Members of The Design Society and The World’s Most Glamourous Hotels, FIVELEMENTS Co-Founders and Creative Directors Lahra & Chicco Tatriele shed a little light on bridging traditional wisdom with contemporary innovation:
What direction do you feel design is moving towards in general terms?
Integrative sustainable design with human practicality and sensible technology.
What are the key influencing elements at present?
Environmental, social/cultural, functional & economical feasibilty.
What sort of projects are you working on at the moment?
The expansion of rooms & facilities at Fivelements, Puri Ahimsa, Bali – a meditation village theme – and social program integration for internal staff and guests as well as potential overseas projects in Asia Pacific region.
A designer’s work is so diverse – how do you manage to hold down a career and a life?
We live in our purpose and mission, Creating the space for Life Transformation and Love in Action, thus, our life is our career, so to speak. And, we work with an amazing multi-disciplinary design team who are all “inside our vision and mission,” contributing to ongoing program development and enrichment.
Name 4 key essentials for 2012 and beyond.
1. Back to Nature, Sustainable Living: integrating what is already on the site – maximizing the use of natural resources – and reducing carbon footprint
2. Multi-discilpinary teams of experts that fully engage in the creative “conceptual process,” keeping an open mind and cultural integration
3. Social media networking for attracting multi-skill/like-minded collaborators
4. Continued embracing the magic of LIFE; enjoy the process and have fun!If you could offer one piece of advice when it comes to design schemes, what would it be?Trust the process. Start with your core vision first, followed by getting to know the land through intuitive and schematic analysis, then allow for an organic design process to naturally unfold from there, keeping your goals and functionality in mind. What you set out to do will likely result in much greater than you originally planned.
How important do you feel Design Awards are as recognition of designers talents and achievements?
Very important because it brings well-executed designs to the forefront and helps evolve and inspire the entire industry, setting new benchmarks for others.
What are your aims and goals for the next twelve months?
Continue to cultivate our vision of Learning to Love and Respect Life, strengthen sustainable operational practices that support and expand upon the design intention and expand Fivelements destinations in Bali and abroad.
Final thoughts; tell us a little more about yourself…
The car you drive?
Toyota Innova or our Yamaha motorbike.
Your favourite place to travel to in the world?
Bali, a magical island one can never fully know.
Your favourite hotel/restaurant/bar?
In addition to Fivelements, Puri Ahimsa, Bali & the Sakti Dining Room™ , Kura Kura Restaurant at Oberoi Hotel in Bali, a place of timeless design.
The place that gives you the most energy?
Bali: Meditation at Agni Hotra in Fivelements or any sacred pilgrimage in Bali, in the volcano crater of Mt. Batur & Pasir Putih white sand beach and in Puttaparthi, India.
And the place that enables you to totally relax?
Snorkeling off-season on Gili Air island, Lombok, Indonesia.
Your favourite food and drink?
Any vegan meal prepared by our amazing Chef at our Sakti Dining Room™ & fresh Green Energy Juice.
Anything else interesting?
The most fascinating, timeless designs are those that bridge traditional methods and wisdom with innovative concepts relevant for today’s challenges.
FIVELEMENTS has been shortlisted in the Asia-Pacific Design & Architecture Awards 2013 in the Hotel & Commercial category for the SPA Hotel Award 2013. To find out more click to the design et al webpage or ENTER your design today.