November | December 2011

In March, W opened its first property in Indonesia's beach hotspot of Seminyak, on the mystical island of Bali. The W Retreat & Spa Bali - Seminyak, to give its full name, not only offers a destination within a destination for fans of the brand, there are also residences for loyalists who want to immerse themselves in the lifestyle. With the talents of Hong Kong-based AB Concept and Singapore-based Poole Associates to execute W's concept through interior design, an exhilarating playground was created to enhance Bali's hospitality offerings.

For W Bali, AB Concept designed the guestrooms, villas and many common areas while Poole Associates designed the F+B outlets, villa showroom and some common areas. Both have worked on W properties in the past - Ed Ng of AB Concept being credited with the up-and-coming W Beijing, while Ed Poole of Poole Associates designed the F+B outlets at W Retreat & Spa in the Maldives.

Ng feels that whimsy is one of the basic principles behind the luxury brand, which has been consistently evolving as it spreads across the globe. 'When we designed W, our mindset was that it had to have a wow factor," he states. "It is a brand associated with celebrities and high fashion. Color and vibrancy were also important aspects."

To immerse themselves in Balinese culture, Ng and his design team were taken around the island by the owner, to check out the existing five-star properties so that they could avoid repetition and to seek inspiration.

'The overall impression is the diversity of the natural scenery," he recalls. 'The architecture is beautiful: a combination of Hindi and Islam for a unique Balinese culture. And handicraft is common throughout the island."

One of the most striking images is the tattoo motif on the ceiling upon arrival at  the 158-room hotel. Along a linear feature wall, hundreds of hand-blown glassware are used as wind chimes that tinkle as sea breezes brush past them. The bar is made from cast resin to mimic the architecture of traditional Balinese structures and becomes a glowing focal point at night.

Ng differentiates between guestroom and residential villas by focusing more on outdoor living in the latter. "Bales play an important role for outdoor living on the island," he explains. "We include a bale in the villas and designed them to be like huge outdoor daybeds with white sheers and colors to enhance the experience of sitting by the water. In the larger villas, we used a vibrant yellow and beanbag chairs to align with the playful image of the brand."

Due to the high level of craftsmanship on the island, Ng tried to minimize the use of machine made products. However, it was challenging to get the level of detailing that he was used to with his projects in greater China. It came down to communicating with the local people. "For a screen in the guestrooms we used three mother of pearl colors," he recalls. "It became a decorative art piece and takes away from the TV being the room's focal point. In other parts of the world, the screen would have cost a fortune!"

He was also pleased to see the terrazzo pattern on the lobby flooring exceeding his expectations. "The grid lines go with the way the architecture flow, "Ng explains. "We spent a lot of time working out a patter, and needed to have a bronze carpet inlay along with different terrazzo sanded to a perfect flat surface. It was quite difficult to do but it was some of the best terrazzo work I have ever seen. If I knew what could have been done, I would have gone for even more handcraft-oriented designs."

Ed Poole has been to Bali more than fifty times in the past two decades, and had a wealth of impressions to draw upon for inspiration. He based his designs for W's restaurants and bars on the culture, people and history of Bali though music, dance, materials and craft; tropicality; and modern design. For example, in the Fire restaurant, the design stems from traditional Balinese Kecak dance. "this was selected as the cuisine changes to a steakhouse at night - thus the fire aspect, " he notes. "The central fire, surrounded by men chanting in poleng cloth sarongs in a a texturally rugged atmosphere, became the driving design factor. Elements like the radiating burnt timber ceilings with suspended fireball chandelier became integral in the expression. At Villa Arrival, we based design aspects on Wayan shadow puppets. Light and dark, transparency and silhouette - these were the driving factors. Perforated ceilings to create shadows during the day and perforated seating for shadows at night, all set in black. It's a bit like a stage set."

Poole Associates found designing and specifying materials that could withstand the extreme humidity, salt and wear and tear over a significant period of time the most challenging part of the project. 'The Woobar for example, is designed to be resilient to the eventuality of a high king tide coinciding with a full moon," says Poole. "The structure is raw cement, electrical cables ride high inside the walls, and emergency access is to the back, in case of a a rogue wave inundating the dancefloor unexpectedly."

In comparison to his design for W Maldives, the outlets at W Bali are more sophisticated. "Bali is very accessible to the world via an international airport," Poole says. "The entertainment aspects of Kuta, Legian, Seminyak and Krobokan certainly play a part in the island's slickness. So in one way, W Maldives is inward while W Bali is outwards. W Bali in neither city nor total treat, but a bit of both.