Raymond Davids’ Yogyakarta

SINGAPORE — The founder of d-Bodhi furniture, Raymond Davids, may have started as a florist in the Netherlands, but he moved from flowers to furniture after a trip to Indonesia. “In 2000, I got bored in the floral business, so I went to Indonesia, where I saw an opportunity (to make furniture using recycled wood),” the Dutchman explained. “I started with two workers, and, now the company has grown to about 200.”

This year is a big one for Davids: He won the Best Stand award at this year’s International Furniture Fair Singapore (IFFS) and d-Bodhi is opening a 20,000 sq feet flagship store in Yogyakarta in July. Naturally, we had to ask Davids about his favourite Yogyakarta hideouts.

CHILL IN KALIURANG

It’s a small town near Mount Merapi that’s only 20 minutes away from the centre of Yogyakarta. The air is fresh as the area is mountainous and it used to be an old Dutch village. It’s very cultural with some interesting historical buildings, too.

SHOP FOR BATIKS AND ANTIQUES

The centre of Yogyakarta is a shopping street (Jalan Malioboro), where you can find many stalls selling batik and antiques. The batik in the craft centre are particularly worth checking out as there is a wide variety of traditional, well-made batik.

GET INSPIRED IN VIAVIA

Yogyakarta is a university town. There are a lot of students and artists in the city and you can find them meeting in this restaurant where there is great food. It serves a combination of Indonesian and Western food.