BLINK Founder Clint Nagata Says Culture Is Not a Design Motif

The veteran architect and designer shares his thoughts on luxury hotels in the region—and how he sees “sense of place” evolving in years to come.

There’s something special about the way Clint Nagata’s mind works. The Hawaii-born, Japanese American designer has just celebrated 20 years of BLINK Design Group, the acclaimed interior design and architecture firm he founded in Bangkok. His recent projects with BLINK need no introduction: Six Senses Kyoto, Regent Phu Quoc, Fullerton Ocean Park Hotel in Hong Kong and the refurb of Huvafen Fushi in the Maldives. It seems he can translate culture into architectural beauty anywhere in the world.