The unique Oma-Designed Potato Head Studios are set to become a new kind of cultural institution for Bali
June 2021 will see the opening of Bali’s first creative village, Desa Potato Head. Conceived as a multidimensional experience which transcends hospitality, it’s a place where music, art, design, food, wellness and sustainability will collide, offering a new type of holistic experience for both the local community and guests alike.
“At Desa Potato Head we’re not trying to change the industry, we want to create an entirely new model for it. If we bring people together for good times, but offer them the unexpected, it will open their minds in new ways,” says Potato Head founder Ronald Akili.
The Desa (‘desa’ means ‘village’ in Indonesian) already includes Katamama and the brand’s landmark Beach Club. The final element of Akili’s decade-spanning project are the Potato Head Studios, designed in partnership with Managing Partner – Architect David Gianotten at OMA, the Dutch practice founded by Rem Koolhaas.
Potato Head Studios will include 168 guest rooms as well as Tanaman, a plant-based Indonesian restaurant, numerous bars, a multifunctional gallery, an environmentally driven kids club, several rooftop activation areas, an amphitheatre, a beachfront pool with daybeds, a music recording studio and a permanent home for dance music’s Wild Life Archive.
Potato Head will unveil each of the aforementioned spaces throughout mid 2021 while continuing to roll out and add to their already extensive programming: beach workouts, various forms of sound healing, long-table dinners, sustainability workshops, sunset performances and acoustically focused music events.
The soft launch will shine a light on Potato Head’s global and local collaborators. Each studio features furniture and amenities made from recycled plastics and planet-friendly materials conceptualised by celebrated British designers Max Lamb and Faye Toogood, whose work is brought to life by Balinese artisans using indigenous materials and techniques as well as Potato Head’s own Sustainism Lab, an R&D team dedicated to finding circular solutions.
Watch one of Max Lamb’s exclusive designs come to life here:
“The essence of Bali lies in the interaction between different cultures. Dedicated to both guests and the community, our design for the Creative Centre encourages exchange between different kinds of users and challenges the typical Balinese resort typology that highlights exclusivity,” says OMA’s David Gianotten.
Focussed on community and inclusivity, Potato Head aims to use creativity as a medium for encouraging positive change in the world. Operating under the motto of Good Times, Do Good, they implement this philosophy not only in the spaces, but throughout the entire guest experience. Anyone checking into Potato Head Studios or Katamama will receive a zero-waste kit, which includes a water bottle, RPET tote bag, bamboo straws and other essentials, as well as refillable amenities like sunscreen, after-sun care and insect repellent.
“We’d like to welcome conscious and curious minds to our visionary utopia; visitors should leave Desa Potato Head with a more imaginative, rejuvenated mind set and we hope they return again and again,” says Creative Director Daniel Mitchell.
Potato Head
Good Times, Do Good
