Bi Design House: A boutique hotel in Bali shaped by craft and energy
Born as a family home in Canggu, Bi Design House is a boutique hotel in Bali where bohemian interiors, local design and creative energy meet in a soulful space shaped by photography, intuition, and a deep love for design.
Even though it may look like a boutique hotel designed from scratch, Bi Design House – founded by Sheila Man – was originally her family home: a place to live, work, and create. Over the years, as her children grew up and her team expanded, the house began to feel different. At that point, Sheila decided to follow one of her long-held dreams: to build a boutique hotel. In 2023, the transformation began and what had once been her family and workspace slowly evolved into a hospitality project rooted in creativity and care.
Opened its doors on June 1st, 2025, Bi Design House is a space where local craftsmanship, design, and creative energy meet. “I really wanted each room to have its own feeling, its own energy,” says Sheila – and it’s noticeable. The hotel features five rooms, each shaped by intuition and emotion, while the common areas invite guests into a world where storytelling, interior design, and objects with history fill the space with meaning.
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We spoke with Sheila to learn more about the creative process and the collaborations that brought this soulful hospitality project to life.
Bi Design House was created from scratch. Could you tell us why you decided to build a boutique hotel and how the project took shape?
Sheila Man:
Bi Design House was our former home. We found a piece of land that we loved and decided to build our forever home on it. It was a larger plot than we needed as a family of four so we decided to also build a home office and a photographic studio as an annex to the house. Three years later, the Bali Interiors team had grown and the home office was too small. When my older daughter left to study abroad, the house had become too big for us and we decided to convert it into a boutique hotel, which had always been a dream of mine.
The renovation project lasted two years: the house was of such size that it allowed us to continue living in it during the first year of renovation so we could follow the works closely. The Bi Design House was completed in May and we couldn’t be happier with the result.
The house was originally conceived as your private residence before becoming a hotel. Architecturally, it seems to naturally embrace hospitality – how did you develop the layout and architectural details?
Sheila Man:
The architect and I spent months developing the layout of the house. We knew at that time that we wanted to include a home office and, therefore, common areas that could be shared by more people. We have always loved entertaining and hosting friends, so we wanted a house that felt open and welcoming. We also wanted a photographic studio – being a photographer myself – which became the hotel’s workshop space and its creative heart, and we absolutely had to have a courtyard – it reminds me of the big ‘casas’ in Argentina (where I am from).
I think the courtyard really added the extra layer that we needed to create that boutique hotel feeling. So, actually, we didn’t need to change the layout too much to convert our home into a boutique hotel. We only added a room at the back of the house for staff and equipment.
The hotel features five distinct rooms, each with its own atmosphere. What was your process in transforming abstract concepts like “presence” or “intuition” into material choices, colors, and forms?
Sheila Man:
I really wanted each room to have its own feeling, its own energy. I wanted people to have their favourite room and to keep coming back to their own preferred room. I worked with an interior designer who helped me with textures and colour schemes. She is a friend, and she helped me trust my instinct and be bold. I knew I wanted to add colour, wallpaper and some statement pieces, like the bed headboards. Once I found the ones I loved, everything started to fall into place. I truly enjoyed matching the colours of the walls and creating a different vibe in each room. I also really wanted to have a green or blue room. We ended up deciding on a Pine green, and I’m not going to lie, it was scary! But we love how it ended up looking.
I am not only visual, I need to feel each space. I moved furniture around and hung things in different places until I felt they were right for the space. I couldn’t design a room from a render. A picture is one thing, but the way a place makes you feel when you step in can be very different. The names of the rooms came afterwards and were inspired by my kids, Luna and Phoenix.
Then I developed the rest of the names based on that. Phoenix is about nature and reinvention. Luna is about the feminine energy and creativity. The Sun room is about presence and expansion. The Oracle room is about intuition and mysticism, while the Portal room is about stillness and introspection. I wanted the names to reflect the colour scheme, layout, location and energy of each room.
Your background is in photography – how has this perspective influenced the way you design the interiors of the hotel?
Sheila Man:
I believe being a photographer has had a big influence on how I designed the hotel. Bold colours always look good in photographs, beautiful artworks make any photograph pop and textures are always interesting to the eyes. I definitely knew that I wanted all those elements in each room to make them interesting and to excite the senses, not only to look good in photographs. As much as I love minimalism, it is not who I am! So all-white interiors were out! We went bold, with a touch of maximalism.
Craftsmanship plays a strong role in the project. Can you share an example of how collaborating with local artisans helped shape the identity of the interiors?
Sheila Man:
I have been working closely with artists and craftsmen in Bali for the last 10 years. They are so incredibly skillful and innovative. Bali Interiors has always been about elevating and showcasing Indonesian talent. So having the same ethos and values in our hotel came completely naturally. I wanted to incorporate weaving, rattan, pottery, woodwork, natural fabrics, paint and art. Bi Design House is really a reflection of the incredible variety of skills and talents that you can find in Indonesia. Everything you find in the hotel was made here. I think interiors should always reflect and reference the geographic and cultural location. If I did a project in a different city, it would be totally different.
Looking ahead, what role do you think spaces like Bi Design House can play in shaping the future of hospitality through design?
Sheila Man:
I think a lot of hospitality projects place profit first and design is an afterthought. For me, it is the other way around. A space that feels like a warm hug is always better than something that looks cold, vanilla, or soulless. I wanted to create warmth through the design, through the music that has been curated, and even through the scents we have at the hotel. It’s a whole mind, body, and soul experience. My goal is for our guests to have such a beautiful and comfortable stay that they won’t want to leave. I want the furniture to be comfortable, the rooms to be sanctuaries and the shared spaces to lead to connection. I think having a reason why, that is beyond profitability, is what should lead the next generation of hotels. Knowing your why is the most important question to ask. Once you know the answer, design should follow.
This bohemian hotel, filled with handcrafted pieces, thoughtful details, photography, and people, is a true example of how a boutique hotel can help you disconnect while deeply connecting with the local energy and culture.
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