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5 Design Points To Cop From This Bill Bensley Chiang Mai Masterpiece

With summer on a roll, take inspiration to transform your home into a tropical paradise from Howie's Homestay

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Mariel Abanes

<div><br/></div><p>Our personal spaces are intended to be homey—but homey is subjective, and we seek true comfort with a style that perfectly suits our styles. For Howie Smith, who owns <a href="https://howieshomestay.com/" target="_blank">Howie’s HomeStay</a>—a huge property located in Chiang Mai, Thailand—his own piece of paradise is a tropical haven that he built with the help of renowned international landscape architect and interior designer <a href="https://www.bensley.com/" target="_blank">Bill Bensley</a>.</p><div><br/></div><div><br/></div><div class="youtube-iframe"><iframe width="400" height="345" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/IOUNYrLR2wM" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><br/><div><br/></div><p>This creative genius is the brain behind the designs of some of the best hospitality establishments in Southeast Asia and beyond, with a clientele that includes luxury hotels like Four Seasons, Marriott, Hyatt, and Conrad. He introduced eco-friendly concepts in several of his works, putting special focus on sustainability for his entire collection of projects.</p><div> </div><div class="youtube-iframe"><iframe width="400" height="345" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nPYPCTVPFfM" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><br/><div><strong>Related Story: </strong><a href="/living/home-tours/8-philippine-airbnb-under-ten-thousand-pesos/35239" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">8 Sizzling Summer Homes You Can Rent For Under 10,000 Pesos</a></div><div><br/></div><p>In Howie’s HomeStay, every house is a separate room—with seven pavilions that carry different parts of the residence. Each part is uniquely furnished; but the overall theme is in sync with one another. “That’s how every Asian society built every single house, each pavilion, for a specific use. The beauty of that is you’re then allowed to bring air, light, and circulation to all sides of each room, which you would never have in the western context,” Bill explains about the property in his website.</p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/913760ef-6b24-4a54-b7d9-93609fbb310e_bill bensley howie" s="" homestay_chiang="" mai="" teak="" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt=""/></span></span></div><div><br/></div><p>Outside, the flora and fauna wonderfully kept, arranged, and married to the large waterscape. Without disturbing these natural elements, the designer successfully incorporated stonework and sculptures into the terrain, resulting in perfect harmonious space.</p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/8eb375ab-9ae1-4591-96fc-d35ec3bbaf70_12256829_799072740219045_1955047274_n.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt=""/></span></span></div><div><strong>Related Story: </strong><a href="/living/home-tours/10-beautiful-girls-weekend-getaway-stays/35167" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">10 Beautiful Girls’ Weekend Getaway Stays That Are In The Philippines</a></div><div><br/></div><p>Meanwhile, the interiors are peppered with furniture and accessories that exude bespoke and extravagant, but never intimidating. Each of the furnishings are standouts on its own, but these blended and complemented one another. Modern conveniences didn’t get in the way of achieving a total equatorial vibe; in fact, it is used to highlight the more subdued areas.</p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/c0947e44-e699-4cb7-a1b0-d00cb8f2a913_12816943_1121077301269914_1627401019_n.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt=""/></span></span></div><div><br/></div><p>The distinct property is inspirational in more ways than one, for sure. And while we can’t totally have a carbon copy of this dream house, we can always take a few design pointers that we can apply in our own dwellings. No need to start from scratch—these details will allow you to bask in a tropical retreat with just a little tweaking around the house.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>1. . Plants, plants, plants.</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>What’s a tropical home without a touch of nature? Tend your green thumb and start digging up soil and planting your seeds—or simply bring together your plants for an instant nature backdrop.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>2. Just add water.</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>The Chiang Mai property boasts of a lot of water elements—Howie even admitted his intention of having water everywhere around the property. For your own home, insert this detail through small fountains or even adding a small pond or aquarium, if you have the space!</p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/a939eec1-4bbb-4598-b58a-6d58b2307163_bill bensley_chang mai_howies stay 1.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt=""/></span></span></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>3. Pile up on your antiques.</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>It’s time to bring out your collection of Asian antique finds. This season, go for heirloom treasures and interesting objects to accessorize your home. If you can, customize your way with sculptures, stonework and architectural salvage that have the potential to be the focal points of your interiors.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>4. Let there be light.</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>Match the scorching summer with warm lights to bathe your evenings with a relaxing atmosphere. During the day, make use of natural light by letting them in through your windows!</p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/c028efe9-56d1-4a91-a69f-d98445c31750_bill bensley howie" s="" homestay="" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt=""/></span></span></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>5. Play with colors.</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>If you’re looking for a palette to play with, take it from this Bill Bensley project and ground yourself with earth hues. Go for burnt orange, dirty gray, copper, bronze, and green—then make it grander with dashes of gold here and there!</p><div><br/></div><div><font face="Georgia-Bold"><strong>For more inspiration, look at the corners of this phenomenal piece of tropical design in the gallery below:</strong></font></div><div><br/></div><div class="article-content" itemProp="articleBody"><div class="media-content"><div class="slider-for"><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/2a152c1d-a6a8-4918-b395-4a2be34b6249_bill bensley howies homestay chiang mai_landscape.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/606d8b33-1c9d-462b-93b3-1357cf4965ec_bill bensley_chang mai_howies stay 2.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/18e9394f-500f-446a-adcb-1d1466c95027_bill bensley_chang mai_howies stay 3.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/d1a4ff73-3d5f-4402-94cd-bb4937d73e1b_bill bensley_chang mai_howies stay 4.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/cbd2129f-8641-4396-bf32-a63da9e42648_bill bensley_chang mai_howies stay 5.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/54c3e1e9-75ae-4c4d-bb80-7ea269e3c4a3_bill bensley_chang mai_howies stay 6.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/71db493c-16e4-4f1e-adb1-b1fb0f35800b_bill bensley_chang mai_howies stay 7.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/8a0d72cb-6360-4ce0-a1f0-713aab2a9701_bill bensley_chang mai_howies stay 8.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/6c2c72bb-a48f-4c6a-b816-1035944729f8_bill bensley_chang mai_howies stay 9.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div></div><div class="media-content slider-desc"><div class="item-desc"><div></div></div><div class="item-desc"><div></div></div><div class="item-desc"><div></div></div><div class="item-desc"><div></div></div><div class="item-desc"><div></div></div><div class="item-desc"><div></div></div><div class="item-desc"><div></div></div><div class="item-desc"><div></div></div><div class="item-desc"><div></div></div></div></div></div><div><br/></div><div><em>You can, of course, book your own luxury private villa in this tropical paradise.  For more information, visit Howie&#x27;s HomeStay at <a href="https://howieshomestay.com/" target="_blank">https://howieshomestay.com/</a>.</em></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>Photographs by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/howieshomestay/" target="_blank">@howieshomestay</a>.</strong></div>