July 31, 2023

Download Elami’s Design Guide to Ubud

July 31, 2023/ Elami Productions

If you’re looking to experience Ubud through design eyes, we have a guide for you.

Ubud is our hometown and we are fortunate to know many of the amazing creatives making beautiful spaces for people to enjoy.

This is our curated list and includes places we always take friends and family who are visiting. Think art, culture, hidden local gems, incredible views & architecture, artisan products, workshops, and more.

How did we choose?

These are all places and experiences that we like to go to ourselves. They are often are located in stunning places with great architecture or views, have good design (interiors, graphics, products), and are worth the money. They are curated with an eye for Bali made or designed with respect to our island home, and often have a connection to local artists and artisans.

Who’s curating the guide?

Elami Productions—producers of Ubud Open Studios, TEDxUbud, and many events and brand experiences in Bali.

What you get:

For Rp100,000 (~$7), you can download The Design Guide to Ubud and add the address pins directly to your Google Maps (download it to use offline).

Our notes are attached to each location explaining why we chose it and what you can’t miss about each pin.

Forever access. We promise to keep it updated with new places.

November 04, 2022

A glimpse of Ubud Open Studios 2022

November 04, 2022/ Elami Productions

Through the eyes of our talented photographers.

Thank you to Arley Mardo, Herry Santosa, Neyna Rahmadani, Shayna Pitch and Brandon Nadeau of Studio Suka.

Gallery by Arley Mardo:

Galley by Suka Studio:

Gallery by Neyna Rahmadani

Gallery by Herry Santosa:

November 23, 2020

Our online shop is live!

November 23, 2020/ Elami Productions

You can now choose from 5 different curated gift boxes, shop our little monoprint boxes (great as smaller gifts), and our popular Snakes & Ladders board game. We're shipping worldwide, and it's free in Indonesia!

Gifts that people actually want. We are now offering 5 distinct gift boxes, all crafted with the goal of bringing the unboxer a big burst of joy.

1 »» HOME GEOMETRY (our best seller)

2 »» THE CHILD WITHIN

3 »» LOVE FROM BALI

4 »» DREAMDUST

5 »» TEA QUIERO BOX

We're biased, but we believe Elami Boxes make perfect gifts. Each box is filled with beautiful and sustainable products—products that people actually want. Cherish your family, friends, and clients with a gift they will remember. Customize your box with the message you want.

Little—but mighty—Monoprint Boxes

The story behind these boxes is quite special.

We tried to digitally print our iconic monoprints to streamline the production, but when we saw the result, we realized the only way to translate the textures and uniqueness of each print, would be to create one by one, by hand. And so we did! Mila got busy and created 100 unique artworks. Each one is literally one-of-a-kind! And the quality is to die for. Imagine when we saw them all together!

» Available empty (IDR 150k)

» or with a little gift inside (IDR 250k), choose from:

OPTION 1: add a set of five greeting cards,

OPTION 2: add a set of incense with a custom-made ceramic holder.

All come with a free cotton reusable pouch.

As always, you can WhatsApp us to order via bank transfer or pay with your credit card directly on the site.

Please feel free to contact us if you have questions.

October 07, 2020

Get to know: Paola Zancanaro, designer

October 07, 2020/ Elami Productions

From the moment we saw the designs of Namu, we fell in love. We’ve been even happier to form a friendship over the years with the woman behind the brand. Paola has worked with prestigious designers, including Miuccia Prada, Giorgio Armani, and Vivienne Westwood, and has traveled to far-flung regions to create events, exhibitions, and installations. Paola is an advocate of fair trade and slow fashion and is passionate about all crafts and to maintain alive age-old artisanal techniques.

Where do you come from?

I come from a charming town called Alassio in the northern part of Italy. Alassio is located between Cinque Terre and the south of France and has a beautiful white sandy beach and lush green hills.

What makes you do what you do?

Curiosity, never wanting to stop learning and a real passion for the crafts and everything that is handmade and heritage.

How does Bali influence your designs?

The lush green of the rice fields and the different hues of flowers and leaves are a constant inspiration for my work. Bali’s culture and its skilled artisans will never stop influencing what I do and what I enjoy dedicating my time on.

When was the first time you ever touched fabric? And what excites you about your work at the moment?

I was surrounded by fabrics since my early childhood as my grandmother had an atelier and my mother had stunning dresses made by my “nonna” from jacquard to exotics silks and beautiful crepes encrusted with bejeweled embellishments. Since the lockdown, I have dedicated my time to learn more about natural dyeing techniques and which barks and leaves are available in Indonesia. I am trying to upcycle my collection by re-using leftover fabrics and create garments that are fun to wear both at home and out.

What are your favorite patterns and influences? Where are they from?

The Art Deco period will always be the main influence for my work - I love everything of that period from the ladies hair cut to the gorgeous jewels that the Indian Maharaja used to ask jewellery houses like Cartier to customise from themselves.

How do you measure your progress in life and work?

Good question! I measure my progress both in life and work by being serene and content with myself and securing that my team is happy and learning from what we build together.

Who were you as a kid?

Naughty! Never stop talking and asking why, why and why…I guess I am still a kid ;-)

What is your favorite event?

Difficult questions. As in my life I have been fortunate to organise many beautiful events across the globe for some of the most prestigious fashion houses but my favorite ever it has to be Holi Saloni in Udaipur in 2018, where we celebrated the Indian festival of colors.

Imagine you are there, what are your three favorite things about that event?

The explosion of color on Holi Day, the Indian craftsmanship to build Ad Hoc mud houses and intricate decorations and stunning venue Devigargh Palace.

August 03, 2020

Bali Snakes and Ladders! The launch of a new game

August 03, 2020/ Elami Productions

We've wanted to create a game for years and thanks to this pandemic downtime, we've finally done it! Maya Kerthyasa lent us her amazing line drawing skills to create a board filled with Balinese myths... Snakes and Ladders, known as Ular Tangga in Bahasa Indonesia, has its origins in second century India.

“This version of Snakes and Ladders is inspired by Balinese life and mythology. At the bottom, we have Bedawang Nala—the turtle that carries the world—accompanied by the two dragons Basuki and Anantaboga. Spiritual nirvana is represented by Mount Agung and the heavenly realm above. The other illustrations are symbols of fertility, creation, enlightenment, abundance, death, disease, disaster and knowledge. Many of these symbolic drawings are inspired by life in and around the Balinese kitchen.”
—Maya Kerthyasa

More about the history of the game:

The game was popular in ancient India by the name Moksha Patam. It was also associated with traditional Hindu philosophy contrasting karma and kama, or destiny and desire. It emphasized destiny, as opposed to games such as pachisi, which focused on life as a mixture of skill (free will) and luck. The underlying ideals of the game inspired a version introduced in Victorian England in 1892. The game has also been interpreted and used as a tool for teaching the effects of good deeds versus bad. The board was covered with symbolic images, the top featuring gods, angels, and majestic beings, while the rest of the board was covered with pictures of animals, flowers and people. The ladders represented virtues such as generosity, faith, and humility, while the snakes represented vices such as lust, anger, murder, and theft. The morality lesson of the game was that a person can attain salvation (Moksha) through doing good, whereas by doing evil one will be reborn as lower forms of life. The number of ladders was less than the number of snakes as a reminder that a path of good is much more difficult to tread than a path of sins. Presumably, reaching the last square (number 100) represented the attainment of Moksha (spiritual liberation).
-Wikipedia

The specs:

» 50cmx50cm fabric board—screen printed on 100% cotton

» 2 wooden dice

» 4 stone tokens

Shipped in a handmade paper box.

May 23, 2019

Make a Scene! X Cosa Design & Decor

May 23, 2019/ Elami Productions

Elami was very happy to play a small role in uniting the amazing talents of Make a Scene! and Cosa Design & Decor for a special event.

Cosa creates incredible floral designs primarily for weddings in Bali and Jakarta and their work has been featured in Martha Stewart and Junebug Weddings. Despite not being Bali-centric in terms of design, they gamely agreed to combine with Make a Scene! to realize an incredible range of Bali-inspired table centerpieces and floral arrangements with woven coconut leaf components by Make a Scene!.

Using local Balinese flowers and the idea of a modern offering, they created three different centerpiece designs.

Make a Scene! also created a series of photo backdrops for guests to enjoy during the event, including incredibly alive dragons.

A pair of butterfly wings to embrace a couple.

And a fan paired with two woven umbrellas. All woven by hand and biodegradable!

February 14, 2019

Get to know: Chloe Rose Quinn on traditional Balinese decorations and creativity

February 14, 2019/ Elami Productions

We spent an afternoon last week in conversation with Chloe Rose Quinn, the co-founder of Make a Scene!. We talked about her team of super weavers, her thoughts on creative events, and her recently joining the Elami and Co family.

What is the meaning of Make a Scene! and what led you to join the team?

Make A Scene! is a play on words. I come from a theatrical background where I was trained to make scenes from plays come alive. Here in Bali I want to make scenarios that bring Balinese craft to life.

The most important thing to me about Make A Scene! is that it is a celebration of two very different cultures joining together through creativity.

At Make A Scene!, it’s all about the shared intention of elevating craft. We transform spaces with Art. We don’t want to take anything away from the space, instead we want to engage with it. When we create new designs we want to bring a sense of theatre to a place. When you are around our ‘woven scenes’ you are inescapably in Bali- It’s a celebration of nature, skill and culture.

The team just happened organically. It really was because of the friendliness and openness of Gus Ari and his partner Ciknang. 3 years ago these two friends were the first two craftsmen who re-introduced coconut leaf weaving into Balinese Wedding decorations. They were the pioneers {of the re-green movement} in decoration. Their first experiment was for their friend’s wedding and I recall Gus telling me that they sat and wove for 4 days and nights straight! Everything was made from coconut leaves and it blew the minds of everyone who saw it. The installation received so much attention and luckily for me,I saw a photo on Facebook and that is how I discovered them!

It’s a total partnership between Gus Ari and myself. We have trusted each other from the beginning. I have an initial concept and share it with Gus. If he’s excited by it, then it goes to the rest of the team. Our team is up for any challenge. They are amazing. They never turn away from something unless the restrictions of the leaf deem it truly impossible. I am just so lucky to be a part of such an ambitious group of artists.

Make A Scene! specialises in weaving with one specific leaf- Slepan. We try not to get sidetracked by ‘glossier additions’, westernised luxuries. We recognize that our weaving is beautiful as it is and that we do not need to go in search of ways to elevate what we already have. As long as we stay innovative with our material and keep our very high standards we can continue to be so proud of the Art we offer.

Why do you think collaboration is important?

Collaboration allows you to learn, to be introduced to new ideas and share knowledge. I think sharing makes everybody stronger. In the western world people are very protective and scared of being copied and that is a shame. I prefer to be more open, welcoming a dialogue and feedback. There is a strong sense of being an artist and representing Bali, so why not help each other to bring out the best of Bali together.

However, sharing and openness can sometimes be a bit tricky and teams can unashamedly copy. At the end of the day we must be happy that people look up to our team as the leaders in this green movement. It pushes us to be at the top of our game. Other teams across Bali are becoming really skilled weavers now and so we cannot ever become complacent, we’ve got to keep moving forward and excite -Innovate.

According to you, what is a creative event?

An event that inspires people, opens their eyes to different areas of creativity, and makes them want to tell others about their experiences. For example TEDx - it’s people sharing a space, that gives them new information, there is art, different foods – they leave needing to process what they have experienced. The effect might not be obvious straight away but I think the right creative event can inspire the soul.

Why do you think joining Elami will bring good things to Make a Scene?

Elami are all about ‘The Best of Bali’. Everything is so carefully sourced, hand-selected and really carefully curated-. Their events are delivered sensitively and in a conscious way. Elami will enable us to continue proudly representing Bali to a wider audience . Elami is ‘from Bali’ and ‘for Bali’. They are fully engaged in the Balinese culture, landscape and sense of place- as non-western as possible! We at MAS! want to be part of that.

Tell us 3 words that spark creativity

Joy : You have to have joy in what you’re doing.

Commitment: You have to commit because sometimes you have to fight for something you create, and argue for it, and push it. Good things don’t come easily.

And possibility! ‘A child would say. ‘I want to be a princess in the day time and hairdresser in the night time and a vet on Sundays. ‘Anything is possible!’

I guess I haven’t let go of my inner child as I wanted to be a creative and to live in Bali one day and look where I am now- actually living my dream!

The most important word for me is the commitment. I think you can have possibilities and be joyful but if you don’t have the drive or the correct tools to get the job done, your ideas will just remain in your head.