Design Anthology - Asia Pacific Edition
Mekong Meanderings
The colonial era has left an indelible imprint on UNESCO-listed Luang Prabang, and it was this that inspired lauded hospitality designer Bill Bensley’s work on the new Rosewood property. Cradled in the glen of the Nahm Dong River like a microcosm of this city on the Mekong, the series of buildings has been designed after the town’s distinct French-colonial style. The site’s challenging geography meant no heavy machinery, so the manual construction was carried out by 400 local craftspeople over three years.
The result is Bensley at his chic-meets-quirky best, with the Riverside and Waterfall Pool Villas and Hilltop Tents truly fulfilling the potential of the location. Of these there are only a handful (and only 23 rooms in total), and each is unique. Every villa is named and styled after Bensley’s fancy of a historical Mekong expedition-era figure, here inspiring a calming blue-hued chamber, there a steampunk gentleman’s space. The architectural details vary in each, though authentic gold-leaf stencil work on the walls, common in local temples, features throughout. The soothing waterfall and private decks with plunge pools top off the experience.
The stilted hilltop tents offer a more local flavour, each taking inspiration from one of the 80 local hill tribes. The term ‘tent’ applies only to the roof structures; the remainder of the wrapping is solid, and the generous rollup windows and terraces allow for spectacular views over the surrounding landscape.
The Great House, a pavilion within which the hotel’s lounge and restaurant are found, continues the period style, while the Elephant Bridge Bar straddles the creek and pays tribute to the country that was once ‘the land of a million elephants’; its tropical wood tones and outlook to the creek and pool make it an easy spot for a sundowner.
But here the design is a gateway to the cultural experience. The able staff are on hand to arrange visits to sites that still retain their authenticity, from no-ride elephant sanctuaries to less-known villages that offer experiences of the diverse Laotian culture.
Diverging from the Mekong to its Tonle Sap tributary and the rapidly growing Siem Reap, you find a different kind of bustle but the same Bensley ethos at the new Shinta Mani Angkor — Bensley Collection. These private 150-squaremetre villas are a recent addition to the existing property and offer surprisingly secluded nests within walking distance of the crowds.
This is no accident. Bensley, a part owner of Shinta Mani Hotels, was given creative freedom to design the villas based on his concept of escapism — read lush gardens and cultivated stillness — and it’s a mark of his talent that he has created tropical luxury by combining vernacular architectural elements with Art Deco. The property’s structure echoes a Khmer temple, with its series of walls around the inner sanctuary of your villa, while basreliefs include the monumental ‘hands of meditation’ piece on the external wall and the robe of King Jayavarman VII that dominates an internal and external wall in each villa.
From there, though, the touch is decidedly modern and strongly Deco: first exemplified in the beautiful finishes and geometric proportions in the reception space, and in the concentric square architraves that appear
throughout. With their black walls patterned in brass, the rooms manage to offer a surprising sense of tropical relaxation. Cooling stone and patterned black and white tile are also used liberally, particularly in each villa’s semi-outdoor bathroom and plunge pool. Splashes of colour come in the form of soft furnishings, but nature is the real star of the show: full-height windows flood the villas with natural light (though there are blackout curtains), while the lush gardens right outside exude calm.
For a more literal escape, brand-new sister property Shinta Mani Wild offers a similarly luxurious experience in a Cambodian national park; conscious travellers will appreciate the opportunity to support the park’s conservation.
The final stop is more cosmopolitan; in fact, those who haven’t visited Phnom Penh in several years may not recognise its gleaming skyline. Here, overlooking the junction of the Tonle Sap and the Mekong, the top 14 levels of the country’s tallest building host another recently opened Rosewood property.
In the grand entrance, a soothing water feature and a living wall immediately mute the hubbub. Wood panelling in the porte cochère and cloth wall coverings warmly contrast the exterior, evoking a French mansion, while regional and local touches come via decorative doors and commissioned sculptures of traditional rattan and modern wound wire.
Most of the public spaces are by Melbourne’s BAR Studio, as are the guest rooms; all are characterised by elegance and exquisite material sensibility. In the 35th-floor lobby lounge, tropical-classic screens and rattan are given a modern touch and paired with similarly bespoke furniture. Floor-to-ceiling windows throughout mean not only a panoramic view but lighting that’s decor-driven rather than architectural.
The sophisticated brasserie’s spaces include open kitchens and tasting counters, offering a versatile, welcoming venue accented by brass and earth tones. In the generous guest rooms, natural light paints a muted but cosy palette of browns and subdued gold with brighter touches in the soft furnishings. Wood, rattan, leather and brass provide materiality, while lattices and shutters form recurring motifs. The French legacy is evident in space and proportion, in elegant brass and smooth leather; the Cambodian in craft and local art.
Tokyo-based Bond Design Studio created izakaya Iza and bar Sora. Elegantly masculine Iza’s lattice screens sculpt light and define spaces over multiple bars, their patterns echoed in soft furnishings that bridge Japanese and Cambodian motifs. By contrast, Sora was inspired by the movements of an Apsara dancer. The curved central bar and stools evoke sculpted lotus bulbs with tapered stems; contrasting chunky lounge chairs in earth tones sit under a large water droplet-like light fixture. Semi-private nooks are enclosed on three sides by shimmering silver-leafed walls, while a cultivated lived-in look pervades the adjoining cigar and whisky bar. Al fresco tipples are taken on the cantilevered outdoor terrace, the highest sky bar in the city.
All three properties are testament to design that creates a sense of immediate comfort and separation from the outside world. The Mekong region continues to draw the crowds, but they don’t need to be the madding type.