Hospitality Design - May 2018 - 150

perspectives

interview

Jaya International Design

150

May 2018 hospitalitydesign.com

Co-CEOs Rengy John
and Clint Nagata

An outside sitting area at the new lakeside Amanoi
Spa Houses in Ninh Thuan, Vietnam

Shown in a rendering, Regent Phu Quoc's
interiors will merge with the outdoors

A rendering of Regent Phu Quoc's
presidential suite's living area
The Ritz-Carlton Jiuzhaigou overlooks the
Tibetan villages and majestic mountains

Photos by JOHN W.MCDERMOTT and courtesy of CATCHON & CO.

The sudden death of Jaya Pratomo Ibrahim in
May 2015 from a fall in his home left a vacuum in
Asian design. Although the soft-spoken, Anouska
Hempel-trained Indonesian interior designer
would loathe admitting it, he was a star. Projects
starting with the Legian Bali cemented Ibrahim's
name as a sensitive auteur that graced spaces
with local beauty and culture. His business
partnership with Bruce Goldstein led to the 2010
founding of Jaya International Design (JID), an
interior design and architecture consultancy
based in Singapore with offices in Jakarta, Kuala
Lumpur, Shanghai, and New York.
"I first met Jaya when he set up his Singapore
office," recalls Bangkok-based Clint Nagata,
co-CEO of Blink Design Group. "I had always
admired his work. The way he envisioned
spaces, his values toward life, his approach to
materiality-what he did resonated with us as a
firm," he says. "When we heard about his passing,
we thought it was important to try and preserve
his legacy." Singapore-based Rengy John, also coCEO of Blink, felt just as passionately. "Both Jaya
and Blink's designs are based on stories," he says.
After sending condolences, they reached out
regarding the future of the firm. But the courtship
process was slow: It took more than a year before
Blink was able to formally acquire Jaya's business
in late 2017. "We did not want to just come in
and stick our name on the door," explains John.
"The acquisition was a thoughtful and sensitive
process. We retained a lot of Jaya's staff and built
relationships with them over time."
With the purchase of JID, Blink closed its
Jakarta office while consolidating staff in its
Shanghai, Bangkok, and Singapore outposts.
Ongoing JID projects are being steered back
on track under Blink's new direction, including
Kempinski Kuala Lumpur, which will feature
a Malaysian entrance courtyard in front of
the 63-story tower. For the Ritz-Carlton,
Jiuzhaigou, the design is based on the writing of
renowned Sichuan poets and includes abstract
interpretations of clouds. One of Ibrahim's
final projects was the Capella Shanghai-a
yearslong project that evokes Ibrahim's signature
thoughtfulness. "With our extensive network and
growing footprint in the luxury hospitality space,
we are able to honor Jaya's legacy by ensuring his
unfinished projects see completion," states John.
"We see this as a huge honor, and we take on this
responsibility with humility."

http://www.hospitalitydesign.com

Hospitality Design - May 2018

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Hospitality Design - May 2018