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Stacy's Finds
Living "green" doesn't necessarily mean giving up little luxuries…Private pool at Green Village overlooking Bali's Ayung River.
Green Village signature "Moon Door." Walking in and out of these round glass doors feels 'Alice in Wonderland-esque'. Are you stepping into the future or into the past?
Creative Director, Elora Hardy, takes it all in at a 5 a.m. photo shoot with acclaimed photographer Rio Helmi. This top floor home office takes working from home to a whole new level.
Thank you to Ibuku style guru, Elora Hardy, for spending the afternoon turning us on to what many consider to be the greenest residential neighborhood on the planet.
Located adjacent to Green School in Bali, this small community of approximately twenty homes is built with sustainability in mind, utilizing bamboo of all shapes and sizes, colors and textures and incorporating home design based around the earth's natural contours while adding bits of bling; hand hammered brass sinks and tubs along with lots of solid glass floor to ceiling windows; allowing the coconut grove and Ayung River views to shine.
The black bamboo wall and floor coverings were my absolute favorite. Elora says that one of the homeowners designed her master bedroom complete with black bamboo.
Who would've thunk that bamboo could actually create a sensual atmosphere, but in this sexy natural color it does.
After graduating from art school and working with Donna Karan in NYC as the fashion house's sole print designer, Elora moved back to her childhood home of Bali to turn the world onto design in a different way, uber chic sustainable living.
Holiest Day of 2010
The Balinese celebrate full moon every month as if it were Christmas and New Year's combined, but this last Harvest Moon was considered the most holy day of the year.
I was talked into going on a temple tour of sorts to cleanse and pray; exactly what a good Hindu would do on such a special day. After visiting the beautiful Tanah Lot temple on Bali's southwest coast while the hubby's family was in town last year, the heat and hordes of vendors selling plastic baubles of all shapes and sizes kind of ruined my temple buzz. I tried to put this bad experience aside and give Bali's renowned mystical energy another try.
The difference on this day was going to the temples with my local friends. I wasn't the white guy in the back with an oversized camera hanging around my neck and I felt comfortable going with the flow; bathing in holy water, meditating within the inner walls of the temple with my incense and flower offering, drinking three times from the blessing water, and placing a few granules of moist rice on my forehead.
It sounds cheesy, but with millions of others doing the same thing as me that day, the energy was electrifying. I had to hold back the tears for the first five minutes of our meditation to finally reach a point of calm to sink into and breathe. As the gamelan music played and the sun peeked in and out of the protective cloud cover, my Balinese friend whispered, "If there's anything you have been dreaming about, now is the time to ask for it. Right now."
It's true, that exact moment felt like a coming together point where anything seemed possible. I can now say from first hand experience that Bali magic is alive and well, and at the very least I now know why the Balinese walk around with rice stuck to their foreheads!
Temple at Lake Batur
Gratitude is our religion…
Today was a big day for our ‘ohana as we spent the afternoon in Ubud officially kick starting “Ibu & Me,” our grassroots “clothes-raiser.”
We collected several large bags of gently recycled clothing from the parents of Dyatmika School and needed to find a place where they would be directly distributed to Bali’s families in need – a small thank you on our part for the unforgettable life experiences that we are having here.
On Bumi Sehat‘s website, their emergency wish list includes infant clothing and 100% cotton receiving blankets, so we figured they would be a great place to start. We arrived in the beautiful village of Nyuh Kuning, loaded with not only baby clothes but nice duds for big sister, brother, mom and dad!
Our friend and village leader, Made (mah-day) Wena welcomed us while founder Robin Lim, blessed us with a warm thank you. Ibu Robin as she is lovingly known is a devoted midwife, author and peace activist.
She founded the donation only health center in 1995 as a safe haven for families and delivers over 600 babies every year. Robin’s daughter, Deja, has created an internationally award winning documentary about her mother’s inspiring life.
Green bliss…
Choosing Quality Over Quantity…
Sustainable luxury is not a new term, but one that consumers will hear more of as we make a conscientious choice to live better, choosing handmade pieces designed to endure for decades.
According to Francois-Henri Pinault, chairman of the French luxury giant PPR that represents brands such as Gucci, "The idea of luxury is shifting from excess and waste and returning to genuine values that include timelessness, sincerity and exemplary standards."
Brands like Diamond Head Road employ artisans who possess specific skills passed down from generation to generation; skills that often cannot be found in western countries such as the U.S. as we found when we were experimenting with our first silk wraps.
As Anne Zegna, image director of one of the world's most luxurious men's fashion brands points out, "The fashion business has an obligation to sustain those skills and the lives of those workers."
At DHR, we recently launched a grassroots "clothes-raiser" called "Ibu* & Me" which reaches out to parents of the many international schools in Bali to recycle gently used clothing and baby blankets that we are distributed to the island's families in need.
We couldn't exist without the skilled people of Bali, and the idea of helping the children here makes us even more excited about expanding our brand.
*Ibu is Balinese slang for mommy
No Bling or Fanfare On the Menu…
Just like the pink lotus ponds that greet you upon arrival at Amanusa, a perfected subtle luxury can be found in all aspects of the resort's landscape, service and ambiance.
The resort's luxe boutique offers guests a perfect island wardrobe including immaculate Panama hats, Indian inspired caftans, silk cocktail dresses, and of course an array of DHR peek-a-boo sheer cover ups and strapless tunics.
The Aman must think Bali is a pretty special place as they have built three successful getaways here that also include the Amandari, renowned for helping put Ubud on the map, and Amankila, the crown jewel of the up and coming East Coast of the island.
Europe’s Itsy Bitsy Bikini Expert
We are so excited to announce our upcoming launch in Europe with exclusive representation by Clickini, an online bikini, swimsuit and resort wear website based in Ireland.
Clickini represents many of Europe’s top designers including Tomas Maier, former Head of Creative Design at Bottega Veneta.
Maier created his own line in 1998 and is known for simple, yet high quality bikinis in fun solid shades of fuchsia, cherry red, sand, black and royal blue.
Clickini offers shipping world wide in a gorgeous signature box tied with a luscious satin ribbon.