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Bungalow18 by Frankitas in Damansara Endah is a shoppable “home away from home”
Tucked away in the leafy neighbourhood of Damansara Endah is a bungalow that offers everything from fashion and handwoven rugs to yoga sessions and Javanese-inspired food.
A community of discerning women quietly come in daily for its boho-chic vibe and multi-retail experience since it opened in 2021. By name the bungalow is called Bungalow18 by Frankitas and is a multi-label boutique, but to many of its customers, this place is a second home of sorts: a spot for taking a breather or catching up on conversations with friends. It houses a curated selection of unique brands, ranging from loungewear and fitness to beachwear, as well as a variety of accessories and home décor items.
Read more: 5 idyllic modern tropical bungalows in Malaysia
The entire set-up is optimised for lounging comfortably, connecting with like-minded people or for slow, intentional shopping. The garden has ample alfresco seating, the veranda is also a pop-up café and the backyard is where the founders sometimes hold workshops and workout sessions. It is with this genial atmosphere that regulars—many of whom are pushing strollers—come back to the place often.
Here, we catch up with founder Francisca Turner Shaik, best known as Franki and the woman behind homegrown accessories brand Frankitas, on her commitment to curating a space so unique and welcoming that one feels it’s a “home away from home”.
Above Francisca Turner Shaik, best known as Franki and the woman behind homegrown accessories brand Frankitas
Francisca Turner Shaik, best known as Franki and the woman behind homegrown accessories brand Frankitas
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Why did you decide to run your business out of this bungalow at Damansara Endah?
My business partner and dear friend of close to 30 years, Gayathri Subramaniam (founder of accessories brand Just Gaya’s) and I had always dreamed of creating a warm, welcoming, and multi-concept space. This is the essence of Bungalow18 by Frankitas—a multi-experiential space: retail shop, fitness, nail spa, F&B, as well as events and workshops.
Today, our boutique and nail bar is open six days a week, we host fitness classes in our garden, and open our alfresco pop-up café on Fridays and Saturdays focused on Indonesian classics. We’ve also been busy with a number of private events, ranging from bridal hi-tea showers, afternoon wedding lunches, birthday parties, book launches, and photo shoots to name a few.
See also: Shyamala Maisondieu, a Malaysia-born perfumer in France
A constant buzz of community and private events held at Bungalow18
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Tell us more about this bungalow.
The bungalow itself is a 1970s two-storey house with a big garden and verandah—for which we have converted into our pop-up café. To add our stamp on the space, we painted the large exterior garden walls in various eye-catching colours—which has now become a signature design element to Bungalow18. Moreover, in the garden, we built a pergola for extra covered space for dining or simply relaxing—all of which is surrounded by the lush trees and flowers we have grown since we moved in. Internally, we kept it simple and true to the 1970s design elements, which we simply adore. The area is in an old neighbourhood of Damansara Endah—it’s quiet and just lovely.
The Bungalow takes inspiration from Gaya’s childhood home in Petaling Jaya, which many of our friends have enjoyed moments either in secondary or university years. It was a house that we can safely say many enjoyed special moments in because it was simply warm, safe, welcoming and nurturing in so many ways. There was always laughter and joy. We wanted to recreate these memories and emotions in Bungalow18 by Frankitas, incorporating it with various aspects of our lives that we enjoy—eating, shopping, drinking, exercising and most importantly, going back to the traditional and fundamental human-to-human experiences, while most brands are going to digital. And we cannot wait to continue building it up and creating memories and experiences for our community.
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Why did you decide to do a pop-up café as well?
I come from a family of chefs and big foodies, so I've always had a love for food and cooking. Growing up in my kampung in Bogor, Indonesia, I began appreciating the process of farm-to-table Indonesian classics—many of the dishes you will get to taste at Bungalow18 are my grandmother’s recipes. Adding to that, my father was also in the F&B industry for over 20 years. Having learnt from him and joining him on jobs, you can say I’ve been in the kitchen since a child. We both always wanted to incorporate food into the business, as we felt that it not only brings people together, but is ingrained in our culture and heritage.
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Above Javanese-inspired food at the pop-up cafe at Bungalow18 by Frankitas
Javanese-inspired food at the pop-up cafe at Bungalow18 by Frankitas
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What are some of the bestselling items at Frankitas?
As a brand soon to celebrate our 10th year anniversary (in June 2023), we have been blessed to continue receiving amazing support from our loyal customers. Frankitas collection of clutches and bags are still our fastest moving items, including our home décor items, such as our vintage rugs and customized lampshades featuring our hand-woven Ikat. Other popular brands include home décor brands, such as Favory Home, which creates beautiful wooden home ware and Master of None’s unique resin trays in favour of giving back to animal shelters. Not forgetting, Fugeelah, a not-for-profit brand making and selling gorgeous meaningful jewelries with the main purpose to contribute to the sustainable running of Fugee School in Malaysia.
Above Frankitas bag
Above Favoury Home baskets
Frankitas bag
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About
Lynette loves travelling and dancing to Latin music almost as much as she enjoys period films and pastry desserts. She is constantly in search of the perfect nude lipstick and finds her best ideas through walks in nature.
Work
As the Editor-in-Chief of Tatler Malaysia, Lynette leads the content teams for print, digital and social media platforms of the brand. She has over 20 years experience in media, having been editorial director and editor-in-chief for lifestyle titles such as Cleo, ELLE, Esquire, Men’s Health, and Women’s Health.
Follow her on Instagram @lynette_ow or LinkedIn
