Ahmad Dhani's New Business, Located in a Luxurious Dutch Heritage House from 1922

"What makes this house different is that it is a heritage house; my house is not a heritage. What sets this house apart is that it is a real Dutch house from the past. The pillars are original from this house, all the window frames are original, and the floors are also original," explained Ahmad Dhani.

To strengthen the cultural atmosphere, Dhani decorated the walls of his restaurant with a collection of rare photographs of Javanese kings from the past. He explained that these photographs are not just decorations, but historical artifacts of photography that began in the mid-19th century.

"In this lobby, almost all the Javanese kings are here. So, you have to learn photography first. Photography started from the 1850s onwards. So these are photos of Javanese kings, the King of Mataram, the palace, from above the 1850s. The oldest is a photo of Pakubuwono VIII. There are also Pakubuwono IX, Pakubuwono X, Pakubuwono XI, Pakubuwono XII," he explained.

The collection on display is not only limited to the Surakarta Sunanate, but also includes photos from the Yogyakarta Sultanate that have deep historical value. Dhani detailed who the important figures are whose portraits now adorn the walls of Dewa 19 Restography.

"The oldest ones here are Hamengkubuwono VI, VII, VIII, IX. Hamengkubuwono X does not have a photo, because he is still alive. The others have all passed away. So that is culture. Culture is part of history," he said.

Not only photos, Dhani also displays paintings of historical figures who lived before the era of photography was invented, adding to the educational wealth of history for visitors. He explains the existence of the painting of Prince Puger, who is the forerunner of the Islamic Mataram dynasty.

"There is only one painting, so inside there is a large painting of Prince Puger. Prince Puger is Pakubuwono I. So he is the king of all, the forerunner of Hamengkubuwono, Pakubuwono, Prince Puger. That's why there is a painting of him, because he lived in the 1700s, so there are no photos but there is a painting," said Ahmad Dhani.

In addition to photos and paintings, interior details such as lighting also receive Dhani's main attention to perfect the classic atmosphere inside the restaurant. He assures that the installed lamps are original antiques that are very difficult to find duplicates of.

"Therefore, the investment in Kemang is all maximized. Maximized like these lights, none of them are fake, none are made in Indonesia. These lights are all from the Dutch era. The characteristic to know whether the light is Dutch or not is that there are no twins," he said.

Dhani himself took direct action in the interior decoration process to ensure every corner of the room reflects his artistic taste and standards. He revealed that the renovation process took several months until it was finally ready to be opened to the public.

"Coincidentally, we started renovating in October and just finished this February. So it just finished, I decorated everything myself and so on. The decoration, lighting, everything I did myself," he concluded.