Bali

My friends Laura and Stephanie are currently living in Hong Kong and Sydney.  Every year we meet for a vacation in a new destination.  Last year we started our trip in Singapore and then flew to Bali, an island full of restaurants and resorts with great interior design. The Balinese pay incredible attention to detail, especially noticeable when comparing their craft to Singaporean craft, which seems luxurious upfront but lacks the finer detail.  

In Bali we visited a few places that stood out to me; my favorite of which was Cafe Bali in Seminyak because of the great food and the decor.  In the middle of the restaurant hung a beautiful fixture that looked like carved ostrich eggs.  Over the bar was a bankirai wood lighting fixture designed by Rob Nollet (I did my research because I’d like to get one shipped to the US.)  All the walls in Cafe Bali were adorned with frames and trinkets – I loved every part of if and I’m not the only one.

I also really liked visiting Potato Head, a beach resort and lounge with a façade made entirely of old shutters.  This is where I got the inspiration for the shutters in my upstairs bedrooms. At the time, I was obsessed with storefronts that featured birdcages and I wanted something similar for my apartment.  I was thrilled to find a small store filled to the ceiling with cages.  I ended up carrying 3 home – another battle against customs and oversized luggage fees. The one thing I regretfully didn’t fit into my suitcase, was balinese tin – it’s beautiful, inexpensive and very easy to find. Petit Voyage featured a post about Balinese tin.

Beyond the aesthetics, Bali is a great place to visit and is high on my list of favorite getaways.  We rode from beach to beach on the back of motorcycles, enjoyed beautiful sunsets, toured the John Hardy headquarters, and enjoyed great food and artwork. I’ve heard that the Gili Islands are also incredible if you have some extra time to travel. I’ll have to go back!