In the world of interior design, where luxury and elegance meets, the spotlight in Thailand belongs to none other than Benyapa Sirisopon, the visionary creator behind ‘Vair Studio’. K’Air walked over to greet us with a radiant smile, and her fashionista looks did not disappoint – yet it seemed perfectly curated to the location for our interview. Benyapa or Air, has lead the team of ‘Vair Studio’ to many successful projects and accolades such as ‘Design Et Al’, ‘The International Design Awards’ or the ‘Restaurant & Bar Design Awards’ – being the most exciting win for her Spanish fusion restaurant project ‘Fuego’ in Thonglor.
Not only her interior projects that span across the media, but also Air herself is one of the top inspiring design icons that’s graced the cover and stories of top magazines. We had an opportunity to meet for a special conversation, and her distinct mind and rare talent has proven there is more to her than an interior designer.
“I choose to create new things for each project, I don’t want to work just for the sake of finishing a project, but rather to create a work of art or a masterpiece for each client,” says Air.
Her work orchestrates deep artistic senses, whether through feature wall panels, sculptures, paintings or the mix of materials and patterns that resonate with the entire interior space to define a unique ‘sense of place’.
Her inspirations? Childhood surroundings with nature and city-life upbringing infused a unique mix of nature and futuristic tastes that became her design signature. While her portfolio responds to most of the luxury housing projects or private residences, her talents are versatile and she keeps an open mind to a various types of projects. Matching her own taste with her clients is the key to the success and joy of each project.
“When I travel, I choose to head over to the upcoming chic and cool hotels or restaurants with designs I love – just to feel the space, it’s like someone that loves art and they visit the museum but for me it’s visiting hotels and restaurants,” says Air on how she seeks inspiration. The works of iconic designers Yabu Pushelberg and David Collins are also her source of creativity.
The challenge for any designer lies in translating designs on paper to reality, but how does a woman of far imaginary visions implement dreams to life?
“I use the magic of verbal articulation and elaborate like a poet of the visions in my head. I’m blessed with an extraordinary team who can bring my visions to life – each possess the expertise in every field of the arts.”
As our conversation ends, my thoughts brought back to the quote by Paolo Canevari (a renowned Italian Artist), from an interview given in the FT Weekend magazine that wrote: “An artist can be a designer, a film director, a fashion designer but not vice-versa”.
That seems to resonate well her, being one of a true artist of living spaces and possibly everything else in between.
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