Be Personable
rd Jarrett
Building his passion through creative design
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man on a mission to have buildings be more than just functional boxes, Zuar Ard Jarrett is known as a force to be reckoned with in the world of design. As one of the principals behind the successful KLE Group that has transformed lifestyle and entertainment as we know it through such prestigious brands as Usain Bolt’s Tracks and Records and the Fiction Lounge, Jarrett has his fingers on the pulse of what is happening in Jamaica. Founder, Design Principal and Managing Director of Zuar Limited, a premier architectural, planning and interior design firm in Kingston, his company’s portfolio spans government, corporate and a host of well appointed private residences. Jarrett has received various certifications in business, among them the European Union scholarship to pursue a Masters of Architecture which he completed in 2004 at the University of Technology. Places & Spaces (P&S) caught up with the ever busy businessman and got some insight into his world of drawings, sketches and designs as he seeks to better Jamaica, one building at a time. P&S: What led you to your chosen profession? ZAJ: It wasn’t something planned actually. In high school I displayed creative talents but was undecided on a career path. One day my mother suggested that architecture would be a suitable profession for me and made arrangements for my application to the Caribbean School of Architecture. So it seemed all very by the way, but you have to trust the moms (laugh). P&S: What are some of your more memorable jobs? ZAJ: Doing Fiction Lounge was exciting. Most projects are guided by budgets and project specific restrictions that
sometimes try and force a certain creative direction by stipulating guidelines that stifle any real possibilities that you can create. With Fiction, I could dream aloud and push the envelope and it was also personal since I was directly aligned. I was doing entertainment long before, so I was able to merge my two passions together. The first house I restored shortly after my master’s degree will always be special to me. It was for Peter Bunting in Jacks Hills on the old Ivor Restaurant property. It was Architectural and Interior design. We handmade furniture, we customized materials and moulded space in dynamic ways. Just timeless! Currently, there is a new gaming lounge in Marketplace between Fiction and Tracks and Record to be completed shortly. Again, the client was confident in my design capability so we pushed a design that was advanced yet timeless, encompassing a lot of floating elements that played on scale and proportion and the dynamic blend of materials. It is sexy in a premium way that doesn’t lend itself to being dated. A lot of earth elements like stone, wood, water. The feel of luxury finished metals in gold, polished steel, glass, etc. is used throughout to make the space feel sophisticated. P&S: Where inspiration? do you draw your
ZAJ: Life in general is a huge inspiration. I’m an emotional person meaning I absorb the good and the bad around me. I’m motivated by the simple things that most people take for granted. The general absorption of life are pockets from which I pull, plus the team I have here at Zuar Ltd. all think outside the box and that is also motivating. P&S: What do you look for when first viewing a building? ZA (?? ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????((??()A???????M?????((0