THE ANSWERS WITH... PETER REMEDIOS

The design principal and managing director of Remedios Studio talks about origins, design philosophy and why he would rather not choose the 90-degree angle.

- Kenneth Tan

AS THE DESIGN principal and managing director of Remedios Studio, Peter Remedios is synonymous with high-end hotel and resort design. His clients include some of the world's most famous hospitality groups, such as Aman Resorts, Hyatt International, and Mandarin Oriental. Remedios has also worked on luxury residential projects, such as Gramercy in Hong Kong, and Qujiang Rose Garden in Xian. In Seoul, his firm has worked on a series of restaurants from The Parkview and French dining room Continental to Zest and Atrio Italian restaurant.

For Remedios, who possesses a Portuguese-Macanese heritage, a chance work trip to Madeira led him to discover ancient Portuguese sea routes as well as an ancestor, who was a ship's captain and had been buried in Malacca. "I've found the whole mixing of cultures intriguing - and we see so many commonalities in the Macao 'balichao' and Malaccan 'belachan' even," he says.

Meanwhile, Remedios's design philosophy of discerning a project's unique personality has led to notable breakthroughs. Since 2010, his studio in Hong Kong has been the base for his work, which has ranged from an ultra-luxury villa on The Peak to the renovation of Four Seasons Hong Kong. The studio is also currently working on several projects such as The Ritz-Carlton, Kyoto renovation, The Ritz-Carlton, Suzhou, a Healthcare Community project, and a luxury residential project in Qujiang.

For Remedios, the first rule in his design book is "to go for the extraordinary".

In your 30-plus years in design, what have you found to be the greatest secret in achieving the perfect result?