DESIGN
The bedroom of an overwater villa with pool
properties that Wong and the Appaswamy family of India found as they studied some of the more than 100 resorts in the far-flung island nation : One Robinson Crusoe primitive , the other slick and contemporary .
Wong ’ s approach focused on the luxury of time to experience the fragility of an atoll reef , the locally grown food , the locally produced artwork . “ I think that gives a lot more meaning to the experience ,” he says . Maldivian culture also provides touchpoints . Some villas are shaped like dhonis , traditional fishing boats .
“ Art is a very big hallmark of St . Regis the brand , and we use art in a very important way to help tell the story of the Maldives and also how and what art could be like in terms of the environment ,” Wong says – with a message of its ephemeral nature . Upcycled and recycled materials from glass bottles and wood from old fishing boats are employed ; art shows up on the trails between zones as well . “ On one hand , it ’ s pictorial , but on the other sends a much deeper message about how new life can be given to old things ,” he says .
The master bathroom in the Caroline Astor Estate
CARGO CHIC The nature aesthetic and the St . Regis imprint come together cheekily in Cargo , a shipping container in the jungle that doubles as a pop-up café serving Middle Eastern cuisine .
42 hotelsmag . com July-August 2017
Garden villa with pool