Organically carved internal windows frame the DJ station in the background, aglow drawing guests in. The room is encased in a BYO Living ceiling of woven recycled plastics, texturally linking to the BYO Living handcrafted lemon and lime recycled plastic dining chairs and bar stools, upholstered in Atom-0944 by Raf Simons for Kvadrat. The Taksaka Dragon pendant light by Make a Scene was commissioned by YSG. Softly textural, the YSG-designed banquette, extending from the edges of the central archway, is upholstered in Zepel Fabrics Solano 4809 by Casamance.
Converging local artisanship, ethereally coded designs and eco-friendly experiments, this Balinese sanctuary is an incubator for handcrafted creativity, in both its delivery and outcome.
Atop hillside jungle and flanked by rice fields, Hotel Moon Gang is a five-suite retreat near Ubud, Indonesia, owned by Firstbase Studio founder Kirsten Millbank. In addition to its restful suites, the precinct houses the Ambang Pool Club, Nongkrong Lounge, Cosmos Kiosk and a wellness lab, all designed to enliven the senses and crack open creatively minded guests.
“Kirsten sold me in seconds,” explains YSG Studio founder Yasmine Ghoniem, whose team transformed the water-damaged residence. “She wanted it to genuinely support wellbeing through calm spaces, but be energised through original designs, materials and colours that, when combined, created a tangible, otherworldly spin.”
Inside the cinnamon-hued, recycled earth-based render that shapes the architecture creativity is cumulative. Almost all freestanding furniture is custom-designed by YSG in collaboration with local artisans, showcasing Balinese traditions alongside modern Indonesian design culture. The use of predominantly natural or recycled materials spurred invention. Banana leaf, plant dyes, upcycled plastics and recycled bottle tops became a new material library for the YSG team, who sought out local experts in each materiality. Works from Indonesian artists were sourced from local art fairs, alongside project-specific commissions.
“Unique designs with tactile qualities; hopefully they encourage guests to stop and connect. That’s the point here, to slow down and lose track of time,” Ghoniem reflects. Undoubtedly, the abundance of light, pattern and texture collectively induces mesmeric bliss.
“It’s a honey pot for sure,” Ghoniem says of the vinyl library inside the lounge. Local manufacturers, Weedoo Plastics, developed new machinery to create the chunky bullnose desk trims from recycled bottle tops, forming speckled constellations. An Anomalous Moon lamp sits on top, with AA Practice shelving and citrus-yellow timber speakers backdropping the upbeat setting. A site only accessible by motorbike or foot, joinery elements were custom-designed to be assembled on site.
Moon Gang’s development catalysed local artisan collaboration. The Midnight Runners bedroom features cloud-like banana leaf pendant lights by Greenman Banana. However, YSG briefed impactful indigo shading. “Greenman Banana didn’t work with dyes so we asked Pagi Motley, who dyed our curtains, to do that element,” Ghoniem notes. Their morphing forms juxtapose the glazed lava stone-tiled pony wall bedhead. Conversation, a sculptural artwork by Jengki Sunarta hangs beside AA Practice’s wall light crafted from local Seseh wood and resin.
“The vision was for a sanctuary that embraced Indonesia’s ancient and modern health, music and spiritual rituals, adding its own cosmic spin with experiential activities. The setting had to accommodate full mind and body immersion through engaging textures, colours and patterns.”
– Yasmine Ghoniem
A YSG-designed desk made by Asali Bamboo sits against the wall with a BYO Living green handcrafted woven plastic chair. A Bamboo Pure Mushroom bamboo table lamp sits on top. Javan-sourced terracotta tiles match the geometries of the breezeblocks that mediate public and private spaces.
Pagi Motley plant-dyed curtains cascade down double-height windows letting in natural light that illuminates the rainbow of tones, while retaining privacy. Like planets suspended in orbit, Arta Derau Ceramics pendants in varying tonal glazes weightlessly hover overhead. Ida Bagus Punia’s Alam Buatan, from Nasa Gallery, features in the background.
A YSG-designed desk made by Asali Bamboo sits against the wall with a BYO Living green handcrafted woven plastic chair. A Bamboo Pure Mushroom table lamp sits on top. Javan-sourced terracotta tiles match the geometries of the breezeblocks that mediate public and private spaces.
A bespoke YSG-designed desk by Asali Bamboo with a BYO Living woven recycled plastic chair is oriented towards natural vistas. Dyed with natural plant extracts, including mango, coconut and Ketapang leaf, the Pagi Motley curtains frame the leafy bedroom backdrop.
Increasing capacity, YSG added a Japanese-inspired bamboo suite, stained in indigo charcoal. In the bedroom, a central oculus opens up sky views and a YSG-designed flower lamp, made of recycled bottle tops, represents Weedoo Plastics’ first foray into electric lighting.
The Cosmos Kiosk features recycled plastic bottle-top counters and store furniture in galactic-inspired hues, suspended beneath custom amber moons.
BYO Living-made, YSG-designed lime sun lounges are handwoven with upcycled plastic.
Enhancing the existing architecture, columns were removed and archways thickened to open views between the lounge and pool. Javan terracotta finger tiles around the pool complement the recycled earth-based render, with lime plaster made of low-carbon minerals, recycled glass and plant fibres from Altarize Natural Paints.