SINGAPORE, April 11 — Who doesn’t love Bali? For Italian designer Carlo Pessina, the lure of that “mysterious, tropical island” on his first visit in 1979 ended up changing his life: He uprooted himself from Italy and built a business there making covetable furniture out of indigenous materials such as mother of pearl and tree bark. That’s just one perk of being based on the island.

“Some of my customers love going to Bali — they say, ‘why aren’t there mistakes in their (customised) furniture so they have more reason to come,” he shared when he was in town for last month’s Maison & Objet furniture fair where he had a booth exhibiting his latest collection.

His ties with Singapore, though, go back further — when he first did up the presidential suite of the Grand Hyatt in the ’80s and he also has a hand in decking out iconic properties like Amankila in Bali. However, he shies away from divulging which his favourite properties are. “Hotels can be special, they relate to moments in your life, people you were with,” he said. “And then they become a memory. Each hotel is different.”

Q: What are some of your favourite places in Bali?

A: Bali has become very developed. There are certain pluses to that such as nice restaurants. I like Locavore in Ubud which uses a lot of local produce and the food is very refined. Another place I recommend is the restaurant in Tanjong Sari hotel in Sanur. The place isn’t new, but it’s still very charming. It serves excellent Indonesian food and the service is good after all these years. You can watch the full moon rising from the sea which is very unique instead of seeing sunsets, when you go to the restaurants. There are still relatively untouched places in Bali such as Sidemen in east Bali.

Q: What do you love about being based in Bali?

A: I can get to anywhere from Bali. Although my business is there, I can travel easily for inspiration. People love coming to Bali too — it’s easy to get people to come here. My clients see it as a destination they can enjoy as well.

Q: Where do you travel to for inspiration then?

A: Europe and United States. I like Barcelona a lot — also for the food like tapas at Bar Canete.

Q: Tell us about your best and worst experiences when you travel?

A: They actually happened on the same trip in Mozambique. I got mugged by three young men while walking back from lunch to the hotel even though the hotel manager told us it was safe. I ended up in the emergency room of a hospital as I was stabbed when I tried to resist as my bag had my passport. Luckily, it was a superficial wound. Days after, we were in the Island of Mozambique, which was a fortified Portuguese port and a UNESCO World Heritage site. It was just beautiful, with lots of colonial buildings and completely safe as they close the bridge connecting it to the mainland at night. ― Today