Hotel Moon Gang By YSG Studio
YSG Studio brings surrealism and local artisanship to Hotel Moon Gang, a five-suite Balinese retreat hidden in the hills, where wellness and design shape a more playful kind of escape.
Words HANDE RENSHAW Photos TOMMASO RIVA Editorial Styling LISA SCAPPIN
Moon Gang’s central pool is framed by cinnamon-toned render, terracotta tiling and dense tropical planting, with arched openings creating a natural flow between the surrounding spaces.
The Ambang Pool features YSG Studio custom designed sun lounges and side tables handcrafted in recycled plastic.
The concrete exterior of Hotel Moon Gang is clad in a warm cinnamon-shaded recycled earth-based render.
A tiled archway frames a corner of the Nongkrong Lounge, where soft pink render, terracotta and green accents continue Moon Gang’s layered palette.
Wailing Shadow by Arend Alfiyanto Alhasan, a stained-glass, bamboo, metal and ceramic totem commissioned for Moon Gang.
“We honoured their request to build with locally sourced, eco-conscious materials, and collaborated with the country’s most innovative makers and artisans who experiment with natural and recycled materials to craft our otherworldly designs.”
The Nongkrong Lounge space featuring the Taksaka Dragon pendant light, commissioned by YSG, made by Make a Scene.
Local manufacturer Weedoo Plastics developed new machinery to shape chunky bullnose trims from recycled bottle tops, creating a speckled finish in the Nongkrong Lounge space.
Nestled amongst Ubud’s rice fields and hillside jungles above the town, Moon Gang is a tropical holiday destination for music and wellness enthusiasts to decompress and realign with likeminded creatives.
Arched openings and trailing greenery soften the cinnamon-toned walls of the Nongkrong Lounge.
The Midnight Runners suite includes a king bed, sitting area, large bath and shower.
The Midnight Runners suite features a record player and vinyl selection.
The private patio in the Midnight Runners suite.
Inside the Midnight Runners suite, plant-dyed curtains frame the private patio.
Inside Moon Gang’s Night Fever suite, with terracotta flooring, a separate lounge and the hotel’s warm pink palette.
The Night Fever suite features custom hand-dyed curtains from natural plant extracts (indigo, mango, coconut and ketapang leaf) by Pagi Motley.
The Night Fever suite includes a creativity desk on the upper level.
Each suite includes a bamboo ‘elephant leg’ creativity desk, with a watercolour set left for guests to use.
The Velvet Mood suite includes a seperate lounge on the ground level and two seperate patios.
The Velvet Mood suite includes a queen bed and a creativity desk on the upper level.
Inside the Cosmos Kiosk, recycled plastic bottle tops form the speckled counters and display joinery, designed by YSG Studio and made by Weedoo Plastics.
The MMini Moon Gang, the hotel’s check-in point near central Ubud, where guests arrive before continuing by scooter to the hilltop property.
Set above Ubud’s rice fields, Moon Gang is a new five-suite hotel by Firstbase Studio, with interiors by YSG Studio bringing together Indonesian artisanship, music and wellness.
Reaching Moon Gang is part of the experience. Guests leave central Ubud behind and travel along the narrow Sari Organic Walk, moving through rice fields, warungs and coffee huts before arriving at the hotel’s hillside setting.
Owned and operated by Kirsten Millbank of Australian multidisciplinary practice Firstbase Studio, Moon Gang was conceived as a place where music, design and wellness could exist side by side. YSG Studio was brought in to transform the former private holiday house, working with its existing concrete structure to create five suites alongside a pool, spa and communal listening lounge.
YSG Studio retained the building’s original footprint, using a series of new archways, openings and organic portholes to shift the way the spaces connect with the pool and gardens. Cinnamon-toned render softens the existing concrete exterior, while terracotta tiles continue across the pool terrace and into the lounge.
Japanese influences appear throughout without overwhelming the distinctly Balinese setting. The rooftop Sun Dust suite, designed by YSG Studio and constructed from bamboo, draws from traditional Japanese bamboo huts and is finished in a rich indigo tone. Elsewhere, bamboo screens depicting lunar phases, shou sugi ban timber and indigo-dyed surfaces sit alongside references to Balinese rituals and local craft.
Colour plays an important role within the spaces. Earthy pinks and terracotta meet lime green, deep blue and flashes of citrus, while cosmic references and surreal touches bring a more unexpected edge to the hotel’s wellness setting.
Moon Gang’s character comes through its collaborations, with more than fifteen Indonesian makers and artisans. Recycled plastic has been woven into poolside furniture and used to form speckled counters, while banana leaf paper becomes cloud-like bedside pendants. Plant-dyed curtains made using indigo, mango, coconut and ketapang leaf soften the suites, with Indonesian artworks and specially commissioned pieces appearing throughout.
Music runs throughout Moon Gang, from the vinyl-filled Nongkrong Lounge and DIY DJ station to record players and Walkmans in the suites, alongside playful additions including digital cameras and a telescope for moon-gazing.
Wellness at Moon Gang moves through a mix of spa treatments, yoga, breathwork and guided meditation, with the natural pool and rooftop spaces giving the program a looser rhythm. Guests can also join moon bathing sessions, outdoor film screenings and other evening rituals, extending the experience beyond the treatment room.
Bringing together music, wellness and design in the hills above Ubud, Moon Gang creates a stay that feels distinctly its own.
