Architect emphasizes Island themes in decor
By Zenaida Serrano Espanol
Advertiser Staff Writer
The nearly two dozen hand-made feather lei displayed in the lobby of the Wailea Marriott, an Outrigger Resort, offer more than visual appeal for hotel guests.
Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser
Interior architect Jim Guequierre researched the names of Hawaiian chiefs, royal households, 'aumakua (family or personal gods or deified ancestors) and place names of the area. After he translated the names to English, Guequierre and feather artists Mary Lou Kekuewa and Paulette Kahalepuna interpreted lei designs for each one.
Interior architect Jim Guequierre promotes Hawaiian-style design.
"So it's a history class for the guests," said Guequierre, senior designer with Wimberly Allison Tong & Goo, an architecture, design, planning and consulting firm in downtown Honolulu.
Such attention to detail and native cultures is not uncommon for the Huelo Point resident, 55.
"My (design) philosophy and the firm's, as a whole, is to respect the culture that we work within," said Guequierre, the project designer of American Savings Bank's newly-renovated flagship branch at Bishop Square. The branch reopens today after three months of renovation.
Ceiling clouds
• When: 7:30 this morning • Where: The American Savings Bank Tower, 1001 Bishop St. • Normal business hours: 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fridays • Grand opening celebration: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sept. 10, Tamarind Park
The American Savings Bank project features 'ohi'a-wood-paneled walls; white 20-foot-high ceilings that resemble canoe sails and clouds; and wall-sized Italian glass mosaic murals of kalo and ki by Hawaiian artist Lani Yamasaki.
American Savings Bank's Bishop Square branch reopening
The design was based on the bank's commitment to community development and its desire to make its position as the largest locally-owned bank evident in a symbolic way, Guequierre said.
He credits bank president and CEO Connie Lau for the firm's pursuit of the island-inspired design. "They're committed to the growth of the Islands, so they wanted the design and the logo and everything to reflect that," he said.
Arlene Nakamoto, executive vice president of customer delivery, called the renovation "gorgeous."
Guequierre "really is innovative," Nakamoto said. "He's really in touch with the local culture and is very knowledgeable in that respect."
It's a small world
Dana Edmunds
Guequierre has helped design hundreds of hotels, private residences, banks and other corporate businesses worldwide throughout his 25-year career. Among his goals for each project is "making sure it's for the better good of the community and the planet," he said.
Interior architect Jim Guequierre worked with feather artists Mary Lou Kekuewa and Paulette Kahalepuna, who created nearly two dozen feather lei to decorate the main lobby of the Wailea Marriott on Maui.
Guequierre had kapa patterns carved into furniture at the Wailea Marriott.
In Dhaka, Bangladesh, where Guequierre's firm is renovating the Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel, the architect is using upholstery and carpeting made from biodegradable textiles woven by Bangla-deshis. The architect is working with Briton Gaynor Loasby, who has been trying to revive the textile trade in the country.
While the project is eco-friendly, it also provides employment to a poverty-stricken population, Guequierre said. "The money she generates from this, besides her investors, goes directly back to the communities."
The Bangladesh development — slated to last at least three more years — is a source of pride for Guequierre, but he's passionate about his work in Hawai'i.
"It's more about Hawaiian soul than Hawaiian sense of place," he said of his local projects.
Guequierre often solicits the help of Hawaiian artists such as Kekuewa, Kahalepuna and Yamasaki, and incorporates their creations into his designs.
"I'd like to think I've had a positive impact on recognizing Hawaiian artists," Guequierre said.
Guequierre worked with Kekuewa and Kahalepuna, a mother-daughter team, to create 12 feather lei and three kahili to display in public areas of the Ko Olina Resort.
The hand-made lei, which each took 20 to 80 hours for the women to make, have design interpretations based on what they see as Hawaiian values.
Kahalepuna praised Guequierre for being sensitive to the artists' work. "I think it is a real blessing for us as Hawaiian artists," Kahalepuna said. ... "He has genuine concern about our land, the space that we live in, our ancestral past and how it effects us today."
At the Wailea Marriott, Guequierre had 18th-century kapa designs from a book translated into carpet designs.
Both Marriott projects earned the hotels, artists and Wimberly Allison Tong & Goo several of the Hawai'i Visitors and Convention Bureau's Keep It Hawai'i Awards, which recognize businesses, groups and individuals maintaining and preserving Hawai'i's culture.
What the client wants
Illustration by Wimberly Allison Tong & Goo
With Guequierre's designs, client input is key. "They come to us with the basic concept," he said. "They'll often tell us what they would like to highlight and then from there we just start interpreting and hope we hit it right with them."
The American Savings Bank flagship branch features ohi'a-wood-paneled walls and ceiling treatments that resemble canoe sails and clouds.
Guequierre does careful research, often involving the advice of Hawaiian artists, kupuna (elders) and various kahu (pastors). "They'll review and say if we should add something or not do something," he said. ... "We always want to be able to portray the culture correctly."
It's important for visitors to understand the Hawaiian culture, Guequierre added.
"They don't come here to experience the Japanese, the Chinese or the haole," he said. "They come to experience Hawai'i. ... We should be telling the story of these people and continue their legacies."
Reach Zenaida Serrano Espanol at zespanol@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-8174.
