Boutique Design - December 2015 - 91

TAJ GROUP BAGHVAN LODGE, INDIA

WE ARE INSPIRED BY HOSPITALITY AND THE POSITIVE IMPACT IT CAN HAVE
IN THE DEVELOPING WORLD." HOW DID THAT STATEMENT COME ABOUT,
AND HOW DO YOU PUT IT INTO PRACTICE?
CHRIS: We are passionate about the merging of beautiful spaces, gracious

hospitality and delightful service. We apply this philosophy to everything we
do. There has to be a golden thread that ties the FF&E and OS&E together. We
rely heavily on human capital to achieve this. The hotel and lodge teams that
we train bring the interiors alive. Sandibe best illustrates this, where we have
all meals prepped in front of the guests in an interactive kitchen, lined with
copper-including making pizza in a wood-burning oven. It's a small moment
of theater!
THE GOLD KEY JUDGES WERE ALSO IMPRESSED BY THE IMMERSIVE
ENVIRONMENTS FOX BROWNE CREATES BY SEAMLESSLY BLENDING
FF&E AND SPACE PLANNING WITH THE SURROUNDING ARCHITECTURE.
IN ADDITION TO THE GOLD-KEY WINNING SANDIBE PROJECT, CAN YOU
PROVIDE ANOTHER NOTABLE EXAMPLE OF WAYS YOU'VE WORKED WITH
ARCHITECTS AND ARCHITECTURE TO CREATE MEMORABLE EXPERIENCES?
DEBRA: We think that the lodge we developed for Taj Safaris near Khajuraho

best illustrates this. We drew inspiration from the nearby temples that
included erotic artifacts and applied very detailed stone carvings to the rooms
and pavilions. Romance had to underpin every design decision.

YOUR FIRM'S WORK GOES BEYOND GREEN, AS ILLUSTRATED BY YOUR
SANDIBE PROJECT WINNING ONE OF ITS GOLD KEY AWARDS FOR BEST
ECO-CONSCIOUS OR SOCIALLY CONSCIOUS HOTEL. WHAT, IN YOUR VIEW,
ARE TODAY'S BEST PRACTICES FOR MAKING THAT HAPPEN?
DEBRA: I think the industry as a whole has made huge progress on this

front. Because we mostly develop in wilderness areas that are under threat
by extreme population growth and agriculture, it's vital that surrounding
communities see and realize the value of having land under conservation.
With this in mind, we encourage many of our clients to spend a considerable
amount of capital on community education and empowerment initiatives,
sourcing and working with rural and local people. On every project, this is the
key for sustainability for us. Obviously, we also apply sustainable technology
wherever possible without ever diminishing the experience for guests.
WHAT OTHER TYPES OF PROJECTS HAS YOUR FIRM WORKED ON?
CHRIS: We mostly work on small boutique hotels and safari lodges but also take

on private bush homes. We have designed all 40 of the &Beyond properties
across sub-Saharan Africa and India. We've also designed four private villas in the
Kruger National Park as well as the Getty House at Phinda Private Game Reserve.
We recently expanded into Mozambique, focusing on small beach resorts.
Next year, we will be opening a new villa on the Kenyan coast at Kilifi , a private
villa at Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, and two refurbished properties for &Beyond in
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