The Evolution of Indonesian Furniture Style

In the worldwide furniture sector, Indonesia is now playing a global role. The data demonstrates that this industry has grown significantly due to its high export rate. Since 2015, Indonesian furniture exports have exceeded US$ 2 billion. The majority of demand comes from Europe (particularly the Netherlands, France, Germany, and Eastern Europe), the United States, Australia, and other countries. In addition, Indonesia has joined the International Furniture Manufacturing Components (IFMAC) and participates in its annual international exposition. Certainly, becoming an IFMAC participant is required because this platform has been accepted by worldwide furniture conglomerates.

As the world's largest furniture marketplace, IFMAC is a strategic media to propel the Indonesian furniture industry forward through worldwide promotion, increased investment opportunities, and the development of contemporary innovation to match global standards. Local furniture producers are becoming more prevalent in Indonesia, particularly in Jepara (and other districts of Central Java such as Solo, Semarang, and Kudus), Bali, Yogyakarta, Sumatra, East Java, West Java, and Kalimantan.

Because of two factors: rich raw materials and human resource availability, Indonesia has a significant potential opportunity in the furniture business. Geographically, Indonesia is located on the equator, which provides significant benefits such as a large number of tropical forests. Tropical forests provide an abundance of raw resources for the furniture business, including wood, pulp, and rattan. The majority of Indonesian furniture is made of wood. No surprise, Indonesia is well-known for its high-quality timber, which is a major export item. To create beautiful furniture, high-quality materials must be combined with capable human resources.

Indonesia is well-known for its high culture, which includes many traditional artisans such as carpenters and craftspeople. Indonesian carpenters and craftspeople are often detail-oriented, meticulous, and inventive. Both variables can result in ship-shape furniture that meets export quality standards. Furthermore, there are a number of supporting variables that might attract a worldwide market. Here are seven qualities of Indonesian furniture that you should be aware of.

Indonesian Furniture Signature: Nature Element

Raw materials, as previously said, are one of the causes driving the furniture industry's rapid growth. Indonesian furniture is mostly made of wood (particularly teak and mahogany), pulp, bamboo, and rattan. Teak wood is the most popular. Let us state that teak furniture is a trademark in this sector. Nowadays, we can see a slew of indigenous manufacturing firms sprouting up across Indonesia. Jepara has grown to become the largest furniture manufacturing center in Indonesia. It is well-known for producing world-class teak furniture, which has become the country's principal export item.

Teak wood is transformed into many types of furniture by the carpenters' magical hands, including chairs, tables, cupboards, credenzas, cabinets, beds, and bookshelves. It has been a never-ending trend among Indonesians till now. The key is durability. The first need in furniture choosing is its quality. The second step is to consider aesthetics, which includes design. Teak wood is a high-quality material that results in long-lasting and robust furniture. It is normally termite and weather resistant.

Most importantly, it may be adapted to any sort of furniture. As a result, teak wood is more expensive when compared to other wood products. Given the quality, the price is well justified. You don't want to have to buy furniture all the time, do you? A high-quality piece of furniture is more than adequate since it will endure longer. Another advantage of purchasing teak furniture is that you will save money!

Traditional Home Furnishings

In the Indonesian furniture business, Classis style is a pioneer. This style was formerly popular only among the royals, a long time before the independence era. Indonesian furniture style, in addition to its natural element feature, stresses the cultural aspect expressing cultural heritage. Indonesia has a wide culture, and each culture is represented in furniture style. Classical style has eloquently conveyed the cultural expression via ethnical, floral, and symbolic designs. In the beginning, furniture was just concerned with utility and did not consider other factors such as beauty. The furniture trend is only popular among the regal and privileged.

The designs mostly depict cultural symbols and power identities such as dragons or lively creatures, flowers, spears, swords, and many more. The classic furniture trend is ageless and will continue to be popular till the end of time. A teak hardwood table with a Batik pattern, for example, may become popular. Meanwhile, people from the lower-middle class employ other materials such as bamboo to produce inexpensive furniture because teakwood is nearly impossible to come by.

Furniture in the Colonial Style

Colonization, particularly Dutch colonialism, has had an impact on many elements of Indonesian life, including furniture. Indonesian furniture style was heavily inspired by European style during the colonial era. During the early colonial period, typical hardwood materials included black ebony, calamander, and teak with European motifs such as angels, crowns, and lions. The most well-known piece of statement furniture is the high seat-back chair, often known as an English chair, a Dutch high back chair, or a Raffles chair. These are frequently used in government offices and churches. The highlight of colonial furniture is a curve or oval component that is ageless. Even now, you may purchase a hardwood chair with an oval-shaped portion.

Furniture style of the 1900s was heavily impacted by modern cultural movements such as Art Deco, Art Nouveau, Arts & Crafts, and Bauhaus. People are becoming more interested in geometric patterns than natural ones. The furniture's aesthetic visual force is enhanced by the powerful and well-structured geometric lines. Unlike the classic style period, which focuses utility, this age begins to emphasize aesthetics, as seen by the rich artistic patterns. Additionally, individuals begin to improve the raw resources by creating more rattan furniture.

The Original Indonesian Furniture Style: Indonesian Yankee

Yankee, or jengki in Indonesian, is a pivotal element in the 1960s and 1970s Indonesian furniture period. After independence, the political fight to defining national identity in all aspects, including architecture, continues. People start producing and consuming jengki furniture style to reinforce national identity. Jengki style develops a counter-movement to colonial architecture and furnishing design. Jengki furniture is more representative of Indonesian subtlety and individuality.

The chair design clearly shows the signature of jengki furniture. It's a standard flat chair with sharp edges. It flawlessly mixes two distinct materials, true wood and steel. Without a doubt, wood is not the only material utilized in jengki furniture. Rattan and rubber are popular complimentary materials. Rattan furniture, like teak wood, has a long lifespan. Rubber is being used as the seat back of steel chairs. This type of chair is ideal for your patio to provide a bright touch to your house.

Retro Indonesian Furniture

The 1970s and 1980s were a period of rapid expansion in infrastructure, including architecture. Modern structures begin to rise, having a significant impact on furniture style. It influences so-called vintage furniture, a popular design among urbanites at the time. Retro furniture incorporates bright hues such as red, blue, purple, or yellow with earthy tones. Retro style, like earlier eras, experiments with pattern, adapting prior geometric motifs to be more repetitious and clean. Retro furniture is distinguished by dotted (or polkadot) and straight-line patterns.

Another technique to achieve a vintage look is to use synthetic materials. Rubber, plastic, vinyl, or fiber are popular synthetic materials that are blended with metal components such as copper, steel, or bronze. Folding easy chairs with rubber pads, two-door closet with large mirror, and rotatable circular dining table are prominent furniture kinds in this era. Retro style will never go out of trend in the Indonesian furniture business and will always be a source of inspiration for designers. This style now has its own worth and is becoming more popular among urbanites. It has recently inspired several coffee shops and cafés to introduce the vintage theme.

Furniture of the First Wave

In the early 1990s, Indonesians were acquainted with minimalist design, which was inspired by American and European minimalist concepts. The increased demand for minimalist furniture reflects the urban population's preference for a simple lifestyle. People's preferences shift from old-fashioned classic style to minimalist furnishings. Society is changing, and living should be more realistic and straightforward. Because to the shift in lifestyle, Indonesian furniture characteristics appear simpler, contemporary, and monochromatic, with less intricate ornaments or embellishments. Teak furniture, on the other hand, remains popular among the wealthy.

Furniture for the Modern Minimalist

As the century approaches, the minimalist theme remains popular but appears more contemporary. Furniture is becoming more adaptable in its purpose. The term "furniture" no longer refers just to a chair, table, bedroom set, cabinet, or dining set. The phrase has become more wide as technology has advanced. In Indonesia, the digital era began to emerge in the early 2000s. Furniture is also manufactured to meet the demands of technology. A real-life example is a computer desk. With delicate monochromatic color palettes, Indonesian furniture preserves the simplicity of the minimalist philosophy. The raw materials are becoming more diverse, while teak wood remains the finest.

Businessmen begin to examine lowering production costs by using alternative materials such as plywood or chipboard. Chipboard is a recovered paper stock that is commonly used for desks, cupboards, bookcases, and computer desks. Plywood is usually stronger than chipboard. However, these materials are less durable than teakwood, but they are less expensive. Since furniture has grown more commercial, durability is no longer the top consideration in selecting it, since consumers examine its usefulness depending on their needs.

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