LIVING
TS ‘Artistic EXpPieA-chic trace the hip nesia’s trail to Indo TIC HEDONIS bliss’ HAVEN…
Magali on a morning ‘research mission’
e m o h y l n Our heave BALINESE ZEN DEN
Fashion designer Magali Pascal and her photographer partner fit perfectly into Bali’s melting pot of wanderlust creatives
82
The plantationstyle design lends itself to a palette of creamy whites
y Easy-breeze x u l island ed is toughen th i w up industrial d n a s lamp ng chairs i n i d
F
RENCH-BORN fashion designer Magali Pascal has just flown back from Tokyo to the Balinese villa she shares with her partner, Australian photographer Matt Neville. Next they’re off to Hong Kong, followed by Sydney… Although the globetrotting couple probably accrue more frequent-flyer points in a year than many would in a lifetime, Magali resolutely calls the Indonesian paradise home. She has an impressive resume: training at the prestigious Paris art school EnsAD and working with Irish designer Sharon Wauchob before launching an exclusive collection for esteemed department store Galeries Lafayette. Magali stopped her “seasonal” visits to Bali a decade ago, relocating permanently to focus on her eponymous brand.
Earlier this year, the bohemian bons vivants completed renovations on their “plantation-style, Caribbean beach house”, which is hidden in a back street cul-de-sac in Bali’s upscale Seminyak district. The breathtaking one-bedroom property is enclosed within a walled courtyard with few doors. Stepping stones lead past a lovingly tendered lawn and palm-shaded aqua swimming pool to a light-filled open-plan living, dining and kitchen area with a soaring pitched roof. “Matt loves white,” laughs Magali, indicating the creamy palette of eggshell and vanilla. It’s the ultimate tropical hideaway with a provincialsurf vibe – Balinese bliss. Low-key luxe all the way, it’s a traditional-modern mix. Retro cinnamon-leather butterfly chairs and industrial lamps are scattered
throughout the pavilion, and a small Hindu flag sways peacefully at the entranceway – remnants of a traditional Balinese house-warming ceremony. Faded apricot Turkish rugs are souvenirs from Byron Bay, while three of Matt’s magnificent photos take pride of place on the walls: a field in Candidasa on Bali’s eastern coast; birds on a stormy day; and the rippling waves of Sydney’s Avalon beach, where his parents live. Timber furniture has been customised from “old Javanese bits and pieces” unearthed at the pair’s favourite antiques warehouse. But the piece de resistance? The zen ensuite where a stone basin and bonsai-clipped tree come second only to the open-air shower. The bustling enclave of Seminyak is so close but it feels planets away while bathing under the naked sky. Bliss.X
ngipani Golden frade onto sca flowers ca ing stones the stepp aded pool h and palm-s
www.grazia.com.au 83