Sena Husband is probably best known for her personal style and the personal styling business that goes with it, but she’s also a mom to twins and the owner of Villa Suami in Bali. Here, she tells us about the women she admires and what it takes to be a super chic villa owner.
Where are you from?
I am currently located in Hong Kong and travel between my two homes which are Bali and Tokyo.
What is your professional background?
I am a personal stylist. I have a personal shopping business and studied Business Management at university.
What advice would you give to someone looking to work in a role similar to yours?
My advice, as a personal stylist, is to make sure that you are a client-service oriented type of person before you start! You want to want to please. There’s a lot of joy in making someone feel amazing and beautiful in what they’re wearing. It’s rewarding for me to see someone transform into a state of confidence as they feel and look great – which requires a lot of work and patience.
Can you tell us a little be about owning a villa?
We bought our villa without any thought of renting it out or anything commercial like that. Villa Suami was purchased on a whim, purely because we fell in love with the house.
This, in a way, was a really nice upside of now renting out the villa! Everyone says that it very much feels like a home and not a cookie cutter rental property.
However, owning a villa in Bali is a lot of work. Thankfully, we have The Luxe Nomad as a villa management company to make the process easier. It means we have a trusted team to take care of the things that are hard to manage from far away. It’s lovely to be able to hear the stories of all these people getting married in the home and enjoying it. I love it because it adds so much more love to the villa.
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What do you love or find challenging about it?
In the beginning, when we started the process of setting up the villa for rentals, I wanted everything to be perfect. I especially took great care in perfecting the menu. I can’t even begin to count how many meals I had as I worked with the chef to make sure each dish represented us, the villa and the type of living that we wanted it to portray – healthy, clean, and delicious, in a nurturing home.
I made sure too that none of the food looked too much like it had restaurant plating, but I still wanted it to be beautiful; I wanted to give that sense of comfort home cooking.
Being able to translate what we want the house and living there to represent was a challenge because that would then lead into the service, food, decor, etc. I think that was the most challenging part but also the most enjoyable because I am a creative person.
Do you have a favourite spot in Bali?
I don’t really have one standout spot, but I do have my favourite breakfast places and dinner spots.
I love going to Metis for dinner, Sardine for lunch is nice, and for breakfast, we like to go to Milk & Madu – I really like it there! The lady who runs Milk & Madu always welcomes us warmly, and the kids love the playground there.
But if I’m honest, our villa is the best place in Bali. In my opinion, there’s just so much to do, we end up baking pizzas with our chef, baking cookies, setting up canvasses outside and painting.
On our last trip, I asked our villa manager to buy flowers, so we potted and planted them together. Next, I’m working on a little vegetable farm and maybe possibly setting up a chicken coup.
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What was your inspiration behind the design of your villa?
I love that every room is utilised so even though it’s a really big place, it was made with living in mind – it’s very functional and not just a beautiful design piece because it caters to your living.
From morning to night, it just flows very well throughout the house – that’s the aesthetic we wanted – comfortable, beautiful, full of character and personality.
Are there any particular women who inspire you and why?
Having become a mother not so long ago, I am really inspired by the friends I have surrounded myself with, the ones who are also mothers. They always inspire in the way that they mother, remain steadfast in their beliefs and values, and don’t question themselves too much.
I think I have a great group of women who make me feel like it is okay to be myself in the way I do things because there are so many opinions, so many different ways in which you can be moved. The important thing is to develop your style – much like how you dress and how you live. Motherhood is a new and daunting arena if it’s your first time. You don’t really know what you’re doing, and there’s a lot of things you question. It is so important to be surrounded by friends and women who inspire you to find your own path. Luckily, I have that, and for these women I’m thankful.
What is your favourite travel destination?
Aside from Bali, we really enjoy going to Amanpulo as a family just because it’s all self-contained, you can just drop into your golf cart and drive around the island – I feel like it’s super safe. It’s just a small, super private experience that we enjoy with the kids – there’s just something about it that makes you feel at home too.
What are three things you can’t travel without?
Cosmetics such as Cle De Peau SPF 50 sunblock, BR P50 lotion and probably some face masks for post-sun care.
