We’re excited to introduce the incredibly talented architect and interior designer, Ms. Juhen Laura. Her impressive portfolio spans international clients across private residences, villas, and commercial spaces, bringing a wealth of experience to every project. Today, we’ll explore her latest architectural masterpiece—La Reserve 1785, the #1 hotel in Pererenan, Bali—along with her insights on market trends, professional experience, and the secret to building successful client relationships.
N.N. Tell us more about you. How did you get started in architecture and interior design?
J.L. From an early age, I dreamed of illuminating cities, of bringing spaces to life through light. For me, light has always been the very first material of architecture; it reveals, it sculpts, it gives meaning.
I was born in France, raised in Africa, and fortunate to live and travel across many countries from a young age. This nomadic path shaped in me an insatiable curiosity, a natural openness, and a constant drive to learn – new languages, new cultures, new ways of inhabiting the world.
I initially studied law and went on to complete a degree in finance. With that diploma in hand, I chose to return to my first love, architecture. What began as a fascination with light became a vocation: creating spaces that embody atmosphere, memory, and belonging
N.N. Which project are you most proud of, and why?
J.L. La Réserve 1785- Hôtel Particulier & Spa in Bali is a project especially close to my heart. It was not only about designing a boutique hotel, but about orchestrating a dialogue between Aix-en-Provence, in France, where I was born, and Bali, where I created.
It meant embracing a new country, a new language, and a culture with its own traditions and ways of building. From engineering decisions down to the thickness of glass, to the sensory details of a spa treatment, every element was approached with the same precision. Imagine, it took me 6 months to get the perfume ready.
Juhen Laura
What makes me most proud is the harmony achieved: French refinement infused with Balinese soul, resulting in a house that is not just a hotel, but a place where people feel deeply connected, and they don’t know why 🙂 I love it. A place that is not just beautiful, but alive.
N.N. What’s the biggest challenge of working across multiple countries?
J.L. Each country carries its own genius loci, its spirit of place. The challenge is to listen deeply and translate that voice with authenticity, without falling into cliché or uniformity.
In France, heritage and stone set the rhythm. In Bali, it is light, vegetation, and spirituality. Designing abroad requires humility: learning from local craftsmen, adapting to climates, and understanding new engineering standards. Yet through these layers of adaptation, I aim to preserve a coherent hand, one that pursues proportion, atmosphere, and precision.
N.N. Do you have a signature style, or does your work vary significantly by location?
J.L. I would not call it a fixed “style,” but rather a recognizable touch. My projects always start from context: culture, climate, and the story of the site.
I don’t know how to build just for the sake of building. I need a story to tell, I need a soul to reveal. It is easy to create a beautiful place. What is far more complex — and what I love most — is to give a space a soul, or to restore the soul it may have lost. That, to me, is the true essence of design.
What makes my work mine is not repetition, but a constant pursuit of harmony — proportions that feel right, light that transforms, details that quietly elevate daily life. Each place is unique, but those who experience them often sense the same hand behind them: rigorous, refined, and emotionally attuned.
LA RESERVE 1785 HOTEL PARTICULIER & SPA #1 HOTEL IN PERERENAN, BALI
N.N. How do you balance functionality with aesthetics in your work?
J.L. At the beginning of my career, I’ll confess, I only cared about aesthetics. If it looked beautiful, I was happy. Function? That was somebody else’s problem.
Of course, reality has a way of catching up with you. You quickly learn that a spectacular chair is useless if no one can sit on it, and that a stunning bathroom is less impressive when the door won’t open properly.
Now, I see functionality and aesthetics as inseparable lovers: one makes life possible, the other makes it worth living. I still fight for beauty, but I’ve learned that if a space doesn’t work, it won’t survive, and nothing ages faster than impractical design.
Industry Trends
N.N. What emerging trends are you seeing in architecture and interior design?
J.L. Trends come and go, but I believe we are entering a time when design must go beyond style. Beauty alone is not enough anymore — people want places that move them, that change them, that make sense.
I see three evolutions that are here to stay:
Design with purpose: If a space doesn’t respect its environment or doesn’t contribute something meaningful, it will feel hollow. Guests can sense when a place has no soul.
Well-being as the new luxury: Architecture itself must regenerate, calm, and inspire. Light, silence, flow: these are the important things to me.
Depth over quantity: People may travel less, but when they do, they expect to be transformed. The era of generic, interchangeable “luxury” hotels is over. If a place doesn’t give you goosebumps, it won’t last.
N.N. What’s your prediction for the future of residential/commercial design?
J.L. The future of design will not be about building bigger as projects like The Line or The Mukaab in Saudi Arabia prove, size alone doesn’t make meaning. Spectacle may impress for a moment, but it rarely endures.
I believe the true future lies in building better, not larger: smaller footprints with stronger stories, places conceived as living organisms, breathing with light, shaped by climate, and in constant dialogue with the people who inhabit them.
For me, I cannot build just to build. I need a story to tell, a soul to reveal. Without that, a project is just walls. With it, architecture becomes an experience that stays with you long after you leave.
And I think this is where the industry is going: the line between residential and hospitality will dissolve, as people want to live with the elegance and care once reserved for great hotels. But above all, design will be judged not by how much it builds, but by how deeply it makes us feel. Well, this is what I hope 🙂
N.N. What’s your process for understanding what a client truly wants?
J.L. I always begin with listening, not just to what clients say, but to what they don’t. Often they’re not asking for a particular style, but for a feeling: serenity, intimacy, grandeur… or sometimes simply the desire to impress their neighbor.
My role is a bit like being a translator and a detective at the same time: decoding hidden emotions, reading between the lines, and turning all of that into a space that feels inevitable. Clients may come with Pinterest boards or vague words like “warm” or “timeless,” but the real challenge ( and the part I love ) is uncovering what they truly mean, often before they even realize it themselves.
And the reality is that most clients don’t really know what they want, at least not initially. They say, “I want something timeless,” and then show me ten different Pinterest boards that contradict each other.
So my job is half detective, half therapist. I listen, I watch, I read between the lines. Sometimes what they ask for is not what they actually need, and part of the fun is gently proving them wrong.
In the end, I translate vague wishes like “warm, but not too warm” or “minimal, but cozy” into spaces that make sense. And when the project is finished, clients usually say: “Yes, that’s exactly what I wanted.” Even if they didn’t know it at the time.
N.N. How do you handle disagreements about design decisions?
J.L. Let’s be honest, disagreements are the salt of design. Without them, projects would be terribly boring.
Sometimes I fight for the curve of a staircase or the shade of a velvet as if civilization itself depended on it. Clients laugh, but I mean it… at least in the moment. Because in truth, design is full of these little battles where everyone thinks they’re right.
My secret? I never take myself too seriously. If the debate gets too heated, I’ll let them choose the sofa fabric as long as I choose everything else. Usually, we both smile, and then we find the right solution.
After all, the real luxury in design is not winning every argument; it’s creating a place where no one remembers the battles, only the beauty.
N.N. Thank you so much for this conversation!
Instagram: @lareserve1785
Interviewed by Nataliya Nova.
For the Editorial or business inquiries, please contact the DFW editorial team: vendor@dallasfashionweek.org