The Bali Style of architecture and interior design is renowned and increasingly popular the world over. How it came into being is a story of cross cultural legacy and an amalgamation of different design elements. In this chapter, we explain the connection between religion and architecture in traditional Balinese design, trace the development of new styles in both commercial and residential buildings and see how a thoroughly modern, international architectural form has been born.

The Art of Tropical Living

The island of Bali has along been a magnet for the western culture-hound-and over the last 100 year many people have set up home there. Most built their tropical dream villas in vernacular style. Today, however, a new internationalism is emerging : along with wood, alang-alang and bamboo are ceramics, stone and glass; pavilion-style is being replaced with a more modern vision of space. Here, we showcase the most inspiring examples of contemporary residences, shops, restaurants, studios and resort homes the island has to offer.

The Tropical Garden

Tropical gardens in Bali are traditionally associated with a sense of fecundity, Javanese-inspired water gardens or junglescapes with mossy walls and hand carved statues and fountains. Today’s gardens seem to have taken this style one step further : firstly, they are designed more to complement the architecture that they are attached too, and, secondly, there is more order and definition in the planting. In this section we portray the creme-de-la-creme of Ball’s private and resort landscaped gardens.

The Delightful Balinese Pavilion

No longer is the ‘bale simply a 4-poster wooden platform protected by a thatched roof. Innovative designs are emerging: be they modernist stone structures shaded by canvas “umbrella-roofs” or vernacular-inspired, poolside loungers, all are excellent dens for the those seriously committed to languour-induced afternoons. Here, we showcase a selection of contemporary reinterpretations of the classic Balinese pavilion.

The Tropical Water

Water is the source of life for the Balinese; it is also a wonderful cooling element in hot and humid climates, it’s not surprising, therefore, that virtually every architect and landscape artist incorporates some type of water feature in their designs. Here, we present an array of contemporary water features: gardens, open-to-the-air bathrooms, numerous cascades, fountains and springs, modernist pool scapes, even a giant, eleptical, rooftop lily and lotus pond. Water as play, water as architectrual element and of course water as a natural source of nourishment for garden and soul alike.