Bali living at its best in this book of beautiful homes inspired by nature
- From Villa Matisse, a masterpiece of polished cement and mosaics, to rustic getaways and neocolonial pads, book features spectacular Bali homes
- See the house whose guests have included Mick Jagger, Bono and Richard Branson
Despite what literary purists might think, chunky books bursting with drool-inducing pictures that can transport a reader to another place deserve space on a bookshelf – or a coffee table. And Living In Bali, a 460-page tome from art book publishers Taschen, is just such a book.
For decades the spiritually rich Indonesian island has attracted people from all over the world, and this newly updated version of a book originally published in 2006 – with words by long-time resident Anita Lococo and images by Swiss photographer Reto Guntli – celebrates the private and commercial places that sprang up to cater to them.
Bali’s distinctive in-harmony-with-nature aesthetic – stone carvings, wooden furniture, flowy muslin curtains and alfresco showers and infinity pools set among tropical gardens of frangipani and bamboo – screams loud throughout. Some might find an overload of that look. But it’s hard not to look.
Take Panchoran Estate in the artsy town of Ubud.
Once owned by Irish designer and environmentalist Linda Garland, who died last year after more than 35 years on the island, this jungle hideaway – set on eight hectares overlooking a bamboo forest (Garland was a leading advocate of bamboo as an alternative to wood in decoration and architecture) – has lured celebrities including Mick Jagger, Richard Branson and Bono. If only those carved wood-panelled walls could talk.
Then there’s Villa Matisse – a masterpiece of design (think polished grey cement and mosaics of broken mirrors) owned by Dutch-born Conchita Kien – and the neocolonial Ubud home of compatriot Anneke Van Waesberghe, the woman behind luxury travel accessories brand Esprit Nomade.