Inside an Reclaimed Wood House Inspired by Wabi-Sabi Living: 3 Interior Design Lessons from Rumah Harumi
- Jane | Interior Insights
- Apr 7
- 3 min read
Every wall, floor, structural beam, and piece of furniture in this villa is made from reclaimed teak or salvaged timber. Nothing was sourced new. Every surface shows the history of the material.
Rumah Harumi is a family villa in Ubud, Bali, designed by Earth Line Architects around the rice fields and jungle that surround it.
Watch the Full Home Tour on our YouTube Channel: Click here 🎥✨
Working Within a Single Material Source Sharpens Every Decision
Every element of the villa comes from reclaimed teak. Walls, structural beams, furniture, and flooring. The constraint is absolute and self-imposed by the architects.
When you build from a single material source, every decision becomes about the material's character. Product selection disappears.
What to Learn: A material constraint is not a limitation. It is a framework that eliminates hundreds of decisions and makes the remaining ones sharper. Choose your primary material and commit to it fully.
Ask what one material could do the most work in your interior design project. Oak, concrete, cane, raw plaster. Committing fully produces results that mixed-material selection never achieves.
Bigger Picture: The most coherent interiors are never about variety. They are about what happens when one material is taken as far as it can go.
Harmonious Design Rooted in Nature
Furniture in this villa is never chosen as isolated objects. Each piece participates in a broader dialogue with nature: the Flag Halyard Chair, woven from reclaimed fibers, echoes the textures of the surrounding landscape, while the checkered Eames Lounge Chair adds a modern accent without breaking the visual flow. Timber, woven fibers, and raw finishes unify the interior with the outdoors.
The villa feels grounded even though it includes curated designer elements.
What to Learn: When selecting furniture, ask whether each piece reflects the materials and atmosphere of its setting rather than standing apart from it. Natural materials, thoughtful design, and iconic pieces like the Flag Halyard Chair or the checkered
Eames Lounge Chair reduce visual tension and create a sense of continuity.
When furniture feels connected to its environment, the space becomes softer and more cohesive.
Bigger Picture: Good design is not about collecting statement pieces. It is about harmony between material, form, and place. Start planning your home’s layout with the Interior Workbook. Click here 🎥✨
Bigger Picture: Natural palettes derived from material and setting follow a logic that already exists. You can explore our curated Color Palettes to learn all about color combinations. Click here ✨
Integrated Storage as Part of the Architecture
Storage in this villa is not furniture placed against walls. It is built into the architecture: shelving carved from the same reclaimed timber, built-in platforms that serve as both furniture and storage volumes.
The villa reads as sparse even though it functions as a full family home.
What to Learn: When planning storage, ask whether each piece could be designed as part of the architecture rather than added to it. Built-in storage eliminates the visual noise that free-standing furniture creates.
When storage disappears into walls and built structures, the eye reads the space as calmer and more generous.
Bigger Picture: Good storage design is not about capacity. It is about visual quietness. Start planning your homes layout with the Interior Workbook. Click here 🎥✨
Rumah Harumi shows that when material, setting, and structure all work from the same logic, a home stops looking designed and starts looking like its always been there. It is hosted by Stays with Lola, who kindly let us film the space for you!
Watch the Full Home Tour on our YouTube Channel: Click here 🎥✨
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