AlvinT Gallery, located in the Indonesia Design District, North Jakarta, challenges traditional furniture retail practices by offering a gallery-like experience. Founded by design activist Alvin Tjitrowirjo and wife Angela Mayrina, this gallery positions itself as a “design provocateur” by locating itself within a highly commercial area that houses 60 other players in the home and living industry. Our mission is to honor Indonesia's cultural legacy and generate dialogue with key stakeholders to foster appreciation for local craftsmanship, the vision of the future of Indonesian design, and the industry's growth. Through carefully curated seasonal exhibitions, the gallery also aims to reshape the current narrative of furniture design by intertwining it with cultural exploration and critical introspection.

The Gallery was designed to visualize a modern design approach inspired by Indonesian culture, materials, and craftsmanship to provide a new aesthetic sensibility. Flexibility is key when designing the space, considering the possibility of different uses of space. An example is the round platform in the middle, which is a movable podium to display AlvinT’s latest collection, which can be rearranged for a different exhibition setting. The space was accompanied by motorized blinds from Zipblind company, which are placed in a particular way to function as space dividers when lowered. The Gallery consists of two main gallery spaces, two meeting rooms, a small pantry, and a powder room.

In the design, we optimize using locally sourced materials, such as small gravel pebbles used as flooring. The gallery is accompanied by several pieces of bespoke furniture specially designed by AlvinT. Sustainability is further emphasized with the front doors crafted out of locally sourced plywood that was processed in minimal carbon emission method, while the movable partitions were also made out of the same wood, combined with handwoven rattan strands that provide a sense of transparency as well as privacy into the meeting rooms. The door handles were made of hand-carved left-over teak from a nearby local workshop.

The flow of the space is designed to put rattan as a material in a new light. An undervalued material that is indigenous to Indonesia and is an integral part of Indonesia’s culture is rarely displayed in a flattering manner. The explorative use of rattan as a 4-meter-long “material table” provides a new way to use material other than the usually woven material, which serves as an experiential display that tells the journey of rattan from a plant in the forest, peeled, shaved into strands before being naturally dyed and then weaved into wicker baskets or other products. Next to the table, four horn-like stands showcase different types of rattan poles used in the production of AlvinT furniture.

Through the gallery, we hope to encourage dialogue and collaboration and renew the lost connection between tradition, culture, and craft in today’s Indonesia.