Bali’s creative scene is entering an exciting new era—one where heritage is not just preserved, but boldly reimagined. The island’s iconic Bali-Style—once defined by rustic villas, hand-carved wood, and lush tropical gardens—is evolving into a global design language that is more experimental, sustainable, and emotionally resonant.
This transformation is driven by a new generation of Indonesian designers who merge traditional craftsmanship with cutting-edge materials, contemporary forms, and cultural storytelling.
Jia CURATED 2025, Bali’s premier craft, design, and culture exhibition, brought this movement into the spotlight at their 2025 show, and the world is paying attention. Gathering over 200 brands and more than 100 exhibitors from across Indonesia and beyond, the event showcased designs that challenge norms and change our perspective—from architecture that reshapes tradition to product designs that redefine our interaction with everyday objects.
Next year’s show promises to be even bigger and bring global attention to something we’ve known for some time – Indonesia and Bali itself are home to a new wave of architects and designers worthy of a world stage. From bamboo architecture to environmentally sensitive design to evolving technology that allows the old to become new again, this is the future, and it’s all happening right here.
In this feature, we present 10 revolutionary Indonesian designers and studios leading the charge in shaping the New Bali-Style—a vision of Bali’s design future that extends far beyond the island’s shores.
1. Design by Weld – Mandaragiri
WELD is a collaborative architecture and multi-disciplinary design studio based in Bali, shaped by a collective of young designers who embrace experimentation as part of the process. Design by Weld is known for blurring the lines between architecture, art, and installation. At Jia CURATED 2025, they presented Mandaragiri, a bold reinterpretation of the traditional sirap (wooden shingle) roof, twisted into sculptural forms inspired by Balinese dragons. Their philosophy sees heritage as fluid—something to be bent and reshaped into contemporary expressions without losing its symbolic depth. By merging mythology with futuristic form, Design by Weld demonstrates how Balinese architecture can evolve into a living, breathing language that resonates globally.
2. Ong Cen Kuang – Jamur
Budiman Ong, founder of Ong Cen Kuang, was born in Kisaran, Sumatra, and trained in Applied Arts at Gray’s School of Art, Robert Gordon University in Scotland. After leading the design team at John Hardy, he established his Bali-based lighting atelier in 2008. His work celebrates craftsmanship, imperfection, and emotional storytelling through materials. As one of the visionaries behind Jia CURATED, Ong presented Jamur at Jia CURATED 2025—a collection of hammered copper lamps that allow owners to shape the fixture before installation, fostering intimacy between maker, object, and user. His booth—a black box that subtly shifted with the wind—emphasised nature’s role in design. This project reflects Ong’s core belief: design should not only be seen, but also felt and experienced.
3. Tegel Kunci – Marbling Cement Tiles
Founded in 1927 and revitalised in 1997 by PT Matta Indonesia, led by Mega Puspa Karang, Tegel Kunci has long been synonymous with handmade cement tiles in Indonesia. Rooted in tradition yet open to experimentation, the brand showcased its Marbling Cement Tiles at Jia CURATED 2025, breaking away from rigid heritage motifs. One of their projects in Bali is the Tandjung Sari Hotel in Sanur, where their marbling cement tiles were featured. Tandjung Sari is one of the first hotels in Sanur and has hosted many famous guests. By introducing abstract marbling patterns, Tegel Kunci transformed functional flooring into an evolving artistic canvas. Their approach illustrates how heritage crafts can innovate without abandoning authenticity, offering Bali’s designers new opportunities to use surfaces as storytelling elements in modern interiors.
4. Sekata Living – Living Narratives
Jakarta-based Sekata Living redefines wall coverings by blending ceramics, weaving, and textured finishes into immersive storytelling canvases. Their work, presented at Jia CURATED 2025 under the theme Living Narratives, challenges the idea of walls as passive backdrops. Instead, Sekata transforms interiors into tactile narratives where every surface carries cultural meaning and artisanal detail. This philosophy reflects a shift in Balinese design: from static tropical backdrops to layered, sensory environments that engage emotion as much as aesthetics.
5. Java Teakindo – Modular Rumah Kayu
Java Teakindo, founded in 2000 by Ir. Ribut Gestiawan in Jepara, Central Java, is a furniture manufacturer and interior contractor specialising in sustainable teak. Their philosophy merges traditional woodworking expertise with scalable modern living solutions. At Jia CURATED 2025, they showcased the Modular Rumah Kayu, a knock-down wooden house built from reclaimed teak that can adapt and expand according to need. The project demonstrates how Indonesia’s rich carpentry heritage can respond to contemporary housing challenges, providing Bali with eco-friendly, culturally rooted architecture for a rapidly urbanising society. One of their projects in Bali is Capella Ubud, where they worked on the hotel’s interiors: 22 tents hidden in the jungle, narrating the story of Bali’s first settlers in the 1800s.
6. Blanco Studio – The Living Character of Teak
Blanco Studio, founded by the husband-and-wife duo KalpaTaru (carpenter by name and trade) and Conchita Blanco(architect and granddaughter of artist Don Antonio Blanco), is based in Bali and focuses on material storytelling. At Jia CURATED 2025, they presented The Living Character of Teak, an exhibition that explored teak wood not as a static material but as a living medium that evolves with time, touch, and craftsmanship. Their philosophy treats natural resources as collaborators rather than commodities. By reframing teak as a “character” with resilience and adaptability, Blanco Studio captures the essence of New Bali Style: sustainability combined with emotional resonance.
A recent project that exemplifies this approach is the Begawan Biji Restaurant on the outskirts of Ubud, as well as Nari Ubud, the newest restaurant in the area, perched on the edge of the Campuhan River. They have also collaborated with the renowned John Hardy. In partnership with KalpaTaru Bali, whose artisans bring a deep reverence for traditional craft and materiality, Blanco Studio continues to push the boundaries of modern carpentry while remaining grounded in heritage and sustainability.
7. Bell Living Lab – Coffee Leather & Upcycled Materials
Bell Living Lab, a Bandung-based innovation hub, is dedicated to transforming agricultural and industrial waste into high-value materials. At Jia CURATED 2025, they introduced “coffee leather” and engineered boards made from coffee grounds, exemplifying their circular design philosophy. Their work challenges Bali’s design scene to think beyond form and embrace sustainable material innovation as a core design value. By turning waste into desirable interiors, Bell Living Lab pushes the conversation of eco-design forward, proving that sustainability can be luxurious, tactile, and deeply local.
8. Sungai Design – River Plastic to Craft
Sungai Design is the creative arm of Sungai Watch, founded in 2020 by Gary, Kelly and Sam Bencheghib in Bali. An Indonesian environmental movement based in Bali, Sungai Watch, is focused on cleaning Indonesia’s rivers. With so much trash collected, Sungai Design was a natural progression. Their design studio takes discarded plastics and transforms them into striking lifestyle products. At Jia CURATED 2025, they showcased collections that merge activism with aesthetics, reminding audiences that design can be both beautiful and urgent. By reframing waste as a design resource, Sungai Design exemplifies how Bali’s creative community can directly tackle environmental crises while inspiring global audiences with functional yet meaningful products.
9. The Makers Project with Studio Lianggono – Wang Sinawang
Studio Lianggono, led by Jakarta-based interior designer Lianggono Susanto, is world-famous for bridging tradition and modernity in art and design. In collaboration with The Makers Project and Scottish whisky brand, The Balvenie, the studio presented Wang Sinawang at Jia CURATED 2025—an immersive installation inspired by Javanese philosophy and the art of patience. Through botanical forms, poetic abstraction, and layered material storytelling, the work blurred the boundaries between art, ritual, and design. This reflects Lianggono’s belief that design should not only create objects but also cultivate states of being, enriching Bali’s design landscape with philosophical depth.
10. AlvinT – Heritage Reframed
Alvin Tjitrowirjo, widely known as AlvinT, is a Jakarta-based furniture and interior designer celebrated for blending Indonesian cultural narratives with bold modern silhouettes. A graduate of RMIT University in Melbourne, AlvinT has long championed local craftsmanship on the global stage. At Jia CURATED 2025, he presented Heritage Reframed, a furniture collection that reinterprets Indonesian artisanal traditions into forward-thinking contemporary designs. His philosophy balances authenticity and innovation, offering Bali a design vocabulary that is both globally relevant and deeply rooted in heritage.
The Future of the New Bali-Style
The works presented at Jia CURATED 2025 prove that Bali-Style is no longer a fixed formula of rustic charm—it is a living, evolving design language. From modular houses and tactile wall narratives to coffee leather and dragon-inspired architecture, these designers show that tradition can be both respected and radically redefined. By embracing material innovation, cultural storytelling, and sustainability at the core, they are shaping a Bali that feels rooted yet boundary-breaking.
For visitors and collectors alike, this isn’t just a glimpse into what’s next—it’s an invitation to participate in the conversation, to commission and collaborate with the visionaries redefining Indonesian design. The New Bali-Style is here, and it is global. Stay tuned for the 2026 Jia Curated, a show that breaks boundaries in design and creates conversations with far-reaching visions for a thoughtful and more beautiful future.
