/ beyond /b a c k s t o r y
Brick House
Katamama, a new boutique hotel in Bali, translates age-old Indonesian traditions into a contemporary classic. By Jeninne Lee-St. John. Photogr aphed by Mark L ane
clockwise from top:
Shaking up sunset atop the Katamama suite; follow the red-brick road; the Katamama suite overlooks Potato Head; a rooftop whirlpool.
52
sep tember 2016 / tr av el andleisure asia .com
One-and-a-half million bricks. That’s the first thing you notice about the new Katamama hotel in Bali, which doesn’t look at all like a hotel in Bali— you know, those varying versions of tree house- or temple-chic. No, this new, first hotel from Indonesia-based PTT Family looks like a big, hard brick wall, at least from the approach, and that feels jarringly incongruous to anyone who was familiar with sister Seminyak property Potato Head Beach Club’s iconic soft silhouette of colorful, vintage wooden shutters, salvaged from abandonment across the archipelago. But then you find out that all those bricks were handmade by local craftsmen using age-old techniques, and you realize how much these walls have in common with that one across the driveway, that they are yin and yang. “I love the idea of a balance. I like it when monochrome meets the multicolors,” says Indonesian architect Andra Matin, who designed the two buildings. “The Katamama hotel was to represent Bali. It should feel Balinese, but modern at the same time.” Both structures were conceived in homage to Indonesian tradition, to blending old and new in a way that feels fresh but timeless, artistic but warm. The primary experience of Katamama, though, is sustainability as a community measure, lifting up local culture to elevate five-star comfort. So while it stands out in its environment, it also blends. “You are surrounded by fine work from some of Indonesia’s best artisans and craftsmen,” says Ronald Akili, CEO of PTT Family. “We strive to make it authentic, not ethnic.” This ethos courses through “the ‘modern’ architecture of 60s and 70s,” as Matin describes the geometrical design of the hotel, which is also reflected in the angles of the hand-thrown tableware made by Gaya Ceramic in Sayan. The Midcentury Modern furniture was modeled on a throwback Indonesian style called jenki and is carved of native teak. Fabrics such as robes and table runners come via Threads of Life, a fair-trade collective based in Ubud that helps thousands of women in remote villages across Indonesia support their families while keeping up their all-natural weaving and dyeing traditions.
To read the rest of the article in our current issue,. subscribe to Travel + Leisure Southeast Asia..
SUBSCRIBE NOW
TO OUR DIGITAL EDITION
1 year / 12 issues for US$29.99. Available at www.zinio.com/TravelandLeisureAsia
powered by