In the 1970s, courageous Irish designer Linda Garland discovered the giant bamboos of Bali, Indonesia, and all the ways in which they were used in the traditional Indonesian way of life. She integrated them into many of her interior designs, and given that many of her clients were high profile, many came to call her the “Queen of Bamboo”.

She and her design team created sofas, chairs, beds, and jewelry, and other designers began to replicate their work. Indonesian president Suharto presented her with the Upakarti Award for her work in catalyzing more than 10 cottage industry areas in Bali – which flourished into multimillion dollar institutions in Bali and elsewhere in Indonesia.