Kays Espresso Bar / Coffee in the Garden

Kays Espresso Bar / Coffee in the Garden

Kays Espresso Bar / Coffee in the Garden

Happiness can be a cool breeze in the morning and a cup of coffee with pastries while listening to the sound of flowing water to a counterpoint of a birdsong. This is the experience offered at Kays Espresso Bar, a new cafe in Chanthaburi Province with a scent of coffee in the garden. 

/// Thailand /// 

Story: Aphasri Mimana /// Photography: Sitthisak Namkham /// Gardener: Suan Lila Raiyaa Nongphluem

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A decorative waterfall gives life and motion to the garden. On the stone wall above is the shop name.
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Ecology of nature: flamingo figures in fountain grass, fishing at pond’s edge.
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One of the garden highlights at Kays Espresso Bar, perfect choice and placement of plants and ornamentation.

Kwinwan Sangwan, a shop owner tells how it got started: “This was a dream of my Dad. We wanted the shop to be so pretty outdoors and in that customers would stop by to take pictures.”

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“For the landscaping, we contracted Sak Rueangphrom. From the start, we wanted an English-style garden with a hint of tropical and a lot of places for people to sit and maybe drink coffee or tea.”

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Freeform red flagstones trace a path from front to back. The river gravel is easier to maintain than grass. Vegetation of varying height lines the path past a birdhouse and an urn-shaped planter.

Sak took the challenge and delivered as ordered, even if there were a few problems to deal with.

“The first time I saw the worksite it looked like a desert, but somehow we managed to turn that around. The first problem was the clay topsoil, sticky and tightly compacted. We broke shovels digging, had to switch pickaxes. The good thing was that the ground didn’t absorb too much water, and wasn’t about to collapse.

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English-style bird bath planted with asparagus fern, spikemoss hanging below. A ground cover of varicolored leaves and flowers makes this a striking spot.

“Then the weather. In Chanthaburi it rains a lot, so we adapted, using water-tolerant varieties such as flame nettle, ferns, crepe ginger, etc. Once it rained seven days and nights, but the trees recovered quickly and by now their roots have extended and can handle any amount of rain.”

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Railroad ties laid down decoratively with ground cover plants growing over them.

The hardscape includes the large metal fountain in a modern style to match the building, with a pond and waterfall. Further on is a metal frame gazebo, and then a big rust-colored faucet set in an upright hollow log. A flagstone path of red sandstone runs throughout the garden.

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Beautifully designed lion’s head above a faucet. If you wash hands here the water falls on a clean stone surface, no mess.

Old benches are set in the back, by a gray wall covered in climbing vines, with bright ground cover colors and a bird bath planter filled with beautiful flowers. English-style chairs are found in various shady spots.

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English-style lawn chairs for enjoying tea and coffee outside.
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Arbor and back entrance gate, with a cobblestone walkway.

Sak adds, “we had to adapt the original model to include big shade trees such as giant crape-myrtle, freshwater mangrove, canna, etc., relying on hardscape and ornaments to create the sense of an English garden: urn-shaped planters, bird baths, fences, arbors. It came out just as we wanted: shady, pleasant, not overdone. Bees, butterflies, birds, crickets, and cicadas live and sing here, a relaxing sound.”

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Urn-shaped planters at the entrance show off the English garden style.
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The owner especially loves this arbor, with its curved benches set on round cobblestones.

Here is a shop owner who loves sharing nature with his customers, and with the animals who make their home in the garden. For a taste of this happiness, stop in sometimes at Kays Espresso Bar, on Yanwirote Road right in Chanthaburi. We guarantee you’ll get hooked.

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Arbor frame over a decorative brick column, with a hanging planter and cute bird sculptures.
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Cats claw vine climbs the decorative wall, reducing the harshness of the stone and bringing the garden closer to nature.
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A cute use for old watering cans: turn them into planters.

link: https://www.facebook.com/kaysespresso/

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