Indonesia is one of the leading exporters of high-quality furniture, and it is especially famous for teak wood and natural rattan.
Bali is exactly the place to skip IKEA and order custom furniture: it is affordable, beautiful, and you can even send it back home!
In this furniture shopping guide, we take you to the best stores to buy furniture in Bali, share safety tips on how to make sure you are buying the real deal, and how to finally ship your purchases home without breaking the bank.
Why Is Furniture In Bali So Good?
Bali furniture and home decor are so popular for their quality and designs.
Sourcing wood from Java (teak) and Kintamani (iron wood) and using traditional craftsmanship, local manufacturers create unique items with Balinese flair and comfortable furniture with a modern twist, familiar to Westerners.
Artisans from Java and Bali have centuries of knowledge on how to work with wood and have crafted beautiful furniture and houses without using the fancy tools we have now.
The best quality furniture you can buy in Bali is made of:
Teak – the most common wood used for making anything from home decor to yachts. While it is one of the most solid and sturdy types of wood, if it lacks maintenance, it can attract termites and crack.
Iron Wood – harder to source, but it is the world’s most durable wood species that even termites will never touch.
Rattan – classic wood choice for indoor and outdoor furniture with a recognisable woven pattern. It is very flexible and light, but don’t worry, it is strong!
Bamboo – the most accessible wood in Indonesia, it is perfect for eco-friendly custom pieces.
Reclaimed wood. Another eco-friendly solution some manufacturers use is to recycle wood from ships and boats to make modern furniture.
12 Best Furniture Stores In Bali For Shopping
Lio Collection
Lio Collection is the OG furniture shop in Bali with an eclectic range of items from quirky home accessories to premium contemporary furniture.
Pricing varies from budget-friendly and minimalist furniture to antiques and custom orders with your own design ideas.
The beauty is that they are very experienced in shipping internationally to more than 60 countries.
Online: Instagram
Balquisse Living Furniture
Balquisse store in Umalas sells furniture of their own brand, created by interior designer Zohra Boukhari, plus brands like Epyzod, soft furnishings from Shahinaz, and Aisha Antiques.
They make elegant, exquisite, luxurious designs and sell antiques, textiles, lamps, ceramics, and some furniture.
Online: Instagram
Bali Wijaya Rattan
A locally-owned treasure trove for all things rattan, from outdoor furniture to placemats and pet houses!
A small showroom is located in Kerobokan, and you can also get an idea of the products they offer on their Instagram.
If you only have space for something small, the baskets are a must! It can be used for laundry or kids’ toys.
Online: Instagram
Bali Fortune Furniture
Go-to shop for best quality sofas with wooden frames, soft cushions, and trendy plush and modular sofas.
They have many designs and a choice of fabric that fit literally any interior design. We love the couches with built-in shelving for books or trinkets – super convenient.
They have a showroom in Canggu with unique design ideas and styles you can test (sit and lie on) before ordering.
While the main focus is on sofas, they also manufacture daybeds and bed frames.
Online: Bali Fortune Furniture
Kim Soo Home
Kim Soo sells some furniture items (chairs and tables) and home decor in a retail store and for wholesale. They are known for ultra-modern, trendy designs using wood, marble, and glass.
As a souvenir, you can bring a lamp, cushions, or ceramics.
Online: Kim Soo
NoName Furniture
They actually produce everything in Java and bring furniture to their warehouse in Kerobokan, which is better, since Bali teak is usually much younger, less durable and not properly dried.
Their catalogue is huge and prices are very reasonable. They are also quite on time (it’s a big thing in Bali with fulfilling orders).
Online: NoName Furniture
Creative Living Bali
This studio does a full cycle from interior design to furniture manufacturing, and they can design and make custom furniture specifically for your house!
Their absolute forte is marble and wooden kitchen sets (everything from cabinets to islands) and all sorts of sofas and armchairs.
Online: Instagram
The Showroom
An upscale furniture store in Canggu with home accessories and furniture made to order using local craftsmanship and modern designs.
They sell anything from art and photo frames to communal dining tables and modular sofas. They ship to Australia at very good rates, too.
Online: Instagram
Cempaka Furniture
An established design and manufacturing company in Bali. You can pick a design from their catalogue (or showroom), or design your own furniture with an in-house specialist.
The quality of furniture is amazing, and they export around the world from Japan to France. They mostly use mahogany, teak, and oak with brass fixtures, and many natural materials.
Online: Instagram
Luna Rattan Furniture
Luna uses mostly natural rattan and recycled materials to make modern living furniture. In fact, they create a range of objects, from mirrors to iconic sunflower headboard podium chairs.
All furniture is made to order and usually takes a few weeks.
Online: Instagram
Wright Teak
Guys from Wright source licensed teak of the highest quality, same species as Burmese teak (world’s best teak wood that is now illegal to sell), making their wood literally the second best on the planet.
They produce a wide range of wooden items from coffee tables and baby pool fences to decking for superyachts and can even realise your dream project simply from a sketch.
All of their wood is dried in a custom oven so it won’t split, while baby furnishings are treated with eco-friendly polish without any chemicals.
Online: Instagram
Bali Best Buy Furniture
Make everything from dining chairs for private houses to full furniture sets for restaurants and hotels. Designs are rather simple but fit any interior.
Ship to Australia, Europe, and other Asian countries.
Online: Instagram
Best Areas To Find Furniture Manufacturers
Apart from fancy shops, you can literally go to certain streets in Bali to buy furniture – there will be dozens of stores and warehouses right next to each other.
Those areas can offer the best quality for the cheapest price because you are dealing directly with the producer, but you may need to be extra cautious with your choice to sift through less honest sellers to find a hidden gem.
Top locations are:
Ubud, Jalan Raya Andong. Here you can find a lot of traditional Balinese craft, wood carvings, mythology and religion-inspired design elements, but also more modern items for daily life.
Kerobokan, Jalan Raya Kerobokan. Another great spot not far from Canggu for teak furniture shopping (chairs, tables, accessories, benches, bed frames, or even doors). Less popular than Ubud, so better pricing and less waiting time for custom furniture orders.
Shipping Furniture From Bali: Key Things To Know
Shipping is a tricky part when dealing with furniture in Bali, but it is completely doable.
First, double-check that this specific manufacturer or store offers shipping. Some only ship large furniture to several specific countries, and some only ship small items and art outside Bali, Indonesia. Some only sell wholesale.
When you go with just a local joint on the side of the furniture shopping street, you will have to handle the shipping yourself.
Your two choices are:
to ship by sea (cheapest and longest, up to 8 weeks) or
air (expensive but fast). Rare shipping case, but DHL offers such services.
It will only make financial sense to ship a full container worth of furniture from Bali to Australia. For example, a full 20 ft container to Australia can be as cheap as 1,200 to 4,000 USD (1,800-6,000 AUD).
However, if you only want to ship one item and share space in the container with other customers, the prices start from 1,000 USD (1,500 AUD) per cubic meter.
Apart from shipping fees, you may need to pay import taxes, insurance, and handling fees. In Australia, import taxes are about 5% plus GST of 15%.
Shipping wooden furniture to Australia can also trigger quarantine or customs declaration (if the items are valued more than 1,000 AUD).
Safety Tips When Shopping For Furniture In Bali
No 100% Deposits
The island’s furniture scene is very competitive, and not all stores are reliable. Best to use only recommended sellers and have all the details of the order in writing.
Never pay 100% upfront, as it is a popular scheme to take money without delivering the project.
Check The Quality
Make sure to check all the surfaces and joints – everything should be properly sanded, treated, joints tightly glued, screwed, and sealed. No mould, warping, or termites should be present.
Natural materials like wood can expand and shrink with temperature differences, especially indoors when you have hot air and AC.
If the teak wasn’t dried properly, it would crack and split in a matter of weeks or months, but not immediately, so many dishonest vendors would still sell it.
Always double-check if the wood was properly dried; the best option is a specially designed oven.
Know How To Identify Real Teak vs Fake Teak
A typical scam is to sell cheaper wood cuts like Mahogany or Suar wood as teak for unassuming foreigners. So your stylish custom furniture may be fake…
While still pretty, they don’t have nearly as good durability and are, in fact, much cheaper than solid teak. A few telling signs:
Colour and pattern. Indonesian teak has a golden colour and tight lines in its grain with occasional knots. Burmese teak is darker. We are talking about untreated wood here, before they apply a colour of your choice.
It is dense (not porous!), heavy, and has high resistance to weather and insects, and doesn’t absorb water fast. This is harder to check upon buying, so you will have to shop around and see real teak next to Mahogany or Suar to compare.
Real teak smells nice with a little sweet touch, and can feel slightly oily.
If you see any dust coming out of the furniture, that looks like fine sawdust, this is not a quality product; termites have already got to it and are munching their way through.
FAQs
Is Furniture Shopping In Bali Cheaper Than In Australia?
Yes, it is generally cheaper to buy furniture in Bali in a store or directly from a manufacturer than in Australia.
However, the shipping costs can add up. It is cheaper to buy a lot of furniture in Bali, enough to load a full 20 or 40-foot container, and then it is cheaper to ship it to Australia rather than sending each item individually.
Which Part Of Bali Is Best For Furniture Shopping?
You will find showrooms in Canggu, Uluwatu, Ubud, and Seminyak, but the best areas to find direct furniture manufacturers are Ubud and Kerobokan.
Final Thoughts On Furniture Shopping, Bali
Decorate your space with style, staying on a budget is easier when you can go directly to the source of high-quality furniture and decor. From bedrooms to kitchens, the array of what local craftsmen can make in Bali is simply impressive.
And with reasonable shipping costs, furniture shopping in Bali really makes sense if you’re trying to furnish your new home. You can go for antiques and recycled wood from 100-year-old joglos or pick a more contemporary design.
