BERMUDA'S newest furniture store, Bella Casa, opened a few weeks ago. Located on Hermitage Road in Devonshire, it was inspired by Bali, the Asian tourist Mecca, and offers a wealth of furnishings from that region.

Behind the venture is Allan Richardson, a former executive with the Bank of Bermuda, who conceived the idea nearly ten years ago while he was seconded to the bank's offices in Hong Kong.

"I'm a chartered accountant by profession, having initially qualified back in 1975," he explained. "After probably almost 30 years in the financial services industry I wanted to make a change that would reflect my involvement and interests, something that was much more directly in line with some of my core values."

To make that change he drew on his experiences in Southeast Asia.

"That was probably a life-changing experience for me. For about eight months I had the pleasure of living and working in Hong Kong and Singapore, but also got to travel extensively throughout most of Southeast Asia. The place that just absolutely was heaven on earth for me ? outside of Bermuda ? was Bali."

His first visit was in the summer of 1997, Mr. Richardson said.

"Its tranquillity, its enchantment, its simple elegance and exquisite beauty just kind of really got to my DNA. I began to think about some of the furniture offerings that I saw as being appropriate and suitable for Bermuda."

Mr. Richardson found subsequent visits to Bali just as encouraging. He determined his scheme was a viable one ? that there was room in the Bermuda market for a furniture store which offered the "solid woods and complementing natural fibre accessories" he had admired while in Asia. "So that really was the genesis, the early propositions and thinking which led to the creation of the Bella Casa concept that you see today," he added.

Initial plans saw the business launched in the latter part of 2001 or early in 2002. The would-be entrepreneur deferred operations, however, put off by the terrorist attacks on the United States. "With the tragic events of the World Trade Centre bombings in September of that year, I decided that with so much uncertainty in the world ? including Bermuda ? at the same time, that I would defer those plans. I remained at the bank for another year and eventually left in the fall of 2002."

Still unsure that the timing was right to start the business, Mr. Richardson turned his attention to other interests.

"I enrolled at the Atlanta School of Massage (in Atlanta, Georgia) and became qualified and certified as a massage therapist. I spent extensive time studying the spa and wellness industry but once I graduated from the Atlanta School of Massage I immediately got back to Bermuda and made some serious steps in getting Bella Casa to move along."

store, which opened on January 29, is truly a familial undertaking ? aiding Mr. Richardson is his wife, Karon, his sister, Alena, and his mother, Joan.

"It is a family affair and I'm certainly very, very blessed that (they) are also involved in the store," he said. "We've been in business now for about seven or eight weeks and the reception both to what we're offering and to the d?cor of the store itself, has been extremely, extremely positive.

"We've had very positive comments from all of our customers. We've had the benefit of some very, very favourable comments about our price pattern and about the elements in the store ? about how we've been able to combine tasteful, elegant, durable, solid pieces of furniture with very, very affordable price patterns.

"So we're very, very pleased with the response we've gotten from our concept."

Most of the pieces are from Southeast Asia, the majority from Bali. According to the entrepreneur, there is one exception ? Bella Casa's leather items are purchased from distributors in the United States.

"The emphasis in the store is on teak," he said. "There are two very distinct types of teak used in the pieces ? one is new teak, which gives you a much more refined, finished look. The other would be classified as old teak."

E added: "It looks a lot more rustic. It gives a piece a lot of character and can often look as old as 20 or 30 years when, in fact, it is a newly-produced and manufactured piece. But, basically, teak is the common denominator to most of the wood pieces in the store.

"What we strove for was a store that offered attractive solid woods and related accessories as a complement, but one that also enabled our price points to be attractive to large cross-sections of the market. I hope the public sees our goods as attractive and affordable, as goods of quality that offer value."

Artwork is also prevalent at Bella Casa, on display in both a dedicated gallery and along the walls of the store's main showroom.

Explained Mr. Richardson: "The oil and canvas works are done by a Balinese artist. The lithographs are sourced from a very, very talented pair of Chinese brothers who operate a gallery in Atlanta. I had the pleasure of meeting them while I was studying there and liked their work. So, with the exception of the lithographs, everything else is Southeast Asian influenced.

"The other distinctive element in the store is the E Gallery which features the work of Llewellyn Emery, a master wood turner. What we wanted to do was combine an offering in the store which showcased talented artisans of Bermuda. (Llewellyn's work is usually on display) at Harbour Nights on Wednesdays and also up at the Craft Market in Dockyard on Thursdays.

"He has predominantly worked with cedar in the past, but is now working with a range of other woods, including a number of woods found locally. The exhibit in the gallery at the moment (displays) what he calls his storm wood collection. It's derived, I believe, from several of the storms which have ravaged Bermuda and caused destruction.

"They leave in their wake all this residue, wood pieces that people often cut up for the fireplace or just throw away ? I guess in this case what is one man's trash is another man's treasure, because they produced quite a number of the pieces that you see in the gallery."

q Bella Casa is located at 6 Hermitage Road in Devonshire, next door to SAL Limited, and is open six days a week ? Mondays from noon to 7 p.m., Tuesdays through Fridays from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information, telephone 236-2888.