I love finding gems. Those interior stores that sell something unique, something handcrafted, something different and, always, special.

Lucky me! (and now you too) when I got to visit the cool warehouse-like space of Craft District in Kerobokan.

Mary was born in the US but raised in Holland, by Dutch-Indonesian parents. She came to Bali 20 years ago on a trip to understand their mother’s mixed culture and the inevitable happened. She arrived in paradise and never left! Mary met the love of her life and together they started their business together.

Years later, Before opening  retail showroom for individual clients and smaller exclusive art and craft productions, Mary and her husband were wholesalers and manufacturers who sold overseas with their other Bali-based company ‘Baliworlds Interiors’. For over a decade they exhibited at major international trade shows such as the famous Ambiente and Tendence fairs at Messe Frankfurt in Germany and at the trendy Maison et Objet in Paris.

Craft District opened its doors in 2016. Their business specializes in creating wooden furniture pieces, such as handmade stools, teak wood mirrors, large ceramic vases, antique statues, and tabletop pieces such as fruit bowls and platters. The ceramic vases are hand-turned. Their fruit bowls and platters show true craftsmanship, each piece has been hammered or carved. You can tell that every piece has been handmade by skillful artisans.

They pride themselves on respecting the environment, creating fair working conditions for their artisans, and giving back to the community. They work closely together with the craftsmen in their area of Kerobokan and its surroundings by providing employment and keeping centuries-old traditions alive and well.

Most of their products are made of recycled wood. With some pieces, such as the large tables and several stools, they combine old teak wood with iron to create a raw industrial look. Everything that they display in the showroom is hand-carved, hand-made, and hand-crafted. The love that goes into the creation of each and every object is very obvious. And of course, after visiting their store I couldn’t leave empty-handed! I ended up doing a bit of shopping myself!