COLONIAL CHARM MEETS MALDIVIAN REVERIE
Designed to exude the intimate ambience of a luxury residence, Raffles Maldives Meradhoo brings to life the heritage of its brand and the natural beauty of its destination. By Esther Faith Lew
with flowing spaces demarcated by louvered doors and windows and patterned tiles in a soothing grey-blue palette. Natural materials such as bamboo and rattan further accentuate the feeling of homeliness in a vacation home and invites guests to sit back and take in the quiet beauty of the lush tropical foliage and pristine waters.
These elements inspired Founder and Creative Partner Clint Nagata of BLINK Design Group to overlay the nuances of island story-telling in the design. “Colonial-inspired details such as classic stripes have been blended with resort-style materials and details such as abaca, bamboo and rattan. Also, traditional colonial fabrics combined with patterns inspired by the surrounding sea, such as corals, have added a layer of detail to relate to the environment,” says Nagata. Inspired by this, design elements throughout the property depict nuanced takes on marine life and sea creatures. Accessories such as sea coral lamps were crafted by BLINK, alongside decorations of starfish, sea urchins, and turtle shells made from ecologically friendly resin material.
Nagata shared that as materials on the island were scarce, they had sourced and designed imported and custom-built furniture for indoor and outdoor use. “We used teak wood, seagrass, handwoven olefin rope, wicker, synthetic rattan, and solution-dyed acrylic fabric upholstery and pillows to ensure that the furniture can be moved around in the various spaces. Besides developing these customised designs, we also hand-picked furniture from the renowned American outdoor furniture brand Janus Et Cie.”
Within the villas, guests are greeted by an airy expansive space; a soaring seven-metre-high ceiling with exposed beams painted in grey-blue allow natural light to flood into the room. Taking pride of place is a super-king-size four-poster canopy bed raised atop a teak platform, allowing guests to luxuriate within the spacious four-metre-high volume and to take in the view of the Indian Ocean. Each beach villa has been designed like a private luxury residence, featuring an opulent bathroom with an islandstyle double vanity, a 2m x 2m sunken soaking tub backed by an accent wall of white and grey marble, and surrounded by floor-toceiling glass windows, replete with a walk-in outdoor shower and double vanities.