The Slate

Architecture Bill Bensley

Architecture Bill Bensley

Industrial elements set amid historically inspired architecture include such highlights as a suspended wicker structure.

One of Southeast Asia’s leading architects, Bill Bensley has a keen eye for integrating a structure into its surroundings. In The Slate’s Rebar lounge, the traditional wooden-beamed roof is punctuated with industrial lighting, a reference to the island’s mining past. At the award-winning Coqoon Spa, an impressive wicker structure hangs from a giant banyan tree.

Interior design Bill Bensley

The island’s industrial past is reflected in concrete floors and black steel furnishings, while tropical touches...

contrast to stunning effect. The private pool villas feature a neutral palette where polished and tinted concrete floors and blackened-steel furniture with bronze rivets are warmed by the tropical timber of traditional Thai décor. The industrial setting takes on darker tones at the Dirty Monstera bar where heavy doors on pulleys, and metal lighting and tabletops bring the island’s past to mind.