DEMAND AUTHENTICITY // FRESH RESEARCH + INSPIRATION
DISCOVER MORE ABOUT OUR GENUINELY ONE OF A KIND PRODUCTS, THE INCREDIBLE PLACES THEY ARE SOURCED FROM, DESIGNER TIPS AND TRICKS, AND A PEEK BEHIND THE SCENES AT ANSERAI HQ.
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TRIBAL STATUES IN EAST INDONESIA: THE PROTECTION OF THE ANCESTORS
The islands of Timor, Sumba and Flores are towards the east end of the long chain of beaches, paddies, volcanoes and coral reefs that make up the Indonesian archipelago. I’ve written about them all before (see here for Timor / Sumba / Flores) in the context of their...
ELLY’S TOP THREE PICKS FOR YOGA IN BALI
/So if Sarah's the undisputed surfing master / beach bum in this duo, Elly is claiming the yoga title. / Whether you know your vinyasa from your ashtanga and your proud pigeon from your king pigeon, or you're a complete yoga newbie, here are her top three spots for...
PAPUAN SHELL NECKLACES: CUNNING CANNIBALS, COWRIE CURRENCY + CARVED CORAL
Try saying that really really quickly. The island of New Guinea, the world's second-largest, lies just north of Australia at the far eastern end of the Indonesian archipelago, where the Coral Sea becomes the South Pacific. The land mass is split right down the middle...
IKATS IN SUMBA: A FEAST OF COLOUR AND FORM AND DECAPITATED HEADS
The island of Sumba is part of the province of Nusa Tenggara, surrounded by the Flores Sea: It's always been a little-travelled spot, which has allowed it to keep its traditional culture and animist 'Merapu' religion intact for longer than a lot of places. It's so...
GET THE LOOK: BEACH HOUSE CHIC
So with the temps creeping up in both San Fran and Singapore, the Anserai team hankering after some serious beach time! With the sun shining there’s nothing better than whites, woods, natural textures and {of course} a couple of our show-stopping Papuan tribal shell...
SONGKETS IN BALI: GLITTERING THREADS, GLAM ROYALS AND GOLD GOLD GOLD
The origins of the songket weaving technique seem to be a little murky and mysterious, with a few different theories about when and where exactly it evolved. I've picked the one I like best to write about here - not exactly a scientific process but I'm the boss in...
GALLERY WALL 101: BRIGHT / ECLECTIC / RELAXED
We have some exciting new additions to our artwork collection in the works here at Anserai, so we thought we'd take the opportunity to do a little round up of gallery wall tips and tricks. Our in-house interior designer, Elly MacDonald, is pretty partial to (read:...
IKATS IN FLORES: THE INFLUENCE OF NUNS, VOLCANOES AND THE SPICE TRADE
The island of Flores is one of the Lesser Sunda Islands of Indonesia, just a short hop across the ocean from Sumba {which I wrote about recently - see here}. It is a hugely diverse place in terms of tribes, topography, textiles and tongues. Because of its strategic...
ANSERAI IN THE PRESS
We were delighted to have our Money Cowrie / Natural Twine Mounted Papuan Tribal Shell Necklace {clicky clicky here} featured in the latest edition of Real Life Magazine - thanks for the shout out! / {Real Life Magazine} SaveSave
TEXTILE SAMPLES AVAILABLE!
Roll up, roll up, come check out the complimentary samples we're now offering of our incredible, literally one of a kind vintage Indonesian ikat and songket textiles:/ Just shoot us an email to info@anserai.com to request your sample pack! SaveSave
IKATS IN SABU: THE TALE OF A SERIOUS SISTERLY BUST UP
Sabu {or commonly 'Savu'} is an eeny weeny little island in the Lesser Sunda group, roughly halfway between Sumba and Timor {also comprising two other even smaller islands, but they're not massively interesting textile-wise}. It has a very similar history to that of...
DEXTERITY AND SKILL: NOT JUST OUR BALINESE ARTISANS
Our fantastic local framer in California has just sent over some 'work in progress' photos from his recent work on Anserai's Collection #1. Not only is he framing some pieces, but also displaying some using reused/distressed wood bases and iron armatures. Given that...
GET THE LOOK: BOHO TROPICAL LIVING SPACE
Justina Blakeney's insanely gorgeous blush/textural/tropical design has had us all kinds of giddy over here at Anserai HQ when it was unveiled a couple of months back. Get the look below {with the addition of our very own vintage blush/peach Indo ikat pillow, why of...
COMMITTING IKAT SACRILEGE (OR HOW OUR VINTAGE PILLOW COLLECTION IS MADE}
Chopping up beautiful decades old ikat sarongs and selandang songket trims takes nerves of steel, I can tell you that for free. They are certainly better off being scavenged for parts as opposed to where I originally found them... …but it is still...
IKATS IN TIMOR: PESKY RAJAHS, ANCESTOR WORSHIP AND SQUIGGLY CROCS
I wrote about the gorgeous buna textiles coming out of Timor a while back now, but today I wanted to talk about their ruddy lovely ikats. The island of Timor is one of the major landmasses of East Nusa Tenggara, poking out of the Savu Sea between the Solor Archipelago...
COWRIE SHELLS: AMONG THE WORLD’S OLDEST CURRENCIES
One of my favourite elements of Anserai's first collection is our range of unique and all natural tribal shell necklaces sourced from Papua, in the very east of the Indonesian archipelago. While sourcing some of these necklaces from a trader in Bali, I discovered the...
SPOTLIGHT ON: ELLY MACDONALD DESIGN
{ elly macdonald design website / anserai tribal statue / anserai framed ikats / anserai framed shell necklaces } SaveSave
“WE HAVE NO ART”
"We have no art. We do everything as well as we can" - Balinese Proverb When the explorer from the "civilized world" asked the Balinese to show him their art, they were puzzled. The explorer tried to explain what art is to the very capable but rather uncomfortable...
GET THE LOOK: BOHO TRIBAL LIVING ROOM
We've been loving this ethnic-y, boho tribal living space for a loooong time, here at Anserai. The simple and all natural colour scheme is livened up by a serious textural onslaught - reclaimed wood, sheepskin, linens, sisal, antiqued brass and fur all get a look in....
A SPIRITUAL ISLAND
Inseparable from the religious rituals of Bali are the many temples of the island. To the Balinese, temples and their various structures are not worshipped but are meant to be a pleasant resting place for the gods on their stay on the island. Every house has its own...
DAWN AT UBUD MARKET
Ubud is known as the cultural center of Bali and as a land of artists. At Anserai, we absolutely love its traditional charm, and stunning array of beautiful artisanal crafts. There is no difficulty finding authenticity amisdt the squatting Balinese sellers haggling...
COLLECTION #1: INSPIRED BY BALI
Our debut collection for Anserai is sourced from the beautiful island of Bali, Indonesia. Sandwiched between Borneo and Australia, this archipelago of volcanoes, reefs and jungle is a paradise on earth whether you're a beach bum, diver or simply addicted to textiles...
SPOTLIGHT ON: INDO IKAT MOTIFS
/ { berry/forest green flowers, stars + dots, black/dove euro florals, indigo/ice blue colonial crests, fig/berry patola-inspired, indigo/forget-me-not basket handles, black/peach {aristocratic} horses }
BUNA IN TIMOR: CHINESE MERCHANTS, GECKOS AND COLOUR-POP THREADS
The island of Timor is one of the major landmasses of East Nusa Tenggara, poking out of the Savu Sea between the Solor Archipelago and Australia. Similar to Papua {which I wrote about recently, see here}, it is split slap bang right down the middle, into the very...