Parangtritis now hoe to thriving antique ethnic furniture market

By Sri Wahyuni

YOGYAKARTA (JP): If you are looking for an Art Deco chair or a Louis XIV table, just visit an antique furniture shop in the Parangtritis area 20 kilometers south of Yogyakarta.

Dozens of furniture shops are mushrooming along Parangtritis holiday resorts and adjacent areas selling furniture in various designs from Dutch Colonial to colorful Madurese designs at reasonable prices.

In the last few years, Parangtritis and other areas in Yogyakarta have grown as important centers of both produced and antique ethnic furniture in Indonesia.

Ambar Polah, chairman of the Yogyakarta chapter of the Furniture Industry Association (Asmindo) explained the city has hundreds of furniture producers and shops offering antique and ethnic chairs, tables and other pieces.

"The prospects are quite good. They market their products not only in Yogyakarta and other cities in Indonesia, but also ship them abroad," commented Ambar.

The association's data reveals that everyday more than 70 containers of antique furniture are shipped to the United States, European countries and Australia. Each container is worth between Rp 60 million (US$8,200) and Rp 70 million.

The furniture business contributes quite a lot of export revenue to the Yogyakarta government. It also employs more than 30 percent of the city's labor force.

Ambar, owner of GKN Furniture, said his company exports around 24 containers a month. The exported items include Dutch Colonial style pieces like bedroom sets, chairs, tables and cupboards and are largely bound for European countries.

"A few years ago, demand for Indonesian copies of Dutch colonial designs was very high. Now the market is almost saturated," he explained.

Ambar said producers must thoroughly study the market and look for something fresh for new furniture designs.

"At present, we are trying the Art Deco furniture style which has a more simple and striking design," he added.

In Indonesia, the styles of ethnic furniture are divided into three categories: priyayi (noble), pesisir (coastal areas) and pedalaman (inner land areas).

The priyayi styles are inspired by furniture designs created during the Dutch Colonial period. They are rooted in Europe's Classical, Art Nouveau and Art Deco styles which have an elegant aesthetic.

The pesisir coastal styles are much more bright and colorful. The influence of foreign elements like Chinese, Arabic, Indian and European designs are vividly expressed in these furniture pieces.

Among the examples are pieces produced in Madura, Tuban (East Java) and Lasem (Central Java).

The pedalaman style, on the other hand, is characterized by simple designs, big structures and natural colors. The furniture is usually made of thick wood with a rough finishing process.

The ethnic furniture business generates a large sum of money for many producers.

Arief Effendi, owner of Mataram Furniture, said his business is growing significantly. He produces Javanese style wooden furniture and exports the products to the United States and the Netherlands every month.

Dutch Wim Heijstek of Moesson Antique, who started the business here about 12 years ago, now exports ethnic furniture worth about Rp 300 million per month. He mostly exports his products to the United States, Germany, Spain, Mexico, Brazil and the Netherlands. Local sales, however, only amount to Rp 10 million per month. Local buyers mostly come from Jakarta and Yogyakarta.

"I am surprised to see how local buyers adore Dutch colonial styles and other foreign designs, while foreigners love Javanese furniture," said Wim who has a Javanese wife.

Wim said his company only produces copies of original Javanese furniture at his workshop in Jepara, Central Java.

"I had never intended to export original and antique Javanese furniture abroad," said Wim.

He wants to preserve the antique and original pieces for the sake of the Javanese people. "The fact that the Javanese might loose their precious heritage really scares me," he added.

Ethnic furniture is also displayed in the city's star-rated hotels such as Melia Purosani Hotel on Jl. Suryotomo.

The ethnic furniture is beautifully displayed in the hotel's lobby to enable guests to appreciate them.

"The displayed items look like part of the hotel's interior design," explained Dwi Hastuti of the hotel staff.

Ambar, however, complained that many producers fail to maintain their quality.

"Some of them receive a bulk of orders and then produce items only to meet their target. Many of them ignore the quality control process," said Ambar. The association receives a lot of complaints from foreign buyers about the quality of Yogyakarta's furniture products.

Ambar explained most "naughty companies" are not members of the association. It is therefore quite difficult to take action against them.

The association, which has 80 member companies, has frequently called on its members to strictly adhere to international regulations on the exporting process and to maintain their products' quality in order to secure the foreign market.

In the next few months, some of the association's members will hold a roadshow in Japan to penetrate the lucrative Japanese market.

With such a prospective future, Yogyakarta will certainly become one of the country's significant furniture producers.