Now in its fourth edition, Bali’s annual furniture festival was the perfect example of adaptive reuse – from the event itself to the furniture it showcased.
Forget sterile convention centres and endless rows of pristine booths. Jia Curated – where "jia" means "home" in Mandarin Chinese – transformed an abandoned Balinese theme park into Indonesia's boldest furniture festival.
Founded in 2022 by Budiman Ong with partners Rudi Winata and Yang Yang Hartono, the annual festival brings together live music, street food, shopping and art installations in one place to celebrate Asian design talent and the pure joy that good design brings.
The venue itself was the first highlight — an abandoned theme park in Bali's Sanur that closed some 25 years ago. This forgotten place that even local taxi drivers haven't heard of became the ideal setting for furniture from more than 100 designers across Asia.
Inside these weathered buildings was cutting-edge furniture displayed against graffitied walls, architectural booths under exposed arched roofs, and guests eating and drinking on recycled benches made of discarded paper tubes (the paper tubes were also turned into a bookstore and signage), giving new life to otherwise haunted-looking grounds.
The theme of repurposing also ran through this year's showcase. Brands from Indonesia and across Asia brought pieces that were not only beautiful, but also kind to the environment. Here are the six highlights.
Pavilion by CVP and ZXC Studio
Taking pride of place by the entrance was this latticed pavilion made of teak lumber offcuts. A collaboration between Indonesian furniture manufacturer CVP and Bali-based ZXC Studio, the pavilion used teak wood scraps from CVP’s manufacturing process, put together into a geometric framework that worked as both an exhibition space and proof of concept. After the festival, ZXC Studio took apart the pavilion and returned all the pieces to CVP's manufacturing process.
AA Stool by Ishinomaki Lab x CushCush
Tokyo designer Keiji Ashizawa's observation of residents in post-tsunami Ishinomaki using plastic beer crates as furniture led to the Ishinomaki Stool through a collaboration with Herman Miller.
The design process involved community workshops with locals and schoolchildren, building user needs directly into how the product developed. The stool's compact size and lightweight build makes the most of materials through simple joining methods. This approach created furniture that works as both a step stool and seating while staying portable for emergency housing needs.
L013 Luxury Lighting by Zhēnzhēn (真真) Stained Glass Lab
Taiwan-based Zhēnzhēn Stained Glass Lab salvages pressed glass windows from 1950s buildings about to be demolished and turns them into lighting installations. The original windows have begonia florals and geometric patterns typical of mid-century Taiwanese homes.
Through careful removal and processing, the studio keeps these surface treatments while adapting the glass for modern lighting. Each L013 lamp has unique features based on the specific wear and aging of its source material. The design includes ribbon ties that nod to traditional brocade packaging, while textured glass surfaces create distinctive shadow patterns when lit. The studio also makes the L001 and B001 series with cleaner lines for walls and ceilings.
Coffee-Based Furniture by Bell Living Lab
Bandung-based Bell Living Lab processes coffee husks and grounds from farmers and coffee shops into furniture materials. It turns this agricultural waste into leather alternatives, composite boards and foam materials. Its panels keep coffee waste's natural grain patterns and brown colouring while being strong enough for furniture. The material holds up as well as traditional leather and wood composites.
Kaltimber x Studio Mate
Kaltimber takes discarded ironwood from demolished boats, bridges and warehouses across Kalimantan and turns it into flooring, decking and furniture. The Bali-based company focuses on Ulin ironwood, the same species used in Venice's foundations for its exceptional strength and water resistance.
Its process is simple – source timber from structures about to be demolished, check its quality, then mill the wood into new products. What makes this special is the material itself. Ulin ironwood takes centuries to grow, making each reclaimed piece irreplaceable. The company plants 50 ironwood saplings for every 950 square metres of product sold.
Avant Basic Collection by Cynthia Margareth
Jakarta designer Cynthia Margareth collects terrazzo and construction debris from demolished buildings for her Avant Basic collection, made with TMAC Decorazzo. The materials include glass fragments from 1970s office buildings and stone chips from home renovations.
Terrazzo was originally developed from marble workshop scraps. As these structures get demolished, Margareth reclaims their terrazzo pieces through careful removal and cleaning. TMAC Decorazzo's facility processes these fragments into new furniture pieces. The speckled surfaces show the original terrazzo patterns while being strong enough for today's needs.
Other highlights of the festival included Italian designer Pietro Franceschini's Rotella collection made of rattan, site-specific bamboo installations "Garuda" by Japanese craft duo Straft inspired by a mythical bird in Hindu mythology, a meditative hay installation by Balvenie, and artist Lianggono Susanto, to name a few.
