Four Seasons Resort,
Desroches Island, Seychelles

Located on Desroches Island, a tropical paradise in Seychelles, the Four Seasons Resort completed in March 2018, basks in hand built aesthetics, preparing the property to age with a patina. The eco.id team was engaged to design the architecture and interior of the resort, inspired by the geography of Desroches Island.

“Drawing inspiration from the private island, the eco.id team intended to create an escape into the rustic, laid back nature of a secluded island.”

As the only resort in the island, machine precision techniques typically found in urban projects are absent here. Hand built aesthetics such as hand rendered plastering, solid wood construction and manual concrete casting becomes a necessity instead, to give the island an artisanal feel. The imperfections left behind by hand built formwork are embraced and celebrated as the design intent.

 “From the architectural details to the soft furnishing, the team’s purpose was for this remote island resort to look better with age, and the island’s tropical climate was carefully considered during the material selection and detailing.”

The culinary scene in Desroches includes a French colonial inspired farmhouse kitchen, Claudine where guests can enjoy a wide selection of delicacies.

There is also a Deli where the guests can fill their picnic baskets before venturing out for a day of trekking. At the end of the day, guests can wind down at the Beach Bar and come together to share stories of the wildlife sightings around the island.

The resort is also home to a specialty grill restaurant, The LightHouse, complete with a picturesque sunset view.

The design for the resort was also inspired by the appeal of homestay vacations. While every home is different because it exudes the characteristics of the host, the ones with stronger characteristics are often not manicured from a collection of identical items, but are curated overtime from a collection of memories and objects.

“For Desroches, the eco.id team wanted to evoke the feeling of visiting a private estate, welcoming guests to marvel in the curation of the host, sort of eclectic but seemingly pleasant when put together.”

The team drew inspiration from African aesthetics such as tribal crafts, black and white patterns and the bold use of colours (the pink Peacock chair and the banana leaf prints on fabrics) for the interiors.