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I have not heard of Yogyakarta, tell me about it please?
We love Yogyakarta (pronounced Jogjakarta), we believe it is the cultural heart of Indonesia. Governed autonomously by Hamengkubuwana X, the tenth sultan of Yogyakarta. The royal family live in the palace, called Kraton, and they were instrumental in the fight and struggle to decolonize indonesia from the Dutch. Therefore, it is a major destination for domestic and international tourism, you can always see large school groups on tour through the city from far islands within the Indonesian Archipelago and tourists from all over the world.
The province is rich in natural beauties, mountains, forests and beaches as well as major ancient sites of significance like Borobudur buddhist temple and Prambanan Hindu Temple, both over 1000 years old. Amazingly, both were rediscovered and restored after being buried under ash for centuries. There are many smaller temples sprinkled across the Javanese landscape. In fact, Indonesian scientists recently presented evidence of a man made pyramid believed to be older than 11,000 years, which is located in West Java.
The people in Yogyakarta are incredibly friendly, and the food is generally very sweet. Sugar is a popular commodity and the local sugar factory is owned by the royal family. Sugar is added to to almost everything in the kitchen in large doses. If you make someone a cup of tea that is not sweet enough for the consumer, you would be considered stingy and you probably would not be asked for more sugar because the people are customarily refined.
Manners are important – There are several levels of Javanese language, a different language entirely to Bahasa Indonesian. How you speak depends and who you are speaking to, if you are Javanese and you are from Yogyakarta, you would most probably use informal speech (Ngoko) with friends and family and depending on the social context use a mix of the intermediate (Madya) and formal (Kromo) languages. The use of these different language styles is complicated and requires thorough knowledge of Javanese culture, which adds to the difficulty of Javanese for foreigners. The full system is not usually mastered by most Javanese themselves, who might use only the ngoko and a rudimentary form of the krama. People who can correctly use the different styles are held in high esteem.
People are also very aware of respectful body gestures and are mindful not to offend. If someone in Jogja offered you food or drink in their home, it would be impolite to drink or eat before it before being offered to you three times. Even if a cup of tea was made for you and is sitting in front of you going cold, it would be bad manners to drink it before the third offer.
Yogyakarta is experiencing rapid modernisation and urbanisation like so many other cities in South East Asia. The beauty of the city is that it makes you feel like you can time travel between centuries in just one day. Horse and cart are still a thriving mode of transport, pedicabs are also abundant, and being a student city it is cheap if you don’t mind eating local! It is customary to negotiate when buying or ordering products in a market or factory, it’s considered fun.
Indonesians break their days into four segments. Pagi for the morning 5am to 11am. Siang starts at 11am to 3pm. Sore(sor-hay) from 3pm to 6pm. Malam is night and starts at 6pm. People use these times more for when they are making arrangements as it is difficult to keep time in Indonesia.
Javanese life seems not to be driven by time. Time is often referred to as “Jam Karot” which, loosely translated is elastic, or rubber time – meaning that time stretches. When someone says they will meet you at 10am, don’t be surprised if they are late, minutes can turn into hours.
Flexibility, and a willingness to accept the contrasting pace of life is required when in Indonesia. Politeness is highly valued and harmonious interactions is important for residents in Yogyakarta. The urgency for timekeeping does not exist like it does in the west, being late for appointments is generally not considered unorganized or irresponsible, unless the appointment is for people in business.
2) I hear that the majority of people living in Java are muslim. As a westerner, am I welcome there? Will I be safe if I visit?
Yogyakarta is a safe, friendly and peaceful place to visit no matter where you come from. We have been welcoming foreign visitors from around the world for decades who have never had a issue with safety or feelings of unease.
The official national motto of Indonesia is ‘Unity in Diversity’, translated as, ‘out of many, one’, which it reflected in the local culture in Yogyakarta. Being a major university city, there are up to 500,000 students welcomed from outside Yogyakarta and hundreds intentionally during semester, which, along with the constant flow of domestic tourism, brings an exciting buzz to the city.
Historically, religion itself in Java is complex, it is understandable that most Indonesians have Islam as their religion, but that does not mean that only Muslims live in Jogja city. There are Christians, Catholics, Buddhists and Hindus all living in harmony and rarely face conflicts due to the warm tolerant nature of the local people who have a refined patience for frustration. Different religious buildings are also present in the city as worship places for the citizens. People in Yogyakarta highly value peace and it shows wherever you go.
3) What are the benefits to manufacturing and sourcing in Yogyakarta as opposed to Bali, Surabaya or Semarang?
Each have their own benefits, Semarang and Surabaya are port cities with a more robust infrastructure which can make doing business more streamlined and more expensive. We would say that Yogyakarta is more for the intrepid designer or sourcer who is willing to invest the time and patience (because it can be frustrating) in finding the elements for their needs in making a unique product.
Another advantage of sourcing or manufacturing in Jogja is the low Minimum Order Quantities (MOQs). Because of our existing relationship with producers, and our own production capabilities, we @merDeko_Interiors can get some producers MQOs as low as five pieces..
Yogyakarta homewares stand out for being well made and unique because of the skill of the craftspeople. The wellmade products are mostly handmade and proven to us because people return to us again because they cannot find that elsewhere.
4) How do I order if I want to have something made?
4) will you sign a Non Disclosure Agreement (NDA) and agree to protect my intellectual property (IP)?
If you request a quote from us of your very own designs we are more than happy to sign your NDA, just send it through before you send us your specifications.
Furthermore, if you decide you want merDeko Interiors to go ahead with production, we guarantee the integrity of your IP.
5) What are the benefits of engaging merDeko interiors to source, manufacture and QC my products in Java?
Benefits of procuring your wares through merDeko Interiors:
We operate in Yogyakarta, Central Java, a haven for artistic and creative people, many of whom are not visible through the world wide web.
We are able to connect interested parties to our extensive network of vendors who are located throughout Java.
You get to support cottage industries who welcome collaboration and innovative product design who understand the importance of discretion.
We are able to coordinate projects from start to finish that include mixed items and products with very low Minimum Order Quantities (MOQ), which makes the production process more focused and hassle free for our clients.
We work with various materials, from wood, stone, marble, metal casting, resin and terracotta. We experiment in our studio with combinations of material and are welcome to collaborations.
Integrity is important to us and we offer transparency in our
6) Do I need to visit you in Yogyakarta to work with you?
No, but we do prefer to meet you face to face.
When doing business remotely, trust between parties is important.
Send us an email inquiry with questions and queries, we will reply with options for time for online call. We
I am interested to come and see what is available in Yogyakarta and other areas in Java. Can you show me around for a few days?
We would be delighted to show you around our city and connect you with what you are looking for!
We offer a few packages that should suit your needs:
- 1 Plan and provide a quotation for a master design in ceramics, furniture and/or fabric range with details of lead time for your production and MQOs. This can include shipping samples Free On Board to your location for
- If we can’t produce for you, we can organise a sourcing trip in Java to connect with manufacturers and cottage industry producers who can work with you, we can then follow through with quality control, packing and shipping.
- We can source original Private Label products designed by artists tweaked to your own specifications. This involves sample production through to shipping and we can help with labels, hangtags and packaging if needed.
- Art tour and artist studio visits. We can arrange private meetings with local artists and visits to galleries to source artworks for your project.
We are happy to negotiate a package to suit your requirements. For more information on what we can do and how much we charge please email info@merdekointeriors.com
It is also possible to customize the packages to meet your needs. For more detailed information about the packages and pricing please send an email to info@merdeko.com.