When Burmese interior designer Kay Khaing Thet Htun was tasked to design luxury hotel Awei Metta in Yangon, she was driven by two primary objectives:

• relate the hotel to its context in a tropical golf estate;
• the interiors reflect a contemporary Burmese style, consistent with the client’s brand identity.
  Traditional Burmese elements were incorporated into a modern contemporary way in form, pattern, colour and texture for the interior spaces.

We find out more from Kay, about the design of this newly launched hotel, and her love for interior design.

Which is your favourite part of the hotel?

"The arrivals lobby and Oscar’s Restaurant are my favourite parts of the hotel. The lobby creates a very welcoming and calming experience through the sound of water and the screened indirect lighting emanating from the walls. The simplicity of the material palette blends with the architecture and has a serenity as it frames the landscape in the distance."

"Oscar’s Restaurant speaks to a more informal and dynamic character all together. The interiors are humble yet wonderfully relaxed through playful use of contrasting colours with distinctive decorative elements. I like to think of the experience as heartwarming and authentic."

What got you interested in interior design? 

"I have always been interested in design; forms, textures, patterns and materials excite me. This was very evident in my first act as a designer, designing and fabricating handbags. This allowed me to express ideas holistically, from the overall shape and form to the details that one experiences more intimately. Interior design is the same, but richer due to its scale. I enjoy playing with colours, textures, forms, light, furniture and decorative items to create experiences which people can fully occupy. It’s a little hard to climb into a handbag."

What do you enjoy most about designing hotels? 

"Designing hotels gives us an opportunity to have a concept that expresses something unique about place, time & material; the combination of which can be found reflected in both public and private settings. I enjoy having the range of space to apply my conceptual logic: the lobby, guest rooms, restaurants, corridors, and outdoor spaces."

Who do you seek inspiration from?

I don’t have a specific person to seek inspiration from. My inspiration comes from my environment. Sometimes it can be from a tiny flower or a conversation with people around me. But my greatest inspiration usually comes when I least expect it.

Photos: Memories Group