OMA Transforms Bali's Potato Head Store into Workshop
Potato Head and OMA open Good Times General Store in Seminyak, Bali, combining recycled materials and traditional craft in a circular retail space.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
- Potato Head and OMA launch Good Times General Store in Seminyak, Bali
- Building uses rammed earth, reclaimed wood, and bamboo terrazzo floors
- Interior features five interconnected bays for retail, crafts, and workshops
- Expansion plans include new ateliers for weaving and upcycling by 2027
In Seminyak, Indonesia, Potato Head has teamed up with OMA to open the Good Times General Store, a permanent retail space within Desa Potato Head that functions as both a store and a craft center. Designed to blend commerce with education, the project invites visitors to explore how everyday items are produced, where their raw materials originate, and their lifecycle beyond initial consumption.
The architectural design, developed by OMA in collaboration with Potato Head’s Ade Herkarisma, draws inspiration from traditional Balinese building techniques. The structure features an alang-alang thatch roof facade, rammed-earth walls constructed from local clay, reclaimed timber, and terrazzo flooring embedded with bamboo offcuts. Fragmented earthen blocks organize the interior layout while maintaining a tactile, unpretentious material palette.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
The interior is divided into five interconnected bays that trace the lifecycle of objects. The first bay houses artisan souvenirs, books, and lifestyle items from independent makers, while the second showcases Potato Head’s Bali-inspired apparel collection. The third bay features the Wasted collection by Max Lamb, which repurposes discarded plastics and waste into functional homeware and furniture.
This initiative highlights the growing trend of integrating circular design principles into commercial architecture. By embedding active workshops directly into a retail environment, the project transforms passive shopping into an educational and participatory experience regarding material lifecycle management.
The final two bays focus on production processes rather than finished goods. One houses a natural dye studio utilizing pigments extracted from plants and food waste collected across Desa Potato Head, while the other features a wall of shredded HDPE plastic recovered from collectors in Bali and Java for molding workshops. Additional ateliers for weaving, upcycling, and sewing are scheduled to launch in 2027.
The Good Times General Store connects directly to Potato Head’s broader sustainability framework, including the Waste Lab and the Follow the Waste Tour. Potato Head founder Ronald Akili notes that retail can transcend simple transactions, emphasizing the value of understanding the provenance and future lifecycle of manufactured objects.
Source: designboom
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