In This New Hidden Bali Hotel, 'Cosmic Tropical' Interiors Set the Tone for a Whimsical and Sustainable, yet Luxurious Stay

The pink-shaded Strawberry Moon, symbol of abundance, union, and harmony, wasn't the only thing to hypnotize Bali's cultural and spiritual capital, Ubud, this June 29. As Moon Gang, a 5-suite luxury stay immersed in its lush rice fields and winding jungles, debuted in the village, it became instantly clear that a new cult destination was born — or so it was for us at Livingetc.

The boutique hotel, designed by Sydney interior design studio YSG, finds its home in a former private holiday residence that had deteriorated over the years. Acquired by Australian multidisciplinary platform Firstbase Studio, it was transformed into a spirited sanctuary rooted in "Indonesia's ancient and modern health, music and spiritual rituals, with a utopian spin," the group shared.

Sleeping up to ten guests, this intimate, airy retreat packs a vinyl-led hi-fi sound experience, complete with a DIY DJ station, and a panoramic outdoor spa into a sojourn that will be hard to forget. Once a bare concrete bunker, Moon Gang is now a contemporary tropical utopia — what would come out if Space Age and Boho design and Japanese modernism had a child. It is also one of the most exciting hotel openings of 2026.

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Produced in collaboration with 15 of the country's most innovative artisans and makers with locally sourced, eco-conscious materials, the interiors of Moon Gang read as a letter to the future of interiors, catching a glimpse into what the design world could — and should — become: whimsical, climate- and nature-responsible, and yet, undeniably original. Become part of that transition and let your surroundings indoors with the three decor ideas listed below.

1. Move Over, Chemical Dyes — Embrace Plants as the Secret to Pollution-Free, Textile Extravaganza

It's hard to look at pictures of hotel Moon Gang without being taken by the crisp curtains that, cascading as if in a slow dance from its high ceilings, drape the space almost in its entirety. And so it's no surprise this was also the first detail to have me think of the destination as a masterclass in future-forward interiors.

Commissioned by YSG for Moon Gang, these custom curtains were hand-dyed by the Balinese textile specialists at Pagi Motley, founded by Andika Putra in 2019 with the goal of "increasing people's awareness of the dangerous chemical usage on textiles" and its impact on soil.

To color them, they used natural pigments derived from botanical ingredients like indigo, mango, coconut, and ketapang leaves, applying them by hand directly onto the fabric to obtain watercolor-like abstract impressions ranging from marigold and earthy tones to matcha green, aqua, and deep-sea blue. An artisanal process whose manual essence yields results that are unrepeatable and fully unique.

2. Bring on the Porthole Window — And Let Light and Air Through à la James Turrell

The earth-based limeplaster YSG used to breathe new life into the cement architecture of the mansion that now houses Moon Gang — a structural trick that allowed the studio to restore aesthetically damaged walls while giving it a crafty, adobe-style touch — isn't the only design element of the stay to ensure its interiors stay fresh at all times; so do the Space Age-y organic portholes that, carved into existing structures of the property, create a direct connection between the hotel environments and its tropical outdoors.

Now, blame it on the recently unveiled As Seen Below – The Dome, American artist James Turrell's 100th 'skyspace' artwork, and his most ambitious yet, but I can't help looking at porthole windows as a key component of innovative interiors.

Taking the form of a monumental ceiling porthole positioned in the subterranean expansion beneath the ARoS Aarhus Art Museum in Aarhus, Denmark, and opening up to a cerulean sky-like view, this installation seeks to reveal "that human vision is not like an objective camera: what we see inside arises through the controlled meeting of light, space, and the senses".

The same, of course, is true of what we perceive in a home interior, or, like in this case, inside a hotel, something portholes can contribute to altering, and largely in a positive sense. The uneven, glass-less porthole located on the left outer end of the music-filled Nongkrong Lounge, for instance, reframes the inside of the communal area as nothing but an extension of what lies around it — thriving vegetation, undulating tree trunks, and the green-themed Amang Pool Club.

In the suite named Sun Dust, drenched in dense indigo from wooden walls to curtains and artwork, and boasting a distinctively Japanese-infused look, something similar occurs. Casting shadows on a bamboo-base futon bed, a roof porthole stretches the beamed roof beyond its top, just like Apollodorus of Damascus is believed to have done in envisioning the oculus of the Pantheon in Rome back in 126 AD.

Whether implemented for their surreal effect or due to temperature-related concerns, porthole windows provide structural integrity and prevent cracks by evenly distributing pressure. They maximize natural light in tight spaces, improve ventilation without compromising safety, and even add a striking, space-saving architectural feature sure to attract the attention of your guests. No wonder so many design destinations, from Los Angeles' Melrose Hill district and Madelynn Ringo's NYC wellness design projects to Vietnamese restaurant Lai Rai in Peckham, are going full 'Turrell'.

3. Think Old as New — And Let Yourself Be Surprised by the Past Lives of Materials and Furniture

Perhaps, the greatest lesson Moon Gang's interiors hold is never to look at objects that have been discarded as something void of potential. Many of the boldest furnishings you'll encounter in the hotel were made from recycled materials: from the terrazzo-like speckled surface of the Concierge Desk and the Cosmic Kiosk's POS — bespoke designs realized in collaboration with recycled plastic bottle sheets by Balinese waste-recycling company Weedoo — and the reclaimed timber furniture bringing catching your eye with its odd shapes and uneven silhouettes — custom-designed by YSG and produced by Furnistool Bali — to the BYO Living-manufactured pool loungers, side tables, and bench seats crafted from the Sydney studio's bespoke designs in recycled plastic.

Rather than hiding or minimizing the use of plastic in the organic scheme of Moon Gang, YSG took a different, more daring approach, and addressed its extensive production by reworking it into something else. At the jungle-like Moon Gang's Ambang Pool Club, upcycled plastic is the real protagonist; its heritage-inspired knitted outdoor furniture demonstrates that the best way to reduce the negative impact of design is putting a spin on what's there already.

The benefits of reappropriating these materials aren't purely aesthetic: essentially beautiful and tactile at heart, the shou sugi ban elements integrated in the scheme (timber slabs made rot-, insect-, moisture-, and UV-resistant through surface charring with fire) guarantee natural weatherproofing without chemical treatment. Finally, the bedside Cloud Pendants that adorn suites like the Velvet Mood, dreamed up by YSG and sculpted from dyed banana leaf paper by studio Greenman Banana, are emblematic of how agricultural waste can be reinterpreted as one-off lighting elements that add instant atmosphere and awe.

Completing Moon Gang's transportative interior scheme are soft seating and cushions upholstered in fabrics designed by Raf Simons for Kvadrat, and others bearing the signature of leading Italian textile house Rubelli. Surprise statement touches by other designers, like a sculptural standing lamp by Alexis Dornier, also feed into the stay's colorful triumph.

But really it's the nature-inspired decor that, impressing more with less, takes the prize this time around: could a new era of hospitality design be on the rise? Hard to tell, but if it were, we know Bali would be leading the charge.

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