Drawing Paradise: Illustrations by Yoco Nagamiya Give Four Seasons Maui a Makeover

Hospitality and Travel IllustrationYoco Nagamiya
Written By Dutch Uncle

Four Seasons Maui illustration by Yoco Nagamiya

When the Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea began its 2025 refurbishment, the first visible change wasn’t a suite or a pool — it was a set of illustrated site installations. The resort commissioned renowned fashion illustrator Yoco Nagamiya to create large‑scale artworks to screen construction areas.

Her hand‑drawn soft watercolour designs feature island‑inspired elements — palm silhouettes, abstract botanical patterns, and coastal motifs — transforming functional barriers into visually engaging installations.

These temporary installations, designed to soften the impact of construction and start an early layer to Yoco’s ongoing illustrations.

A New Chapter for the Maile Suite

The centrepiece of the refurbishment is the spectacular 4,000 sq ft Maile Presidential Suite. Wow. On the buckletlist! Designed by Meyer Davis, the new layout emphasises wellness, incorporating an infrared sauna, cold plunge pool, marble bathrooms, and an expanded kitchen‑bar area.

The design uses curved lines and layered textures to create a more fluid connection between indoor and outdoor spaces.

Wider Renovations Across the Resort

Beyond the suite, Meyer Davis refreshed selected public spaces between 2024 and 2025, while Wimberly Interiors — the resort’s original architects — previously led an overhaul of the guest rooms.

These earlier works streamlined circulation, replaced oversized furniture with simpler pieces, and incorporated textiles and artworks by Hawaiian creatives.

The White Lotus Effect

The resort’s visibility remains closely linked to its role in HBO’s The White Lotus Season 1, filmed on‑site in 2020.

In 2025, Four Seasons introduce a themed White Lotus Poolside Escape, offering cocktails, spa rituals, and DJ‑led events. These are temporary activations, distinct from the permanent design updates.

Dutch Uncle

Dutch Uncle is an award-winning international illustration and animation agency founded in 2006 by Helen Cowley. With offices in London, New York, and Tokyo, we operate across every major timezone, connecting the world's most ambitious brands with exceptional global creative talent.

Over nearly two decades, Dutch Uncle have built one of the most decorated artist rosters in the industry. Our artists have produced Gold Clio and Cannes Lions award-winning work for clients spanning fashion, luxury, fintech, tech, healthcare, and publishing. We have collaborated on prestige illustration and animation projects for global leaders, including Hermès, Burberry, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, and Rimowa, as well as Apple, Google, Mercedes, Netflix, Pfizer, AstraZeneca, The New York Times.

We represent illustrators and animation directors who lead their fields in conceptual thinking, visual intelligence, and craft. Artists whose work cuts through algorithmic sameness to deliver genuine cultural impact.

Beyond our core roster, we also draw on an international network of talent across five continents to meet the scale and complexity of any brief.

Dutch Uncle operates as a full-service creative production partner, managing everything from artist sourcing and briefing through to licensing, copyright, animation production, and final delivery.

We specialise in complex, multi-market projects that demand creative precision and seamless execution. Whether that is a single editorial commission, a suite of high-impact social media assets, or a global animated campaign.

For nearly twenty years, the world's leading agencies, publishers, cultural institutions, and brands have trusted us to bring their most ambitious work to life.

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