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Houses Made by Hand
More than a decade ago, arriving in Bali — on vacation, like so many of its visitors I fell, immediately and irrevocably in love with it. As an artist and a designer, I am ever intrigued and inspired by the daily manifestations of beauty in the form of offerings to a higher power. It’s a privilege to live and create and build here: There may be no other place on the planet where there is such gifted talent in the form of craftsmanship that can be applied to home design. A lifelong habit, my own process is heart centered with a double dose of rigor and attention to detail in design. A living space must be poetic never forgetting designing in function for the various nuanced facets of our client’s lives — to say nothing of the very specific and demanding requirements of building sustainably in Bali. Sun. Rain. Wind. Plant and Animal life. Finally, we must respect the culture of the Balinese while designing for our clients’ cultural origins. Designing and creating a dream house in Bali — whether remodeling an existing one thousand square foot bungalow, reclaiming a one hundred and eighty year old Javanese joglo or building a new luxury villa or rental property — is challenging and requires patience and a subtle understanding of the Balinese culture and work ethic, in combination with strength of vision and a willingness to understand when pushing is necessary when pulling back is of essence. Building in Bali is not like building in the West. Our combined ideas, energy and vision in conjunction with our excellent team of dedicated and caring Balinese builders creates the magic
One of the great lessons of this island is how to live beautifully in simplicity. This is why I am drawn to clients who have a reverence for Bali as a natural habitat and Bali as a culture — Let’s design as light of a footprint as we can luxuriate in. Our promise? To design and create and build a one-of-a-kind beautiful home that encourages dreaming and lounging and sharing of meals and stimulating conversation among friends and family in harmony with the elements: a perfect blend of the poetic and the practical.
Alejandra has had...
An international upbringing infused with art, music and languages. She was raised in a house designed by a disciple of Frank Lloyd Wright.
A year spent living with a family in Thailand, at 16, as an AFS exchange student. This was the best early training for a future life and work in South East Asia.
A Degree in Architecture from UC Berkeley. Masters work at UC San Diego and International Center of Photography, New York.
Fifteen years working with select clients designing one-of-a-kind homes in Del Mar, California, Kauai, Hawaii, in the US. Baja California, Mexico, Montreal, Canada, Buenos Aires, Argentina internationally before moving to Bali.
Kadek De Bhuana is our project architect. He is a rare architect who combines an understanding of structure with a poetic understanding of design.
Sri Arini is our project manager. She has a background in accounting and brings a subtle understanding of moving from the largest scale to the smallest detail.