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MEN'S Folio
May-June 2001
MEN'S Folio, May-June 2001 > FORM (Page 72-74)
Solo Duet
Designer Jaya Ibrahim Pratomo and John Saunders blend and push
their innovative East meet West Solo furniture collection into the 21st
century.
East West fusions combining the old with the new. When I hear this I assume that the perpetrator of such concepts usually turn out a mish-mash of rehashed ideas trying to please everyone and end up irritating all. But since meeting John Saunders and Jaya Ibrahim Pratomo, my firm belief in how solid mahogany furniture should be has been enlivened.
In Singapore to release their new collection at X-tra Resort, I had the pleasure to meet these two creative dynamos and their work. Both casually dressed, John was conservative in a cotton shirt while Jaya was a little more stylish and trendy in long-sleeved tee. When I arrive, both were busy with preparation for the April 12 launch of their new furniture designs but were more than happy, under such hectic circumstances, to discuss their work.
Jaya, the more outspoken and outgoing of the two seemed to relish discoursing about their work. John was slightly more somber but still friendly even if he wasn't too keen on posing for the camera.
Jaya
and John created Solo in 1998, with business partners Yusti Suhendy and
Agung Rahardja, and their combined creative skills have quickly secured
Solo's status. The name was chosen to project the individual and unique
nature of their creations. The bold designs have created quite a stir
since their inception and the duo has garnered a solid reputation across
the globe that would be the envy of many.
Their furniture designs originally came about as a result of interior design work they had done for various hotels and private residences throughout the world. They have, for instance, created interior concepts for theAman Group at the Amanjiwo hotel in Central Java and the Amandari hotel in Bali. The Aman group is well known for its minimal design philosophy so it was no surprise that they were enamoured with the Solo style that retains and unpretentious demeanor while standing out with their strong sculptured profiles, elegant curved lines, superior craftsmanship and furniture that defies the convention of small cosy seating.
The duo created wide-bodied chairs and sofas, in particular, to communicate that instant feeling of comfort and luxury. Their most impressive effort is seen at The Dharmawangsa hotel in Jakarta where they designed the full interior architecture along with all the furniture to establish the hotel as one of the best and most impressive luxury accommodation in this region.
They prefer conceptualizing and designing hotel projects as it gives them the chance to experiment with new ideas and express different emotive environments. Over the years they have outfitted not only a range of hotels like the Setai in Miami, USA; the Hacienda Uayamon in Campeche, Mexico; and within the Asian region, the Fuchun resort hotel, China, Malaywana in Thailand and Leela Palace in Udaipur, India but also the likes of the offices of the Presidential household of Indonesia and the Central Bank of Indonesia. Their furniture and interior design concepts can also be found in private houses throughout Europe.
"The Europeans are adopting the Asians sense of design," Jaya observes. Previously, there was a tendency for Asian designers to look to Europe for inspiration. But in recent years this trend has reversed as Europeans designers realize how rich a source Asian culture can be for inspiration. This has led to both regions feeding off each other for new ideas and Solo is a prime example of this intermarriage of cultures though this was not a pre-planned notion.
"If I am in Indonesia, I design for Indonesia and if I am in Europe the same applies, " Jaya explains. The environment the pieces are meant for determine the shape and style. There is no intention to subject people to a classic English period piece. "It is a mistake to introduce European designs for Asia as it clashes and is generally unsuitable," Jaya says. He further explains that it is also a mistake to base their designs on purely traditional furniture as it today's global society such ideas are all too kitsch.
John and Jaya believe in creating pieces that are in harmony with their surroundings and not in conflict with them. They also like fusing western and eastern derivatives together to create a wholly original style. "I love Venice quite a lot because of all the cities in the world it has a true mix of European and Asian influences," says Jaya when I ask what inspires him. "The East West combination is a great them of ours," he adds.
But John says Solo's eclectic fusion is not a breeze. "The great exercise is to introduce traditional culture into the modern world without losing the essence." The challenge is never to be so crass as to merely force the two together in an unholy mess. They find that some Asian designers rely too heavily on traditional designs and become outdated or they put too much emphasis on creating a new style and end up withsomething that has no relation to the culture they are in. But John and Jaya have found a superb compromise that marries varied cultures together into simple yet stunning pieces.
Their new Dacha collection is one that immediately comes to mind as how many designers can you thing of that would havethe courage to combine influences from the Imperial Russian period with Asian style and have the talent to pull it off?The machine-carved solid mahogany chairs, in dark chocolate or deli tobacco finish with hand-woven rattan backrest and striking red cushions are an awesome sight.
The
Cinere collection is an equally impressive hybrid of Chinese and continental
European furniture that was originally conceived by Jaya for the house
he built for his parents in Cinere. That interior shot him to international
fame when it was feature in Architectural Digest in 1995.
"Style is just a tool to do something." Jaya explains, "What matters is how it al fits together." As I listed, I was waiting for even the slightest hint of arrogance in this statement perhaps betraying the fact that Jaya and Johan are trying to lead a new revival in 21st century Asian styles. But this is no ego-driven affair. What is apparent is that they work solely for their own pleasure, not trying to lead some sort of revolution but simply to follow their own inspiration and influences.
The experience and history of these gentlemen have shaped their creative minds and seen them step ahead of others in a world inundated by too much mimicry. Educated in Indonesia up to high school, Jaya moved to London to study economics as his family wished. He had no desire to continue as a banker though, so he left to wash pots and pans at Blake's Hotel. A step down maybe but his luck changed in 1980 when he met Anouska Hempel, the owner and designer of Blake's. He eventually worked as her assistant until 1992, learning and gaining an in-depth education on what drives the international lifestyle of the rich and famous.
Englishman John, on the other had, was born and raised near Old Hampton Court in London. After high school, his flair for art brought him to art school where in his words he "had a thoroughly miserable time" and left prematurely. He found world as a set decorator for local theatres that inevitably led to work in the TV and film industry and eventually famous personalities such as director Ridlry Scott took notice of his work.
John and Jaya first met through a mutual friend at Blake's in London, a den filled with celebrities from the design and film world. Their first project was an old Edwardian apartment close to Blake's that had become dilapidated. They agreed to re-style it with a mix of classic and modern features that achieved success immediately with many personalities vying for it. The first tenant was Dick Shepard the noted agent and producer who later became chairman of MGM. From occasional projects, the pair increasingly found themselves working together on numerous ventures.
John and Jaya discovered that they complement each other in their design work, each valuing the other's input. Jaya was quick to answer "In a situation like this no one is boss," when I asked them about their working relationship.
The decision to leave England was not a hard choice for either man. Though he had enjoyed working for Anouska, Jaya felt increasingly stifled under her direction and wanted to lead on his own. John also found that the latter part of the 1980s and early 1990s was a period of decline in the design and film industry in Britain due to economic conditions.
Returning to Indonesia was not a hard choice for Jaya who had been away for almost 20 years. John's reason for joining him was for the chance to experience a new culture and learn from it. Both John and Jaya work together and separately on new products. This ability to work independently and collectively shows egos are left behind when working on Solo designs.
From its inception, Solo has been an impressive if not confusing endeavour for both of them. "We sometimes think I became more Indonesia and Jaya became more Western," John says of how each other has been inspired by others's country of birth.
As John and Jaya walked me through their Solo collections and explained the difference design inspiration and processes used in their manufacture, I noticed pregnant pauses as if each is weighing how to further tweak what they have created. Both constantly look for ways to perfect their work and are their own harshest critics. This means that in the future we can look forward to even more exciting designs from them.
Article by Paul Hayes
Courtesy of MEN'S folio magazine