Gianyar regency, the stretch of Bali between Denpasar and Ubud, is where a great deal of the island’s craft is made. If you want furniture in Sukawati, Celuk or on the road towards Ubud, you will pass hundreds of shops and workshops in a single drive. The skill is telling which ones make what they sell.
This guide covers the craft villages in brief, the difference between an art market piece and made-to-order furniture, how to tell a workshop from a shop that resells, what to ask about timber and finish, and how to get your furniture home.
We are a second-generation furniture workshop at Jl. Setra Cemenggon No.88, Celuk, Sukawati. We have made furniture for export since 1997, so we know this road well.
The craft villages, briefly
Each village in this part of Gianyar is known for a craft, and the names help when you are planning a day.
- Celuk is known for silver and gold work.
- Sukawati is known for its art market.
- Mas is known for woodcarving.
- Batuan is known for painting.
- Ubud, further north, is the area most visitors know.
These are reputations, and each village has other trades too. Furniture workshops sit among them across the regency. Ours is in Celuk.
Art market pieces and made-to-order furniture
An art market is a good place for small things: carvings, textiles, baskets, decorative pieces you can carry home in a suitcase. Prices are often negotiated on the spot, and you take the item with you.
Furniture you will live with every day is a different purchase. A dining table, a bed or a wardrobe has to fit your room, carry weight for years and cope with your climate. When you buy furniture off a stall or a shop floor, you get the piece that is there, in the size and finish it already has.
Made-to-order furniture works the other way round. You choose the design, the size, the timber and the finish. A drawing is agreed before anything is cut. The piece is built for your room.
Ask any seller three questions:
- Who made this, and where?
- What timber is it, and is it solid or veneered?
- Can you make it in another size or finish?
If the seller cannot answer the first two, treat the piece as decor and price it that way.
How to tell a workshop from a shop that resells
Plenty of furniture shops in Bali sell pieces made by someone else. There is nothing wrong with that. But it changes what you can ask for, who answers for the quality and who you go back to if something goes wrong.
On a visit, a workshop usually shows itself quickly.
Timber in stock. A maker keeps timber: boards stacked to dry, slabs waiting to be cut, offcuts on the floor.
Work in progress. Half-built frames, carcasses with no doors yet, tops waiting for a finish. Half-built pieces let you see joinery and timber thickness that a finished surface hides.
A finishing area. Sanding, oiling and spraying take space and leave traces.
Drawings and samples. A workshop that makes to order will offer a drawing, a finish sample and a written price before production.
Straight answers about lead time. A maker can tell you when your piece will be cut, built and finished, because they control each stage.
For the questions to ask before you choose any supplier, and the risks of buying through a middleman, see our guide to sourcing agents and direct workshops in Bali.
We are direct from the maker, not a catalogue reseller. Our gallery and our workshop share one address in Celuk.
Questions to ask about timber and finish
Timber is where most of the price sits, and where most of the confusion is.
Which species? Teak, mahogany and suar look different, wear differently and cost differently. “Teak look” and “teak colour” are not species names.
Which grade? Teak in particular is sold in grades. Grade A heartwood is dearer than lower grades with more sapwood and knots. Our guide to real and fake teak covers how to check.
Solid or veneer? Ask about tops, panels and backs separately. A solid frame with a board back is a different piece from solid all through.
How was it dried? Timber that is not dried properly can move, crack or open at the joints once it leaves Bali’s humidity. Ask what moisture content the maker works to.
Which finish, on which wood? A finish looks different on each species. Ask to see it on the timber you are buying.
We work in Grade A teak, mahogany, suar (including live edge) and reclaimed timber, in your size and finish. We offer natural oil, matte PU, white wash and antique finishes, and we send a physical sample on the actual species before we start.
Getting your furniture home
Within Bali
Small pieces can go in a car. Anything larger needs a truck and proper wrapping, because bare timber scuffs and dents easily in transit.
Our local deliveries are blanket-wrapped. Delivery is free to Pemogan, Sidakarya, Pedungan, Sesetan, Sanur Kauh and Sanur. Other zones cost between Rp 50.000 and Rp 500.000. Our delivery and shipping page lists the zones.
There is no minimum for local orders. Local custom pieces take 4 to 8 weeks, confirmed in writing with the quote.
Overseas
If you live abroad, a Gianyar purchase becomes an export. That means crating, export documents and either a full container or a shared one.
For trade buyers, our minimum is one 20ft or one 40ft container, quoted FOB or CIF from the Port of Benoa, with a lead time of 60 to 90 days from order confirmation. We handle the packing list, certificate of origin and phytosanitary certificate.
Before you buy anything to ship, read our guide on how to import furniture from Bali. It explains Incoterms, landed cost and the questions to settle before a first order.
Why buying at the workshop helps
You talk to the people who make the piece. Questions about joinery, timber and finish get a direct answer.
You can change things. A bed 10 cm longer, a buffet in a darker finish, a table that fits a narrow room: a workshop can make these, a reseller usually cannot.
You agree it in writing. We do not cut anything until the drawing, the price and the date are agreed in writing.
You have somewhere to come back to. We also repair, refinish and restore solid wood furniture, so the workshop that made your piece can look after it later.
Frequently asked questions
Is Celuk only for silver and gold?
Celuk is best known for silver and gold work, but other trades work there too. Our furniture workshop and gallery are in Celuk, at Jl. Setra Cemenggon No.88.
Can I order furniture to my own size in Sukawati?
Yes, from a workshop that makes to order. We make furniture to your drawings or photos, in your size and finish, and agree the drawing, price and date in writing before production.
Do you deliver to Ubud?
Delivery is free to some south Bali areas, and other zones cost between Rp 50.000 and Rp 500.000. Message us with your address and we will confirm the zone and the fee.
Is it better to buy from an art market or a workshop?
For small decorative pieces, an art market works well. For furniture you will use every day, a workshop lets you choose the timber, size and finish, and gives you a drawing and price in writing before work starts.
Visit us in Celuk
Our workshop and gallery are at Jl. Setra Cemenggon No.88, Celuk, Sukawati, open Monday to Saturday, 9am to 6pm, by appointment. Book through our contact page or on WhatsApp at +62 812-3842-178, and read more about us as a furniture supplier in Bali. We reply within 48 hours.