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While some films might find designing individual homes fussy and time-consuming and therefore opt for other project option of modern styles, JARKEN n always aims for elegant simplicity in its designs with a bit of seasoning inspired by the homeowners’ characters. A staircase designed to represent a dragon capturing the heart of the Chinese resident , or a home for party lovers with spacious terrace and living and dining rooms , are among examples of its works.

Managing director Kuldej Sinthawanarong says home designing is all about putting one’s mind into every detail. “You have to work with y our client a few months in the design tasks , leaning about them to deliver a home that best answers their needs and lifestyles , ”Dr.Kuldej said .Starting with four partners with different expertly, JARKEN Group of Companies has gradually built recognition in the past decade as an integrated design company , offering architectural and interior design as well as construction service. Its portfolio mainly focuses on hospitality and residential projects. Retail clients make up 80% of its revenue and the rest are project clients. Its design for a residential unit recently won second prize among more than 300 finalists in the Asia Pacific interior Design Awards for Elite held by the Asia Pacific Federation of Architects/ Interior Designers.

Designing standard model homes for potential buyers , however , could be a challenge . “To differentiate ourselves, we have to be the trend – and lifestyle-setter capable of reading and understanding buyers’ minds and offer them what we know they would want”, said the 36-year-old executive.“for some companies, modern styles might mean minimalism and they will stick their designs to that. But being modem-driven for us means keeping pace with changing design trends. ”The company look to update architectural and interior design trends every year by taking its design team to visit international events such as Milan Furniture Fair this year. With only a handful of other players of the same quality in the market, Dr.Kudej said an advantage of being a one-stop-service design firm that also delivers construction service is that the homeowner has to deal with only one architect from the beginning and can rest assured that everything will go as planned.

As JARKEN ‘s target clients are wealthy, Dr.Kuldej said the architecture should basically allow its designs to tell the stories of their past achievements. Full architectural design and construction packages con cost between 50 million and 70 million baht, Interior design service alone costs from 5 million baht or about 5-15% of the project value. JARKEN has developed and designed more than 30 luxury residential projects worth more than 300 million baht for both local and overseas clients, Its projects include the 1.2-billion-baht luxury villas The Verve in Trang and low-rise condominiums worth 50 million baht and owned by Singaporean investors.

The Bangkok-based company has also expanded its reach to Europe, the Middle East and Southeast Asia Among its overseas portfolio is the residence of a dato in Malaysia. Many of its customers are repeat customers looking for their second or third homes. Asked which project the company felt most proud of, Dr.kuldej replied without hesitation. ”Every one of them is our pride, as we put our utmost efforts into every project we work in. ”Although the company has not felt much pain from the recession as its clients use their own cash, tended to delay their decisions.

“Demand is there , but what is lacking now is confidence among buyers.”

JARKEN expects improving sentiment and its recent aggressive marketing campaigns would help push growth by at least 50% next year from about 250-300 million baht expected this year.

Bangkok Post