Window covers, eco-friendly totes, snowboarding, and family. A melange of things that embody the passions of a hardworking and inspiring person who skillfully balances her love for creativity, sustainability, and the people she holds dear. Meet Jenfilia Suwandrei Arifin, the amazing woman behind two interior companies at Sadimas Intimitra & Imaji Nata Kirana, including working as the director of Coulisse, a global window covering specialist.
Unlike what most people think, Jenfilia originally didn’t have any interest in the world of window covers or blinds. After obtaining her master’s degree in architecture, her father who had started his own blinds and partition supplier company took her to an international window covering exhibition in Europe to introduce and bring her into the broad world of blinds. There they met Coulisse and found her passion for blinds. “It turns out window blinds is a whole world connected to others. The community is very international,” says Jenfilia.
The process happens naturally, a family friend who works at Coulisse offers them to bring Coulisse to Indonesia and now Jenfilia is a proud director of Coulisse in Indonesia. Coulisse itself is a fashionable window cover as Jenfilia describes. It is what made her fall in love with the industry. The brand did a fashion show and marked their position as the lead of Fashion Blinds in Indonesia. It is what makes Coulisse stand out from the others. Coulisse focuses on the design and is very pretty, says Jenfilia, it is an identity that she’s proud of.
She runs Coulisse based on her passion for the creative, something that differs from the previous generation. In working with “RAGAM” individuals, Jenfilia shares that bonding is important. “We have to be together first then solve the problem together.”
Outside the world of window covers and partitions, Jenfilia has “Föld”, her eco-friendly totes and friends that are crafted from excess blinds materials. The brand started during the pandemic and over her concern of the excess material waste her company produces. The brand serves as both a media to channel her love for design and a way to process their excess waste. Föld’s has been donating a percentage of their profits to orangutan.org, as well as to the surrounding environment and the local community through their own CSR organization in their commitment to sustain nature. Jenfilia is also currently the head of onefinesky, a social movement that donates school uniforms to students in need for every purchase of the product.
Living in balance
On the weekend she drives her kids to lessons, engages with other mothers at school, and reads books to her kids every night. Quality time with her family is essential. “When I do my hobbies, that is when I have my me time,” says Jenfilia.
“Taking care of the company is like taking care of the kids.” – Jenfilia
Jenfilia loves art and it is what first brings her into architecture, for it is a melange of both art and logic. She also enjoys Broadway musicals, dancing and playing tennis. But the most interesting is her love for snowboarding. Jenfilia admits she’s an adrenaline junkie and loves to challenge herself. Once a year she would hunt for the snow to snowboard. What she loves about snowboarding is that she can explore lesser known sights and meet friendly locals. Her kids are starting to ski too and the time she spends snowboarding and skiing with her family would always be the highlight of the year.
Throughout her life journey, she learns that process is important. Beautiful results—that is a bonus, says Jenfilia—but one absolutely has to enjoy the process. For her, looking back is as important as looking into the future. “We need to see our history to move forward. It is very important. It’s all about balance.”
