Opened in April 2016, Katamama Bali, the first hotel by PTT Family who’s renowned for the popular Potato Head Beach Club, is a 58-suite boutique hotel located on one of the last parcels of land in Seminyak, Bali’s most prestigious oceanfront district.
Designed by Indonesian architect and long-time PTT Family collaborator Andra Matin, Katamama is truly a bespoke creation involving handcrafted custom work on a large scale. For the interior, Ronald Akili, CEO of PTT Family, the PTT Family Creative Team and the Singapore-based design company Takenouchi Webb were commissioned to work together with Matin to realise the entire project. This partnership was definitely fruitful, resulting in a marvelous property that engages both modern creativity and traditional elements.
“The idea behind Katamama was to represent Bali. It should feel Balinese, but modern at the same time. The main concept is actually the ‘modern’ architecture of 60s and 70s. It’s very geometrical. And these days, when almost every hotel in Bali is planned with the curved lines, it’s quite unusual,” says Matin.
The exterior structure of the hotel itself says volume about its source of inspiration – Katamama takes cue from the Balinese building practice of tri angga, a concept where the spatial structure reflects harmony between the building and its occupants. Throughout the property, lush green gardens complement the modern maneuver of materials, while reflecting the natural beauty of the island.
For the public areas, Katamama features an elevated lobby allowing guests to view the pool and surrounding landscape. From here, rooms that occupy the lower floor are then described as “introverted” by Matin, with a secluded view to the garden. His vision for the building was to allow guests to see a different angle of the landscape from every level of the hotel.
The main spaces of the suites are designed to be as open as possible with the bathroom separated by a set of decorative sliding panels that can open to make the bathroom part of the main space. Each bedroom looks out onto a balcony terrace with a day-bed, table and chairs and becomes an extension of the room, with the same hand-made brick material extending out from the room wall.
Moving on to the materials used for this property, Akili infused a mid-century but contemporary look to the interiors through using fixtures and furnishings that reflects this craft-focused take on hospitality. The raw brick of the walls are highlighted in the suites and wide boards of teak are used for the flooring. Other wall finishes include solid-timber slats and a rough pale coloured plaster.
Known for its strong design aesthetic and attention to detail, PTT Family builds on this reputation with Katamama’s design and furniture. Katamama’s furniture is a mix of specially handcrafted pieces and handpicked vintage items from the owner’s personal collection. All of the hotel’s new furniture was closely overseen by PTT Family’s creative team from timber selection to prototyping to extensive quality control to final installation. Working with a Surabaya-based carpenter, only Indonesian Grade-A teak, sourced from certified forests, was used. The majority of the furniture pieces are influenced by Indonesian mid-century design, a unique style often likened to the mid-century European style.
The hotel also emphasises Indonesian culture in a contemporary context through its architecture, art, design and craftsmanship. Home to more than 100 original artworks, created by some of the best contemporary artists from Indonesia and the region, impressive artworks can be seen in the suites, public spaces and outdoor areas. Artists featured include Anusapati, Jompet Kuswidananto, and Eko Nugroho from Indonesia, and Alfredo Juan and Isabel Aquilizan from the Philippines.
www.katamama.com | JL. Petitenget 51B, Seminyak, Bali, 80361, Indonesia
