And it is people that design, create furniture, which has been an essential part of lifestyles as far back as 3100 BC (Artsper Magazine, 2021), with notable and even obscure pieces forming the collective oeuvre of an uncountable number of craftsmen over millennia.

In contemporary art, the more obscure, the further it is from being finite. This is the very essence of Palem Living’s collaboration with award-winning designers Cynthia Margareth, Eugenio Hendro and Liko Sukhoy, all of who have dared to redefine living spaces with a contemporary, authentic and nostalgic twist.

A contemporary furniture and interior design company that not only manipulates spatial concepts to cater to its customers’ idea of home, Palem Living is using its experience in the nuances of design and the psychology behind customers’ selections to reimagine today’s furniture.

Palem Living premiered this vision on Sept. 14 at the Indonesian Furniture Industry and Handicraft Association (IFFINA) Indonesian Meubel & Design Expo 2023, in collaboration with furniture manufacturer KOBEKS.

Cynthia, Eugenio and Liko all leaned toward juxtaposing a nonconformist and playful approach to elevate an individual sense of homeyness from within: Instead of letting furniture define us, we can define our furniture.

This collective passion to deconstruct the concept of space echose of Gaston Bachelard, who once mused that the self grieves for an imaginative space to be liberated from the edges and corners of the world.

Liko told The Jakarta Post that this was exactly what he strived for, not only to delimit the bounds of a home, but also to embrace the infinite sense of individual belonging through a wide variety of furniture and interior accessories to inspire and elevate customers’ dream space.

“It tells about memories and childhood, about neon lights, about pop-ups, which is the reason why I tried to deconstruct that kind of creation to create something more immersive to actually get all the colors, to even get the photographic approach to make it a bit more quirky, a bit more distinctive, to be more representable as a [Palem Living piece], in collaboration with Cynthia and Eugenio,” said Liko.

Inspired by Indonesian children’s games, Cynthia explored Liko’s stance on self-expression through her collection, a poignant exploration of the many versions of the self.

“It started as an accident,” said Cynthia, explaining the surprising start to these collaborative ideas.

“We had a talk like, ‘How about we create some authentic designs for Palem Living?’” she recalled.

“You can express the owner’s character and for the theme, to create better branding for [its] market position so the clients can relate more. Because through the Palem Living collection, it’s like we can express another version of ourselves.”

This elevates and reflects the sense of belonging to a place, which Cynthia has accentuated in her Lila Collection.

Featuring pieces inspired by traditional toys, such as in the almost animated curves of the collection’s pale terracotta sofa or in the inverted chair legs that mirrors bamboo stilts. These nods to childhood bring comfort to the residents of a house, while also sparking an ageless sense of playfulness and curiosity.

Such pieces that evoke childhood nostalgia pairs perfectly with Eugenio’s experimental theme with a splash of a psychedelic blanket, like a comforting latte. After much experimentation, testing the bounds of Palem Living’s dare-to-be-different spirit is what inspired his collection.

Colors have the ability to influence the emotions and tone of a space, like conversation and laughter between sips of coffee.

This brought into being Eugenio’s vibrant, Electric Dreamscrape Nostalgic Neon Pop collection, which revives the nonconformist ‘70s style.

“Since we first agreed to collaborate, I needed to find out what is the DNA of Palem Living,” Eugenio said.

His collection includes a credenza in a silky smooth olive wash, recalling a child about to go down a shiny playground slide. He also pointed out a small collection of wooden tables that might look neutral on first impression, but revealed much more.

“You see the shapes? It’s almost like a mushroom and an elephant’s legs, and the shape is extremely uneven. So it’s very unique, because furniture is supposed to be fun!” he exclaimed.

Liko also took inspiration from cubism for his creative direction, translated through the mesh of neon, revived and unusual shapes of the trio’s collections, proving that a variety of genres indeed adds spice to living spaces, even as each piece can stand alone as an accent piece.

Palem Living invites customers to experience the magic of mixing and matching. The key is to trust one’s instinct and have fun, explained CEO and founder Chichi Tjandra and representative Vicky Divine.

So how would each of them describe the ambiance of Palem Living’s daring collaboration in one word?

“Peculiar-casual,” said Liko.

“Theatrical,” added Cynthia.

“Loudly organic,” noted Eugenio.

“Crazy,” said Chichi.

“Out of this world,” Vicky said.

From simple functionality to avant-garde design, Palem Living has evolved furniture to embrace the beauty and concept of art to imbue homes with fun-loving comfort.

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