Get to Know Kemala Our collaborator on Our Holiday Shop
- Tell us a bit about you! What made you decide on creating Kemala?Growing up, I’ve always loved home décor and organizing. In 2013, I had a great office job that took me to many places around Indonesia, through which I met lots of talented artisans. I saw how good their quality of work is, but they lacked access to market and knowledge about market trends. Thus, the idea of establishing Kemala came about. Combining my love for home décor and design, I work hand in hand with local artisans to create handmade items to elevate everyday living.
2. Is there something we should know that’s unique about you and your current job as a founder of Kemala?
We have a long-standing relationship with our artisan partners. The makers of our wooden products, ceramic products, brass and glass products, and also fabric-based products are all long-time collaborators of Kemala. We value our artisan partners fairly and have a very respectful and trustful relationship with them. As Kemala grows, they also grow, and that makes us very happy.
3. What was your first wooden product you created?
There was a set of 5 types of wooden boards that was released as part of Kemala’s first woodenware, and some of them remain our best-selling items to date. Can you guess what they are? They are our Skinny Teak Board, Wide Teak Board, Round Teak Board, Honeycomb Teak Board, and Cloud Teak Board. All are still selling very well up to now, but we have adapted the Cloud Teak Board to Cloud Teak Tray.
4. Why did you choose teak as your main material?
Teak is plentiful in Indonesia; their character as hard wood makes them durable and therefore long lasting. Teak has a beautiful tone, and can be sourced responsibly from legally certified teak plantations.
5. What makes a product “food-grade friendly”?
In the context of Kemala’s wooden goods, food grade basically means that they are safe for direct food contact. Therefore, you can rest assured that there are no toxic chemicals going into your body when you use your wooden plate for eating rice, or wooden bowl for eating smoothie. We only use natural finish to polish our woodenware, made from beeswax paste.
6. What would you recommend customers on maintaining their wooden products? Do you recommend any specific items to help maintain?
The best would be using a beeswax paste, which you can now source it at any marketplace. They give a very nice shine which can last quite a while. But you can also use any edible oil, like canola oil, or olive oil. Dip a clean cloth into the oil or beeswax paste, and then rub thoroughly into the wood surface. And then leave to dry naturally.
7. What inspires you with your current collaboration with Urban Quarter?Firstly, about Kemala’s collaboration with Urban Quarter in general, we appreciate that Urban Quarter values local brands that create handmade products. The products are always displayed beautifully at Urban Quarter outlets, the social media support is excellent, and communication with the team is always good. (Thank you for a wonderful collaboration to date!)
As for the Nusa Cake Stand and Steak Teak Board collaboration, the idea was jointly developed based on what we think would be a great must have for festive gatherings as well as a truly useful daily essential. You can use the Steak Teak Board as a daily wooden board in the kitchen – the size is great and the groove at the edges add a nice, functional touch too. As for the Nusa Cake Stand, they are great for just about everything. I use both items in my kitchen all the time!
8. What’s next for you and Kemala?
In 2023, we want to release a few small furniture-like tools and small tables, as well as revamping our collection of fabric ware like pillows and table runners. We will also have a new collection of woodenware and ceramics that stay true to our design philosophy of modern, minimalist elegance. Stay tuned!
