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FAHTHAI
How deeply do you research a client, a
country or a region's culture?
This is the part I love, so I milk this
process as long as the client will allow
me to! I buy every book I can on the
subject or related subject, regardless of
the language.
Can you describe your house in
Bangkok for us?
A small house, full of people, love,
laughter, happiness and four adorably
athletic Jack Russells. Being an enemy
of empty surfaces and a collector of all
things quirky, our house is a wonderful
depository of the world’s oddities.
But the best part of our home is our
meticulously tended garden, full of our
sculptures, mist and myriad garden
rooms that unfold one after another.
Why do you like to be surrounded by
objects?
[I like] objects of meaning and fond
memories… lots of them.
Has there ever been a situation where
a client has invited you to create
something but you turned it down?
Yes, in Xipsongpanna, southern China,
and just recently. The client from Beijing
gave us a huge contract to design a multi
million-dollar resort on a piece of land
that had no charm to it at all. While it
would have made us a lot of money, it
would not have been a project that I’d
have been proud of. So I quit before we
started and certainly did not make any
friends in Beijing.
How large is your team and how do you
designate roles?
I’m very lucky to work with a little more
than 150 very talented architects, interior
designers, landscape architects, fashion
designers, fine artists and product
designers. The majority of the team has
been with me for more than 15 years.
I’m very blessed.
How do I designate? I don’t. We
have no hard and fast rules. Designers
are not factory workers. Some create
best at night, some best during the day.
Some architects love to make models
and to paint, so they paint. Our best
interior designer is actually a landscape
architect bored with designing gardens.
I firmly believe designers are best when
challenged with something new. That’s
why I roam the world far and wide in
search of new projects.
Do you juggle projects or focus solely
on one project at a time?
I juggle. I like to have lots of problems
and questions presented constantly.
At the beginning of each project, I
concentrate on designing the DNA that
we might follow for several years. It’s so
important to start in the right direction.
Finally, Bill, what are you working on
currently?
Project-wise, what excites me is the
small ShintaMani Wild camp in Tmor
Rung, Cambodia. Several years ago, my
Thai-Cambodian business partner and
I bought 350 hectares of land with the
intent to create South-East Asia’s first
privately owned game reserve.
We’re building 19 luxury tents on this
land, which will be totally off the grid.
We’ll generate our own electricity and
grow our own food. We’ve stopped the
poaching now by engaging the poachers
as our rangers.
Also, our ShintaMani Club and Resort
in Siem Reap hosts a foundation and
school for less fortunate young people.
The spirit of our young staff is amazing
and makes my rather simply designed
hotel a genuinely special experience. We
hope to bring this level of heartwarming
service deep into the uncharted jungles
of Cambodia and to offer the world’s
jetsetters a unique new adventure.
THE MAGPIE
An
avid collector, Bill's
home is crammed
with items picked
up on his travels
“Being an enemy of
empty surfaces and a
collector of all things
quirky, our house is a
wonderful depository
of theworld’s oddities”
