Accentuating Design Element: A Project in Gili Trawangan
Our on-going project is located in Gili Trawangan. It is a restaurant and bar under Blackpenny management. The island is one of the three big Gilis of Lombok Islands. It is a hotspot for travelers from all over the world not for those looking a peaceful island retreat. It is filled with bustling lines of lounge bars, hip guesthouses, and ambitious restaurants – hence we want to bring something that stands out among these lively spots.
In order to deliver design that in sync with the whole ambience of the location, it is necessary for us to visit and spend some time on site. Back in August, we had our first site visit to Gili Trawangan. The island itself was mesmerizing. We stayed there for a couple days to really absorb the ambience.
The island is busy with bikes and cidomos (small horse-drawn carriage)with no motorized transportation. Even with minimal machinery and its small size, Trawangan has developed into a hippy party paradise destination that attracts people from all ages. We went around the island by foot to see for ourselves how vibrant the island is. We want to create design that reflect and accommodate the needs of the travelers.
After a lot of research and observation, we concluded there are few points to create an attention-grabbing design for this restaurant and bar. Although it has limited space, we maximized it through innovative design, colors and detail accents. There is already an existing building on site which we need to renovate. We transform this building by adding a massive dented cube roof with wooden pillars underneath. The giant cube acts as the focal point for this project. Additionally, this design came up as visual representation. It can accommodate the growing trend of social media through its crooked and unusual design.
Next to the main building, we design a pizza bar to present an open kitchen concept. We want to offer something new to the island by bringing this concept. The roof takes on a boat-like shape with a little chimney from the stone oven. The design is inspired by the things around the site, like fishing boats that are anchored at the beach.
Aside from the design, we pay extra attention to tones and colors of the project. Color is one of the important elements to attract attention aside from the design. It was rather tricky to decide on what color would stand out in an island that has already vibrant and full of color. Most of these lines of restaurants and bars chose bright colors to attract people. However in contrast, we use black and white (monochromatic) and a hint of natural wood color on our massive roof installation. The neutral colors seem calm and soft yet different from the rest among these colorful streets of Gili Trawangan.
Last but not least is the touch of accent. We always pay attention to details in any of our design to add more value hence we show it through its interior. The site is not big, but there are several seating options to choose whether at the bar, inside the building or outside facing the street. Daybeds and bean bags are displayed in pastel colors inside and outside at the beach area. Cozy ambience is created with warm light from string and hanging lamps across the restaurants. The combination of wooden interior and warm ambience is well put together in a monochromatic background.
Currently the project is still under construction with the estimated time of completion is by the end of this year. So far, there is not much trouble during the construction work. The design is aimed to be outstanding yet classy as we want the element to complement each other creating brand new design experience.
Cheers,
SHL Asia team
One More Award Celebration: Citadines Berawa Beach
Following up our celebration with the IAI award last month, we are thrilled to presents you with another recognition from Indonesia Property Awards in architecture landscape design category for our on-going project, Citadines Berawa Beach Hotel in Canggu. Indonesia Property Award is part of the regional Property Guru Asia Property Awards program that has been held since 2005. It is considered one of the most respected and sought after award for property, design and developer companies.
This project is located in a coastal village of Berawa, Canggu. The area is one of the newest discovered hotspots for surfer addicts and hippy travelers. Since it is located close to the beach, the weather can get very hot and humid at times thus encourages us to create the shady jungle atmosphere in a coastal area where guests can enjoy the best of both worlds.
The lushness mainly comes from the volume and the selection of plants. We implement the concept of Green Building – visually – that is presented through the different type of arrangements and selection of the plants. There are forests inside the hotel and the vertical garden which will cover most of the exposed roof and wall. This is also an effort to minimize the building’s massive impression with the surrounding environment.
Different types of forest take place in different area within the hotel. Guest can experience mini forest in inner garden area near to the lobby and jungle (different variety of plants) in the rooftop area where it will eventually portray the trees coming out from the roof of the building. Although guest can enjoy this different kind of rainforest in many spots throughout the hotel, there are also variations of simple gardens like in pool area to accommodate all activities in the pool as well as in restaurant area where we design quite a spacious lawn for the playground.
To enhance the tropical feeling, we apply big foliage plants that are typically found in the jungle such as Alocasia, Monstera, and broad leaves tree. We also insert water element into the landscape through indoor curtain waterfall and pond. The water element within the landscape will offers a cooling effect and relaxation. Local materials such as kerobokan sandstone, lava stone for its hardscape and also utilizing recycled materials like ironwood for the deck.
The overall concept offers different experiences of tropical hideaway in the midst of buzzling crowd of Berawa, Canggu. We want to present a diverse concept with our project while considering the clients, the location while still in tune with the surrounding. Through this recognition, aside from being an achievement, we want to also make it a motivation to deliver better products and services for clients, developer and all parties involved.
Cheers,
SHL Asia team