A Wellington antiques dealer fell for Bali’s culture and people, so he’s made it his home for 17 years.
Enchanted by Bali’s climate and its “beautiful people”, a former Wellingtonian has created a sanctuary there
Just past Seminyak, on Bali’s south-west coast, the traffic starts to thin and hip boutiques and cafes give way to emerald green rice paddies and ancient shrines. Turn left down a dusty lane, pass a row of thirsty frangipani trees, and you’ll be greeted by Maddy, a street dog turned pampered pooch. Close behind will be Michael Nalder, a former Wellington interior designer and antiques dealer, who has called Bali home for 17 years.
When he first spotted the 600sqm section seven years ago, it was an empty paddock grazed by the occasional cow. But Michael, who’d been living nearby in a villa he’d extensively renovated, figured the land would be perfect for a compact sanctuary – both from Bali’s heat and its chaos.
“I’ve bought and sold many houses both in New Zealand and Bali, so I had a clear idea of what I wanted,” says Michael. “But mainly I needed a place to store all the antique furniture and objects I’ve collected over the years.”
The result is Villa Telengis, a private two-bedroom house built in a U-shape around a 10m pool. The house is named after a remote Balinese village a few hours north of Seminyak where Michael owns what he calls a basic shack: “There’s no electricity or running water but it’s on the river.” Telengis is also where Michael befriended the master craftsmen who ended up building this concrete home. >
“They do everything traditionally by hand, so while it took eight months to build this house, it’s been done with love and care.”
Michael designed the house to reflect Indonesian/Dutch colonial style, including opening the kitchen, dining and living rooms directly onto the pool. This allows air to circulate, crucial during the heat of the day. The patterned cement floor is also weather appropriate, and Michael used pastel ceramic tiles to differentiate the space’s various functions, such as the dining area. “I saw these tiles in the Sultan’s Palace in Java, so tracked down the factory and had them made from the same mould.”
A 7m-high stud was needed to incorporate the wall of coloured panels from a 1920s Javanese house that Michael found a few years ago. He replaced the doors in each panel with mirrors, enhancing the sense of space.
Anchoring one end of the open-air dwelling is the kitchen. Michael, who loves to cook, deliberately kept it simple, opting for a central island, a wall of white subway tiles and a compact butler’s pantry.
“There’s so much going on in here, I wanted the kitchen to be functional and no-nonsense.”
He’s referring, of course, to the treasure trove of items that spill from every corner and surface of the house, from vintage Chinese altar tables and 100-year-old day beds thick with colourful pillows to the rare vintage puppet heads he’s collected over the years. “I have items from everywhere I’ve been, which have meaning for me, so it’s great to be able to display them. I often rotate items in the house.”
There are two rooms arranged along the northern wall. The first is Michael’s bedroom, which features an intricately carved teak wall that came from a Javanese house. Michael had his builder chop a piece out of the wall to create the dramatic headboard. The en suite bathroom tucked behind the wall is in contrast to its more traditional surroundings, with modern white tiling and fittings. But mixing old with the new is something Michael has always done, both in his own homes and in his interior design work.
The second bedroom started life as a room for Michael’s rescue dogs – at one stage he had 10, now there are four – but a few years ago, he converted it into a TV room where the vibe is very much English stately house, with botanical prints and paisley sofas. >
There is also his collection of ceramics, including handmade Crown Lynn and pieces by Kiwi potter Katherine Smyth. Michael had other reminders of New Zealand but has since shipped them to a house in Portugal, two hours east of Porto, that he bought 18 months ago.
“I discovered Portugal five years ago and love it. My plan is to spend six months in each place,” says Michael, who has largely retired from the antiques business he started dabbling in as a 12-year-old. “I’d buy pieces at garage sales and church fairs and take them on the bus to sell at Wellington’s Victoria Market.”
It was during a stint in Canada when Michael fell into interior design, which eventually led to a career working on everything from the Martinborough Hotel to Wellington restaurants Monsoon Poon and Floriditas. Along the way, there were also two antiques shops, a deli and a seven-bedroom grand Wairarapa lodge.
But while on holiday in Bali in 2000, Michael fell in love with the climate and “the beautiful people” and started importing Balinese furniture to New Zealand. “I was doing five buying trips a year and thought I may as well just move here, so in 2005 I did.”
And although Bali has changed a lot since he first arrived, Michael still loves the lifestyle.
“I can’t quite believe I get to live in this great house in this fantastic country,” he says.