EP#39- Designing Your Home for Enhanced Wellbeing with Faraj Achmad Mahfud, Renowned Indonesian Architect

[Music] Because sometimes we not realize that something beauty is not about price. But it's about connections between you and your space. Welcome back to another episode of Everyday in Dorfins. This week's guest is Farage Akhmad Mahfud, otherwise known as Zack Raj. Zack is an Indonesian designer that creates multifaceted, experimental, residential, hospitality, commercial, and retail environments as an expansive collection of lifestyle product design. In other words, he creates really incredible homes in Indonesia. And I had the pleasure of getting to see a few virtually and I was blown away by the work that he does. Zack and I met in Bali while I was there completing my yoga teacher training program. And he was the first architect that I got to sit down with and really chat about his work and the intricate connection between our well-being and our space. Being in college for four years and living with the different people every year in different environments. I started to realize that the effect that my space or the differing spaces really had on my mental health and my well-being. So it was really great to talk to Zack about the way in which we design our space, how we make it feel comfortable for ourselves, how that can really play a big role into the ways in which we feel on a daily basis, regardless of who and habits of our own space. In this episode, Zack not only talks about how we can design our own space for our own well-being, but he talks about what it's like to work as an interior designer, the process that he goes through to find out what he's doing. He goes through to find clients that align with his value system and why it's important to cultivate a very calm and comfortable living space. This episode was recorded in July, right when my program had finished, and Bali was in lockdown in July. You're going to hear a little bit about that disclaimer. I mentioned that I'm excited for lockdown to end soon, and an update lockdown did not end while I was in Bali. Lockdown continued, but it ended up being fine. I ended up having a really great time, and it was kind of a blessing in disguise, just having a curfew and having some restrictions actually forced me to slow down after a really hectic month in June where I was doing my training. So this is just a bit of a side note, but I wanted to give a little disclaimer now that the episode is being released multiple months later. Without further ado, let's get into it. Hi, Zack. Thank you so much for coming on to the podcast today. Yeah, thank you so much for inviting me. It's wonderful to have you here as we're amidst a lockdown in Bali, which it's going to lift soon, which I'm very excited about. It was just incredible to get to meet someone who is such a renowned architect. And being in Bali, I've kind of walked around the streets, gotten on the back of people's bikes, circled around, and there's these beautiful villas that are just hidden in the middle of like rice fields or around the corners. And just kind of understanding the real estate and the design in Bali took me some time because it's so different from what I'm used to, but I'm so excited to have you here to chat about your experience as an architect, a designer, and how living in Bali, which is kind of like the ultimate hub of wellness and happiness and yoga, has shaped your perspective on architecture. So I'd love for you to start a little bit talking about your background. My full name is Farad Shahmat Mahfud, and then people call me with Zach. It's because in Indonesia and Australia, when I was schooled there, it's so difficult to pronounce my name because of Arabic name. But it's okay, my Instagram and then my social media, all the people call me Zach now in Indonesia. And about my background in education, like first bachelor I did is civil engineering, like a steel structure. So it's, but I was grow up with everything about design. It's like my parents. My parents is a product designer for some furniture and then they own the manufacturers. So I saw them, like how the way they live, like everything is about design. And my mom actually liked to decorate for waiting. So like every single day I saw it's about the beauty at the house, the work of my parents and everything. So maybe it's games from that. From your childhood, you were around it growing up. And then I did some short course around the world actually about all this design. Until my mom said, "You want to be a civil engineering or to be an architect or something?" I say, "Mom, actually if I want to be a designer, I should know exactly what its structure is." When I design something, there is a mixture. My design is applicable and I achieve the goals of what I want to do in for my clients, for myself, maybe. And then I did my master entrepreneur. Oh, as an entrepreneur? And then I did also an architect for aesthetic buildings. For aesthetic buildings. So it's like I make. I know the structure. I know how the way around the business on what I do and the designs. So you were initially drawn to the design element of architecture, of buildings, of properties. But you said to yourself, "I think I need to be a civil engineer first so I can really understand the foundation before I can get into what I'm really passionate about." Through studying civil engineering, how did you come to understand the role that the foundation and the physical structure plays in creating a space that you feel comfortable in, a space that you want to live in, a space that you consider your home? When to the land, for example, I should see around first. I should like enjoy my time in the land. So it's not about what I can care the clients and I build as soon as possible. It's not about that things. So I like to make the foundations in the house, connect with the land already. For example, if we build the house around the concrete area, like maybe in Bali, we know Changgu. So I will not build in Changgu with the bamboo structures. Why? I feel so shame and feel guilty with the bamboo. Bamboo is supposed to be I build like in the hills, in the beautiful of landscape and then is connected with the land. So yeah, it's like that actually. So you draw inspiration from the physical property or land that you're on and that will inform your decision about how you're actually going to build the structure of the home. So when you sit down with your clients and they ask you to build a villa, for example, can you walk us through the process of how you start working with the client initially until the very end of the project, what the end outcome looks like? When I get the clients, first of all, I will do some interviews. It's very first step for what I do with clients. For example, the interview questions. First, I will give a space to my client to speak about themselves, of course, to know more about who's my clients, what makes them happy, what makes them sad, and everything. It's about the emotion of my clients and the second is about the elements. For example, I give some choices like you like water or wind, you like wood or metals, like which one? Until I know exactly they're not the change, the answer. So I know exactly who is my clients from my question that I met in the interviews. Asking these questions that are centered around emotions is really fascinating to me. What are the kinds of answers that you hear from clients regarding their emotions and like how can you incorporate that into the home that you choose to build for them? Some of the question is about the color of course, is about the texture, is about the mixed materials, it's about. But for me when I know exactly my clients in emotions, I know exactly the taste of my clients in design. So that's why, for example, I did the design for the 7th house, why is 7th house until the name I really make the name as a brand because 7th house, my clients have 7 kids. Until like a simple thing, it's a matter for me. And then how do I make a landscape also on the 7th house on the back side? I make a two big trees, means the parents will take a picture. the kids. So there's a lot of symbolism. That's so beautiful and that really makes these homes more personal as well and so it kind of can deepen your emotional connection to a space. Yeah so actually like when I did the designs for the client is not about some money oriented I'm 100% cannot work as money oriented business. It's because for me design is about connection between me clients and the land. If I'm not connected between three of us I will reject the clients for work together. It's because I believe in this industry when we have the uniqueness and be ourselves not follow other people's good things always come to us for sure and when I did the design for client it's like everything is about them so my inspiration comes from them and from the land not from myself. So really working and living authentically is what I hear you're saying just aligning your vision with what the client is looking for. It's kind of like this triangle it's you the client and the land having this connection between the three of you to create something beautiful. You've built so many beautiful properties here in Bali people can see on your Instagram all the projects that you've worked on everything that you've designed and I'd love to talk a little bit more about incorporating wellness into design and incorporating our mental and physical well-being into designing homes. Can you talk a little bit about your approach with designing in particular how you can feel inspired by the healthy vibes of Bali and more generally how creating a home while it's very personal also requires a lot of understanding about your physical and mental well-being. I did my project some is in Jakarta and in Surabaya in Jobjaro so and also in London I did before but why I moved to Bali that is really big big question actually for some of my friends architect in Indonesia. Bali it is for me the frequency of life for me personally it's very high for example when we are landing in Bali we feel like like feel like oh my god it's it's a breath like a deep breath like I breathe again in new oxygens. Bali is many beautiful flower in front of the house like a small things the culture in Bali like they put the offering yeah they're everywhere. I think the frequency of the flowers is make us more cheerful more happy and something like that and then about the elements that makes me for for like happy to be designed and relaxing and something it's water so Bali it's many beaches and waterfall also so that's why when I get stressed or I need to have my ideas come out from my mind when it's designed or something I go to the beach only for walking to get the negative ions from the water to pass the land and then make me feel like oh it's like same so grateful here yeah that's why it's is that kind of thing it makes me happy in Bali. Yeah everything about Bali just screams wellness like it's sunny all the time you're right near the ocean it's very calming it's very relaxing there's amazing cafes around everything's very good quality food and very healthy as well which have really been loving. When you come back to your space at the end of the day you want to feel like peaceful and relaxed and calm sometimes if you're living with other people or you're living in a space that you don't find very cheerful it can be very hard to come back to it can feel kind of depressing how do you incorporate these elements or you know when your clients talk about certain qualities that make them happy how do you use that to design a space that they can live comfortably in. After the interview that I met for the clients the question I did is it's very deep for example like what you like to see when you are wake up in the morning what you like to hear when you wake up in the morning or before sleep so I know for example if they say that they're really happy with water so for sure the answer after the questions when they like to hear in the morning when they are wake up is the water so I make a little water fountain on the pool near their bedrooms so it's like a something rely on on the interview sections actually if they say about colors of course we study also we learn also about the colors make people happy also like and sometimes I I had the clients have the trauma of the something that they see for example I don't want to see wood materials is because when I was kids my parents hit me with some woods or something so I had the clients before to speak like that so I really need to be really careful like what I make on the questions for my clients so I know exactly and mix the design not have efficient that's so interesting with the water example you provided because at first when you were saying the different elements like water or wind or earth I thought visually what you would see but I love how you incorporate all senses so hearing, sight, feeling, smelling, tasting and that's you know this really holistic perspective not everyone can have an incredible designer like you you know build their own villa or their own home but for those who are moving into their first apartment for example or their own home for the first time what are some pieces of advice you can offer to help recent college graduates people who are living on their own for the first time or moving into their own space for the first time what are some things that they can bring into their environment enhance their overall sense of well-being their mood their emotional states so I would like to suggest for them there is no rights and no wrong about the design that they make it's because back again on their days but I hope and I wish the people that makes their home based on themselves not based on Pinterest maybe or from Instagram or something because for me home it's repressions themselves repressions our human beings when we have maybe the compact space of apartments that we first create weights and then we not afford to pay an architect or inter-er designer or like designers to make their house beautiful something but the beauty is inside theirself so they can find out and they can make it happen if they realize that they need the space to rest they need the space to come back as a home not to come back to the hotel to the luxury hotel to make them maybe more beautiful or insurgable or something like that because sometimes we not realize that something beauty is not about price but it's about connections between you and your space for example if you have a compact space in apartments between you and your compact space in apartments you just put little plants have the water real plants not affect plants just a little on the glass or flowers when they are blooming for sure you see with your eyes more attractive and then you feel calm it's because back again flower is the for me is the highest frequency of life can make us blooming in some of my apartments back at school and even at home where I live in New York with my parents we have plants and succulents and it definitely enhances your mood like there's something about having plants around that just brings you a bit of joy yeah what else can we do to enhance our mood in a space like let's look at colors for example I know that blue is very calming but again like you mentioned don't go off of some you know Pinterest board or Instagram you have to stay true to yourself so how can you kind of dive a bit deeper to discover your taste and design and architecture so actually it's about colors it's about color it's very personal so color sometimes people live and read it's it's a something that make them luck but if we can talk in our deep our self actually like really deep it's not many people can realize that thing also so from the from the experience of that plant people, they can learn more and more and more. But for color, if me, personally, if I have the compact space, I will do some, I call it less is more. I don't do many furniture there. I don't make many colorful of my compact space is because me personally, I like less. So I just do maybe with a, if the wall, I will put some light gray and then the platform I will put maybe light gray also, but the floor, a little bit dark. Light thing is important. So when you have the compact space, you should integrate between lighting and decorations. So like all that thing is combinations of your living. For example, if you like to be relaxed, of course, it's not the white light. If you see the white light at the night times, you wake up immediately. So it's, it's, it's about that kind of thing. So it's not only the colors. I think more of that, it's, it's important. So the lighting, the way you decorate the space, the colors as well, bringing in plants or some nature into your home. And it smells. The smells. So candles. I guess could be very relaxing. What's called dopa in here? They believe in like incense. Like a dopa, I think with the fire. Oh, I think that's incense. Yeah. It's like that. I think it's nice. Yeah. In the morning. Yeah. So speaking of the morning, this is a great segue. I personally feel my most calm, depending on the day, but usually in the morning, like when I wake up, and if I can have a really nice morning routine, then my whole day is, it feels perfect. Like it feels like I have the whole day in control. And I just feel prepared for the challenges that are to come. And of course, you're waking up in your home in the morning, usually. So the morning is like a very sacred time. What are some things that we can do in the morning in our own space to enhance that sense of well-being and calmness, apart from the design elements? But what are things we can bring into the space, but also certain things we can do in our morning routine to feel that sense of calmness and connection to our space? For softball, of course, I will smile on my body. And then a second, I will make my compact space open the window to have a fresh air to come inside our compact space is because fresh air is important for us to feel and to breathe in the morning. When it's winter time, I don't have the experience in Indonesia, actually, but I was the experience in Switzerland. When it's winter, I also do open little bit in the morning, but it's not too much. It's just like five minutes. For one minute. And then you get your fresh air and then you close the window. Yeah, yeah, and maybe I will touch some of plants to clean the plants and then start my routine. What is your routine in the morning? My routine in the morning actually, I drink water and deep sea salt in the morning after I smile my body, I drink that things and then I drink a shot of lemons, then cold shower, it really cold shower, I love it. And yeah, start my day after. Go to the gym. Yes. Go workout. Go back to the gym. Go back to the gym and little breakfast at 10 or 11, late breakfast and working. I love hearing about people's morning routines because I think it's so interesting to see how people like to structure their first part of the day because that kind of sets the precedent for how the rest of the day is going to follow. Like if you can get your mental state on in a way that calms you, then the rest kind of comes naturally. Yeah, actually I have a one more thing about the mental health as an architect and building constructions is so many stressful about the project, about like overload the project. I think for all the people in the industry that they work on their own, after whole day we have a busy day, sometimes the people forget about before sleep, I did my routine, smile, then I sleep. So before I close my eyes, I will give the big smile inside my heart to myself and then I do sleep. And it's like everything happened today, it's like it's gone. So like other days like exactly I'm fresh and I'm really grateful for the day before. So like that. That's amazing. I can only imagine how stressful it is to do the work that you're doing and to have all these projects going on. I mean, they seem to last for quite some time because you can't just, you know, one day build a property and the next day build another property. There are these long projects you're working with clients for a long time. So and you're managing, you know, the people who are doing the construction, it's a lot going on. It's amazing that you're able to just bring your best self to every day and leave behind whatever stresses or worries come the day before. So you can have a fresh, clean slate as you move forward. Yeah. And smiling as well when you physically smile, it kind of tricks your brain into thinking that you're a bit happier. So I think that's a great tip because when you're actually doing it, then you'll feel a bit better or maybe it's a placebo effect. I'm not sure. And there is some more about when I really stress fall about the projects or like because actually right now I run the project more than 12 projects. I did also manufacture furniture with my business partners. So like on my hat, like it's really full, sometimes offer a lot. And I need to have my space. I did some dance alone, like so little crazy things. But this makes helps me a lot. But before I don't really know about that kind of things. Of course, when I was 24, 25, so I don't really know about that things. But the experience stitched me so many things to do. Like more and more and more about our self, actually. Through that process, it kind of comes back to what you were saying earlier when people are moving into their first homes or their first apartments to really figure out what they like. They have to have that experience to understand their tastes and the certain textures or colors or sounds or smells that they gravitate towards and really building their own home but from within rather than seeking outside Instagram posts or Pinterest boards. And I think it ties in really beautifully with what you're saying, just taking every day as like this learning experience and kind of soaking in every moment and using that as a way to propel you forward. So when we talk about our own mental health and keeping it fresh and clear and at ease when we're in our own homes, would you say there's one particular element or way in which we design our home where we have certain things inside of our home that really impacts our mental health? It's very personal, for example, if me, if there is no water element at my house, it's very impact me. It's like there is something loose from myself. And there is many things about sometimes I got a client that really like a flower. So if I not put the landscape like as they want, like I think when we did some interview, we really know about our client and we know about the element that they want. They like it's because, for example, if you like a plant, of course, if there is no plants on your space, you will like this is not me. So it's really impact in a mental health. Yeah, and that ties back into the sense of having a connection in the space because not only do we want to connect to our space, but our home is a place where we invite people inside and you can build more connections with more people inside your own space. Also, for example, like I love the water element, but growing up in New York City, it's not like the beaches right around the corner. Yeah. So for people who have their favorite elements that don't really represent their actual environment where they're living, would you just recommend that they incorporate certain aspects that are related to the element to bring into their own home? Like, for example, if it's water, having, you know, maybe pale blue colors or colors that are representative of water into the space. Yeah, for example, if about the water, if you're living in Manhattan, of course, it will be pretty difficult. But of course, there is some water that you can replicate, for example, when you have the bowl, you just put the water there, you just put some plants also on the top or even now, but you have the water and then you have the sounds of the water themselves. This makes you feel calm. Yeah. For example, if you are at the night times, you listen to music like a little music, but it's only the What are sounds? It makes you feel, I think it's similar. - Like rain or ocean sounds. - Yes, I think it's similar. - Yeah, I listen to white noise usually, before I go to bed and the white noise, it's kind of like the ocean a little bit. Like it just kind of fades away and it's very calming for me for sure. I have one final question that I ask every guest that comes onto the podcast. What is something that brings you a bit of endorphins every day? - For me, for endorphins is my breakfast, my own space, which is my bathroom, because I love to dance there. I like crazy, so there is some more. It's about the water themselves. When I see the water, I feel light. I feel lighter, like lighter, lighter, and lighter. And one more thing, the music. - Yeah, I mean, music really can boost your mood. I like that comment about the bathroom. I love bathrooms, like really nice modern, like lots of beautiful natural lighting, very sleek. Like that's, I love bathrooms. That's why I like nice hotels, they're at least looking at the nice hotels and seeing their bathrooms, 'cause it's always, it's where you do your skincare, you know, you get yourself ready in the bathroom. Like I love the bathroom. And then breakfast, what do you like to eat for breakfast? - For breakfast, I like to eat some fruits and some smoothie berries. - Yeah, that's very bally of you. And where can my followers find you on Instagram and your other social media handles? - Yeah, actually you can find me on Instagram, like Zach Ratch, like Z-A-C-K-R-A-G, or on my website, forrachahmat.com. And yeah, that's all I have. Thank you so much, Zach, it's been a pleasure having you on the podcast. - I'm also welcome, thank you so much for inviting me. (upbeat music) Thank you for listening and remember to like, rate, and review this podcast on whichever listening platform you prefer. Don't forget to keep spreading endorphins and find things that bring you endorphins every day. See you next time. (upbeat music)