livingasean, Author at LIVING ASEAN - Inspiring Tropical Lifestyle //

A Boutique Farm Stay in Chiang Mai

By livingasean
May 5, 2017
CULTURE,DESIGN

A boutique farm-stay destination in norther Thailand has provided a good example of how a business could involve the community every step of the way. It thrives on showing respect and fitting in with local ways of living. It’s secret: City and local people stand to gain from each other’s presence and coexist in peaceful harmony with nature.

/// Thailand ///
Story: Punchat /// Photography: Supakorn Srisakul, Sitthisak Namkham /// Owner & Designer: Jak Ladpli

The farm stay offers four rooms with garden views at the rear of the building, one on each floor.

An architect from Bangkok recently started the boutique farm-stay in Mae Rim District, a 15-minute drive from central Chiang Mai. In a unique way he adapted to be in sync with the new environment and still remained very much in vogue. How did they do it? The answer can be found at the wholesome destination called “Chic 39.”

Farm stay owner Jak “Joke” Ladpli said his was an interesting piece of architecture in the middle of a lush landscape. Chic 39 is offering guest accommodation and operating in conjunction with the surrounding community. It thrives on a simple concept — Make the space modern and keep decor local.

“Call it modern local if you will,” said Joke. “As newcomers, we respect the community, its people, and their ways of life. In our hearts we are modern, kind of like a man donning business attire. But such a formal outfit would be out of place here. The contrast would be too obvious. So we chose a modern cube-shaped design, and paired it with materials that represented local values and wisdom.”

“That’s the metaphor defining our design concept. Like a business outfit made of folk fabric known as “Mo Hom,” the hotel building offers textures and finishing touches crafted of materials that are readily available locally. They include bamboo, palm tree trunks, and old-fashioned corrugated sheets.”

The farm stay involves the community in its day-to-day operations. Joke said: “In this area 4-5 villages are actively engaged in flower farming. Having done it for several generations, the growers produce cut flowers for a wide variety of decorations, from shops to hotels to even food. Especially yellow chrysanthemums, they prefer to grow them during winter months.”

Flower growers leave electric lights on at least three hours after sunset. Increased exposure to light helps flower stems grow a bit longer in time for harvesting.

At night the weather is cold, and the flower farm is aglow with colorful neon lights. “If you don’t feel like going to bed early, just hang out and enjoy the views,” Joke said, adding, “In fact, the lights are left on for a good reason. Increased exposure to light helps flower stems grow longer before they are harvested the morning after. “If you are an early riser, put on a pair of boots and go help the planters harvest some flowers.”

An Elegantly Eclectic Home: The Beauty of Diverse Styles

By livingasean
May 4, 2017
HOUSE,LIVING

/ Bangkok, Thailand /

/ Story: Wannch / English version: Bob Pitakwong /

/ Photographs: Nuntiya Bussabong /

It’s arguably the variety that makes living so enjoyable. Here’s the ‘Eclectic House’, a mix-and-match interior design integrating pieces of furniture and accessories from a broad range of styles and sources. Together they give the home color, freshness and charm and, at the same time, reflect well on the homeowner’s bright and sunny personality.

Architecturally speaking, the small, well-proportioned home is positioned to reap the benefits of favorable prevailing wind and light conditions, which already makes it a great place to live.

Add a gorgeous collection of furniture, and it’s hard to find a place that’s more lively and full of energy than this so-called “eclectic house” of ideas belonging to Sapsit Fungfueangchaweng, director of corporate marketing at AP Thailand.

Sapsit selected all the furniture and decorating items himself. Each of them has a story to tell that conveys a great deal about the home rich in collectibles from across the globe.

Upon his return from further studies abroad, Sapsit’s father decided to renovate an existing 200-square-meter guest house adjoining the family residence as a new home for his son. The two houses have a relaxed and intimate view of each other across the swimming pool.

“My home relies not so much on design as on interior décor, the arrangement of items from my collections,” Sapsit tells us.

Inside, it feels spacious and dominated by shades of white. Interior spaces – living room, workspace, dining area and a kitchen counter – are connected, but visually separated with the use of different dimensions. There’s a raised floor here, and an open ceiling over there with the gabled roof structure painted white, creating a spacious yet uniquely bounded feeling.

Standing front and center in the room is a collection of chairs in different styles matching harmoniously. Eclectic, yes, but beautiful. They fit in very well with tasteful ornamentation and the pictures that Sapsit has picked up during business and pleasure travels in recent years.

There’s a standout white sofa placed in front of one of Sapsit’s own works, a painting in blue and white. This is a spot where he likes to sit, maybe dreaming up new work, maybe just relaxing with friends.

Eclectic House — A raised floor sets the living room apart from the kitchen.

Sapsit used all sorts of arranging techniques to achieve a practical house plan and, at the same time, blend comfort and style. He offers a piece of advice, “In selecting what items to use, think first about function, not just decoration. Then, pick the things that have meaning, or spiritual value: they won’t become boring over time.

“Whatever selection a person makes should reflect well on his or her character, while never overlooking their function. This will result in great practical benefits and a beautiful home.”

Graphics large and small add lively highlights to this wall.

Besides his corporate marketing work, Sapsit owns the swimwear brand “Timo Trunks,” known for striking graphics with a uniquely fun and entertaining look. The brand’s products come from collaboration of Thai and foreign designers, and have developed to the point where they are distributed in more than 9 countries worldwide.

The original designs started at Sapsit’s Timo Trunks Studio, built right near his house for a super-easy work commute.

The outward appearance of the studio building is deceptively simple, but the space within reflects the brand’s fun-loving identity through graphics and furniture highlights amid white walls and a wood-grain floor with a bright, relaxing color scheme bringing to mind a colorfully painted canvas.

The full plate glass windows in front look outwards on a refreshing garden view, so the environment is inspiration for new ideas and the creation of great new designs.

Owner/Designer: Sapsit Fungfueangchaweng

Visit the original Thai article…

LIVING WITH COLLECTIBLE- เติมสีสันใส่ความเป็นตัวตน ในบ้านสไตล์อิเคล็กทิก

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Architect Expo ’17 Has Begun

By livingasean
May 4, 2017
Architect’17,HAPPENING,SPECIAL SCOOP

Architect Expo ’17 is happening now at Impact Muang Thong Thani, Bangkok. Living ASEAN discovered many practical new products and ideas that will surely benefit people who want to build things. Drop by before the show ends this Sunday May 7.

/// Thailand ///
Photography: Rithirong Chanthongsuk

The ASEAN’s largest building technology show is on from 10 AM to 8 PM daily. Here are three reasons you can’t afford to miss this annual event.

Baan Baan Case Study

ASA Emerging Architecture Awards 2017

1. Varied exhibitions on dwellings

Embracing the concept of simplicity in life known as “Baan Baan: Reconsidering Dwelling,” the center of the exhibition hall was dedicated to 16 small exhibitions show casing many different ways of living.

Start with “In Remembrance of H.M. King Bhumibol Adulyadej”. The show comes in two parts: The“Architect of the Land” exposition, and the“Pictures of Our Father,” which presents a collection of images sent in by designers to commemorate the great king.

In Remembrance of H.M. King Bhumibol Adulyadej

In Remembrance of H.M. King Bhumibol AdulyadejThe “Traditional and Vernacular Thai Houses” exhibition features models of vernacular residential architecture from different regions and ethnicities around Thailand. Some house designs were influenced by shared cultural heritage with ethnic groups in neighboring Myanmar and Vietnam.

Traditional and Vernacular Thai Houses

Traditional and Vernacular Thai HousesThe “Baan Baan Case Study” display features a variety of dwelling places in many shapes and sizes, each suited for a specific budget and designed by Thai architects. The name of the show may sound esoteric to many viewers, but essentially it’s about building within budgets.

Baan Baan Case Study

2. Models showcasing works by leading architectural firms

It’s the show for people who want to build things. Once a year, leading architectural firms put on a public display of works by their designers. It’s nice to drop in and get inspired by many creative projects and designs, ranging from hostels, townhouse renovation ideas, holiday homes, and more. Don’t miss out on these great ideas.

Baan Baan Mockup: Designed by Vaslab

Baan Baan Mockup: Designed by IDIN Archotects

The Quality of Life Index in the ASEAN for 2017

By livingasean
April 27, 2017
BUZZ,EXPLORE

The Quality of Life Index measures which city provides the best opportunities for health, safety, and good living for the year ahead. Singapore no doubt ranks the highest in the ASEAN, while Jakarta and Bangkok take distant second and third places, respectively. Let’s see how cities across the Region fare in the bigger picture and what can be done to improve life quality.

/// ASEAN ///

Numbeo is the world’s largest database of user contributed data about cities and countries worldwide. Its latest survey and rating statistics showed Singapore topped the index as the country with the highest quality of life in the ASEAN Region, followed by Jakarta and Bangkok in distant second and third places, respectively. Manila fared badly at the bottom of the ranking whereas Laos, Myanmar and Brunei didn’t make the cut for lack of information in the database.

The QLI is a composite criterion used to rank cities. It looks into the costs of living and purchasing power, safety, affordability of housing, pollution, crime rates, health system quality and time spent on daily commutes. According to the survey, Singapore is the safest city in the ASEAN. It scores 83.26 on the safety index, 86.32 on the costs of living index. Jakarta takes a distant second place scoring 47.51 on the costs of living, and 46.90 on safety.

However, the people in Jakarta perform much better in the area of wellness scoring 62.99 on the health care index. Jakarta fares badly in terms of purchasing power scoring a low 35.97 compared with 92.91 in Singapore.

In parts of Bangkok, people are facing multiple health problems with the pollution index remaining high at 73.88. The city scores a high 81.47 on the health care index, a low 51.25 on the costs of living index, and a very low 43.12 on the purchasing power index. It fares badly at 49.81 on the traffic commute time index.

The Numbeo survey puts Manila at the bottom of the Quality of Life Index with a low 41.32 on the costs of living, 43.16 on purchasing power, and 39.65 on safety. The pollution index for Manila is very high at 92.01 while the traffic commute index is also high at 55.72.

Meanwhile in Europe, Vienna ranks the highest in the World Quality of Life Index. Numbeo statistics show Vienna scoring a whopping 193.79 out of 200 in the quality of life, which is very high. It also performs brilliantly in safety, health care, and the property price to income ratio index.

Link :https://www.numbeo.com/quality-of-life/

Inspirational Office Design Ideas

By livingasean
April 25, 2017
IDEA,LIVING

A beautiful office can be an important element in inspiring good work. Here we give you five examples of exciting and creative office design in Bangkok.

/// Thailand ///

– Rabbit Digital Group –

An old aluminum warehouse on Banthat Thong Road now has a new and different look: its 1500 square meters of interior space now houses the chic new office layout of the Rabbit Digital Group. About 60 percent of the common area inside is reserved for a skateboard yard, ping-pong tables, snooker, a pantry, and a big communal table which can be used either for lunchtime celebrations or for brainstorming sessions where cool ideas are dreamed up, but that’s not all: everyone walking in to work passes through the chic industrial charm of this common area, and just experiencing the design is enough to unconsciously promote creative thinking. The building’s structural lines are painted black and offset by furnishings made of bright new materials: a steel stair, stainless steel slide, and natural rubber tree wood surfaces, in an open “doublespace” setting whose relaxed feeling is reinforced by living trees. It’s easy to forget this is an office!

– Charcoal Design –

When its old office could no longer provide needed functionality for the increasing numbers of people using it, Charcoal Design decided to relocate and renovate a 30-year-old house on a 400-square-meter property as its new workspace. Existing rooms were torn out and replaced with a spacious area that provided not only functional support for work teams, architects, interior designers, and graphic designers, but also convenient private work areas, and with enough space to accommodate a larger workforce in the future. Huge cement beams above the spacious, airy work hall reach out alongside a walkway that connects to a meeting room centered around the same glass table Company executives used in the former office. The atmosphere here is designed for the kind of ambience you might find in a bar or coffee shop, with greenery to relax the eyes.

– V Office –

The old place was just a studio, but now you’ll find V Office – of the VCAN group of companies – a workplace remarkable not only for its form inside and out, but for its unique and unforgettable character. This 5-storey building with a total space of 1,321 square meters took 3-4 months to design, and nearly a year to build. Completely redone, nothing was left of the old appearance. Now it’s open and uncluttered, with surfaces of brick and unfinished cement. The building façade features three-dimensional repetitions of the “V” motif in copper-colored aluminum composite attached to the steel building structure, creating beautiful patterns that work both to screen the sunlight and to give privacy, while giving the building its memorable standout look.

– Baiyah Studio –

This small architectural company built its office on a 60-square-meter property with a budget of just 800,000 baht and design and construction together taking only 5 months. The primary design requirement was to reduce electrical use, so the architects took maximum advantage of natural light and ventilation. To limit dependence on air conditioning systems, circulation within the building was designed to run generally through every space and room, so heat would be released rather than trapped. There are many strategies to protect against heat entry into a building, and architects took into consideration which times different sections received more or less use, positioning bathrooms, kitchen, and reception hall as a buffer toward the west, which gets the most heat in the afternoon, to keep office areas cool and comfortable during the day. Outside, a vertical garden covers the walls, acting as natural heat insulation.

– Designqua –

Am old 5-storey Sukhumvit area row building dating back to the 1980s with double arches in front and 600 square meters of usable space has become a charming example of architectural design. Behind a unique façade long familiar to the locals, a new office hides some incredibly charming design work, the brainchild of Malina Palasthira, a talented architect with the Designqua company. Looking for a site near a SkyTrain station where work could be done for a reasonable budget while still having enough space for herself and the 8-person design team, she found this place. To make it economical, some of the space was transformed into two differently styled Airbnb rooms to accommodate intercontinental travelers. The building owner wanted to keep the “retro” building façade, but much of the cramped inside was converted into a spacious, open office. Inside is a “flying table” work desk 8.3 meters long and designed to appear as if floating in the middle of the room. Working utility systems are intentionally exposed, for an open look which shows the beauty inherent in the systems themselves.

Agoda and the new colors of Jakarta, Yogyakarta, Bali, and Tokyo

By livingasean
April 25, 2017
CULTURE,DESIGN

Jakarta, Yogyakarta, Bali, and Tokyo redefined in photo collage: today Living ASEAN chats with Pariwat Anandachina, who has infused an Agoda tourism campaign with lively, colorful imagery.

/// Indonesia, Thailand ///

Agoda.com (of Agoda Company Pte., Ltd.) is one of the largest online booking networks, its more than 100,000 hotel offerings spanning the globe. In collaboration with Singapore’s Saatchi & Saatchi agency, Agoda has created “Agoda Base Camp,” a vibrant and innovative Indonesian tourism ad campaign designed to attract foreigners and Indonesians alike. Pariwat, known for his iconic photo collage art work, was a natural choice to present the campaign to viewers worldwide.

Base Camp features three staples of Indonesian tourism– Jakarta, Yogyakarta, and Bali – adding perennial favorite Tokyo, Japan, with pictures of buildings, houses, and people representing local culture and lifestyles from every corner of those cities. The images were cut, mixed, and laid out in Agoda’s five primary colors to illustrate each destination’s highlights and character, as shown here.

Jakarta stands out for its mix of old and new. Here old and new architectural styles appear almost as reflections of each other, different, but fitting together in a charming way.

Yogyakarta/Jogya stands out for its mix of old and new. Here old and new architectural styles appear almost as reflections of each other, different, but fitting together in a charming way.

Bali is highlighted by nature itself, with its gorgeous beaches and healthy activities. This pictorial representation of the island also illustrates ghost worship, animist ceremonies presided over by shamans in colorful robes, and a native fascination with the occult.

Tokyo shows a mix of contemporary life and technological progress with a powerful sense of cultural preservation. This collage is presented in the uniquely Japanese “manga cartoon” style, split into viewing panels as in a comic book.

Pariwat spoke with us about how this four-city promotion came to be represented in his work. “We did extensive research on the highlights and character of each city, looking for ‘what’s hot and what’s not,’ to see what would get folks hooked on going there. Scheduling was a big challenge: we only had half a month to fly everywhere and take our pictures, so had to be creative, sometimes using pictures taken by others, or hotel pictures from Agoda, and these were often hard to match and balance with what we already had.”

The Base Camp campaign will use both printed ads and key visuals in video footage taken by Agoda and enhanced with animation.

Pariwat, Agoda Base Camp campaign designer

Link : http://pariwatstudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/agoda.mp4

http://pariwatstudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/agoda-_-base-camp-on-Behance2.mp4

http://pariwatstudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/agoda-_-base-camp-on-Behancec.mp4

http://pariwatstudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/agoda-_-base-camp-on-Behance.mp4

5 Wooden Stilt Houses You Will Love

By livingasean
April 24, 2017
HOUSE,LIVING

Like a journey back in time, there is real warmth in the wooden stilt house. The eco-friendly design bespeaks the tradition and experience in the tropics. Handpicked from Living ASEAN collections, these five houses are perfect fits for hot and humid weather. Check them out.

/// ASEAN ///

http://livingasean.com/house/4-small-house-units-tranquil-tropical-living/

http://livingasean.com/house/countryside-home-eyes-architect/

http://livingasean.com/house/enchanting-thai-style-home/

http://livingasean.com/house/sustainable-living-tropical-house/

http://livingasean.com/house/awesome-rural-house-farm/

A Fascinating One-Day Trip to Tanjung Sepat

By livingasean
April 21, 2017
EXPLORE,JOURNEY

/ Tanjung Sepat, Malaysia /

/ Story & Photograph: Samutcha Viraporn /

A sleepy little town has emerged as one of the most visited destinations in Malaysia. Tanjung Sepat is located a good 100 kilometers from Kuala Lumpur. The drive along the two-lane road passing lots of quaint small towns is pleasant and enjoyable. Let’s go!

A self-guided sightseeing tour is a great way to spend a day in Tanjung Sepat. The small fishing town in Kuala Langat in Selangor is named after a type of fish called Sepat.

The cape town is perfect for a day trip getaway from the city. There is so much to see and do there. Most visitors do not stay since it is only an hour plus drive from the city center. If one does wish to stay a night, there are a handful of small motels available.

It is recommended that one starts the day there early to catch a popular eatery named YiKee Seafood Bak Kut Teh. In fact, the eatery starts their food service as early as 7.30 a.m. and usually runs out of food by 10 a.m. It’s not just a tourist haunt, but many locals also flock there for a piping hot clay pot of herbal soup filled to the brim with meat and seafood.

After breakfast, take a leisure stroll through the main morning market just to check what they offer.

Then it’s off to catch some fishing docks in action, or simply head over to the farms to walk off the heavy meal. If you’ve missed the fishing boats coming in, you can still head over to some of the shops where they process the fish into fish products.

Thong Hsing Trading is located nearby the seafood bak kut teh eatery in one of the small lanes.

The fish ball factory is run in the vicinity of the owner’s home. If you’re early enough, you can catch them making fish balls and other fish products from scratch. Processing machines separate the flesh of the fish from the bones. One can buy all sorts of fish products here from fish balls to fish cakes, stuff fish paste and more.

There is also another popular place to buy or catch more fish products. And that is at the Yek Loong Enterprise fish ball factory located in a small shop lot near the main market.

Though the machines have taken over some of the more tedious work, there are still lots of work to be done by hands only and that includes this lady stuffing fish paste onto thin bean curd sheets to make Fu Chuk.

Though there are lots of farms to visit such as dragon fruit farm, longan farm and more, we opted for some cool places such as the Ganofarm.

Ganofarm is a mushroom research company that cultivates varieties of mushrooms for sale. One can catch quite a few common mushrooms they farmed there, such as Ling Zhi, Oyster, Abalone, Monkey Head and more.

Behind Ganofarm, there is a lovely area with a bridge to visit! One can actually walk out to the sea and take some great photos there, too. It is a lovely day; hence the sky is gorgeous as it meets the horizon of the sea.

There used to be another more popular bridge named the “Lover’s Bridge,” but that was taken down since it had collapsed earlier last year.

Near the bridge site, there are quite a few seafood restaurants that many flock to till today for seafood. A popular gift shop named Qing Ren Qiao Souvenir Shop sells lots local snacks and knick knacks.

There’re quite a few smaller pop up stalls selling food and drinks as well as sweets. This bicycle sells fried fish balls and other fish and dried seafood products that are yummy too.

For lunch, there are a few restaurants in the Lover’s Bridge vicinity, such as Ocean Seafood, Lover Bridge Tanjung Sepat, and Ban Joo Hin Seafood. Savor home cooked seafood dishes with a beautiful sea view.

After lunch, head over to Arowana Malayan Food Industries to catch some chips action. The factory produces a great variety of fried tapioca chips, vegetables chips, and more. You can catch the whole end-to-end process and buy bags of freshly fried chips.

The fascinating small town boasts many favorite local joints, where one can catch the makings of paus (fresh steamed stuffed buns) and even local coffee processing. Business has really taken off for Hai Yew Heng Pau as many locals and tourists flock there for fluffy steamed buns filled with pork, vegetables, peanut, red bean, and more.

Go early to order for takeaways as they do run out by afternoon, especially on the weekends. There is another place a few minutes away, too, for steamed paus named Mr. Black Hand-Made Pau that’s just as popular. Be ready to queue on weekends.

Near Hai Yew Heng Pau, there is also a coffee shop, Kwo Zha B Coffee. One can catch coffee beans being roasted fresh and grounded for sale. These are local strong coffee with a kick. There is another coffee place also a few lanes away named Joo Fa Trading.

After that, head over to Kuan Wellness Ecopark, an eco-friendly center where every one of all ages can benefit from a visit. The center has a collection of old classic cars all lined up for viewing.

The main center building focuses on the cultivation of bird nest. One can catch the tedious process, where many workers remove feather and dirt from the precious bird nest before it’s dried and packed for sale. Bird nest is said to have some health as well as beauty benefits.

Kuan Wellness Ecopark has a small animal sanctuary for fishes, rabbits, birds and even peacocks. For a small fee, one can enter the sanctuary that is also set with a nice landscape view of a windmill.

End your day with a beautiful stroll along the beaches to catch the sunset, or dine at one of the restaurants set along the sea with some of the freshest catch of the day.

Tanjung Sepat is truly a fascinating small town that warrants a lovely getaway from the city.

Modern Steel House a Perfect Fit for Tropical Climate

By livingasean
April 20, 2017
HOUSE,LIVING

/ Bangkok, Thailand /

/ Story: Patsiri Chotpongsun / English version: Bob Pitakwong /

/ Photographs: Rithirong Chanthongsuk /

Close to nature. All the needed conveniences for modern family life. Spacious plus great ventilation. This steel-framed home fits its hot Tropical climate perfectly.

The house stands on the same rectangular property as the old family’s home, but is split off from it. The owner is a building contractor with interior decorating experience, and so with the help of an architect friend from Office AT, he was able to build exactly the house he wanted.

“The two of us already have a lot of possessions, and will need more when we have kids,” said the owner. “This house is designed for simple, easy functionality in a nice, open space. It’s modern, easy to maintain, and has a library and rooms we can put to various uses in the future.”

Being in the construction field, the owner already had his own work team and a lot of places to get ornamental materials. Much of what was used here came from other construction sites. For simplicity and ease, the house has a cuboid structural steel frame, allowing it to be built within only four months.

For the swimming pool to be set on the north side, the house is laid out lengthwise along the southern edge of the property, which also means the narrower eastern and western walls allow less sunlight and heat inside.

Near the main entrance is a carport, and trees act as a fence in front, adding shade and blocking the view from outside.

The spacious 400-square-meter living space in this home has a downstairs with connected living room, dining room and kitchen, all with a full view out onto the swimming pool.

“Besides all the northern doors and windows opening outwards, to the northeast and northwest are spaces always open for the wind to blow in and out of the house, keeping it cool so air conditioning isn’t needed most of the day,” said the architect.

The second floor holds bedrooms. Here walls are solid on the south side, featuring built-in closets such as are also seen downstairs.

A long balcony connects all the rooms, shielded from the sun by a “double-layer skin” latticework which gives privacy while creating dimensions of light and shade.

The materials – steel, aerated concrete, unpainted brick, wood battens, eaves and floors of light-colored wood, and the unpainted pine walkway around the pool – all express a simple sufficiency.

This steel house supports a comfortable lifestyle and is completely ready to be adjusted and adapted for future needs.

Architect: Office AT Co.,Ltd. (www.officeat.com)

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A Cozy Modern Home Inspired by Traditional House Design

By livingasean
April 19, 2017
HOUSE,LIVING

/ Bangkok, Thailand /

/ Story: Foryeah / English version: Bob Pitakwong /

/ Photographs: Soopakorn Srisakul, Beer Singnoi /

Utilizing the good qualities of the traditional Thai house in modern home design results in comfortable living and a look that never goes out of style. “Bua Baan House,” named after Bua and Baan, homeowner Ruja Rojanai’s daughter and son, was designed by Sorawis Na Nakhon of Bab Studio. His intention was to translate the most pleasing aspects of the traditional Thai house into a beautiful modern format.

“Almost all the houses in this neighborhood open onto a busy street, but this place of residence is located in a quiet, private cul-de-sac,” says the architect. “We planned the house in an “H” form which has more outside walls, allowing for more doors and windows and resulting in better ventilation than in a block-shaped building.”

The H-shaped house plan separates the building into two wings. From the carport stepping into the house, we pass the parlor/reception area, designed with a grand-looking “double-space” ceiling reaching up one and a half story.

modern thai house — An aluminum shading sunscreen blocks the sun’s harsh glare from the west.

Above the front entrance, a border of potted plants adds green to the rooftop deck.

The home is built on a long and narrow plot of land. For privacy, service areas and maid’s quarters are in the rear, with a laundry section directly above it accessed by a separate set of stairs.

The owner’s living area is in the second wing of the H-shaped house plan, with a lower-floor connecting walkway between the two sections reminiscent of the Tai-thun, or the open space below Thai houses of old. Above the walkway is an exercise room.

Above the entryway, openings in the wall release hot air from below.

The family residence wing rises three and a half stories high, with living room, workroom, dining room, and kitchen downstairs. Floor two holds a master bedroom for the parents, and another bedroom for an aunt. The third floor is for the daughter and son’s rooms. Each of them wanted a “mezzanine” level added to the bedrooms, hence a double-space ceiling with workspace set above.

The entrance hall continues along the length of the house, with doors and windows aligned right and left.

[Left] A coordinated stainless steel kitchen. / [Right] The cool and calm atmosphere inside a double-space bedroom.

Another thing adding to a sense of comfort and spaciousness in the home is in its linear plan, which allows easy circulation of light and air throughout.

Rooms are connected by a single walkway, and there are many doors and windows. The house faces west, presenting its narrow side to the hot afternoon sun. There, the architect provided thick, closed walls to block the heat, layering blocks inside to create a passage to let hot air out.

A flight of stairs leading to the workspace on the mezzanine in one youngster’s room.

Baan’s bedroom, with a cool-looking net hung above.

A stairway provides access to Baan’s mezzanine workspace.

Owner: Ruja Rojanai

Architect: Sorawis Na Nakhon af Bab Studio (www.facebook.com/babarchitectstudio) and Make it Pop (www.makeitpop.net)

Visit the original Thai article…

BAAN BUA BAAN – บ้านบัวบ้านแบบไทยๆ ใบหน้าฝรั่ง

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Blog :

A Boutique Farm Stay in Chiang Mai

An Elegantly Eclectic Home: The Beauty of Diverse Styles

Architect Expo ’17 Has Begun

Architect Expo ’17 is happening now at Impact Muang Thong Thani, Bangkok. Living ASEAN discovered many practical new products and ideas that will surely benefit people who want to build things. Drop by before the show ends this Sunday May 7.

2. Models showcasing works by leading architectural firms

The Quality of Life Index in the ASEAN for 2017

Inspirational Office Design Ideas

A beautiful office can be an important element in inspiring good work. Here we give you five examples of exciting and creative office design in Bangkok.

– Rabbit Digital Group –

– Charcoal Design –

– V Office –

– Baiyah Studio –

– Designqua –

Agoda and the new colors of Jakarta, Yogyakarta, Bali, and Tokyo

Jakarta, Yogyakarta, Bali, and Tokyo redefined in photo collage: today Living ASEAN chats with Pariwat Anandachina, who has infused an Agoda tourism campaign with lively, colorful imagery.

5 Wooden Stilt Houses You Will Love

Like a journey back in time, there is real warmth in the wooden stilt house. The eco-friendly design bespeaks the tradition and experience in the tropics. Handpicked from Living ASEAN collections, these five houses are perfect fits for hot and humid weather. Check them out.

A Fascinating One-Day Trip to Tanjung Sepat

A sleepy little town has emerged as one of the most visited destinations in Malaysia. Tanjung Sepat is located a good 100 kilometers from Kuala Lumpur. The drive along the two-lane road passing lots of quaint small towns is pleasant and enjoyable. Let’s go!

Modern Steel House a Perfect Fit for Tropical Climate

Close to nature. All the needed conveniences for modern family life. Spacious plus great ventilation. This steel-framed home fits its hot Tropical climate perfectly.

A Cozy Modern Home Inspired by Traditional House Design

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