Ayodhaya Jayawardene: The Sri Lankan Designer Bringing Tropical Luxury to Life

From a dining-table design practice to some of Sri Lanka’s most distinctive hospitality spaces, Ayodhaya Jayawardene is building a design legacy rooted in craftsmanship, place and the island’s tropical identity.

In luxury hospitality, great design does more than create beautiful spaces. It shapes how people feel, how they experience a destination and what they remember long after they leave. For Sri Lankan interior designer Ayodhaya Jayawardene, this understanding has become central to a career that brings together architecture, interiors, branding and locally crafted furniture.

Known for her work on the spas at Cape Weligama and Wild Coast Tented Lodge, Jayawardene represents a growing generation of Sri Lankan creative professionals who are reimagining the country’s design identity for a discerning international audience.

Her journey, however, began far from the world of luxury resorts.

An Unconventional Path into Design

Jayawardene initially pursued a degree in art history before studying in the United States. Returning to Sri Lanka, she encountered limited career opportunities in her original field of study. Rather than allowing those limitations to define her future, she chose to retrain in interior design.

She subsequently graduated with first-class honours from Birmingham City University, establishing the academic foundation for a career that would combine artistic sensibility with practical design expertise.

Her professional experience included working at PWA Architects and becoming a partner at Inspirato. These roles gave her exposure to the demands of professional practice and the process of translating creative concepts into functional, commercially viable spaces.

After eight years in design, she decided to establish her own practice.

Building AYO Interior from the Ground Up

In 2018, Jayawardene founded AYO Interior, beginning the business from her dining table. Her earliest projects included one-bedroom renovations, allowing her to develop a portfolio, build relationships and demonstrate her approach to design.

Starting small was not a limitation so much as a practical route towards independence. Each project offered an opportunity to refine her process, understand client expectations and establish the reputation necessary to secure larger commissions.

One of her early breakthroughs came through FAB, whose owners entrusted her with the brand’s flagship café in Colpetty.

The project extended well beyond conventional interior design. Jayawardene worked across the interiors, branding, exterior design and landscaping, even contributing to the design of the delivery fleet. This broader approach helped establish AYO Interior as a practice capable of developing a cohesive identity across multiple customer touchpoints.

The commission demonstrated the commercial value of treating design as an integrated experience rather than an isolated decorative exercise.

Designing Experiences for Sri Lanka’s Hospitality Sector

Jayawardene’s work on the spas at Cape Weligama and Wild Coast Tented Lodge connects her practice with two distinctive luxury hospitality destinations.

In this sector, design must balance aesthetics with functionality, comfort and a strong sense of place. The most successful spaces respond to their surroundings while meeting the practical demands of guests and operators.

For Sri Lanka, where tourism increasingly competes through distinctive experiences, thoughtful design can be an important part of a property’s identity. Interiors, materials and spatial planning all contribute to how a destination communicates its character.

From Interiors to Island-Made Furniture

Today, Jayawardene’s ambitions extend beyond interior spaces. Through Island House, she works with Sri Lankan artisans to create locally made timber and rattan furniture, connecting contemporary design with traditional craftsmanship.

The initiative reflects an interest in building value through local skills and materials while creating products that can appeal to customers beyond Sri Lanka.

Her broader ambition is to take Sri Lankan tropical design to the world: an approach that draws on the island’s natural environment, material traditions and craftsmanship without being confined to conventional interpretations of tropical style.

From a dining table in Colombo to projects associated with internationally recognised hospitality destinations, Jayawardene’s story illustrates how independent creative practices can grow through persistence, collaboration and a clear design philosophy.

Her journey is ultimately about more than building a successful studio. It is about creating a distinctive Sri Lankan design language, supporting local craftsmanship and demonstrating that the island’s creative talent has a place on the global stage.