Bali
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Months after my husband and I moved into our New York apartment, I would browse boutiques all over Manhattan, eyeing richly lacquered bowls, antique wicker baskets, and artisanal ceramics, hoping to find unique objects that would add a certain character to our loft. We had long been contemplating a trip to Bali and this seemed like the perfect opportunity. Just as fashion fanatics flock to Vietnam or Shanghai to order knockoffs of their designer dresses by the dozen, furniture lovers head to this Indonesian island for less expensive Christian Liaigre-style pieces.
But before setting off across the island's verdant rice fields and dusty villages, my husband and I enlisted the help of expat friends for shopping advice and called on a driver to get us around. It quickly became apparent that the most productive search would take us from the woody reaches of Ubud—where expats order the International Herald Tribune with their morning coffee—down south, along Seminyak's busy stretch of new design stores and into Kuta's maze of contemporary and antique furniture outlets.
Luckily, I had been warned by Indonesian art and antiques expert Bruce Carpenter (62-361/285-713; by appointment) about the Bali buying bug: visitors often fall prey to the island's charms, not realizing that what looks good in a beachfront hut in Kuta might quickly lose its appeal (not to mention its cultural context) in a Connecticut Colonial. One enthusiastic traveler, he recalled, shipped a crate of demon masks back home to Florida, but when his wife objected to them he was forced to sell them at a fraction of the cost to a local flea market dealer. The masks, it turns out, were a huge hit with heavy-metal fans.
Whether at furniture shops or clothing and jewelry boutiques, we resisted the temptations of beautiful craftsmanship and low prices and refrained from impulse buying. Instead, we scanned the stores we loved more than once and carefully edited our wish list before stuffing our suitcases. Here, our guide to help you on your whirlwind spree.
HOME INTERIORS Balinese vendors are increasingly savvy when it comes to Western tourists: many artisanal products are now being marketed with a dash of Euro flair. Purists might consider this a commercial cop-out, but the results are often original and tasteful. At A-Krea, a minimalist boutique on the main street of the waterfront town of Sanur, traditional batiks are sold as multicolored patchwork bed-runners that can double as decorative tablecloths. Even the most ordinary objects here have style: the thigh- and waist-high bamboo vases dyed a rich shade of burgundy look great when arranged like freestanding organ pipes on a living-room floor; a teak ice bucket with mosaic inlays of pearly seashells becomes a cocktail party centerpiece. 51 Jalan Danau Tamblingan, Sanur; 62-361/286-101.
LINENS It will come as no surprise that Dominique Seguin, the owner of the pristine linen store Disini, was once a student of haute couture in Paris. With her passion for color and sharp finishes she has compiled a noteworthy selection of fine cotton and linen sheets, pillowcases, and curtains that marry the earthy tones of Provence with the saffron shades of India. Patchwork pillowcases with apple green and inky blue leaf cutouts sewn onto blocks of solid color recall Matisse collages. A traveler's roll-up jewelry case, in pink batik with vibrant spring blossoms, is perfectly padded to safeguard beaded necklaces and precious rings. The delicate fabrics and careful handiwork establish Disini as the (reasonably priced) Porthault of Kuta. 6-8 Jalan Raya Seminyak, Banjar Basangkasa, Kuta; 62-361/731-037.
But before setting off across the island's verdant rice fields and dusty villages, my husband and I enlisted the help of expat friends for shopping advice and called on a driver to get us around. It quickly became apparent that the most productive search would take us from the woody reaches of Ubud—where expats order the International Herald Tribune with their morning coffee—down south, along Seminyak's busy stretch of new design stores and into Kuta's maze of contemporary and antique furniture outlets.
Luckily, I had been warned by Indonesian art and antiques expert Bruce Carpenter (62-361/285-713; by appointment) about the Bali buying bug: visitors often fall prey to the island's charms, not realizing that what looks good in a beachfront hut in Kuta might quickly lose its appeal (not to mention its cultural context) in a Connecticut Colonial. One enthusiastic traveler, he recalled, shipped a crate of demon masks back home to Florida, but when his wife objected to them he was forced to sell them at a fraction of the cost to a local flea market dealer. The masks, it turns out, were a huge hit with heavy-metal fans.
Whether at furniture shops or clothing and jewelry boutiques, we resisted the temptations of beautiful craftsmanship and low prices and refrained from impulse buying. Instead, we scanned the stores we loved more than once and carefully edited our wish list before stuffing our suitcases. Here, our guide to help you on your whirlwind spree.
HOME INTERIORS Balinese vendors are increasingly savvy when it comes to Western tourists: many artisanal products are now being marketed with a dash of Euro flair. Purists might consider this a commercial cop-out, but the results are often original and tasteful. At A-Krea, a minimalist boutique on the main street of the waterfront town of Sanur, traditional batiks are sold as multicolored patchwork bed-runners that can double as decorative tablecloths. Even the most ordinary objects here have style: the thigh- and waist-high bamboo vases dyed a rich shade of burgundy look great when arranged like freestanding organ pipes on a living-room floor; a teak ice bucket with mosaic inlays of pearly seashells becomes a cocktail party centerpiece. 51 Jalan Danau Tamblingan, Sanur; 62-361/286-101.
LINENS It will come as no surprise that Dominique Seguin, the owner of the pristine linen store Disini, was once a student of haute couture in Paris. With her passion for color and sharp finishes she has compiled a noteworthy selection of fine cotton and linen sheets, pillowcases, and curtains that marry the earthy tones of Provence with the saffron shades of India. Patchwork pillowcases with apple green and inky blue leaf cutouts sewn onto blocks of solid color recall Matisse collages. A traveler's roll-up jewelry case, in pink batik with vibrant spring blossoms, is perfectly padded to safeguard beaded necklaces and precious rings. The delicate fabrics and careful handiwork establish Disini as the (reasonably priced) Porthault of Kuta. 6-8 Jalan Raya Seminyak, Banjar Basangkasa, Kuta; 62-361/731-037.
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