The Design Solution completes Tuff Gong Studios redesign in Kingston

The Design Solution, an airport retail planning and design specialist, has finished renovating the historic Tuff Gong International Studios in Kingston, Jamaica. The client, Bob Marley Group of Companies, is advancing plans to develop the site into a major tourism attraction.

The Tuff Gong project follows The Design Solution’s longstanding relationship with the Marley family and its work at Montego Bay Sangster International Airport, including the Bob Marley One Love restaurant concept, which won a FAB Award at the 2024 Airport Food & Beverage + Hospitality Conference & Awards.

Tuff Gong Studios holds a prominent place in Jamaica’s musical history. After reggae legend Bob Marley died in 1981, his wife Rita Marley acquired the studio, fulfilling his ambition to own the facility where he had once been refused entry. Rita and daughter Cedella subsequently became pioneering female owners and operators of the recording studio.

The renovation marks the first phase of a wider leisure development planned across the 7,000 sq m site. Future plans include a comprehensive visitor experience celebrating Marley’s life and music, alongside a retail store targeting Jamaica’s tourism market.