Art of Arrogance: Mario Kleff's Ego, Excess & Architecture

The interview with Mario Kleff, published in REm Magazine, 2009

By Thiti Teerachin (ธิติ ธีรชินทร์) · Oct 23, 2025

When most of us hear the word arrogance, we wince. For Mario Kleff, architect, designer, and Managing Director of Wandeegroup, it’s a badge of honor. To him, arrogance is not a flaw but a necessary ingredient in the alchemy of unconventional design. “If my buildings seem arrogant, it’s because they are,” he declares, without a trace of irony.

Redefining Arrogance

Kleff’s self-awareness borders on theatrical. Critics have long accused him of arrogance; he merely admits it with relish. “Everyone has a bit of arrogance,” he says. “Mine just shows in concrete, glass, and steel.” For him, architecture is personality made tangible. If a design raises eyebrows, it’s a mirror to its creator’s temperament — unapologetic, bold, and occasionally infuriating.

Design as Self-Expression

Every project, Kleff insists, is a reflection of his own experiences, his essence made visible. Buildings are not simply shelters but sculptures of identity. The challenge is balancing this ego-driven vision with the client’s character — a delicate dance between indulgence and service.

Art, Not Commerce

Kleff’s ethos is simple: art over money. Clients, he admits, are secondary. “If a client can’t grasp my approach, I’d rather walk away,” he says. It is this selective patronage, combined with audacious engineering, that fuels whispers of arrogance in architectural circles. Yet, for Kleff, it’s precisely what keeps his work alive.

A Tour of Arrogance in Concrete and Glass

Kleff’s portfolio reads like a catalogue of defiance:

• Falling Rain, Banglamung – Japanese-inspired hilltop house for a French client. Slanting walls, pre-cast concrete, black marble, tropical woods, and glass. “Extreme engineering,” Kleff notes casually
• Zen House, Pattaya – A pianist’s retreat. Acoustic precision, large spans, reflective green glass, and an interior pool with cascading waterfalls
• Capsule House, Pratamnak Hill – Cube-shaped Japanese house for a Danish client. Walls tilt at 55°, pre-cast concrete meets stainless steel and tropical wood
• Koi House, Pattaya – Thai client, Japanese house. Koi tanks wrap interior rooms; travertine, steel beams, and a robust HVAC system ensure comfort amidst audacity
• Leonardo House, Phuket – US client. Pre-cast concrete, 23m steel beams, spiral staircase, glass elevator, and an underwater pool view that flirts with ostentation
• Merit Villa, Wongamat – German client. Expansive green reflective glass, tropical wood accents, underground parking. Originality trumps subtlety

Arrogance or Mastery?

Love it or loathe it, Kleff’s work refuses to be ignored. Every angular wall and reflective surface is a statement: architecture as ego, ambition, and art intertwined. In the end, Kleff smiles at the controversy. “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” he says. Perhaps. But in the world of Mario Kleff, arrogance has never looked so deliberate, or so dazzling.