-villa property offers suites and casitas, each one different but all with glass-covered log fireplaces and outside spaces. Crowning the ensemble is the duplex Casa Taipa Villa 2, with a shower downstairs within exposed taipa, and a vast micro-cement bath upstairs, where you can wallow watching the shifting colours of the landscape. Guests get a real chance to switch off at Vale Palheiro: There is yoga and massage on request, and a large swimming pool with sun beds around it to while away the time. Its on-site restaurant, offering homespun local delights, is worth lingering in too.

Vale Palheiro Earth Resort is located at Rua Vale Palheiro, 8670-016 Aljezur, Portugal

Read our full review of Vale Palheiro Resort

Villas at Castiglion del Bosco, A Rosewood Hotel (Italy)

Over two decades ago, Massimo Ferragamo, the youngest son of Italian shoe designer Salvatore, and his wife Chiara chose the UNESCO-listed Val d’Orcia Natural Park in Tuscany for their passion project: transforming a 900-year-old country estate into a sensuous resort. Ancient castle ruins, a medieval church, and a borgo painted their perfect picture of a Tuscan paradise. Managed by Rosewood since 2015, the property today comprises 42 suites and 11 freestanding villas, which were restored from abandoned 17th- and 18th-century farmhouses and are dotted across the state. The largest one, Villa Biondi, is surrounded by cypress-lined fairways and includes Italy’s only private golf course. Guests can explore the expansive 5,000-acre property using the in-house Land Rover Defender, which connects various amenities, such as the Brunello di Montalcino winery, two restaurants, a cooking school, a tennis court, vast gardens, a spa, and a set of twin pools.

Castiglion del Bosco, A Rosewood Hotel is located at SP103, 53024 Castiglion del Bosco, Italy

Villas at Mas des Infermières (France)

In 1992, filmmaker Ridley Scott acquired Mas des Infermières, a 35-hectare wine estate in the sun-dappled commune of Oppède. Perched on the edge of a national park, at the foot of the Luberon massif, the estate introduced three rentable design-led villas in 2024. Originally farmhouses, the properties were meticulously restored by Scott alongside lead designers Pia Mclean and Chester Jones, who paid tribute to the region’s creative legacy. Across the residences – the three-bedroom Mas Marcou and Mas Gris, and five-bedroom Chênes Verts – Provençal warmth is conjured through reclaimed terracotta tiles, antique fireplaces salvaged from crumbling castles, and classic swing shutters. Each villa also benefits from its own private pool, outdoor seating and dining areas.

Mas des Infermières is located at 1575 Rte du Four Neuf, 84580 Oppède, France

Read our full review of the villas at Mas des Infermières

Vipp Pavilion (USA)

Danish lifestyle brand Vipp began offering bookable guesthouses around the world over a decade ago, from Denmark and Latvia to Mexico (winner of a Wallpaper* Design Award 2025) and Tasmania. Often located in spectacular remote settings, these retreats are furnished by Vipp and brim with the Scandinavian brand’s signature minimalism. The latest to join the roster is Vipp Pavilion, the group's first US property, located in the Upper Delaware River, a pristine 73-mile ribbon that separates New York state from Pennsylvania. The Johnston Marklee-designed two-bedroom guesthouse may total just 1,200 sq ft, but its clever layout, minimal decor and natural light pouring in through a series of skylights make it feel bright and airy. Naturally, Vipp’s monolithic ‘V3’ kitchen anchors the open-plan living space. There’s no television and no mobile phone reception (though there is WiFi), allowing visitors to completely shut themselves off from the world if they so choose.

Vipp Pavilion is located in Pond Eddy, New York

Read our full review of Vipp Pavilion

As 2025 draws to a close, Wallpaper* begins to plan next year’s adventures. From landmark restorations and adaptive re-use projects to remote wilderness lodges and long-awaited brand debuts, these are the new hotel openings that have caught our eye: places designed to relax, retreat and explore, and destinations around which to plan your next travels. Spanning Europe, the Americas, Africa and Asia, the year ahead signals a particularly rich chapter for global hospitality, where thoughtful design, cultural context and a renewed emphasis on experience sit at the heart of the world’s most compelling new stays.

The hotel openings to know for 2026

Amanvari (Baja Peninsula, Mexico)

Next year, Aman will bring its laid-back lifestyle to the East Cape of Baja California, Mexico, with the opening of Amanvari: an 18-key retreat and collection of branded residences. Elastic Architects has designed thoughtfully considered villas that blur the boundary between indoors and out, showcasing Aman’s signature tranquil aesthetic through sandy-hued interiors, layers of natural stone and tropical woods, and bespoke Mexican ceramics and artworks. The Aman Spa will continue the brand’s focus on longevity, while multiple dining venues will celebrate Italian, Japanese and local cuisine.

aman.com

Black Sand Hotel (Ölfus, Iceland)

Sitting on a peninsula in the Ölfus region, Black Sand Hotel will be the first and only beachfront boutique hotel in Iceland, offering uninterrupted ocean views and interiors shaped by the country’s raw, elemental landscape. The 70 minimalist guest rooms and nine suites feature a restrained palette and layers of natural materials, with large windows framing sweeping views of the black volcanic beach, nearby mountains, and the North Atlantic, alongside the Ölfusá River. An expansive spa will share the same outlook across the black sands, while signature restaurant ÓMUR will celebrate seasonal Nordic cuisine.

blacksandhotel.is

Capella Kyoto (Japan)

Capella has tapped Kengo Kuma and Associates alongside Singapore-based Brewin Design Office to transform a former elementary school site into its next opening, Capella Kyoto. Located in Kyoto’s historic Miyagawa-chō district, the 89-room hotel draws its design cues from the city’s traditional wooden townhouses, known as machiya, unfolding as a series of inner courtyards and pared-back spaces that weave together classical Japanese elements such as shoji screens and tokonoma alcoves, anchored by a dramatic karahafu roof in the central courtyard. Three restaurants follow the rhythm of the seasons, while the spa is rooted in Japanese bathing rituals.

capellahotels.com

Chesa Marchetta (Sils Maria, Switzerland)

Chesa Marchetta will mark one of the first openings of 2026, and the second address from Swiss gallerists Iwan and Manuela Wirth, following the opening of Scotland’s much-loved Fife Arms. Formerly a celebrated restaurant in the heart of the Swiss cultural enclave of Sils Maria, the 13-key hotel has been reimagined by Argentinian, Paris-based architect Luis Laplace, while remaining firmly rooted in gastronomy through its seasonal restaurant. Next door, a three-bedroom house will be available for those seeking a more exclusive stay.

chesamarchetta.ch

Delano Miami Beach (USA)

An icon will be reborn next year with the reopening of the Delano Miami Beach. The South Beach landmark will emerge from an extensive renovation that restores its Art Deco glamour, preserving historic features while introducing a fresh, contemporary sensibility across the 171 rooms and suites. The hotel’s famed Delano Pool remains, joined by a new wellness studio and four new restaurants and bars, including a revival of Miami’s Rose Bar: the former epicentre of Hollywood royalty and the city’s high society.

delanohotels.com

Eha (Hiiumaa Island, Estonia)

Set within a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve on the remote Estonian island of Hiiumaa, Eha is a boutique wellness retreat nestled between verdant pine forests and the Baltic Sea. Eight suites and three forest cabins are designed to blend seamlessly into the surrounding landscape, featuring minimalist interiors in soothing neutral tones. The wellness programme follows the island’s unique five-season calendar, with activities, treatments and ancient Estonian healing rituals guided by sustainable practices and the energy of each season.

eharetreat.com

Hoshinoya Nara Prison (Japan)

A former prison is an unlikely setting for a hotel, yet Nara Prison is regarded as an architectural masterpiece in Nara Prefecture and is officially recognised as an Important Cultural Property of Japan. Next year will see it reborn as Hoshinoya Nara Prison, following a sensitive restoration that respectfully fuses its Meiji-era architecture with contemporary interiors. The hotel will also house a Japanese tea salon, restaurant and dining lounge, while the neighbouring Nara Prison Museum will preserve the site’s history, bridging past and present.

hoshinoresorts.com

Nihi Rote (Rote Island, Indonesia)

The founders of Nihi Sumba will deepen their commitment to sustainable, community-led development in Indonesia next year with the opening of Nihi Rote, the brand’s second hotel, located on Rote Island in Indonesia’s Nusa Tenggara Timur province. The retreat will feature 21 handcrafted villas that blend traditional Rotenese architecture with modern comforts, continuing Nihi’s Wild Wellness philosophy through outdoor adventure programmes, organic gardens and children’s initiatives that encourage learning through discovery. The hotel will open alongside the Namo Beach Club, as well as an academy dedicated to training the next generation of hospitality professionals.

nihi.com

Orient Express Venezia (Italy)

After breathing new life into the landmark Roman hotel La Minerva, Orient Express will open its second hotel in Venice within a 15th-century noble palace. Architect Aline Asmar d’Amman has overseen the eight-year restoration, reviving the mansion’s Neo-Gothic and Baroque grandeur while creating 47 guestrooms and suites luxuriously dressed in marble, Murano glass, rich velvets and Art Deco-inspired furnishings. The most spectacular suites elevate the experience further, featuring 19th-century frescoes of the goddess Minerva, gilded salons and sweeping canal views.

orient-express.com

Public West Hollywood (USA)

After launching his latest hotel brand, Public Hotels, in New York, legendary hotelier Ian Schrager will head to the West Coast to open his second address, Public West Hollywood. Set within a landmark building on the famed Sunset Strip, the 137-key hotel has been conceived by Schrager in collaboration with British architect John Pawson. Guest rooms make a deliberately understated statement, dressed in neutral tones, while furnishings in saturated hues inject a vivid counterpoint into the all-white lobby. Facilities will include three food, beverage and entertainment destinations, a pool, and a 16,000-square-foot open-air rooftop terrace with 360-degree views across Los Angeles.

publichotels.com

Singita Elela (Okavango Delta, Botswana)

Singita will embark on a new adventure next year with its first venture into the pristine wilderness of Botswana’s Okavango Delta. Named Elela, from the Setswana word meaning ‘to flow’, the new safari retreat will comprise eight circular camps that open in all directions, blurring the boundary between indoors and out to form a respectful extension of the natural surroundings. Inside, organic materials and handcrafted furnishings celebrate local craftsmanship. Each camp will be supported by its own dedicated team – a guide, tracker and host – leading guests through the Delta and its extraordinary wildlife, including more than 400 species of birds.

singita.com

Six Senses London (UK)

Six Senses will make its UK debut next year within the former Art Deco department store The Whiteley, in the heart of London’s Bayswater. Interiors will draw on the building’s heritage, blending classical detailing and new age elements with a contemporary sensibility, including a curated collection of modern British artworks. The expansive Six Senses Spa will be a highlight, while the opening will also mark the launch of the brand’s new private members’ club, Six Senses Place.

sixsenses.com

The Standard, Lisbon (Portgual)

The Standard has tapped architect Samuel Torres de Carvalho to oversee the design of its next European address, set atop the historic College of St Francis Xavier, formerly home to the Portuguese Royal Navy Hospital for more than 200 years. The 170 guestrooms and 24 long-stay apartments are finished in a palette of calming, earthy tones, while the lobby lounge, bar and all-day dining restaurant are imbued with The Standard’s signature boldness through sculptural forms and saturated hues. Upstairs, a rooftop bar shaded by striped parasols will offer sweeping views across the terracotta rooftops of the surrounding Alfama neighbourhood.

standardhotels.com

Vestige Namibia

Vestige will venture beyond Spain for the first time next year with the launch of Xaudum, one of four planned lodges in northern Namibia. Perched atop a prehistoric sand dune within the untouched wilderness of Khaudum National Park, Xaudum’s minimalist architecture is set to make a striking impression, with daily safari drives offering sightings of elephants, antelopes and African wild dogs. Three additional lodges will follow in 2027, each conceived with an equally bold – at times futuristic – design inspired by its natural surroundings.

vestigecollection.com

Waldorf Astoria Admiralty Arch (London, UK)

Waldorf Astoria will make a grand entrance onto London’s hotel scene next year with the highly anticipated opening of Waldorf Astoria London Admiralty Arch, housed within the historic landmark originally commissioned by King Edward VII in memory of Queen Victoria. Positioned at the end of The Mall, directly opposite Buckingham Palace, the storied property has been sensitively restored and will offer 100 guest rooms and suites, restaurants overseen by celebrated chefs Clare Smyth MBE and Daniel Boulud, a state-of-the-art spa, and a presidential suite with views across Buckingham Palace and Trafalgar Square.

hilton.com

A new Bali house peeks through the Indonesian island's rich, tropical foliage, nestled in the woods between open rice fields and Mount Agung. The project, titled Rumah Harumi, is the brainchild of locally based practice Earth Lines Architects, a studio firmly engaged with – and committed to – the region's craft traditions.

Inside Rumah Harumi, a subtly striking new Bali house

The house is the main home of a small family, who were after a base that feels natural to its environment – something soft and cocooning, a refuge. The mandate resonated with the studio, which always champions local construction methods and artisans as well as a meaningful connection with place and local lifestyle. The result is a residential design made predominantly of wood, and celebrating creativity and collaboration between its many craftspeople and contributors.

'The making of Rumah Harumi brought together an extraordinary community of Indonesian artisans – master woodworkers, stone carvers, ceramicists, furniture makers and artists – whose skills shaped every surface and detail. The result is a home that celebrates Bali’s deep tradition of craftsmanship and its intimate relationship with natural materials,' the architecture team writes.

Adding an important sustainability twist to the design journey, the teak and ulin wood used in the project was all reclaimed from old structures, bridges, and abandoned dwellings on the island. Coming, as a result, in irregular sizes and shapes, the timber elements used for the construction were meticulously catalogued and appropriately applied to the building installation.

Another aspect that nods to Rumah Harumi's sustainable architecture credentials is the interiors' connection to nature. Large openings and plenty of al fresco spaces, including indoor/outdoor areas that form transitions and adapt to changing needs and weather, ensured the residents can be in constant dialogue with their immediate natural environment. Meanwhile, bespoke timber louvres across the largest openings maintain privacy and control sunlight when necessary.

'The process was as much about patience and collaboration as it was about design: a journey of problem-solving, creativity, and kindness. The finished house carries that spirit – it feels soulful, joyful, and deeply connected to the energy and appreciation of its owners,' the architects write in conclusion. 'Here, daily life unfolds in close connection with nature and one another – it's a calm, tactile refuge that feels both timeless and alive, like it always belonged, an interior and architecture that will age gracefully over time.'

earthlinesarchitects.com

‘I wanted to create a space that invites you into another reality,’ says Crosby Studios’ founder Harry Nuriev of the blobby, yellow universe he has imagined for Butter Baby, a new dessert parlour in Jakarta. Located in Blok M, the city’s buzzing shopping and culinary playground, the space channels twin brothers Nick and Henry Burch’s vision of a cosmic sugar-rush experience.

A buttery new dimension

Nuriev, who was recently behind the design of restaurant Noisy Oyster in London and Café Nuances in Paris, has infused the sensorial environment with soft lighting, bulbous silhouettes and glossy, one-off furniture pieces. ‘This is a place where visitors step out of the ordinary and into the whimsical world of Butter Baby,’ he adds. Pastries seemingly levitating above chrome counters and an adorable alien mascot gazing out from the window amplify the otherworldly ambience.

The menu, devised by local chef Dedy Sutan Supriady, revisits the nostalgic treats of his childhood. Inspired by traditional kue – Southeast Asian snacks – sold by street vendors, Supriady reimagines them through an interstellar lens, informed by his discovery of fluffy Taiwanese fried doughnuts. The result: a constellation of 12 creations, from the tangy, cloud-soft Mallow Yuzu Baby to the indulgent Chocolate Nebula and the velvet-textured Ube, cloaked in vivid purple crumbs.

Freshly baked cookies, the signature Butter Toast glazed in honey, and soft-serve ice cream are joined by a line-up of sweet-spirited drinks such as the Lychee Galaxy Butter Boba, Crackling Pistachio, and Peanut Butter Latte. Following the brand’s debut in Blok M, Butter Baby has already expanded to Central Park Mall, with a third outpost set to open at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport’s Terminal 3.

For the Burch brothers, the Indonesian capital’s effervescent character made it the ideal launchpad. ‘It’s a city that embraces creativity, bold flavours, and new experiences,’ they say. ‘Jakarta is a cultural home for us; we spent much of our teens in Indonesia, and it deeply influenced who we are today.’

Butter Baby - Blok M is located at Pasaraya Blok M, Jl. Iskandarsyah II Blok M, Melawai, Kec. Kby. Baru, Kota Jakarta Selatan, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta 12160, Indonesia.

Set high on a hilltop in Uluwatu, this 350 sq m Bali retreat with stunning views of the Indian Ocean is architect Alexis Dornier’s most personal project to date. Named Lebar, after the Indonesian word for ‘wide’, the light-filled horizontal volume is Dornier’s own island home, designed to complement the lush landscape but also to reflect some of his earliest influences.

Explore Alexis Dornier's personal Bali retreat

Based in Bali since 2013, where he founded his namesake architecture and design studio, Dornier is actually from Munich, and it is the city’s rows of postwar bungalows and midcentury modernist architecture vocabulary that have inspired Lebar’s ‘quiet clarity’, golden window frames and timber-clad walls.

‘These elements feel more like oversized pieces of furniture than architectural surfaces,’ writes Dornier, who has also produced a lighting collection featuring handmade Japanese paper infused with banana fibres.

‘The roofline tilts modestly, almost deferentially, to the horizon,’ Dornier continues of his retreat, completed in 2024 and featuring landscaping by the Bali Landscape Company. ‘Its low-slung roof and linear plan stretch deliberately across the crest of the site, framing uninterrupted 360-degree views while remaining visually recessive in the landscape.’

Dornier has earned a reputation for his impactful designs, ranging from a treetop boutique hotel to a sculptural spiral house in the jungle. ‘Crafted with a meticulous attention to detail that makes spaces functional and deeply meaningful’, each is a cohesive statement that encompasses not just the architecture but also the interiors, furniture and artwork.

This sense of coherence and continuity is apparent at Lebar, where Dornier designed every element of the interior, from the sculptural sofas, entirely custom-made furniture and brass pendant rings to the eclectic assortment of rugs and art. The colour palette features contrasting deep reds and velvet greens, ‘evoking a tension between bourgeois refinement and laid-back insouciance,’ he writes.

Befitting its tropical location, the residence is designed for indoor-outdoor living: sliding glass walls open to let the ocean breeze not just in the open-plan living room but also in the cosy, wood panelling bedrooms and study, while the entire ground floor is surrounded by a narrow sheltered balcony/walkway.

‘I didn’t want this house to scream “Bali”,’ Dornier notes. ‘The local is there, but in details and textures – not in clichés.’

alexisdornier.com

Throughout history, holidays have been closely tied to agriculture, offering respite after the harvest or marking seasonal transitions. With the Industrial Revolution came a shift: leisure time emerged as a necessary pause from the grind of factory labour, a moment for rest and recovery.

Today, however, a new kind of holiday is taking root. Rather than escaping to distance themselves from rural life, travellers are being drawn back to it. Screen-weary professionals seek reconnection with nature, while a generation of eco-conscious guests is increasingly curious about the origins of their food. In response, a wave of luxury hotels is weaving agriculture into the heart of the guest experience, offering immersive farm stays that nourish both body and mind.

Harvesting a new kind of luxury

Leading this movement is a new type of creative director: a ‘farmer-in-residence,’ who often manages both the farm’s operations and designs the guest-facing experiences, helping visitors find their zen knee-deep in soil before heading to the spa. ‘To me, the value of having farmers-in-residence lies in making farming visible and tangible for our guests,’ says Peter Quinion, group operations director of Heckfield Place and the expansive Heckfield Home Farm.

‘It’s not just about managing the farm behind the scenes, but about being on-hand to talk about regenerative agriculture, animal welfare, composting and helping people see how these choices influence the food they eat and the land itself.’ These agricultural roles have swiftly become vital to the hotels’ operational teams.

Regarding Hotel Corazón’s farmer-in-residence, Emma Phillips, formerly of LA’s Flamingo Estate and Big Sur’s renowned Esalen Institute, owner Kate Bellm couldn’t be more enthusiastic. ‘Emma has not only transformed the farm area into a wild paradise of edible beauty, but she’s an integral part of the energy, happiness, and soul of the hotel. You will find her walking through the property with bundles of flowers and herbs, delivering her produce to various departments that work with her – always wearing her signature hat and a big, beautiful smile,’ says Bellm. Phillips works closely with the hotel’s chef, Eliza Parchanska, at the hotel’s newly opened Tatjana von Stein-designed terrace restaurant.

Christiane Wassmann, owner of Rastrello in Umbria, which is home to over 2,000 olive trees and a 400-year-old farmhouse, states that participating in the hotel’s olive harvest in October is a highlight for many guests. ‘We have visitors who have been harvesting with us for four years already. They say they prefer working on holiday, giving back to the land, rather than visiting museums and sightseeing.’

In a world filled with endless options for luxury accommodation, what exactly is attracting people to these simpler experiences? ‘I think people are craving genuine connection,’ says Quinion. ‘So much of modern life is disconnected from the land; food appears on shelves without any story. Spending time on the farm allows them to slow down and remember that everything comes from somewhere.’

This idea is echoed by José Godinho, who is the general manager of all farming operations at Portugal’s São Lourenço do Barrocal. ‘This is a different kind of luxury,’ he states about the 40-room hotel set on a 780-hectare farm. ‘It’s waking up to birdsong, walking through open fields alongside cows, connecting directly with the vegetable garden, and feeling a deep sense of calm. That too is luxury.’

But who exactly is booking into these luxury farm stays? ‘The farm programming at Wildflower appeals to solo travellers, couples, families, and corporate guests alike,’ says Kristin Soong Rapoport, co-managing partner of Wildflower Farms, Auberge Resorts Collection in Hudson Valley, which is home to a four-acre organic on-site farm. ‘We find these educational experiences are what our guests talk about most after visiting the property.’

To be clear, these experiences do not replace traditional wellness activities; they complement them. ‘The typical Wildflower Farms Leisure guest is highly educated and has stayed at the most luxurious places in the world. That guest demands high-quality fitness and wellness programmes as part of their daily routine,’ continues Soong Rapoport. ‘Their needs for wellness about nutrition and connection to the earth, family, and community are not always met, so we focus on this at the farm.’

Similarly, at Cap Karoso in Sumba, Indonesia, farm activities support the wellness experiences. ‘In fact, we moved to a farm-to-spa philosophy, and guests can experience harvesting plants that will be used during their treatments,’ says Teguh Wahyu Pramana, Cap Karoso’s head of agricultural operations. These robust farms play a critical role across many functions at the hotels, which of course includes the kitchen. Kobi Miterani, landscaping attendant for Six Senses Ibiza’s farm, noted that one of their most popular activities is a farm tour followed by breakfast or brunch.

‘During this activity, guests from the hotel spend about an hour walking through the fields, harvesting crops, and tasting vegetables directly from the soil and fruits straight from the trees,’ notes Miterani. ‘This experience gives them a deeper connection to nature and shows how Mother Earth dictates the way we function within our limitations, and how we can work in harmony with the natural world around us.’

Farm-led programmes aren’t just good for guests. If done properly, it can ripple out to benefit the surrounding community as well. Such is the case at Cap Karoso, which boasts a permaculture school where the farming team teaches locals how to increase their crop yield sustainably and runs community outreach programmes throughout the villages and schools.

‘The farm is proudly operated by a dedicated team of local Sumbanese employees,’ says Wahyu Pramana. ‘We envisage the farm becoming a centre for learning and knowledge sharing for the local Sumbanese community.’ In October, the hotel will host the first-ever Sumba Food Festival, with 600 guests to raise funds for local initiatives, such as clean water access and education.

Whether farming-led travel is a fad or the future, Wallpaper* asked Richard Christiansen, founder of Flamingo Estate, for his perspective. While guests can’t stay at Flamingo Estate (it’s Christiansen’s home and orchard), you can get a taste of the Flamingo Estate universe at select JW Marriott properties through the two brands’ recent collaboration on honey, curated playlists, and a signature scent.

‘In uncertain, difficult times, nature gives us hope and a sense of tradition and permanence, which is so important,’ says Christiansen. ‘We’ve always said that Mother Nature is the last great luxury house. I believe we need her more than ever now.’

It looks like the future of farm-led travel is ripe for even more growth.

As with most projects born from the heart, photographer Farid Renais Ghimas began preparing for his first book, Angan-Angan Harsa, long before he formally began to shape it. The title, which translates to ‘Dreams of Joy’ in Indonesian, echoes not only his growth as an artist – shaped during an MA in fashion photography at Central Saint Martins in London – but also memories of his boyhood, growing up in a lush, island-strewn expanse between the Indian and Pacific oceans.

‘When I first left Indonesia as a teenager in 2018, I saw it as something to escape from – with all its flaws and the things that had always frustrated me. But the longer I was away, the more I longed for the things I once took for granted,’ confesses Farid.

That distance gradually ignited a renewed sense of connection to home. And, with encouragement from his course leader, Farid began to develop a final postgraduate project that would tell his personal story with candour, resulting in Angan-Angan Harsa, a visceral meditation on memory, place and belonging.

‘Angan-Angan Harsa’ by Farid Renais Ghimas

Against the backdrop of his birthplace, Bengkulu, Farid sought to revisit the halcyon days of his childhood, documenting the family, friends and community members who give this place its enduring sense of home. When asked what he missed most during his time abroad, he pauses before replying: ‘The comfortable silence [...] The feeling that I can just exist with the people closest to me for hours, and that quiet sense of belonging.’

Throughout the 92-page photo series, Farid assumes the role of observer – not as an outsider, but with the quiet intimacy of someone deeply rooted in place, tracing the rhythms of daily life and moments of stillness and joy. For him, coming home was at once familiar and strangely new. ‘I was returning to a city I had always known, but this time with fresh eyes,’ he reflects.

Although born in this province on the southwest coast of Sumatra, the photographer spent much of his childhood moving between cities – Pekanbaru, Balikpapan, and Jakarta. Yet Bengkulu remained a constant: a place to gather with family during Eid and his mother’s hometown. ‘In a way, I always saw it as my hometown too,’ he says. ‘Over time, I developed a quiet emotional attachment to it, feeling as though her home was also mine.’

Across Angan-Angan Harsa, primary colours hold sway of the viewer’s first glimpse – bold and immediate – before dissolving into softer hues, much like fleeting moments of kinship fade into the backdrop of everyday life. Farid’s lens moves fluidly between the personal and the communal, capturing not only those closest to him but also the wider community.

One such moment unfolds during the Tabut Festival, a long-standing tradition in Bengkulu commemorating the martyrdom of Husayn ibn Ali. Ornamental Tabut structures – symbolic coffins – are adorned in deep reds, vibrant yellows and floral motifs, standing in vivid contrast to the expanse of blue sky. ‘The streets were packed,’ he recalls. ‘Some people were watching, others chanting, waving flags, or taking pictures on their phones.’

His favourite photograph, however, was taken just hours after his return: children playing barefoot, chasing a ball beneath the golden light of late afternoon. ‘It was the perfect reintroduction to a world that once felt so familiar to me as a kid,’ he says.

It’s a fitting image, especially given that, early in our conversation, he recalls his happiest memories as those spent playing outside until the sunset set in.

In making Angan-Angan Harsa, which was shot during the summer of 2022, Farid was drawn back into the folds of family life, spending much of his time with his young cousins, Farell and Fauzan. These images capture the raw energy and innocence of childhood as if attempting to reconnect with the emotions that shaped his own.

‘Fauzan loved being in front of the camera – whenever I asked him to stand somewhere or wear something, he’d immediately start making funny faces and silly hand gestures. He was a natural,’ he remembers. ‘Farell, on the other hand, was much quieter. When he got home from school, he’d drop his bag and head straight out with his friends. By the end of the day, he’d return home with a tan from playing outside, dirt on his clothes, and barely a word to say.’

Farid concludes he’s not trying to make bold statements: ‘Angan-Angan Harsa is just me revisiting a place I call home, capturing the people, places, and moments that are part of me [...] And maybe, in these everyday scenes, others can find something that feels familiar too – a sense of belonging, memory, or the quiet beauty of ordinary life.’

faridrenaisghimas.com

After an interminably long January, February calls for sunshine and escape. No need to wait for summer when there’s such invigorating magic in the winter sun. From intimate seaside inns to sprawling tropical resorts, here are six Wallpaper*-approved escapes where you can reset and recharge.

Auka Boipeba, Brazil

On the bijou Bahian island of Boipeba, Auka Boipeba delivers a dual bliss of jungle and beach. Designed by FGMF, its 20 suites balance raw concrete, cobogós (perforated bricks used to build walls), and private plunge pools, all angled for ocean views. The beachside spa taps into local botanicals, while the restaurant serves shrimp stew risotto and yellowtail snapper ceviche straight from the island’s waters. A polygonal pool, sun deck, and sauna complete the scene.

Auka Boipeba is located at R. Praia Boca da Barra - Velha Boipeba, Cairu - BA, 45426-000, Brazil, aukaboipeba.com.br

Velha Boipeba’s average February temperature: 29° / 26° (High / Low)

Read our full hotel review of Auka Boipeba

Casa Yuma, Puerto Escondido, Mexico

Minutes away from the beach of Los Naranjos and the lively village of La Punta in the Mexican municipality of Puerto Escondido, Casa Yuma is a peaceful oceanfront oasis that celebrates its surroundings. Architect Ricardo de La Concha, with studio TAAC, designed the hotel to blend into the environment using native materials and locally sourced ceramics and furnishings. Its 25 rooms exude warmth, while an ocean-view pool, yoga sessions, and soulful Mexican cuisine set the tone for a balmy escape.

Casa Yuma is located at Ventanilla KM 153, Lote 10 Los Naranjos, Mexico; casayuma.com

Puerto Escondido’s average February temperature: 29° / 22° (High / Low)

Read our full hotel review of Casa Yuma

Cheval Blanc St-Barth

A Caribbean jewel with Parisian poise, Cheval Blanc St-Barth offers palatial relaxation on the sun-drenched shores of Baie des Flamands. Designed by Jacques Grange, its 61 suites and villas embody the essence of plush island living. At La Case, Jean Imbert’s vibrant menu sets the stage for long, languid lunches, while Guerlain’s spa rituals unfold in serene seclusion. Whether snorkelling the reefs, toasting at the Tiki-inspired bar, or indulging in a private beachfront dinner, this is St-Barth at its best.

Cheval Blanc St-Barth is located at Baie des Flamands, Saint-Barthélemy 97133, St Barthélemy; chevalblanc.com

St-Barth’s average February temperature: 29° / 23° (High / Low)

Read our full hotel review of Cheval Blanc St-Barth

Il Delfino, Yamba, Australia

Tucked along Yamba’s pandanus-fringed coastline, Il Delfino revives a 1948 sailor’s inn with Mediterranean soul and Australian ease. Designer Sheree Commerford preserved the original building’s midcentury charm, restoring wooden floors, geometric archways, and sunbathed terraces where guests can linger over coffee, lulled by the tide. Each of the five suites, named after Italy’s coastal gems, pairs handmade tiles, vintage wares, and bespoke ceramics with the comfort of integrated kitchens and Smeg coffee machines. From whale watching on the terrace to feasting on Clarence Valley’s finest produce, Il Delfino is an intimate inn of coastal passion.

Il Delfino is located at 4 Ocean St, Yamba NSW 2464, Australia; ildelfino.com.au

Yamba’s average February temperature: 27° / 19° (High / Low)

Read our full hotel review of Il Delfino

Singita Milele, Natta, Tanzania

Set within the 350,000 acres that make up Tanzania’s Grumeti Reserve, Singita Milele is a 1,200 sq ft buyout villa that redefines the modern safari retreat. Designed by HK Studio, its five distinct suites echo the Serengeti’s palette – natural textures dominate, with earthy hues combined with soft grassy shades. From a starlit infinity pool to a speakeasy-style bar and open-fire boma, every detail invites connection. Here, the savannah isn’t just seen – it’s felt, with no barriers between guests and wilderness.

Singita Milele is located in Natta, Tanzania; singita.com

Natta’s average February temperature: 29° / 17° (High / Low)

Read our full hotel review of Singita Milele

Ta’aktana Labuan Bajo, Indonesia

On the Indonesian island of Flores, Ta’aktana puts the fishing village of Labuan Bajo on the luxury map. Spanning 16 hectares, the 70-key retreat – including seven overwater sea villas – marries curved silhouettes and natural wood with a modern, minimalist edge, courtesy of ANP Interiors. Just an hour from Komodo National Park, it’s a basecamp for adventure, from snorkelling at Taka Makassar to hikes on Padar Island. Ta’aktana’s five distinct food and beverage concepts continue with Taba’s Japanese robata cuisine, while Di’a Spa’s cave-inspired rituals offer a restorative experience.

Ta’aktana Labuan Bajo is located at Pantai Wae Rana, Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara 86763, Indonesia, marriott.com

Labuan Bajo’s average February temperature: 29° / 24° (High / Low)

Read our full hotel review of Ta’aktana Labuan Bajo

Where will 2025 take you? Twelve new months offer plenty of possibilities for travel plans and hotel stays. Whether you are seeking an otherworldy experience in Nepal’s fabled Mustang Kingdom, a minimalist stay in Tokyo, or a fairy-tale cabin suite in the Irish countryside, Wallpaper* has you covered. Here are our most-read-about hotel openings of the past year, all ready for you to book.

The hotels to book in 2025

Shinta Mani Mustang in Jomsom, Nepal

Shrouded in mystique, in Nepal’s Mustang Kingdom, Shinta Mani Mustang offers a stylised immersion into Tibetan Buddhist life. Reimagined by Sherpa Hospitality and designer and architect Bill Bensley (building on Prabal Thapa Architect’s original 2010 design), the stone-and-timber retreat exudes the rugged charm of Thakali villages and the rich hues of Tibetan monasteries. Candlelight and monk chants fill the lobby, setting the tone for sipping warm apple brandy at Aara bar or savouring traditional Mustang dishes at Nilgiri restaurant. The 29 rooms are all anchored by floor-to-ceiling windows framing Himalayan views. For relaxation, the hillside spa – featuring glacier-blue pools and herb-infused therapies by Tsewang Gyurme Gurung, an 11th-generation Tibetan medicine doctor – is the perfect counterpoint to adventurous days.

Shinta Mani Mustang is located at Marpha-5, Jomsom 33100, Nepal, shintamanimustang.com

Hotel Rakuragu in Tokyo, Japan

Who would have imagined that a narrow parking lot could one day house a nine-storey hotel? Well, it can – meet Hotel Rakuragu in Tokyo’s Nihonbashi district. Conceptualised by Kooo Architects, the property’s lantern-like façade, with irregular cut-out windows and angular balconies, blends urban privacy with abundant natural light. Inside, 14 guest rooms, ranging from 13 to 35 sq m, radiate serenity with rounded corners, diatomaceous earth wallpaper, and low wooden bed platforms softened by plant-lined balconies. A nod to jazz culture runs through the property, from the hotel’s name, which references ‘ragtime’ in Japanese, to curated playlists. Anchoring it all is a minimalist lobby, where raw concrete meets crisp white walls, elevated by a sculptural mirrored piece from design studio We+ – a fitting entry to this tiny but mighty minimalist retreat.

Hotel Rakuragu is located at 1 Chome-7-9 Nihonbashihoncho, Chuo City, Tokyo 103-0023, Japan, hotelrakuragu.top

Six Senses Kyoto in Japan

Respectfully adding a touch of contemporary escapism into one of Japan's best-preserved historical regions, Six Senses Kyoto, the brand’s Japan debut, is a modern wellness retreat to daydream about. Designed by Blink Design Group, the 81-room hotel nods to the city’s ancient cultural rituals and was developed around four key themes: playful, organic, biophilic and sustainable. Rooms, with views of the central courtyard or Toyokuni Shrine, feature wooden partitions with flippable panels, woven copper lighting, and sun-filtering sudare screens. Wellness is at the heart of the experience, with a spa offering everything from Watsu therapy to a Biohack Recovery Lounge, all set against a backdrop of ikebana arrangements and Zen design. Food is served in the all-day dining Sekki and Café Sekki, while for after-dark, Nine Tails is an intimate cocktail bar with the atmosphere of a modern apothecary.

Six Senses Kyoto is located at 431 Myohoin Maekawacho, Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto, 605-0932, Japan, sixsenses.com

Woodland and River Suites at The Montenotte in Cork, Ireland

Perched above the River Lee, The Montenotte – a luxury urban resort with 107 rooms, a wellness centre, a cinema, and a restaurant and bar – has long been a local favourite, thanks to its proximity to Cork’s city centre and sweeping views of the harbour. Its latest addition is a collection of nine outdoor suites designed by Henry J Lyons Architects. These include the Woodland Suites, set above a forest canopy, and the River Suites, amid wild Irish flowers. Dublin-based designer Rósín Lafferty has infused the interiors with a mix of Japanese-inspired design and Ireland’s natural beauty, featuring light oak, travertine floors, bronze mirrors, and custom rice paper screens. Exclusive to guests who book the suites, the Woodland Suite Experience is completed with the Club House, a peaceful space with harbour views, perfect for leisurely breakfasts or afternoon cocktails.

The Woodland Suites at The Montenotte are located at Middle Glanmire Rd, Montenotte, Cork, T23 E9DX, Ireland, themontenottehotel.com

Ta’aktana Labuan Bajo in Indonesia

Ta’aktana, a new Luxury Collection resort by Marriott International, is determined to put Labuan Bajo, a fishing village on Indonesia’s Flores island, on the map as a luxury getaway. Spanning 16 hectares, the resort comprises 70 rooms, including seven overwater sea villas. Balinese firm ANP Interiors reimagined natural wood and fibres with a modern, minimalist approach, with woven ceiling panels standing out as a handsome achievement in the villas. Wellness at Di’a Spa channels the spirit of Flores’ Rangko and Batu Cermin caves, offering everything wellness alongside Korean hair and scalp therapies. With five dining options, including the Japanese-inspired Taba, the Indonesian farm-to-table Umasa, and a café showcasing Flores’ finest coffee, the resort delivers a gastronomic journey as rich as the island’s biodiversity.

Ta’aktana Labuan Bajo is located at Pantai Wae Rana, Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara 86763, Indonesia, marriott.com

Singita Milele in Natta, Tanzania

Singita Milele, found within Tanzania’s 350,000-acre Grumeti Reserve, redefines the traditional safari experience and sets a new standard for modern African bush design. Two years in the making, the 1,200-square-foot buyout sanctuary, designed by South Africa’s HK Studio, accommodates ten guests across five suites, each inspired by the panoramas, shades, and tones of the Serengeti. Vast indoor and outdoor spaces, including a massive infinity pool, offer uninterrupted views of the Great Migration. The design reflects the surrounding savannah, with locally sourced fixtures and artworks deepening the connection between guests and the land. Whether lounging on expansive decks, dining in the open-air area, or observing wildlife through a telescope, Singita Milele is as open to the elements as it gets.

Singita Milele is located at Natta, Tanzania, singita.com

Nuanu Creative City sits across 44 hectares alongside a rugged coastline in Bali, Indonesia’s ‘island of the gods', between Nyanyi Beach and Tanah Lot Temple. The multi-project development, currently underway, is a creative complex that merges art, technology and nature in an ambitious amalgamation of one entrepreneur's bold vision.

Conceptualised as a future utopia, Nuanu Creative City is the brainchild of Russian tech businessman and multimillionaire Sergey Solonin. The self-dubbed ‘experiential park’ extends to education and wellness and aims to act as a case study for sustainable architecture living.

Explore the Nuanu Creative City development in Bali

Solonin, who relocated to Bali and initiated the project three years ago, has invested $100 million into Nuanu to date. Across the vast site where barren land and a wild jungle once stood, newly built interconnected pathways and streets now lead to AI-managed art, a boutique hotel, a beach club, a spa and wellness facility, a children’s education campus, sound-healing spaces, yoga studios, and an alpaca farm; there's even a recently opened butterfly breeding programme that aims to repopulate native species and increase local biodiversity.

Visually akin to the Burning Man project in Nevada, USA, Nuanu Creative City was conceived by Solonin to resonate with the famed music festival’s core values on sustainability and collaboration. The site currently boasts a recycled timber ‘lighthouse’ by architect Arthur Mamou Mani (the Tri Hita Karana Tower), bamboo architecture structures by Charlie Hearn of Inspiral Architects and Pablo Luna Designs, and artworks by Daniel Popper and Alexander Milov.

Nuanu, meaning ‘in the process’ in Balinese, currently features 32 completed, discrete spaces referred to as ‘projects’, in collaboration with individual business partners. Each project partner commits to contributing five per cent of their monthly revenue to Nuanu’s Social Fund, which is distributed to reforestation or social initiatives. With an additional 18 projects currently in progress, Solonin anticipates an eventual total of 50 diverse spaces where visitors and the creative community can gather.

‘Agility and flexibility are critical for a project like ours, which is not just about building structures but creating a living, breathing ecosystem where art, nature, and technology coexist harmoniously,’ says Solonin. ‘We adapt as we go, integrating new ideas and technologies while staying in tune with the needs of the community and environment, ensuring we respect Bali’s culture and ecosystem while welcoming global perspectives.’

Yet what sets the development apart from the over-tourism and overdevelopment currently plaguing the island is Solonin’s sustainability efforts and pledge to preserve two-thirds of the site’s natural landscape. Aurora Media Park, a 5,000 sq m outdoor immersive AI-powered art park, is found interwoven into an existing native jungle with decade-old clusters of wild bamboo.

At luxury hotel Oshom Bali, a series of treehouse guest rooms were designed above historic mangroves, leaving the latter undisturbed in their critical role as an integral waterway. For the design of Lumeira, Nuanu’s spa and wellness facility, co-owners James Larkin and Jasper Sceats took inspiration from traditional Balinese thatched structures, utilising bamboo and alang alang, a natural coarse grass known as a long-lasting roofing material. The entire spa is carbon-zero and operates on circular, renewable energy – the central wood-fired sauna features a pyrolysis stove that transfers excess heat to nearby pools.

In the next ten years, Solonin envisions Nuanu will ‘come to life as a vibrant global hub where creativity thrives, attracting some of the world’s most innovative minds to live, collaborate, and visit’, he says. ‘It will be home to a dynamic community of visionaries, artists, and change-makers, living and working in thoughtfully designed spaces that inspire creativity.’

nuanu.com

Umah Tsuki, the family home for Andrew Swallow, his wife, and their young daughter, sits perched above a verdant, sloping plot in the Balinese village of Tumbak Bayuh. The property is the first built project to be completed by Swallow – a former chef – who spent years devising the menus and interiors of his own restaurants in the US before choosing to fully pursue his interest in design.

‘Designing spaces has many similarities to cooking – you always begin with a blank canvas, then you start to know what you want the dish to taste like, feel like, and look like,’ he says. ‘It was time to change my palette from creating with food ingredients to building materials.’ The decision sparked a permanent move to Bali and the birth of Swallow’s own design studio, Colvin Haven (a coinage of his middle name, and his daughter’s first name).

Step inside Umah Tsuki by Colvin Haven

Much like Swallow’s culinary practice, which focused on farm-to-table cooking, the design of Umah Tsuki is all about provenance and locality: ‘From the beginning I wanted to use a minimal variety of materials native to Indonesia to keep the architecture pure and honest, revealing strength and simplicity,’ explains Swallow, who worked alongside Kevin Kudo-King from architecture firm Olson Kundig, Abbie Labrum of Earth Lines Architects and Nyoman Suryantara from Como Design Studio to realise the home. ‘I really wanted to create a sanctuary that would give you a sense of calm and peace the moment you set foot on the property.’

Made up of four stilted volumes, the exterior of the house is entirely clad with ulin wood, a robust type of timber that’s indigenous to Indonesia. Internal rooms are panelled with warm-hued teak, each piece hand-cut and laid by a team of expert local woodworkers. Dark grey paras stone, which is quarried in Bali, has been used to tile some of the home’s wet areas, while all the soft furnishings have been crafted by artisans based around the region.

Swallow’s penchant for Japan’s architecture can be seen in other elements of the home. The peaked form of the roof, for example, is inspired by the shape of traditional Japanese cabins, and shou sugi ban – a centuries-old Japanese charring technique that helps preserve and strengthen wood – has been applied to the facade. A large, winding koi pond has also been installed in the garden. ‘I have always loved the simplicity and functionality of Japanese architecture,’ Swallow adds, ‘they’re masters at using natural materials and minimal adornments.’

It was also imperative to Swallow that Umah Tsuki had a strong visual connection to the outdoors, unlike the hastily developed homes that he had seen spring up across Bali post-pandemic. ‘Bali is having a boom after COVID, because people are wanting to leave cities and live an alternative life, but there's no soul to [those houses], there are no gardens, just walls that shut you in… it’s like they could be built anywhere in the world.’

Open-air walkways have therefore been used to link the home’s different living quarters, and expansive windows have been fitted in every room to ensure the surrounding lush jungle remains in constant view. Even the wellness centre on the home’s ground floor (complete with cold bath, sauna and tea lounge) has been orientated to overlook a nearby river.

This nature-conscious sensibility will continue to inform the further six Tsuki residences that Colvin Haven plans to build going forward – number two is already underway. They will all be unique in design, but offer the same meditative feel as Swallow’s own home. ‘A home is not just a place to lay your head,’ he concludes, ‘it is a place to bring people together, to share experiences and to feel at peace.’

colvinhaven.com

Labuan Bajo, a fishing village on Indonesia’s Flores island, is hardly a household name like nearby Bali. Yet, all that is about to change with Ta’aktana, a new Luxury Collection resort by Marriott International. Its proximity to Komodo National Park – less than an hour by boat – serves as the resort’s main draw for travellers seeking an experience with the formidable monitor lizards of the same name, but adventurous activities like snorkelling with sea turtles and marine life around the Taka Makassar sandbank, hiking Padar island, spelunking in ancient caves and sunrise and sunset treks beckon guests to explore the area’s rich biodiversity.

Ta’aktana, a Luxury Collection Resort & Spa, Labuan Bajo

16 hectares of land form the foundation for 70 keys, with seven overwater sea villas facing the ocean as the cream of the crop. Balinese firm ANP Interiors took its design cues from the spider-web-shaped rice terraces of the local Lingko fields and traditional conical huts of the Manggarai ethnic group (a population native to Western Flores), preserving the cultural and historical essence of their village houses. Curved silhouettes and handcrafted architectural features of natural wood and fibres are reinterpreted through a modern, minimalist lens – the woven ceiling panels in the villas are an especially handsome achievement.

Indigenous arts and crafts enhance the interiors; abstract tapestries depicting Flores’ nature fashioned by women artisans of the Du Anyam group grace the rooms. High ceilings and full-length windows evoke feelings of open-air structures. Respectful cultural integration and sustainability are key considerations, expressed through details like masterclasses and workshops that share knowledge of Manggarai traditions, culture and history; upcycled fabric coasters in Umasa restaurant; responsible food waste initiatives; and projects to enrich the surrounding community.

Di’a Spa draws guests in for a wellness experience channelling the characteristics of the Rangko and Batu Cermin caves – think natural formations like coral, speleothems and fossils in the design. Massages, facials, wraps and scrubs aside, the standout rituals at Di’a are the hair and scalp treatments, taking cues from traditional Korean therapies. Meanwhile, a coffee roastery and café showcasing the best of Flores bean harvests, a round-the-clock fitness centre, a small stretch of beach, a library, meeting rooms and two pools – one Olympic-sized among them – complete the catalogue of on-site facilities.

Ta’aktana’s five distinct food and beverage concepts continue with Taba’s Japanese robata cuisine – order the Flores Strait lobster and binchōtan-grilled Miyazaki sirloin, with a flight of sauces and salts. Nera Lounge, situated off the arrival hall, plies small bites and drinks, Leros covers international all-day dining and a semi-buffet breakfast with an enviable pastry corner, and Umasa – the property’s Indonesian restaurant for farm-to-table dining – embodies the region’s best flavours through the Rantang menu. Dishes such as the iga babi panggang smoked-style pork ribs, dadar jagung corn fritters and rumpu rampe stir-fried cassava leaves are brought to the table in chic tiffin carriers for a diverse spread.

Ta’aktana Labuan Bajo is located at Pantai Wae Rana, Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara 86763, Indonesia, marriott.com

The Indonesian island of Sumba, a remote paradise about 400 miles east of Bali and 1,200 miles above Darwin, Australia’s northernmost shores, is a sprawling expanse of dense jungles and flour-white beaches. ‘The landscapes are unseen and unspoiled, with the most incredible wild beaches and waterfalls,’ says Evguenia Ivara, who, alongside her husband Fabrice, visited the island for the first time in 2017.

The couple, thrilled they had found a haven yet to succumb to the unchecked development of nearby Bali, soon returned to Sumba permanently to found their own retreat, Cap Karoso, a remote 47-room boutique hotel on the island’s westernmost point. Now, after nearly a year of operation, Cap Karoso is unveiling an expansion that allows guests to put down roots on this captivating island: a host of new villas are available to rent and purchase.

Cap Karoso, Sumba, Indonesia

‘When we embarked on this journey, we were new kids on the block without much knowledge of Indonesia or much experience in construction,’ says Ivara, who envisioned a sustainable resort that could thrive without putting strain on the surrounding ecosystem. ‘The idea was to find an architect who would be inspired by Sumba but could weave it into more contemporary architecture.’ They eventually landed on the Jakarta-based firm GFAB – already familiar with the materials and construction methods available locally – to design the Cap Karoso.

The hotel combines the aesthetics of a Palm Springs villa with the artisan craft of Indonesia. The main building, where most rooms are located, hugs a field-sized infinity pool that seemingly empties into the ocean below. The two-storey modernist-inspired concrete structure acts as a visual counterpoint to the adjacent spa, whose thatched, peaked-roof huts are inspired by the dwellings found in Sumbanese villages. However, the beach club a few steps down the hill – with its colourful patterned tile walls, comfortable daybeds, open kitchen and views of turquoise waters – feels as if it’s been transported straight from the Côte d’Azur.

According to Ivara, the new two- and three-bedroom villas were designed to accommodate families and groups of friends. For instance, the two-bedroom Villa Ndara, which she describes as both ‘spacious and intimate’. The generous layout comprises a secluded garden, a living room, a sunken sofa area by the pool, an outdoor deck with a tree in the middle to provide shade and a rooftop terrace where guests can organise private dining experiences with Cap Karoso’s rotating resident chefs.

‘All the furniture and all the fabrics [in the villas] subtly tell the story of Sumba,’ says Ivara, who mixed local craftsmanship with French touches like textiles from Pierre Frey. ‘Each texture, colour, and pattern is inspired by the island, without directly taking a piece of Sumbanese ikat and placing it on the wall. The idea is to play with a larger field of references to reflect the incredible depth of Sumbanese aesthetics.’ That includes work by the New York-based artist Yuki Nakayama, whose abstract paintings draw inspiration from traditional Sumbanese architecture and walls made from native limestone, built using dry stone methods typical of southern France.

While Cap Karoso has no plans to expand its occupancy any further, in the future the Ivaras hope to add stables (the island is known for its swimming Sandalwood ponies and riding is an integral part of Sumbanese culture) and a recycling plant, as well as installing an up-cycling facility at the three-hectare farm where they grow much of the produce served in the hotel’s restaurants. ‘Sumba is not a destination for everyone,’ reflects Ivara, who sees the island as a place to completely disconnect. ‘It requires some reflection and a lot of respect to see and understand its beauty.’

Find Cap Karoso at Pantai Karoso, Ate Dalo, Kec. Kodi, Kabupaten Sumba Barat Daya, Nusa Tenggara Tim., Indonesia, capkaroso.com

Tri Hita Karana Tower (also known as THK Tower), a new hybrid AI art and architecture installation in Bali's Nuanu City, has just been completed. The centrepiece by London-based architect Arthur Mamou-Mani, features exhibition design by Delivered., a multimedia production company.

The design has been named 'after the philosophy of the Balinese people which symbolises harmony with the divine, between people, and nature', its authors explain. They add that 'the architectural wonder is the first and the largest permanent hybrid art-AI installation of its kind in the region'.

Tri Hita Karana Tower at Nuanu City in Bali

Reaching some 30m high, the rattan and ironwood tower can be explored by climbing its 108 steps in the heart of Nuanu, the island's 44-hectare, currently under-development, creative hub. A journey inside promises a playful experience, that offers, long, 360-degree views of the surroundings during daytime, and a projection mapping show in the nighttime.

Mamou-Mani says, 'THK is my first ever permanent installation in Asia. A key part of the process was understanding the life cycle of every strip of rattan and ulin, which is known as “ironwood” in English, that we reclaimed, as circularity was key to this project. Although it is a permanent landmark here in Nuanu City, it has been designed so that it can be disassembled, moved, evolved and broken down over time in a way that does not harm the environment, but instead celebrates it.'

The structure, which features Mamou-Mani's signature flowing forms and a captivating, dynamic sense of movement, was conceived to showcase how design and technology can work together in a cohesive, complementary fashion.

Anastasiia Filatova, co-founder and CEO at Delivered., says of the project's intricacy: 'There are over 1,000 light fixtures installed throughout the tower, with 18 projectors housed in 12 surrounding mini towers, alongside an in-built custom sound system and climate control box. This is brought to life in an 11-minute light and sound show, with the exhibition viewable from different points across Nuanu, [including] Luna Beach Club.'

mamou-mani.com

nuanu.com

delivered.global

Over the last decade, Bali-based studio Ibuku, headed up by designer Elora Hardy, has become a leading expert in bamboo architecture, its output encompassing everything from a traditional Sumbanese house and a yoga and meditation space to playful treehouses and a riverside café at an eco-friendly jungle retreat in Ubud. In 2021, the studio completed The Arc sports hall at the Green School in Bali (founded by Elora’s father, designer John Hardy). Made from a series of arches spanning an impressive 19m, it was a pioneering feat of bamboo engineering.

Perhaps Ibuku’s most famous project is the Sharma Springs residence, which featured in an episode of the Apple TV series Home. Built around a central tower, its various levels pan out like the petals of a lotus flower. In addition to its structure, everything from the cabinets to the coat hangers was custom-made out of bamboo.

Inside this serene Bali villa

Without experiencing it firsthand, it is hard to believe that just one material can be so versatile. Elora Hardy founded Ibuku in 2010, after returning to Bali (where she grew up) from the US. It was born out of a love for bamboo and as a way to follow in the footsteps of her father, who had just completed the island’s Heart of School building almost entirely out of bamboo. ‘At the time, I was working in New York for Donna Karan, designing prints and getting more and more disillusioned with the fashion industry,’ says Elora. ‘I was amazed at what my father had been up to, and it just made sense that I should take over and continue working with bamboo.’

One of Ibuku’s more recent projects is Uma, a private residence, just outside Ubud, designed in collaboration with studio Earth Lines Architects. While bamboo is a vital part of the building, there are other materials present in this case, such as steel, local stone and even concrete, that give the building its own expression. Located on a former rice terrace, on a site measuring more than 10,000 sq m, the project incorporates several buildings, which, between them, house five bedrooms, eight bathrooms and an underground TV room, and there is also a pool and permaculture garden.

Embracing the island’s warm weather, the main building, which serves as a flowing 300 sq m dining/living area overlooking the lush, leafy environment, is kept fully open on one side. The structures containing bedrooms and offices offer more privacy, balanced with lots of floor-to-ceiling glazing to take in the surrounding nature.

Ibuku’s trademark bamboo is present throughout, from light fixtures to the poles used as formwork for the concrete walls. Most of the bespoke furniture is locally made. The grey palette of the ulin wood façade, terrazzo floor, local paras kerobokan stone and concrete walls match the ceiling’s dark hues, the petrified wood elements and bamboo screens, conjuring up a quietly refined interior. And the relatively monochrome approach makes the greenery of the surrounding rice fields and garden stand out further, creating a strikingly serene setting.

Through its innovative use of bamboo, Ibuku is not only redefining sustainable architecture, but also highlighting the extraordinary potential of this humble material. As the studio continues to push the boundaries of bamboo design, its work stands as a testament to the blend of traditional craftsmanship with contemporary vision.

ibuku.com

earthlinesarchitects.com

This article appears in the October 2024 issue of Wallpaper*, available in print on newsstands, on the Wallpaper* app on Apple iOS, and to subscribers of Apple News +. Subscribe to Wallpaper* today.

Bali’s natural beauty has long captured the hearts and minds of many, with the Indonesian island being a sought-after travel destination for many years. From catching waves in Uluwatu to watching the sunset in a bustling beach bar in Canggu, Bali is a small island with much to offer. However, it’s in Ubud, a small town in the heart of the island, where Bambu Indah Resort has laid down its roots. Nestled into the surrounding rainforest, the boutique hotel melds into its context – crafted from bamboo, eleven antique Javanese bridal homes sit upon a cliff top looking down across the paddy fields.

Bambu Indah, Ubud

The resort was founded in 2005 by Canadian-American jewellery designer John Hardy and his wife, Cynthia Hardy. What began as a destination for friends and family to come and stay, eventually became available to the rest of the world in 2012. A captivating concept, the couple integrated treasures they collected during their travels, adding an antique charm to the bamboo architecture.

Embracing the importance of artisanship and locally made products, Hardy told Wallpaper*, ‘We were more than a jewellery business. We made everything and anything for a home, objects for life. This philosophy was brought into the resort; every lodge is a jewel: unique, handmade and different from the next one.

When people think about hotels, they often think about two-room possibilities; Bambu Indah is full of people moving around. It’s an experience and a joy to see how many different ways we found to build rooms and spaces for people.’

The environment, is really what gives Bambu Indah its wow-factor. Guests can dine and relax next to the river, bathing in one of the site's natural pools or cooling off under waterfalls. Connecting the recently-renovated upstairs restaurant, bar, pool area and vegetable garden is a series of bamboo bridges and walkways – a grounding stroll through nature that leaves the bustle of Ubud town, far behind you. A hand-dug bamboo elevator is a local feat of engineering that transports guests to dinner and beyond.

Bambu Indah, meaning beautiful bamboo in Indonesian, also offers sustainably-conscious dining with its Tembaga restaurant, with a menu focusing entirely on regenerative and adaptogenic food – including fragrant laksas, locally-sourced fish and a rotating salad menu – where everything is sustainably driven and designed to benefit your gut microbiome. Guests can take their breakfast or lunch, served in a bamboo pod, hoisted over the bubbling river.

With surrounding tamarind and Bayan trees garnished with flourishing cinnamon and palm, it is easy to understand why many travellers are drawn to this regenerative garden of Eden; what brought the designers to Bali 50 years ago. Hardy added: ‘I remembered when I arrived in Bali after a very long and rough road bus ride. The driver stopped at a bridge and made an offering to the spirits of the river for permission to pass.

This made us realise there was something else present in Bali that wasn’t in other places where we’ve been in our lives. Many places have islands, beaches, mountains, forests and also rice fields, but only one place has the Balinese, and that’s Bali. Many people say tourism spoils places; I feel like Bali spoils its tourists. It’s a conscious place, a different experience.’

Bambu Indah is located at Jl. Baung, Sayan, Kecamatan Ubud, Kabupaten Gianyar, Bali 80571, Indonesia, bambuindah.com

Its title, ‘Tropicality: Houses by Andra Matin,’ hints at the subjects of this first-ever monograph on the residential work of Indonesian architect Andra Matin, published this month by Thames and Hudson. Framing tropical nature and landscapes through sequences of enigmatic spatial experiences, the 16 projects included were designed between 2006 and 2023; and through them, this architecture book narrates the studio's expanded approach to tropical modernist architecture, which embeds identity and culture into design, so a home becomes a portrait of people and place, as well as climate.

‘Tropicality: Houses by Andra Matin': explore the book

Born in Bandung, where he also studied architecture, Matin established his studio in Jakarta in 1998. Within the context of Indonesia, his work is certainly grounded in the devices associated with Tropical Modernism, derived from vernacular techniques and adapted to the modern age.

He works with a simple and exposed material palette of concrete, timber and brick, often using stilts and shaded overhangs associated with historic houses of East Java and Bali among other regions. Indoor and outdoor are always blended through circulation and courtyards, and landscaping is ever-present.

Yet beyond a deep understanding of both vernacular and modernism, each house expresses a distinct character often driven by the lifestyles of clients – entrepreneurs, filmmakers and creatives – and sculpted through their interests in art, books, music, convivial socialising and quiet introspection.

In the foreword, Lyndon Neri, co-founder of Shanghai-based Neri&Hu Design and Research Office, writes: 'Matin's houses serve not as mere containers and backdrops for life, but rather dwellings as expressions of values drawn from the most intimate planes of existence and from personal attachments.'

These ideas are present at Matin’s own family home, the AM Residence in South Jakarta designed in 2012 and featured in the book, where inventively layered elevations are connected by transitional ramps and informed in shape by the triangular site and its central trembesi tree. The modelling of light and dark across these layers provides a simultaneous shelter from, and immersion in, nature; there’s a shady library with a glazed wall framing the garden, a subterranean bathroom with a window to the roots of the earth, and an outdoor living room floating in a sea of green plants and trees.

Through the pages of the book, Matin blends architecture, landscape and living until they appear indistinguishable. It’s a skill Wallpaper* recognised in 2007 in its index of emerging architectural talent, the Architects Directory; after catching up again in 2020, his studio had grown from about 12 employees to more than 40. Now, after an Aga Khan award in 2022 for his innovative and ecologically-minded design for Banyuwangi Airport, this book is another layer in Matin’s architectural career that continues to extol the symbiosis of climate and culture for the contemporary age.

Tropicality: Houses by Andra Matin', with a foreword by Lyndon Neri, text by David Hutama and photographs by Davy Linggar, £50

thamesandhudson.com

Bamboo architecture has been gaining momentum. The natural material is powerful and versatile – durable in various climatic conditions and featuring high tensile and compressive strength – and a fantastic tool for crafting sustainable architecture. It is a resource that grows quickly naturally, meaning it can be renewed easily, with minimum effort and energy consumption. At the same time, its bendy nature and malleable fabric can produce truly eye-catching designs with numerous applications.

Ibuku, headed by founder and creative director Elora Hardy, is a pioneer and global proponent of bamboo architecture. The Bali-based studio, a team of designers and architects, is dedicated to exploring innovation in its field, working with natural materials, of which bamboo is central, to build a variety of typologies – from homes to hotels, schools, and event spaces. We caught up with Hardy, who shared her tips and experience in working with the valuable natural material.

Explore bamboo architecture with Elora Hardy and Ibuku

Hardy recalls what attracted her to start working with the material: 'I was searching for a way to feel responsible as a designer and as a human, wondering how to choose materials with good impact and significance. Working in fashion [outside of Bali, where Hardy grew up] I became aware of the waste and toxicity built into our systems. In parallel, my father began designing buildings from bamboo in Bali. I realised that what I wanted to be part of was already happening within my own family, so I came home.'

'The more I get to know bamboo, [the more] I aspire to be like it – unique while growing alongside other individuals, [using] flexibility as a strategy to avoid breaking under pressure. In its original form as a pole, bamboo has beauty, strength and personality that shouldn't be over-designed; we must restrain our design instinct to control and shape it. And when turned into slats, it can dance with us, by being bent and curved into the forms of our imagination.'

Bamboo architecture benefits

There are several key benefits to working with the material, Hardy highlights: 'Abundance. Teaches flexibility. Brings personality, while being flexible.' It is a component that keeps surprising her, she admits, through its complexity and the way it challenges her and her team. 'I continue to realise how little I know and how much is possible,' she adds.

Ibuku architect Rita Santoso says: 'With bamboo and its natural colours and textures, it's like learning a new design language, with much more opportunities to reach new different levels of comfort while being close and connected to the luxurious nature.'

5 key properties of bamboo

• A renewable resource
  'It grows fast and is strong and beautiful. Bamboo is also an incredible resource for design. It has unique material properties which are an amazing resource not found in other materials. Though building with bamboo is not new, engineers, architects and designers like us are able to invest time and care in creating a new design vocabulary with bamboo because natural treatment methods have turned bamboo into a credible, long-lasting building material. The bespoke artisanal structures we create in Bali are creating a ripple effect of attention towards the possibilities of bamboo and have inspired innovations in other underutilised natural materials. Combining craftsmanship with technology is the recipe for a magical future.'
• A local material
  'For our projects, we usually use what is locally available, and we innovate systems and techniques by connecting engineering expertise with craftsmanship, to reinvent what is possible and practical for each place.'
• Durability
  'A bamboo pole has the potential to last hundreds of years within a structure. In nature, it lives for only around ten years. When a pole dies in nature, the carbon it has sequestered is released back into the eco-system. So there's something magical about this afterlife, where a pole’s contribution, participation, and even carbon sequestration can live on.'
• Versatility
  'I’m curious about how the thinking that bamboo has inspired in us can next be translated to be applicable outside of the jungle, beyond this one material, outside of the tropics. I see that what we have been doing, and how we have been thinking, can impact what people choose to use and make. I see this happening when I teach at Bamboo U [eco-architecture courses in Bali], where people think they are coming to learn about bamboo and leaving with so much more. I hope that it has a big, subtle ripple effect.'
• It's full of character
  'Bamboo is full of character, integrity, and individuality, far beyond being a simple wood replacement. From what was so long considered a humble material, we have extended bamboo’s range. From the essential to the precious, it's becoming a part of daily life for people around the world.'

6 tips for building with bamboo by Elora Hardy

• We have to change the core of our identities to work with bamboo, it contradicts much of what tends to be cultivated in the education and profession of architecture. Listen for natural intuition – bamboo works the way nature works, not the way you were trained to think. 
  
• We must be flexible, and tolerant of imprecision – these aren't 2x4s, each [pole is] a unique piece of nature; we must indicate ranges of tolerance, not just set requirements for each measurement, at each point. 
  
• Hike, don't try to drive. This is a new frontier, it's not all figured out, and the road is not paved. Notice what reality is, and be ready to reroute along the way; you'll likely end up encountering a more beautiful view. 
  
• Be cooperative, and collaborative – by listening to and learning from the craftsmen and builders. 
  
• Look out for our egos – we must make room for the material's personality.  
  
• Don't dream alone – align yourself with the strengths and vulnerabilities of each material and personality in the team; all are outliers. 

Bamboo architecture of note

Surajkund Craft’s Northeast Pavilion by atArchitecture, India

Commissioned for the 2023 Surajkund Craft Fair, the Northeast Pavilion is a striking bamboo cloud of a structure and the brainchild of Mumbai-based architecture studio atArchitecture, and its co-founders Neha Rane and Avneesh Tiwari. It is also the emerging studio’s very first completed, permanent building in India. The structure was conceived to celebrate the tradition of local bamboo construction in line with the festival’s overall focus – the annual fair promotes Indian handicrafts, providing a platform to artisans on its site in Faridabad near the historic human-made Surajkund Lake, which was commissioned by King Suraj Pal of the Tomar dynasty in the 10th century

Kempegowda International Airport by SOM, in collaboration with Enter Projects Asia, India

Kempegowda International Airport unveiled its Terminal 2 structure in 2023, a pioneering bamboo design by architecture studio SOM in collaboration with Enter Projects Asia, which created the interiors. Located in Bengaluru (BLR Airport), southern India, this significant piece of transport infrastructure services one of the country's largest cities – as well as its wider region. Aiming to create a facility that not only can handle the 25 million new visitors expected, but that is also rooted in nature and sustainable architecture, the new terminal is rich in interior planting, lush exterior gardens (its landscaped spaces designed in collaboration with Grant Associates and Abu Jani/Sandeep Khosla), and natural materials such as brick and bamboo. It is all conceived to uphold Bengaluru's reputation as the 'garden city'.

Bijoy Jain’s bamboo Mpavilion, Australia

From Sean Godsell’s openable box of surprises to Amanda Levete’s ethereal tree-inspired canopy, the MPavilion has steadily established itself as a key staple on Melbourne's architecture agenda, marking the start of the Australian summer. For the installation’s third edition in 2016, MPavilion founder Naomi Milgrom invited celebrated Indian architect Bijoy Jain to design his own version of the Queen Victoria Gardens folly. Heading acclaimed architecture practice Studio Mumbai, Jain has a strong following and solid reputation for top craftsmanship, elegant designs and collaborative work. His firm creates works of all scales from its western Indian base, where they employ artisans, specialist craftspeople, as well as architects and designers to bring a rounded, craft-based approach to their commissions.

ibuku.com

Good times by the ocean have always been at the heart of Desa Potato Head, a cultural centre in Bali’s Petitenget Beach where ‘music, art, design, food and wellness play together’. Primarily known for Potato Head Beach Club, a 226-room resort striving to elevate the Indonesian hospitality scene through avid sustainability innovations (such as its on-site Waste Lab), the B Corp-certified group now introduces Klymax Discotheque, a purpose-built nightclub dedicated to the art of dance.

Desa Potato Head introduces Klymax Discotheque

For this project, Desa Potato Head enlisted the help of its frequent collaborator, the Dutch architecture studio OMA, alongside DJ Harvey, a longtime friend and an exponent of the house sound in the UK, to ideate ‘an unimaginable dancefloor experience’. From ground to sound, the team sought to create a state-of-the-art equipped space where dance music and its gravitational rhythms ‘could resonate with the audience.’ For this, a rich sound system was custom-built by Studio 54’s audio engineer, George Stavro, following Harvey’s specifications.

When envisioning the versatile space, OMA took inspiration from 1970s and 1980s New York club culture – think Paradise Garage. As such, a sprung dancefloor, four-speaker stacks and a fully isolated, floating DJ booth now set the tone for a long night dancing under the shine of a twinkling mirror ball. Open every weekend with an extensive programme of international headline DJs and hand-picked residents, Klymax Discotheque has also announced plans for a curated mid-week programme connecting music culture with art, film, dance, performance and wellbeing.

seminyak.potatohead.co

When a Swedish family started their search for a dream Bali house – a modern, low-maintenance holiday retreat on the Indonesian island – they turned to The Lennon Project, headed up by Sam Lennon. The Auckland-based architecture studio then set out to balance the requirements of its clients with the island’s rhythms, traditions and overall culture, bringing everything together effortlessly in Tegel House, which feels like a natural addition to its neighbourhood, Canggu, a buzzy resort on the island’s south coast. Following extensive research, the family had landed on their dream plot, which sat next to a house also designed by the studio. ‘They liked the aesthetic of this house and asked the owners for my details,’ recalls Lennon of the first conversations back in 2020.

Inside a Bali house in tune with its surroundings

The site, even though located in a high-density area, overlooks a green belt of protected land, which consists of terraced rice paddy fields still in use by farmers. It was these views and the island’s slow pace, green nature and pleasant climate that the owners wanted to make the most of, asking the architects to create a retreat that embraces local styles and materials, while avoiding pastiche interpretations of the island vernacular.

‘I wouldn’t say that the general form of the house adheres to the traditional Balinese style, but we have intentionally used a limited but considered material palette, consisting of local natural materials, to ensure the home felt like it belonged in its wider surroundings,’ says Lennon. ‘Most notably, the dry stacked bricks, which are commonly seen in many local temples, but used here in a more modern context. The use of teak is also a dominant feature throughout the house. These materials often pass from the exterior to the interior environment, blurring the thresholds of indoor and outdoor.’

As the structure sits on a long, narrow site, bringing natural light in was a key concern. The solution lay in creating flowing, open, communal spaces on the ground level, swathes of glazing in the circulation areas, well-orchestrated views in the bedrooms upstairs, and a central courtyard that unites different parts of the house while allowing daylight to infiltrate. Conceived as a black timber box resting on a series of solid brick walls that jut out, delineating the plot’s boundaries and defining the outdoors, Tegel House achieves that tropical modern feel, while maintaining a sense of streamlined contemporary minimalism.

The studio’s work was enhanced by the owners’ research and understanding of Balinese craftsmanship. Before commissioning The Lennon Project, they spent a lot of time on the island researching local talent, and eventually shared with the architects a wishlist of craftspeople and artists that they wanted to collaborate with on the project. 

Working with the Balinese trade community and resources on most aspects of design and construction not only wove the house organically into the island’s way of life, but it also kept its carbon footprint down.

The project’s contributors include woodworkers Kalpa Taru, who built cabinetry and bespoke pieces of furniture; interior design studio Somewhere Concepts; Maverick Lee, who created a series of neolithic-looking objects; and Ricky Lee Gordon and his charcoal art. And because of the owners’ proactive and trusting attitude, as well as the fact that the architects are based in New Zealand and the scheme developed during the pandemic (a local architect helped to coordinate everything), Tegel House became a truly collaborative piece of architecture, folding talent and ideas from across the island into its creative process.

It’s a flexible, inclusive and culture-led approach that the owners are keen to keep alive. The family’s two grown-up children often visit separately with their friends, while on other occasions, the parents join them. At the same time, the clients plan to make their house available to visiting artists – for example, to those invited to show work in Gordon’s new gallery, Sun Contemporary, which has just opened in Canggu. In exchange for their stay, visitors would leave a piece of their art in the home.

‘As the project unfolded, diverse artists became integral to the process, each contributing their unique creativity to shape the perfect dwelling,’ say the clients. ‘This decision isn’t just about opening our doors; it’s a celebration of artistic expression and a desire to foster an ever-evolving canvas within our walls. The hopeis that, with each visit, there’s a new masterpiece waiting to be discovered, making Tegel House a living testament to the intersection of architecture, sustainability and the endless possibilities of art.’

thelennonproject.com

A version of this article appears in the June 2024 Travel Issue of Wallpaper*, available in print, on the Wallpaper* app on Apple iOS, and to subscribers of Apple News +. Subscribe to Wallpaper* today.

The Loop, an expansive private home nestled within the leafy nature of Bali in Pajangan, is the latest residential completion of designer Alexis Dornier – a German-born creative who has lived on the island since 2013. The home, while sculptural, dramatic and thoroughly contemporary, feels in tune with its context, through its architects' careful selection of materials and low, broken-down volumes. 

The Loop: a home that inspires and serves

The project's brief was 'simple yet profound', Dornier recalls. The clients explained how they had 'lived in boxes' their entire life and were now seeking the opposite. 'I set out to craft an architectural masterpiece that defies gravity and captivates the human spirit,' he adds. 

In meeting the brief's requirements, the team was also adamant that they ensure the site's lush surroundings were preserved as much as possible. As a result, the home is engulfed in greenery, wrapped in the existing Balinese jungle foliage found on the plot. Adhiputra Landscape helped create the setting, supported by environmental engineering consultancy Eco Mantra. 

At the same time, a floorplan forming an elegant figure '8' was chosen as optimal to allow for the best lighting inside the home and views out from different parts of the house. As the structure sits on a slope, it was designed to seemingly float above the ground and greenery. 

The process was not without challenges. Dornier says: 'The project posed unique challenges that demanded innovative solutions. Bending materials in two dimensions and resolving complex geometrical situations required meticulous planning and collaboration with skilled artisans. It was a journey into uncharted territory, pushing the boundaries of architectural possibilities.' 

The end product is engaging and finely crafted, using the skills of local craftspeople, while adding drama to the everyday for its users - created in coordination with interior designer Silvia Fairman. 'It stands as a testament to our commitment as architects to challenge the ordinary and create spaces that inspire and captivate all who encounter them,' Dornier writes.

alexisdornier.com 

Founded by designer Elora Hardy in 2010, Ibuku is growing to be one of the most exciting architecture and design studios to come out of the island of Bali, Indonesia. The practice’s approach of ‘pioneering a new design vocabulary’ through the use of bamboo has placed it among the global leaders in the material’s construction and innovation. Having designed and built The Arc at Green School earlier this year, brilliantly showcasing its skill in this genre of sustainable architecture, Ibuku now reveals its latest bamboo structure, the newly completed Alchemy Yoga and Meditation Centre in Ubud, south-eastern Bali.

One of Indonesia’s main tourist hubs, attracting millions of travellers a year, Bali is known for its rich cultural heritage and diverse ecological and geographic landscapes. The rice terraced scenery of Ubud (derived from the Balinese word ‘Ubad’, which means ‘medicine’) is at the heart of traditional arts and crafts production on the island. The Alchemy Yoga and Meditation Center has a form carefully embedded into this Balinese landscape.

Bamboo structure makes innovative and sustainable yoga centre

Built on a smooth, circular foundation made of timber, the structure rests on rugged boulders. There are nine such pedestals, from which spring bamboo arches – and none is identical. They help define the roof structure, and in order to avoid making it too heavy and ensure its stability, the Ibuku team arranged these arches in a way that results in limited overlap, spreading the load. This also creates a striking appearance, and ‘every arrangement you look at is like an arrangement of flowers’, says Hardy. 

There was a further careful process in order to select and match the colour tones and diameters of the bamboo poles and tapers. As all poles had to be handpicked for structural reasons, their colour arrangement proved to be a laborious task. The studio worked with local craftsmen, relying on their expertise of sorting between shades of black and brown, to select each individual pole forming the arches suitable for the structure.

Meanwhile, the blond bamboo ceiling elements create a radiating rhythm where ‘the rafters are arrays of sunbursts, extending the pattern to illustrate the energetic lines upwards as if from underground suns’, says Defit Wijaya, one of the senior architects at Ibuku.

Whilst the repeated structural elements allow for efficiency in construction, the studio still introduced playful asymmetries, aiming to balance a design language that remains sensitive to yoga practices and harmonious to the interior experience of the structure. One of the architects, Doni Nodly, explains: ‘By randomising the roof beam orientations, we made an analogy to how bamboo clumps grow in nature.’ Emphasised by the circular shape of the floor, biophilic design helps ‘the structure to escape being a structure so that you can relax and be in nature’. This method of playing with juxtapositions of order and randomness results in a variety of vistas: ‘There are nine perspectives with each frame and views offering a unique shape.’

With the bamboo arches intersecting to support the roof, the latter’s shape is ‘entirely derived from the interior experience’. The exposed ceiling is pigmented and stained with bamboo matting in a rusty tone that reflects the copper roof above. The top exterior copper shingle skin is handcrafted, with highly skilled artisans shaping each angle of bends and the curves of the edges. 

Rather than manipulate the bamboo, the studio emphasises that, ‘we want to follow the conversation with the material, to be accommodating to it’. The bamboo is sourced and harvested in Bali and nearby islands, such as Java, and treated with a boron solution having a ‘toxicity level just 1.5 times greater than that of regular table salt’, the architects explain. Ibuku has an extensive history of collaborating with local artisans including exclusive contractor and construction partner PT Bamboo Pure, a bamboo treatment facility and custom furniture workshop, as well as local education and research enterprise Bamboo U, contributing to an innovative culture of new and future bamboo vernaculars. Its design methods and the efficiency in bamboo construction has enabled the studio to complete over 200 such projects in the last decade alone.

The Yoga and Meditation Center, a partner of Alchemy Group, which first opened a vegan restaurant in Bali followed by a local holistic clinic for alternative treatments, is a fine example of Ibuku’s work. Architects and clients are now preparing to officially launch the yoga centre in 2022.

INFORMATION

ibuku.com

alchemyyogacenter.com

alchemybali.com

bamboou.com

What started with the hot-ticket Potato Head beach club and Katamama hotel on Bali's Seminyak beach has extended into a fully-fledged creative village with the opening of the Potato Head Studios, a brutalist beachfront courtyard designed by OMA founded by Rem Koolhaas.

Home to hotel rooms, a subterranean nightclub, a recording studio, and performance- and gallery spaces, the stilted structure hints to Indonesian vernacular with ceilings woven from recycled bottles and poured concrete walls punctured by symbols from the Balinese lunar calendar.

Inside, 168 bedrooms feature modular teakwood beds and bathrooms alongside furnishings by Max Lamb who put the brand's zero-waste ethos at the forefront with chairs from compressed plastic litter and volcanic sand glassware.

A dome-shaped food lab dishes up mushroom satay and other plant-based riffs on Indonesian street food, there's a rooftop bar pouring arak-heavy drinks, and a jamu booth to nurse next morning's hangover with a tonic from herbs and spices grown on-site.

ADDRESS

Jl. Petitenget No.51B
Seminyak
Bali

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Since its opening last year, Capella Ubud has been turning heads thanks to its wacky design by the weird and wonderful Bill Bensley who - inspired by an 18th-century Dutch army camp - erected 22 one-bedroom tents in the lush emerald jungle, taking care not to disturb any extant trees, and letting the setting of rainforest, paddy fields and the tumbling Wos River dominate the tableau.

Now completing the resort's offering is the launch of the two-bedroom Lodge which, like the rest of the property, is a flamboyant riot of colours, patterns and textures, this time with an exotic Far Eastern theme that nods to the camp's owning family who are of Chinese decent. And so, a clash of oriental fabrics line the walls and the ceilings, creating a suitably eccentric background for ornate antique Chinese wardrobes and beds, hammered teak floorboards, Japanese-style bath tubs and throne-like toilets. 'I want the guests to feel very private and totally spoiled,' says Bensley.

Also with its own private saltwater pool, The Lodge slots right into the rest of the resort's offerings, which includes a spa that offers spiritual wellness like chakra balancing and prana healing as well as two restaurants - Mads Lange and Api Jiwa - the latter serving Asian barbecue dishes like the Australian wagyu rendang or the chicken yakitori served with pho bo espresso 'soup' served omakase-style.

ADDRESS

Jl. RY Dalem
Keliki, Kec. Tegallalang
Kabupaten Gianyar

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In the nearly three decades since it opened, Amankila has scarcely wavered from its position as one of the Aman brand's most popular properties.

This is partly thanks to its continual succession of updates, along with its prime – overlooking the Lombok Strait on Bali's quieter eastern shores - and its design by Ed Tuttle, whose terrace of 34 alang-alang-thatched suites cascade down a slope towards the signature three-tiered infinity pool, which takes centre-stage.

Now, in its latest bid to stay at the top of the game, the property has rolled out a technology upgrade to all of its suites, along with the addition of a series of infinity pools to three of its existing villas, which also comprise an ample outdoor terrace and the same elegant interiors that the property has become known for.

Ensconced within the lush emerald jungle, with sparkling ocean views, once you're installed, you might be hard-pressed to leave. If you do, the private sweep of the volcanic-sand beach awaits, as does the spa pavilion, which offers treatments inspired by the energy of east Bali.

Although you're likely to find us poolside with a Mangosteen cocktail in hand – as the pastel hues of the sunset fade from the sky - before heading to the ocean-view restaurant, which serves up a mix of Indonesian and western favourites using fresh, local ingredients.

ADDRESS

Jl. Raya Manggis
Manggis, Karangasem
Kabupaten Karangasem

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In just a few years, M.Development has become something of a byword for luxury accommodation in Bali, the Singapore-based group recently unveiling its fourth property, this time on the bijou Nusa Lembongan island about a 30-minute boat ride from Denpasar. The MO remains reassuringly familiar: the creature comforts and consistency of a five-star hotel hitched to the exclusivity of a private home.

On a rocky promontory looking clear out over the sea, the group’s in-house studio, Superlatives teamed up with James Brown of Adelaide-based UFO Agencies to channel a light Hamptons vibe into the five-bedroom house. The interiors are a soothing mix of pastel hues, cool terrazzo underfoot, and furniture carved out of recycled Javanese timber, the ensemble anchored by Picasso-esque murals by Brown and a cliffside fire-pit.

It takes two hours to hike around the island, but we’re more sold on the snorkeling and surfing in the island’s waters which are pleasingly undisturbed by the mainland’s tourist hordes. 

ADDRESS

Sunset Beach
Nusa Lembongan

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After eight years manning the kitchens at Bulgari Resort and the Ritz Carlton Reserve Mandapa, Maurizio Bombini has finally stepped out on his own with a spacious aerie in Bali’s buzzy Seminyak ‘hood.

Across the road from the W and a few blocks from Potato Head Beach Club, the restaurant is awash with light streaming in through deeply set loggias and an all-white double-height dining room that local interiors studio Ushers By Design has edged with breeze blocks, glass and judicious lashings of succulents.

The best seats in the house are at the central cruciform-shaped banquette with strategic views of the vitrine kitchen where Bombini oversees a mod-Italian menu inspired by his native Apulia, and with produce sourced from the hydronic garden on the rooftop and local Balinese farmers. Recent triumphs have included an onion consommé studded with ravioli perfumed with two-year old Parmigiano Reggiano, and a cavatelli pasta with seafood ragout.

INFORMATION

Website

ADDRESS

Jalan Petitenget No.100

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Lloyd’s Inn, a Wallpaper* favourite in Singapore, has quietly opened in Bali’s Double Six Beach, a lively neighbourhood much favoured by local hipsters and surf aficionados for its boutiques, galleries, cafés and white-foamed waves.

Once again, Singapore-based studio FARM took care of the design, converting an old hotel into a 101-room retreat where – in the cool white bathrooms, especially – the lines between the light-filled, raw concrete interiors and the exterior tropical landscaping are smoothly erased.

Partly to screen off the neighbours, the hotel’s estate walls rise canyon-like to enclose gardens, a long lap pool lined with Balinese slate tiles, and pebbled courtyards sprinkled with water hammocks and sofa pods, the whole linked by a narrow sinewy concrete sky-bridge.

The culinary offerings are equally seductive in their tropical minimalism, its chef orchestrating Indonesian and Asian flavours into a vol au vent stuffed with chicken braised in spices and coconut milk, and mie ayam, a Balinese favourite reinterpreted with a mushroom broth, and chicken lollipops.

ADDRESS

Jalan Arjuna
Seminyak
Bali

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Hakkasan Group’s first rollout of Sin City’s Omnia club has just landed in Bali’s Bukit peninsula, conveniently alongside the first Sake no Hana outside of London. And, even amid the welter of high-end day clubs that have opened around Uluwatu of late, Omnia stands out.

NYC’s Rockwell and Singapore’s WOHA worked side by side on the spectacular clifftop site. Sake no Hana sits poised atop a spectacular double staircase, enfolded in an ironwood lattice. Below, an elegant bar space forms a transition between Japanese culinary precision and the sun, cocktails, day beds and DJs of Omnia proper. Designed with Instagram in mind, the Cube bar mesmerises. Custom glass beads and mirrored steel create a slab of pure form that hovers, transcendent, above the Indian Ocean, capturing and transmuting Bali’s celebrated light.

Set amid lush green wilderness, 100m above Uluwatu’s iconic swells, Omnia may be the group’s first foray into Indonesia, but it won’t be the last. A second site opens in Jakarta later this year with an Omnia nightclub, another Sake no Hana and a Hakkasan restaurant, while a hotel is underway in Uluwatu, too.

INFORMATION

Website

ADDRESS

Jalan Belimbing Sari
Uluwatu

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When Mark Edelson, Frederic Simon and Franky Tjahyadikarta and their partners launched Alila resorts back in 2001, they couldn’t have guessed that 17 years later, the brand would become known not just for its quiet parsing of restrained luxury, but also a byword for responsible, sustainable tourism. But then again, when the name of your brand is Sanskrit for ‘surprise’, the unexpected becomes par for the course.

Most of Alila’s resorts are based in Asia – beginning with the originals in Indonesia and sweeping up sprawling bucolic estates in China – though, in recent years, it has gained footholds in the Middle East and America. But regardless of the destination, each resort features an absorbing mix of contemporary architecture accented with local flourishes, history, dramatic landscapes, and culture. It is a DNA that has served Alila well. Customisation to local nuances means that it avoids the monotonously repetitive and unadventurous design that can bedevil small boutique properties.

At Alila Solo, for instance, rooms are softly accented by light timber and dreamy murals inspired by wayang (traditional Indonesian puppet operas), whilst commanding views of the imposing silhouettes of volcanoes that ring around the city. The pavilions and villas of Alila Villas Koh Russey, meanwhile, which will debut in Cambodia’s Koh Rong archipelago this year, infuse the contemporary mood-board with distinctive Khmer patterns and geometry. And at Alila Yangshuo, a refurbished sugar mill set against the craggy Guilin hills blends local stone and bamboo to evoke the sense of exploring a karst cave, the whole never in danger of descending into a literal trope or, worse, kitsch.

This tricky balancing act owes much to the efforts of a crack corps of experienced architects, artisans and designers that Alila has assembled over the years. Richard Hassell, the co-principal of the Singapore-based architectural practice WOHA which was behind the modernist classicism of Alila Uluwatu in Bali, also credits Alila’s success and longevity to a canny marrying of sensitive design and sustainability. ‘They are the key cornerstones of the brand,’ he says, adding that the group’s ‘top management really understand the power of good design to create enormous value for their properties.’

The ideal of sustainability is particularly crucial to the Alila story, not the least of which is its commitment to EarthCheck certification, minimising carbon dioxide emissions, on-site nurseries, and low-density structures. And while these measures are not necessarily obvious as guests lounge indolently by the lap-pool and survey the panorama, so seamlessly have they been incorporated into the resort’s hidden infrastructure, they do add a certain frisson of feel-good inevitability to the experience.

All of which adds up to a canny design approach that will serve Alila well. As Hassell adds, good design can ‘supercharge a beautiful site into something sublime. Alila understands this and it’s why we continue to work with them.’

INFORMATION

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Located in the laid-back village of Canggu, just north of Bali’s heaving Seminyak strip, The Slow is proof that there are still genuine surprises to be found in the island’s humming hotel scene.

The project of fashion designer George Gorrow, the property – initially intended to be his personal home – is now a 12-suite bolthole that is something of a cross between a brutalist manse and tropical tree house. Bali-based architecture firm GFAB used local materials including stone, timber and bricks dried on site, to create the capacious suites with slatted-wood walls that channel in the breeze.

Inside though, is Gorrow’s vision, from his art collection that grace the walls to the gallery and the store stocked with his new menswear line. Even the soundtrack – adjustable via in-room dials – has been curated by friends at Los Angeles-based Reverberation Radio.

And while the neighbourhood’s rich food offerings are just steps from the hotel, chef Shannon Moran’s health-focused menu with dishes such as miso broth served with seaweed, barley, mushrooms, tofu and spring onions or the chia bowl with cashew nuts, coconut, tamarillos and strawberries, is reason enough to stay put in the westward-facing roof garden at sunset. 

INFORMATION

Website

ADDRESS

Jalan Batu Bolong 97
Canggu

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For its first international venture, the Japanese resort group Hoshinoya could not have picked a more idyllic spot in Bali’s Ubud quarter.

Framed by a palimpsest of thousand-year old temple canals and the Pakerisan River valley, architect Rie Azuma has strung thirty villas along a dense three-hectare stretch of rainforest, rice terraces and shrines.

The aesthetic cleaves close to the Balinese ideal of balés capped by roofs covered with alang-alang grass, wall carvings of flora and fauna by local artisans, and a long stretch of swimming pool that’s evocatively styled as lushly foliaged canal.

A fantasist touch is delivered with trellised gazebos that hang high over the tree line for a literal bird’s eye panorama of the deep green forest canopy. The resort’s Japanese antecedents are recalled in a mod Balinese meets Japanese menu by resident chef Makoto Miyamaguchi that includes carpaccio paired with the pungent heat of sambal.

INFORMATION

Website

ADDRESS

Br. Pengembungan
Desa Pejeng Kangin
Kecamatan Tampaksiring
Gianyar
Bali

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Indonesian restaurants are tricky beasts to design for, as the temptation can be to lapse into ethnic motifs and batik tropes. Happily, 1945 – named after the year of Indonesia’s declaration of independence from Holland – steers clear of these traps.

The Singapore-based RT+Q Architects have superimposed the idea of an Indonesian processional over a long room in Jakarta’s Fairmont Hotel – in one fell swoop, telegraphing the nature of the space (a modernist culinary take on classical Indonesian fare) whilst staying firmly contemporary.

Harnessing a palette of wire mesh, corten steel, stone, bronze, and timber, the long hall unfolds in a sequence of moodily lit room-sets comprising foyer, lounge, private dining room, and public room. Screens of varying opacity, inspired by wayang kulit, the traditional Javanese shadow puppet theatre, create abstract silhouettes, or what RT+Q calls ‘a modern day living theatre of shadows’.

Happily, there’s nothing shadowy about the menu, which blends classics with unexpected ingredients and presentation. The classic pesmol is re-imagined as a lobster Thermidor, for instance, while wagyu shows up in a tongue-singeing rendang and fried rice, and chicken oysters are speared into fragrantly charred satay. Equally engaging is the rijstafel, that much loved Dutch-Indonesian sampler of curries, braised vegetables, and spicy salads.

ADDRESS

Fairmont Hotel
3rd Floor
Jalan Asia Afrika No. 8?
Jakarta Pusat
Indonesia

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Launching a hotel in Bali – an island already heaving with first-rate properties - is always a dicey business, but our bets are firmly on Katamama. Opening on one of Seminyak’s last prime stretches of beach, the 58-suite hotel is the first salvo in an ambitious mega-development that will eventually include – over the next couple of years – a second hotel designed by OMA’s Rem Koolhaas, and a third by Brazilian architect Marcio Kogan.

For Katamama, the owners – who are also behind the island’s beloved Potato Head Beach Club – have tapped Indonesian architect Andra Martin and Singapore-based interior designers Takenouchi Webb. The result is a quietly modern space that’s layered with acres of terrazzo, Balinese bricks, teak, and hand-made Javanese tiles.

Scattered throughout the public spaces and suites are artwork, furniture and precious tchotchkes from the owners’ personal collection though it’s likely that the focus will be on the mod-Spanish menu at the house restaurant MoVida, and the tropical-inflected cocktails at the Akademi bar.

ADDRESS

Jalan Petitenget 51B

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The Alila hotel group’s latest opening in Solo offers an absorbing mix of modern architecture, history, dramatic landscapes, and culture. Architects Denton Corker Marshall have inserted 255 rooms into nine towers ranging from 11 to 28 storeys – sheathed in marble, travertine and granite – that rise like futuristic monoliths above a tree-lined street.

The grandeur continues inside with an enormous batik installation that stretches along the lobby’s ceiling like a floating curtain. The rooms, softly accented by light timber and dreamy murals inspired by wayang (traditional Indonesian puppet operas), command views of the low-slung 300-year old city and the imposing silhouettes of the volcanoes that ring around Solo.

Meanwhile, the four suites on the 19th to 22nd floors feature terraces framed by hanging gardens and plunge pools. After a day touring Borobodur and Prambanan, the 10th-century complex of Hindu temples, check into the in-house restaurant Épice which offers a farm-to-table menu based on local favourites.

ADDRESS

Jalan Slamet Riyadi No. 562

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Bali’s charms impinge in earnest the moment you leave the one-street towns, bar strips and plasticky souvenir joints, and turn either inwards towards the green-draped valleys and terraced rice fields, or head towards the coast.

The newly opened Alila Seminyak takes its cues from its perfect beachfront location a short walk from Seminyak town’s hippy slash hipster collection of smart restaurants, art galleries, itsy local spas, and surf-shops.

As a group, Alila flies its eco-friendly flag high, eschewing air-conditioning for sea-breezes and natural ventilation. Brief in hand, architect Gaurang Khemka and his team at Singapore firm URBNarc have created a secret garden amidst the hustle and bustle of Seminyak, laying out the resort’s 240 rooms around a sequence of naturally shaded public spaces that are dominated by four swimming pools, one of which literally sits atop the entire length of the restaurant. The low-slung green-roofed four-storey buildings are clad in vertical green walls, and landscaped terraces courtesy of Gaurang, alongwith Chang huai-yan and Lee Berlin of the deliciously named Singapore-based outfit, Salad Dressing.

For our money, the best rooms in the house front the ocean, the floor to ceiling glass doors sliding open to uninterrupted views of white-foamed surf. Less sedentary types may enjoy a spin around town in the resort’s vintage Volkswagon Kombi, but between a lomi-lomi treatment in the fragrant, mood-lit spa, beach yoga, and a chilled cocktail from the beach bar, why would you?

ADDRESS

Jalan Taman Ganesha No. 5
Petitenget
Kerobokan Kelod
Bali

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Adding a third string to its impressive bow, the resort arm of the Ritz-Carlton group has debuted its latest property in the heart of Bali’s lush Ubud jungle. Designed by Kuala Lumpur based firm, DesignWilkes, the sustainably sourced Mandapa resort is modelled on an indigenous Balinese village to include its own temple and private rice paddies, where guests can turn their hand at planting and harvesting. The 60 suites and villas – some with private pools and each with views over the verdant rain forest – come with a dedicated Patih (butler) and are decorated with local artwork, available to buy from the onsite boutique. After a yoga class in the tranquil river-front studio, or a pamper session in the spa, head to Kubu, one of the resort’s four restaurants, to dine on Italian chef Maurizio Bombini’s classic Mediterranean dishes, in one of the nine private bamboo cocoons that overlook the idyllic Ayung river.

ADDRESS

Jalan Kedewatan
Banjar Kedewatan
Ubud

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While Indonesia is a fast emerging global economy, one of the most populated countries on earth and a source of rich traditional design and building heritage, its contemporary architecture still remains unchartered territory for many. A new exhibition at the German Museum of Architecture (DAM) in Frankfurt is set to bring modern Indonesian architecture to the forefront of the design world.

In collaboration with Peter Cachola Schmal, DAM's director, 'Tropicality Revisited', which opens on 29 August as part of the 2015 Frankfurt Book Fair, has been curated by Avianti Armand and Setiadi Sopandi, both strong voices in the world of Indonesian architecture.

The exhibition is split into two sections, 'Tropicality' and 'Case Studies'. The former examines the ideas, events and issues that have led us to our current understanding of tropical architecture. It follows seven different stages, exploring climatology, the history of tropical architecture and also its modern reinvention.

'Case Studies', takes 12 recent Indonesian projects by local architects and looks at how each design responds and reacts to its site. The projects and their locations are hugely varied and the audience is led from small, concrete or terracotta family homes in tiny villages, to a bamboo beachfront restaurant, an open-air cinema, a tourist-spot hotel and a mosque.

The architects featured include Achmad Tardiyana, Andra Matin, Djuhara + Djuhara, Mamostudio, Urbane Indonesia, Studio Tonton, LABO, Studio Akanoma, Eff Studio, Eko Prawoto Architecture Workshop, Csutoras & Liando and D-Associates. Ahmad Djuhara of Djuhara + Djuhara describes tropicality as 'the dialogue between nature, human body and building'.

Through a combination of drawings, photographs, models and a detailed catalogue, the spectator can begin to grasp – even from afar – an understanding of the new and imaginative approaches to tropical architecture these native architects are continually coming up with.

ADDRESS

German Museum of Architecture (DAM)
Schaumainkai 43, 60596
Frankfurt am Main

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Bali’s affinity for art, spirituality and striking natural beauty is all within good reason: this small Indonesian island has it in buckets. The Uma by Como in Ubud, sits at Bali’s heart and draws on its peaceful and culturally rich environment. The hotel comprises a series of modern rooms that hint at the local vernacular, the Como Shambhala Retreat that offers Asian-inspired wellness treatments, and a range of bespoke activities that ensure your stay will be a memorable one. The Italian flavours at Uma Cucina compliment the local food on offer, while on-site yoga sessions overlooking the surrounding valley will help offset the island’s many culinary temptations.

ADDRESS

Jalan Raya Sanggingan
Banjar Lungsiakan
Kedewatan
Ubud

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Named after the first spacecraft to land on the moon in 1959, this Modernist-style ‘studiotel’ on the west coast of Bali is fittingly cosmic. In a refreshing departure from the traditional thatched villas and muted tones that abound elsewhere on the island, here stark white surfaces and geometric shapes offer a dazzingly retro vision of the future, while vivid primary-colour pops jostle for attention. Nods to Dutch artist Piet Mondrian feature throughout, and in the 14 studios - each featuring three TVs, an iPad and iPod dock - the palette of black and grey is invigorated by flourishes of bold accent colour, with sophisticated walnut finishes. Spend your days luxuriating by the multicoloured pool, with its underwater sound system, or enjoy a popcorn-flavoured cocktail and movie in the 16-seat Lunaplex. At night, feast on inventive dishes such as truffled chicken with fiddlehead fern tips, purslane and candyfloss foam in the cheering yellow-painted Orbit restaurant, then descend the spiral staircase to the more understated Pop! bar, where you can revel into the small hours. Soothe sore heads the morning after with a reviving spa treatment or yoga session.

ADDRESS

Jalan Sarinande no 20
Seminyak 8036
Bali
Indonesia

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Located a stone's throw from Jakarta's bustling shopping district, Kosenda Hotel is a design-orientated haven owned by Indonesian textile and garment entrepreneur, Ruben Kosenda. An avid traveller, whose lifelong dream was to create the 'perfect' hotel, Kosenda recruited local architects Studio Ton Ton, who have incorporated diamond shapes into the design of the building. Inside, the eclectic urban interior is by Singapore and Jakarta-based firm Domislium Studio, who have echoed Kosenda's love for both old and new. Comprising 60 rooms, the hotel also has a rooftop lounge with panoramic views of the city, while the café and eaterie is headed by Australian restaurateur Stewart Gan, who serves up traditional Peranakan cuisine with local favourites such as Laksa curry soup.

INFORMATION
Website

ADDRESS

Jl. KH Wahid Hasyim No.127
Jakarta
Indonesia

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