A husband-and-wife design team have transformed their own beachfront holiday home into a new resort; the first of a new brand of “ultimate wellbeing destinations.”
Soo K. Chan, the founder of SCDA Architects, and hospitality designer Ling Fu, have used holistic design and environmental practices to create Soori Bali in Indonesia.
The revamped resort will feature 48 private pool villas and residences, a cantilevered platform jutting over the Indian Ocean and a new Indonesian restaurant, moored in a traditional wooden Balinese house amid the resort’s rice fields.
The “compelling setting and overwhelming feng shui experience” of the location inspired the pair to open their private retreat to the public, and to open other Soori sites around the world.
The design of Soori Bali melds natural elements with both traditional and contemporary Balinese design features. A dormant volcano, Mount Batukaru, towers nearby, so light grey local Volcanic stone is used for the foundation for the resort’s buildings.
Polished teak and intricate terracotta tiles created by local artisans reference the architecture of local villages. Chan chose to blur the line between indoor and outdoor spaces, with open courtyards and pools creating naturally-lit, transitional areas between the two.
"What is unique about Soori Bali is that we own it, we designed it, we built it and now, we run it too,” said Soo Chan. “For Ling and I, Soori Bali is as much a state of mind as it is a world-class resort; it’s a peaceful, spiritual, healing and re-energising place.”
The resort’s facilities include an infinity pool, gymnasium, library, spa, helipad, and two gourmet restaurants using fresh produce from nearby farms and spices from the resort garden.
The Soori Spa has been designed in line with the resort’s vision of being “Bali’s premier wellbeing destination promoting a more harmonious and sustainable way of life.”
A team of onsite practitioners and visiting wellness experts will offer physical alignment and massage therapies, acupuncture, meditation, neurotherapy, and longevity procedures, while special retreats will be hosted throughout the year by visiting international wellness experts. High-quality organic products will be used in the treatments.
Chan and Fu will also open the 31-room Soori High Line in New York in early 2018. A forthcoming ski resort in Japan, Soori Niseko, is also currently under design.
