A Bali Home Built for Connection and Collaboration
The Bali home of Hôtel Magique founder Milou Neelen and DJ Davey Massiki blends local materials, natural textures and hotel-inspired amenities, including a kitchen island that doubles as a DJ booth
The Bali home of Milou Neelen, founder of lifestyle brand Hôtel Magique, and Sulawesi-born DJ Davey Massiki is more than just a place to live; it’s a living canvas — a space that blurs the lines between home and hotel, and indoors and out. After the couple traded Amsterdam for Bali nine years ago, they spent years renting while searching for somewhere to buy. Finally, the perfect plot of land in a fishing village allowed them to bring their vision of home to life. With the help of designer Madison Setiawan, they created a house that serves as both a sanctuary and a hub for their creative community.
The design flows seamlessly from one element to the next, just like the lives of its inhabitants. With high ceilings, wooden details and custom-designed furniture made by local Balinese artisans, the house feels light and airy. The sandy-coloured flooring, inspired by their daily morning beach walks, connects every room and extends to the pool. ‘We wanted the floor to carry that same feeling,’ Neelen explains. ‘Sandy in colour, natural in texture, unpolished but still soft.’
This spirit of natural integration extends to every detail. Greenery spills in from the surrounding rice fields, and the line of Bali's volcanoes is visible from the upstairs balcony on a clear day. ‘We keep one curtain open, so every morning we wake up to the sun rising behind the palm trees,’ says Neelen. Even the bathrooms are bathed in natural light — one of the couple’s favourite details is the skylight above the upstairs shower, which offers views of kites flying overhead or the evening sky.
The house is intentionally built for connection and collaboration. ‘We love hosting, including fellow creatives, so the design with different nooks was intentional: it gives us and our guests places to sit, talk and create, and makes everyone feel at home, something we find essential for creative flow,’ Neelen says. The kitchen island, originally just a workspace, has become the headquarters for Massiki’s radio show, Batik Boy Radio. ‘Now local and international DJs come over weekly to record sessions from our kitchen, mixing musical flavours from around the world,’ she says. It’s a testament to the home’s fluid, adaptable nature — a place for music, design and friendship. Rather than being an escape from the world, the couple’s home is a beautiful, welcoming embrace of it.
Text by Katherine Ring
Images by Carmen Kemmink
Styling by Clancy Williams and Marieke van Elsäcker
