'Lawasan', classical motif tiles back in spotlight

Ade Tanesia, Contributor, Yogyakarta

Shiny floor tiles are simply passe, something that out of a bygone era. Now the trend is retro-earthy.

In the recent past, the wealthy filled their houses from wall to walls with shiny tiles to give "the luxury" impression, but now, they are hunting down lawasan, or classical motif tiles found chiefly in Yogyakarta.

A fine art curator Suwarno Wisetrotomo said that lawasan tiles came back in the spotlight in 1997, following the resurrection of the "back to nature" interior trend with antique-styled furniture and the revival of traditional architecture styles, either from Bali or Java.

"It's expatriates in Indonesia that have actually revived the interest in antique or traditional interior design style as they are really fond of exotic times close to nature," said Suwarno who also has lawasan tiles in his own house.

Floor tiles of lawasan motif used to be popular in the late 19th century when the Dutch East Indies colonial ruler began constructing large colonial-style buildings for government and trading offices, banks and hotels in Batavia (now Jakarta), Semarang, Surabaya and Yogyakarta.

Later on, foreign and indigenous merchants used this interior design style for their houses. It was also in this period that these tiles began to be used by Javanese merchants and nobility for their floors or as decoration for their walls. Then, the use of these tiles was a status symbol as most houses were still dirt floors.

Now, some of the lawangan tiles can still be found at houses owned by the Kalang people in the Kota Gede area. In the past, the Kalang people were known for their great wealth, a reason why they could afford to build luxury houses.

These tiles are extraordinary with their attractive motifs in geometrical or animal patterns.

"The motifs of lawasan floor tiles are perfect for our Javanese style houses. Moreover, since these tiles are not created through a firing process, we find them cooler than ordinary tiles. They will become glossy and clean after being polished with coconut fiber," Suwarno added.

Suwarno bought his tiles from Kunci floor tile factory in Yogyakarta. This factory was set up in 1928 by Dutchman L.M. Stocker and Java-born Chinese descendant Liem Ing Hwie. At the time, it was called Fabriek Tegel Midden Java.

In 1959 the factory was nationalized by the newly independent Republic of Indonesia and became a state-owned enterprise. It was not until 1972 that the factory was returned to Liem's heirs, the late P. Wikanta Sulaiman.

With the buzzing popularity of lawasan tiles, the factory is once again thriving in business. "Today we receive orders not only for houses but also from cafes, restaurants, galleries, hotels and malls, mostly from Bali," said Sugeng of the factory's marketing department. Now the factory produces up to 7,000 tiles a month, worth around Rp 20 million.

The lawasan tiles are relatively expensive. Small 20cm x 20cm tiles, for instance, are sold between Rp 76,250 and Rp 129,750 per square meter.

The company has a stock of tiles with different motifs and usually, buyers simply pick what they like best. "Today, some buyers come with their own custom design. We will make the mold and when it's ready, the mold will be returned to the buyers," said Sugeng.

Kunci has hundreds of molds, the legacy of the Dutch. They also have a lot of ornamental motifs made of brass. To ensure the produced color is bright and can remain good for a long time, the colors are specially imported from the Netherlands.

"These floor tiles can last scores of years as long as we know how to look after them. Floor tiles with motifs, for example, cannot stand extreme heat or be exposed to rain," Sugeng said.

Apart from lawasan floor tiles, which are made of cement, antique ceramic tiles are also in great demand now. Of course these floor tiles are not easy to find.

Hermanu of Bentara Budaya Yogyakarta said antique floor tiles could be obtained from vendors selling antique items in Surakarta's Triwindu market, Magelang and Semarang, all in Central Java.

"Usually vendors get these tiles from ruins of old buildings. Some are sold by the owners of these houses but, frequently, they come from thieves," said Hermanu. These antique tiles are very expensive. The cheapest ones are Rp 30,000 per piece, while some are even sold at Rp 150,000 each, particularly the handmade ones. Some floor tiles from the Netherlands, he added, were hand- painted individually.

The motifs of antique floor tiles are quite varied. Some depict a windmill in the Netherlands, fruit, cups and, most popular of all: flowers. Usually, these antique tiles are not used to cover the floor but walls or placed on lawasan-styled furniture.