To Khun Jaran Jongjaroenkamon designing a living space, even if it's a temporary home like a resort, means so much more than making an individual room appear attractive. This young man unifies the whole environment, outside and inside alike, into a modern expression of history, tradition and comfort.

Few possess the ability to turn ordinary places into something beautiful. Jaran Jongjaroenkamon, a remarkable young man of just 33, is one of the talented few. If you doubt this, go to Kata Beach and experience the extraordinary beauty of Sawasdee Village, a boutique resort on Katekwan Road.

The name is appropriate. This stunning establishment is neither an inn nor a guesthouse, and it's too small to be labelled a hotel. The word "resort" almost fits, but Sawasdee Village lacks the requisite ocean frontage, and there's neither a golf course nor any of the feverish activity normally associated with a resort. Sawasdee Village, of course, is a place where one can spend the night, but it is far more than this.

It takes a piece of land and the structures on it and unifies them, producing something that captures the most peaceful and tranquil aspects of Thai culture. At Sawasdee Village no boundaries stand between the structures and the natural surroundings. There is no "inside" versus "outside". The interior of the rooms, the gardens outside and the culture they represent come together in a single harmonious unit. The rooms and the gardens in particular contain art objects and other icons that people associate with Thai culture, creating a connection with this culture and its history.

The water in front of the entrance to the rooms, for example, is meant to create an association with the numerous canals found in Thailand. Water plants, more than simply appealing visually, also create smells one associates with the country. The same is true for the scent of burning incense that wafts through the garden.

Khun Jaran, an interior designer by trade, was able to accomplish his magic at Sawasdee Village by treating the entire area as a gigantic "room" wherein he was able to plan the utilization of all of the space. He usually does this only with interiors but, on this project, he applied his concepts and talents to everything.

Interestingly, Khun Jaran considers the garden and pool at Sawasdee Village as being more important than the room interiors: "The rooms really aren't as important to the overall impact as the gardens. Because of structural limitations, there really wasn't too much that I could do with them." Spend a night in one of the rooms, however, and you might disagree with the designer. The warmth of teak is everywhere, including the attractive bathrooms. The fabrics, furnishings and artwork blend together to create a setting that is tranquil and unmistakably Thai.

Khun Jaran is modest about his accomplishments at Sawasdee Village. "I was able to do this project," he says, "because it was small and manageable. If it had been bigger, I would have needed the help of other people like an architect or landscape architect. But I really enjoyed being able to apply my concepts and ideas to everything."

Khun Jaran makes no secret of the fact that Sawasdee Village is his favourite piece of work. "I really enjoyed working with a project that was Thai. I feel most comfortable when working with Thai architecture and culture." He also enjoys his relationship with the owner. "We are good friends, and he doesn't interfere with what I want to do. He respects my judgment and doesn't insist on me doing things that deviate from my overall concept. We did this project in several steps. We first worked on the pool and then the gardens and finally the rooms. We aren't finished yet. The frontage still has to be completed."

When asked about any problems with the Sawasdee project, he quickly points to the area around it. "With the garden, you have to worry about things surrounding it. There is an unattractive building nearby, and I want to keep it from having an impact on the garden. I tried to get foliage to hide it from view, but this has been difficult. The building is four stories high, and it will take time for a tree to grow tall enough."

It was only 10 years ago that Khun Jaran graduated from King Mongkrut Institute of Technology in Bangkok. "The university gives you a start," he says, "but designers have to establish their own style. This takes some time." For Khun Jaran, the requisite period was very short.

His first job took him to Rangoon, in Myanmar, where he worked on the entire interior design for the Kandowji Palace Hotel. It was a big project for someone so young, but it gave him a lot of experience. The success of the project established his authority as an interior designer and, at the ripe old age of 25, he was established as someone to be reckoned with.

After two years in Rangoon, Jaran returned to Bangkok to work on the Baiyoke Sky Hotel, Thailand's tallest structure. "At the Baiyoke I worked on the public areas of the lobby and the lobby lounge," says Jaran. "After this project I went to Hanoi to work on the Hanoi Marriott. This was good experience for me. In Hanoi, like Rangoon, I worked on the entire project, including the rooms. It was a lot of work and we had to work fast."

After Hanoi, Khun Jaran came to Phuket, where he worked on several projects in addition to Sawasdee Village like Thavorn Beach Village with its winding lagoons and frangipani trees. He particularly enjoyed his work at the Panwaburi Phuket, near Cape Panwa. This was a large project with Thai-style buildings, allowing him the opportunity to design distinctively Thai interiors. The project also allowed him to stretch and expand his talents because it involved such a wide variety of designs. In addition to Panwaburi's seventy-nine villas and rooms, he designed the interiors for two restaurants and a large spa.

Although Khun Jaran loves his work, it's not without its problems and challenges: "An interior designer has several things that restrict what he can do. He has to work with an owner, and the ideas of the designer and the owner might not always be the same." This is why he doesn't work on private residences. "If I worked on a house, the owner would constantly want to change things. It would be very frustrating. When I work on businesses, the owners recognize I am a professional, and they usually respect my judgment and decisions. The best situation is where everyone involved with a project agrees on the overall concepts."

He also finds working with architects and engineers sometimes frustrating. Working on a large project requires a lot of coordination, and this is often difficult to achieve, particularly when there are changes in personnel. "It is important," he says, "for everyone to agree on design concepts. Changes in architects and other people can sometimes lead to problems and a lot of wasted time."

Of all the problems confronting Khun Jaran, it's lack of time that he finds most frustrating. "I find I don't have time to keep up with changes in materials and products. When I am working on a project, I don't have a chance to review and assimilate changes that are occurring outside of the project. It can be frustrating."

One gets the feeling, however, that time is very much on Jaran Jongjaroenkamon's side. At only 33 years of age, he has already made considerable contributions to the world of interior design. It's obvious that his future is bright, and that he will continue to make a significant impact on the space in which people lead their lives. We look forward to seeing what he has in store for us.