Deck the walls
More than just a backdrop, wall murals bring out the concept of a restaurant & bar and adds character to the space. Eve Tedja talks to an interior designer, an illustrator and a surface designer about the role of mural art in commercial design.
Born in Yogyakarta, the Indonesianfrench artist earned her Master of Arts and Design degree in Antibes and attended a fashion and fabric design school in Marseille. Apart from designing, Katamso is also known as a painter. At the moment, she is simultaneously collaborating with a fashion brand, creating artworks for several luxury hotels and a commissioned artwork for a boat.
You started off as a muralist but grew to become an interior and surface designer. How did the transition come to be?
It was a natural move. Being an interior designer allow me to really connect the interior with the artwork. Both become one to create a unique space. I got my first opportunity to create a mural for a concept store. After a few commissions, I decided to quit my day job to become a muralist. A year later, I founded Atelier Seni. As a surface designer, I have more to offer a client. Now, we do murals, installations, prints for fabric and upholstery, and many more. Is there a mural project that most define the design of Ines Katamso?
I would say that there’s a little Ines Katamso in all of our projects! I am fond of contrasts in many ways, be it through textures, finishing or composition. I love combining geometric shapes with organic lines or adding shiny gold leaves on a matte, rustic wall. I find it interesting to play with two and three-dimensional elements, creating depths and rhythm along the way, as I did for Sugarsand beach club in Bali.
Will murals continue to be a big part of the contemporary interior design landscape?
Definitely. I think murals will evolve into something more interesting and playful, with more emphasis on volume and texture. It will evolve from its current two-dimensional aspect to be more immersive and interactive.
Ida Bagus Ratu Antoni Putra, or Monez as he is known, is a natural born artist. He has been sketching since he was five and has a Master of Art from The Indonesian Institute of the Arts, Bali. Monez’s portfolio spans from merchandise, children’s books, and artwork for app developers, and murals. His murals now adorn the walls of restaurants and hotels in Bali, such as Folie Kitchen & Pâtisserie, Mika Yakitori Bar and Anja Jimbaran. Monez works independently and constantly explores the boundary of illustrative application in different mediums and formats.
Tell us about your artistic background. Have you always been creating murals?
I’ve been working as an illustrator since 2006. The beauty of illustration is its versatility when it comes to the application. Creating murals started off as a request by some clients in 2016. I was reluctant at first because I am not a muralist. I know how to draw or paint, but the technicalities of painting a mural is not my expertise. Fortunately, I found a solid team of talented muralists who could translate my illustration perfectly onto the wall, and we did our first project for Grand Mirage Resort & Thalasso Bali.
What’s your creative process in creating a mural for a client?
I work closely with the client and sometimes with the interior designer. Most of the time, the client approaches me because they like my style and they trust me to come up with an original artwork to suit their concept and space. It is an honour that I don’t take lightly because a mural is permanent and it is always made in a large scale, and affects the whole design and ambience. I will visit the venues several times to get a better spatial idea, create a rough digital sketch, get approval from the client before I start on the colouring stage. After the final approval,
I will then brief my team with the details and start the work.
What are you working on at the moment?
My greatest joy is to collaborate with another artist, or clients who come to me with a strong concept. It is more fun and challenging. I am creating the second series of exclusive merchandise for the newly opened Starbucks Reserve Dewata, working on an illustration for a book, and a mural each for a Balinese and a Chinese restaurant.
Wall murals have been a trend in restaurant design in the last few years. How do you see it developing?
It will grow continuously. Business owners, especially in the F&B industry, are aware of the importance of good design. Murals enrich the design and create a strong identity that will leave a lasting impression on guests. It is one way to stand out from the competition, apart from many other aspects of F&B business. I will call a mural project successful when it manages to convey the story or the venue concept and complement its interior design.
From Indonesia’s top technology startup’s headquarters to Jakarta’s first design-orientated boutique hotel, Domisilium Studio has put a distinctive stamp on the country’s industrial design sphere. Its hands-on approach, great attention to detail and bespoke design can be seen in properties, such as Kosenda Hotel, ARTOTEL Yogyakarta, Tijili as well as restaurants like Picknick and Gormeteria. Together with her co-partner, Hamphrey Tedja, Alaysius is able to tap on her experiences from working at Thom Filicia, Inc, New York and Simeone Deary Design Group, Chicago to head her Jakarta-based studio.
What was your first project involving a mural?
It was with Kosenda Hotel, Jakarta, one of our first major hotel projects since we founded Domisilium Studio in 2009, and the city’s first design-focused hotels. It was a game-changer, in terms of aesthetic and concept, on what a boutique hotel can offer for its guests. We told the story of Jakarta’s vibrant street food scene through the mural at its restaurant, Waha Kitchen.
How do you define the purpose of wall murals in a design?
A mural’s purpose is to tell the story, to make a statement. It is an investment for branding and marketing. Due to my marketing background, I am always aware of this particular aspect when I work with a client and designing a space. It is important to treat it carefully by picking the right artist and create a mural that is contextual to the concept.
How do you pick the artist in your projects?
My first criterion is that the artist must know how to respond to the space and the concept. It’s collaboration after all, not an ego trip. Secondly, I have to know the artist’s style and skill. For Gormeteria, a cafeteria in Bandung, I worked with a fantastic realist artist who responded to the limitation of the four-walled space by creating a mural of a forest. Together, we turned the otherwise dark and ordinary space into a relaxed living space.
Which comes first: the mural or the design?
The concept of the business comes first. It is terribly wrong when a mural is created as an afterthought when the design is done. It is part of the whole concept, as we did in ARTOTEL Yogyakarta. The concept of the hotel is to embody the harmony of modernity and locality through folklore. We worked with seven artists who had the freedom to respond to the space. My guideline to them was that all hard surfaces were theirs to explore; just do not touch the carpet!