/ Story: Supachart Boontang / English version: Bob Pitakwong /
/ Photographs: Sitthisak Namkham /
Haven’t got a clue about what to do with small living spaces? This loft house of an architect should give you some ideas towards a quick fix. Find out how.
When talented young architect Sarin Nilsonthiyoung was planning on building a home for himself, he envisaged a place where he could wear anything he wanted and have free movement without bothering anyone and vice versa.
Wish granted, the small loft house now sits peacefully enveloped by thick, rubbed concrete walls. It looks like a fortress, perhaps because of that tunnel-liked entrance. Step into his world, and you come before a cozy loft house under the lean-to roof typical of an attached greenhouse.
Small but uncluttered, the loft-style home offers 100 square meters of carefully thought-out floorplan.
The workspace is tucked away on a tiny mezzanine that hovers above the living room. There is a closet that fits flush with the staircase. Nothing goes to waste. Even a niche above the bedroom’s window has enough room for a wall-mounted cabinet.
It’s not just design that’s cool. Construction was resource-efficient every step of the way.
The owner used recycled timber and leftovers from other things to make not only concrete forms, but pretty much everything else, from windows casings to door frames to furniture.
Green construction is not the only thing that goes into making this little house unique. It’s practicality that comes from creative ideas.
Every morning the homeowner wakes up to the sight of a peaceful rock garden reminiscent of an early Zen temple. Close at hands stands an outdoor bathroom, where he can shower alfresco – the best way to end the day in the sun.
An alfresco shower – the best way to call it a day.
“I feel good every time I come home,” said the owner. “Home is where one enjoys a freedom to live life well and with ease.”
That said, his loft house is by no means a big house, but it’s the answer to all his lifestyle needs. As the old saying goes, a man’s home is his castle. We couldn’t agree more.
/ Story: Panchat Changchan / English version: Bob Pitakwong /
/ Photographs: Rittirong Tongjunsuk /
A drab and gray ordinary exterior belies a concrete house’s exciting interior rich in eclectic styles.
Inspired by simple living as a lifestyle choice, Krishnapong Meechunuk the homeowner can still recall leaving behind the chaos of the workplace and heading for the North of Thailand.
He puts in a dream home in Chiang Mai, where life begins again as farmer in a simple L-shaped house. Charcoal powder is added to the mix to create concrete wall textures in dark shades of gray. But that is not the only thing unique about this concrete house.
Inside, each room showcases an original decorating style. The living room shows signs of a tilt toward vintage décor, among them a wall-mounted mirror in a French-style frame.
At the center an elegant marble coffee table stands in front of a red sofa with butterfly chair in matching hues. The set was bought from a Paris flea market. A kitty-corner from it stands a glass-front armory filled with souvenirs from theaters around the world. Black stage curtains at the entrance conjure up images of an opera house foyer.
The modern workspace says a lot about the homeowner’s passion and a lifetime of journeys. The work desk is made from a section of an aircraft wing that comes coated in nickel. A set of silver color chests of drawers accentuate the cozy appeal of the room.
Close at hand, the reading room speaks to the industrial loft style. Bookshelf poles and brackets are made of water pipes adapted for different uses. The emphasis on repurposing is inspired by a clothing store in New York.
“This is the first house that meets my expectations in every detail,” said the owner. “I did the decoration at my other houses in Bangkok too, but because they were move-in ready homes, design choices were limited.
“For this concrete house, I had the freedom to mix and match all the ingredients and styles myself. I’m very proud and very happy.”
Perched on top of a wooded hillside, a country home of outstanding vernacular beauty is a metamorphosis of purpose. The twisting and spiral road between Hang Dong and Samoeng districts winds among some of the most beautiful mountains and valleys of Chiang Mai. Understandably, the owner need look no further than this bucolic setting to build his dream home. His is a rustic mountain abode with delightful views of undulating countryside. It’s built of reclaimed timber from old rice granaries that have undergone incredible transformations.
Built on an L-shaped house plan, it’s seen as quite a departure from the kind of homes typical of northern Thailand. It’s because the two grain storage buildings he purchased had been set that way, and a complete teardown was not an option.
So the homeowner had no choice but to focus on remodeling the existing structures instead. The result is a country home among the trees that retains much of old-world charm and an idyllic life of peace unique to the Region.
At the time of purchase, the old granaries were raised on piles to protect their precious cargo. There wasn’t enough headroom under them to begin with. So the buildings had to be elevated to a level suitable for human habitation and good living conditions.
There were a number of modifications to the buildings. First, they were lifted off their foundations, and then granite block footings had to be installed under the timber posts to give the entire structures a new lease on life. The expedient solution not only protects the house posts from humidity damage, but also creates plenty of room for living, dining, and food preparation in the open lower floor space.
Timber house posts set upright on granite block footings create more headroom in the open lower floor space, plus no humidity issues.
Building on uneven ground is a challenge even for experienced builders. Here, steeply-sloped terrain dictates that every step is neatly planned. For safety and convenience, a guest carport is built at lower elevation in the foothills, while the main garage lies halfway up the hilltop. Its roof doubles as a cozy terrace for relaxation.
The interior living space features teakwood paneling in dark hues that provides a welcome contrast to the lively color and feel of upholstered furniture. Elsewhere, home décor items and accessories strike the right balance that adds a rustic appeal to the house on the hill.
Without a doubt, the panoramic mountain view is breathtaking. It’s a perfectly secluded place to call home, a journey to get away from it all and appreciate the beautiful works of nature.
It looks like a huge bell tent. But don’t mistake it for a wedding canopy or a temporary shelter. Actually it’s a home, one that’s thoughtfully devised to provide comfort, convenience and enjoyment. The house nestled in a beautiful area of countryside in Chiang Mai has all the desirable amenities plus secrets to living a happier life.
By adapting innovative tensile structural systems for a new use in residential architecture, the engineers were able to produce a home that’s charming, flexible and stylishly chic. It’s an architect’s dream and a landmark easily recognized from afar.
Unlike traditional single pole marquees used for social and trade events, this modern home is built using a rigid steel framework with four tent poles in the middle designed to resist compression. Together they go to work carrying the entire roof structure and coverings made of high tensile materials.
The fabrics are water impermeable and capable of UV protection, plus multiple coats of stain for wear and tear resistance. For indoor thermal comfort, all living spaces and the building’s useful features are enclosed with exterior wall systems lining the inner circumference.
Overall, light tones give the home a bright and airy atmosphere. There is plenty of headroom, thanks to the bell-shaped roof that rises eight meters from the floor to the apex.
In the meantime, open concept design is truly a breath of fresh air. It provides visual and spatial continuity from the living room all the way to dining room to pantry at the far end. Together they flow into one shared space that’s used every day by the entire family.
The bedrooms are done differently with an emphasis on privacy. Well-thought-out room dividers and ceilings set them apart from one another without altering the structural layout.
Seen from a distance, the bell tent home amid an oasis of calm beautifully synchronizes with a nearby water feature and pillowy textures of the surrounding hilly landscape. It’s amazing what a difference good design makes, and this tent house is a perfect example of that — a living space that’s original and unique in its own special way.
To be fair, a bell marquee may not be a dream home for some. But for ones who live here, the refreshing ambience is everything and everlasting.
/ Story: Atto Otto / English version: Bob Pitakwong /
/ Photographs: Sungwan Phratep /
If living in a minimalist, rustic farmhouse is your thing, but what you’ve found so far isn’t cool enough, then this hip house amidst the rice fields of Chiang Mai may change your mind. The hybrid wood and concrete home stands in nature’s peaceful embrace. It’s attached to paddy fields on a rural road leading to the city. Here, misty morning mountain views can be seen from miles around.
Albeit a little plain and unpretentious, the two-story family home has some modern elements to it. That’s reason enough for Keatnapin Sobhinnon and Patsa Attanon to buy it for their quiet country retreat away from hectic urban life.
Building a home on sloped ground typically calls for a split level floor plan, and in this particular case stepped foundations become necessary. This results in utility spaces and service rooms being assigned to different levels.
On the outside, an open air car park is leveled out for safety. It’s supported by a concrete retaining wall to prevent erosion on sloped yard. The front entry area is easily accessible via a wooden footbridge, an architectural feature that makes the house façade look calm, cool and welcoming.
Walk in the door, and you find living room décor delightful and attractively old-fashioned. Do-it-yourself crafts and decorating ideas add fun touches to every part of the room.
Chiang Mai being a handicraft capital, the homeowners enjoy the freedom of creating their own design for every piece of furniture. Then they simply ask local artisans highly skilled in woodworking to make the pieces to their specifications.
Needless to say the interior decorations convey a great deal about their fun and vibrant personality – warm, inviting and without pretense.
To create extra living space outdoors, the couple make the terraces larger than originally planned. This is achieved by connecting the platform next to the house to a nearby rice granary, or “Ruaen Long Khao” in the vernacular of the Northern Region.
Strictly speaking, it’s a storehouse on stilts for threshed grain common in the area. The old granary has since transformed into lodging accommodation for visiting houseguests.
An expanded terrace space connects to the nearby “Ruaen Long Khao,” an old rice granary-turned-lodging accommodations for visiting houseguests.
As Patsa described it: “It’s beautiful out here all year round. I especially love it when it rains as rice paddies and the surrounding hills come alive with all shades of green, entirely different from our home in Bangkok.
“When we came here for the first time, it felt like being in another world. No need to say we were filled with joy. I think this house was made for us.”
With a breathtaking panorama of mountain landscapes and the comfort of their home, it’s easy to get why the couple love this country home among the rice fields so dearly.
Owner/Designer: Keatnapin Sobhinnon and Patsa Attanon
This leaning out-of-the-box house design may make you feel dizzy. But you will feel better if you see the inside and know the story behind it.
“The property itself was an odd shape, four sides, but not with equal lengths, so it wasn’t expensive,” said Sirisak Thammasiri, the owner and designer of this slanting house.
“But it had charm, a nice natural look, and I designed it with terrain features in mind.”
The image of the first floor presents big open space with a light and cool metal stairway.
When Sirisak was little, his run and play space was the dikes separating flooded rice paddies with mountains in the backdrop.
So he designed his house as one big box popping up out of the ground, bringing a feeling and memory of the mountains to mind.
There’s also a grass lawn in the front yard to remind him of the good old days running in the fields.
The stairs, walls, and roofing are designed with inclined surfaces and diagonal lines. He got the idea from the bicycle frame and was struck by the strength of diagonals.
Sirisak has found a challenge in designing unconventionally and drawing on concepts from the outside of textbook architecture.
Beams extend outwards seven meters at an angle to the ground. Clever design makes the drainage plane of the wall a part of the roof.
In the meantime, the roof also doubles as the exterior wall. The house sits facing south, so the front facade is surfaced with wood to protect the house from afternoon sun.
The interior living space gives the feeling of airy comfort. Windows abound, which helps with ventilation and openness. They allow natural light in and save electricity.
Downstairs, the living room connects seamlessly to the pantry, and through it to the split-level kitchen.
Not far, a set of stairs crafted of bent steel plates leads to bedrooms above. The second floor boasts beautiful glass paneling designed to take in panoramic views of the mountain landscape.
Sirisak takes in pure mountain air from the second floor balcony, his favorite hangout.
“For this odd shape, the folks around here have given it several names, including ‘the house with laid-back shape,’ ‘the slanting house,’ ‘the boat-shaped home,’ and even ‘that house that points towards the sky,’” he said jokingly.
“My neighbors were always asking things like: ‘Don’t you get dizzy inside that thing?’ Or ‘How can it possibly be comfortable in there?’ Sometimes I invited them in for a look-see.”
To achieve his goals, Sirisak needed a fair amount of confidence and courage to be different in a stylish way. That’s what it means to have a passion for this out-of-the-box house design.
“This house itself is like a teacher to me. It gets me running experiments all the time,” said the owner.
/ Story: Warapsorn / English version: Bob Pitakwong /
/ Photographs: Sungwan Phratep /
An artist’s house is never just a place to live. It’s a collection of creative spaces. Let us now turn to the studio home of Chamnian Thongma, one of the country’s most famous artists and sculptors. Many prefer to call him just “Thongma.” The artist is widely known for having produced many life-size figurative sculptures. His works are soft and sweet with a little bit of rawness to them, the likes of which aplenty right here at this chic studio home.
His art studio is constructed based on a simple design. The exterior walls are crafted of exposed brickwork. The most charming feature is the door shutter that has a classic antique feel to it.
Not affected by the passage of time, the studio home boasts the simplicity of exposed brickwork on the exteriors. Among other things, the most attractive feature is the door shutter with a classic antique feel.
The place is nestled at the heart of an old housing development just off of a major thoroughfare in Chiang Mai. Thongma came across it while working on a decorating project at the home of a friend of his, which happened to be right next door.
The living space inside the studio is wide open. The interior is calm with a beautiful set of table and chairs. Some of Thongma’s sculptures are on display here.A human head bust on display inside the studio home has a raw, rugged look to it.
When he first bought the place, the one-Rai (1,600 sq.m) land was teeming with long tall grasses. After all the clutter was hacked out, it was a beauty just like it had been when the project was completed many years back. It took him just four months to build this new home from start to finish.
The artist’s residence is a simple one-story home. For the most part the structure is built of reclaimed wood and steel framing.
Thongma started out with simple design with the work studio occupying the front section facing the highway. The residential wing is at the rear looking out over a small stream where the soothing sounds of water flowing in the background can be heard night and day.
The home plan consists of three one-story buildings looking very much alike but serving entirely different functions. They all have simple gable roofs.
The studio exterior wall has a large steel window casing glazed using clear glass. Multiple window panes open to promote natural ventilation.
The studio’s main entryway sports a different kind of appeal with the door shutters showcasing classic antique design. Next to it stands the residential section, which consists two white buildings.
The fasciae covering the ends of roof rafters are made of reclaimed wood boards. Together they add a country rustic charm to the home. The two residential buildings connect to each other via an unpaved courtyard at the center of an L-shaped floor plan.
The living room in one of the residential buildings boasts the simplicity of sloped ceilings crafted of reclaimed timber. Along the wall, potted Cordyline plants thrive beside other interior décor, also in bold shades of red.
The first residential building houses Thongma’s bedroom, while the second is reserved for guest accommodations. Both of them possess a full array of wall openings to let natural light shine through in all directions.
They double as engine that drives natural ventilation keeping the interior living spaces cool and comfortable all day. Plus, they reduce the harsh appearance and irregular surfaces of the exterior walls.
For an open and airy interior, the living room is not divided into smaller rooms. Décor materials are mostly of European origins. They are placed at random by design.
The house interior is bedecked with décor items from Thongma’s collections. They consist of old furniture from France arranged and utilized in ways that embrace the natural appeal of a European country home.
The L-shaped house plan keeps the bedroom separate from the sitting room without using any kind of solid room divider. The bed itself is an antique item combining intricate woodwork with woven rattan crafts.
On open-concept interior design, Thongma humbly said he felt more content with a simple way of living. “It’s good enough as a shelter protecting him from the elements. It’s warm, inviting and enjoyable here, thanks to plenty of chic décor ideas.”
The unpaved center court covered in pea gravel provides easy access to all parts of the property. Houseplants, including cactus, thrive on the edge next to the exterior walls.
It came as no surprise that Thongma preferred spending time in the open air to being indoors. The natural beauty of the environment was just irresistible. It has all the features to take him straight to nature – the stream, the mellifluous sounds of leaves rustling in the trees, and the lacy canopy of fully grown trees.
[Left] The guest bedroom boasts the beauty of antique French furniture. / [Right] A sundeck with rattan furniture is designed for relaxation at the water’s edge. It is set on a pea gravel patio with retaining walls crafted of brickwork.The building set aside for guest accommodation has a huge window that lets natural light shine into the interior. It’s made of steel and glass panes. Thongma’s very own residential unit can be seen in full view from here.
Thongma wrapped it up nicely. “Nature and our lives are inextricably linked. It is cool to be able to live in a nature-inspired environment in order to create works of art.”
And that’s exactly what he’s been doing from the start. The studio home best describes who he is and what he is about.
/ Story: Otto Otto / English version: Bob Pitakwong /
/ Photographs: Sungwan Phratem /
Concrete slabs and naked walls are commonplace in contemporary architecture. Here’s a modern house in Chiang Mai that illustrates this. The structure is built strong, using concrete columns and load bearing walls supporting a concrete slab floor on a framework of steel. What arouses one’s curiosity is the rigid structure and cantilevered steel frame integration that gives the home huge visual curb appeal plus the vintage nude wall texture.
Measuring 8 meters from front to back, the box-shape structure is built on the east-west alignment. Unusually long in relation to its width, the unyielding steel girder is fixed at only one end projecting into the open air, forming the upper covering of a carport situated directly below.
Next to the parking garage, a naked load bearing concrete wall shelters a storage room, a kitchen and private living space from the glare of afternoon sun.
The rigid cantilevered steel frame 8 meters in length forms the upper covering of the carport right underneath it.
There is visual continuity from the interior of the house to the poolside veranda and the courtyard at the far end.
The interior of the house features a spacious rectangular-shaped room that runs parallel to the poolside veranda, separated only by a clear glass wall.
The platform along the outside of the building is protected by a concrete slab jutting out about 2 meters from the exterior wall. The semi-outdoor room has plenty of space for a pantry, living area and workroom overlooking a lush green landscape.
An uncluttered multifunctional space looks out over the veranda and, beyond, the swimming pool.The entrance area boasts a light and airy open space with the doorway set aside to the left, unseen from this angle. The foyer on the right side opens to a poolside veranda.The master bedroom overlooks the swimming pool with a courtyard on the left and, beyond, the front yard by the carport.The L-shaped veranda floor is covered with tiles in cool grays with blue undertones that blend with the water surface. Overhead, a concrete slab extending from the wall serves awning that protects against too much sun and rain.
A few steps away from the general purpose room, you find a sharp 90-degree turn leading to a small bedroom with bathroom en suite tucked away in a quiet corner. At the farthest end lies a master bedroom, also with a poolside view.
From a technical perspective, it requires meticulous planning, great care and attention to detail to create a beautiful modern home like this one. And this house is a perfect example of that — a contemporary home that’s light, airy and comfortable plus a cantilevered steel frame that boosts its curb appeal.
In a nutshell, it’s a design that sends out a strong message. Human ingenuity has the power to overcome any obstacle, be it in life, design or engineering.
/ Story: Atta Otto / English version: Bob Pitakwong /
/ Photographs: Sungwan Phratem /
The Plankrich Co., Ltd, led by Kwanchai Suthamsao, is known for being at the forefront of trends in row house design and renovation. Only recently when the firm undertook the restoration of a row house trio in Chiang Mai, many design aficionados were expecting to see exciting new innovations and exquisite materials. As it turns out, the redesigned homes boast a beautiful mix of simplicity and vintage charm with design for practical modern living. Especially for his own end unit, Kwanchai’s main goal is to create a place of abode that best answers his urban lifestyle. The three-unit row house block is conveniently located in a central neighborhood of Chiang Mai.
The newly designed front façade boasts an interesting mix of lightweight materials. Weathered boards in varying shades complement the pastel gray of fine-ribbed, corrugated sheet metal.
On reasons to invest in a row house, Kwanchai said: “A single, detached home is out of the question; land has become very expensive. The only option is a row house. After a survey, I chose this three-unit shophouse block. The size is about right; the price is fair and not too high. This way I am able to give it a complete makeover.”
For good ventilation, the old staircase was removed to make room for a new set of stairs without risers between the treads. It’s supported by an I-shaped steel beam.
Kwanchai had practically everything inside removed, including the old bulky staircase so as to make room for a new flight of stairs without risers between the treads for better ventilation. The only things remaining were pillars and beams.
The floor plans for all three units were completely redesigned. He wanted each one of them to have its own unique character, but space was limited. So, he only focused on making his end unit look different instead, at least for the time being.
A small guest room with a shelf-like bunk is tucked away at the rear of the first floor.
To accommodate visitors from time to time, there’s a compact guest room at the far end of the first floor. Custom-designed double bunks make it suitable for sleeping two guests. In all three units the mezzanines were taken out, while the omnipresence of reclaimed timber beams and long planks making up parts of the wooden floors brings back vintage charms.
A bulky upholstered sofa adds warm, cozy feelings to the interior. Window treatment ideas with wooden slat blinds allow natural light into the home.
The second floor is neatly planned for multiple uses. There’s a sitting room in the front section, dining space in the middle, and the kitchen and bathroom at the rear of the building. The dining area is made a bit small to make room for the stairway.
Overall, the furnishing and decoration of the interior conveys a great deal about the owner’s love for vintage collectables. Oblique-aligned wooden walls and floorboards give a warm, homey feeling.
The second floor holds a dining room. The floorboard and walls are covered in reclaimed wood from the homeowner’s collection.An L-shaped kitchen counter creates an easy flow workspace. Cabinet doors in light shades of beige make the room look clean and bright.Microwave and convection ovens are on one side of the aisle, with the washer and dryer on the other. The door at the end opens to the dining room.
The third floor holds a bedroom in the front section that’s kept clean and uncluttered, with the wardrobe and bathroom nearby separated by a sliding door. The overall effect is impressive; the interior boasts a clean neutral shade for relaxation. There’s a minimal amount of decoration while furniture is reduced to bare essentials.
The bedroom is kept clean and uncluttered to provide a balance for limited spaces. The walls are covered in beech boards. Large sliding doors open to the cube-shaped glass enclosure that adorns the front façade.The changing room-cum-walk-in closet offers wardrobes on both sides of the aisle, which connects to the bathroom at the far end.
Taken as a whole, the secret to success lies in constancy of purpose and using reclaimed wood as the material of choice. The interior living space is cozy and comfortable, thanks to large windows that allow plenty of natural daylight. The result is a bright and breezy place of abode that’s small but has everything for a vibrant city lifestyle.
A glass wall with sliding door allows diffuse light into the sitting room at the rear of the house.
The staircase landing [left] provides access to a neat built-in cabinet made of reclaimed wood. The staircase without risers between the treads [right] offers niches for shoe storage.Marks on the wall and concrete structural framing tell stories of a recent home makeover. The homeowner intentionally left them as a personal reminder. [right] A rusty sconce attached to the wall adds rustic charm to a bare concrete wall. Beneath it is a wood box storage for home improvement tools.
/ Story: Wuthikorn Suthiapa / English version: Bob Pitakwong /
/ Photographs: Sitthisak Namkham /
An old-styled waterfront house was recreated for modern living in Chiang Mai. It is made up of a coffee shop, piano classroom and a private space for the family.
“I want to emulate the Thai style waterfront home of the past, kind of set on land that slightly descends to the riverbank. Like so, the new home is designed with respect for nature. Meantime, it embraces all features that are up to date, from materials to style to character.” So said the designers when asked to elaborate on the concept behind this home project.
The handsome waterfront house featuring smooth exteriors and eye-catching roof design is affectionately called “Baan Muan,” literally home of baby Muan.
The Mae Kao, a tributary that flows past the property, inspires the owners to create an old-styled waterfront home. The design celebrates the water feature and pristine foliage that have long been the charm of this suburb of Chiang Mai.
The homeowners, Nathee and Kanokwan Nateniyom inherited this piece of land from their grandma. Their baby was born while the construction project was underway.
So both the home and the baby were given the same name. Ekapab Duangkaew from EKARand Arthasith Kongmonkhol from Full Scale Studio were responsible for the design.
A well-kept lawn is used as the only access to the house’s main entrance. Walking on grass adds fun and excitement to nature inspired lifestyle.
As Ekapab put it, “We were so fortunate to have received full freedom to conceptualize this project. Arthasith and I then proceeded to develop a waterfront house design with an emphasis on relationships with the surrounding terrain features. Various functions were laid out based on their proximity to the water’s edge or existing patches of greenery.
“The next step was about translating the concept to meet the homeowners’ needs and personality.”
A coffee shop is the first thing visible from afar. It separates semi-public spaces from the private zone without obstructing views of the modern front home. Dark stained wood clad exteriors subtly set the shop apart from the rest of the property.
In so doing, the designers had to identify features that were typical of the waterfront house of the past. They looked into every design from Post-Modern to Minimalist in a bid to arrive at a common ground.
The final design showcased the main hallway as the centerpiece of this new home.
Nature permeates through the landscape that rolls down into the waterfront area below. Meanwhile, it serves as the dividing line between different functions on the property.
“At the time we didn’t have a specific design in mind. We just said that we preferred open spaces. My husband wanted to put Mom’s coffee shop in front. For us, we needed a piano room for practicing and giving music lessons at home. Basically, that was it,” said Kanokwan.
Hence the open interior space was the goal. The plan envisaged the main hallway, the kitchen and seating areas for everyone merging into one big space.
The coffee shop features a sundeck that looks out over the waterfront area. (An interior makeover project was underway on the day we visited.)The white exterior walls showcase sharp geometric shapes as the designer intended. Clean line design advocates the uncluttered look typical of the minimalist style and leaves plenty of room for nature to pervade.
“I like sitting here,” said Nathee referring to the big dining table.“The waterfront is on this side. Meantime, the main entrance opens to the front yard. On the other side, Kanokwan and the baby are playing on the sofa. They make for relaxing interior spaces and I like it here.
“If asked to describe this home, I will just make it brief – cozy”
Like several picture frames coming together on a lush lawn, the home not only looks stylish on the outside but also adds variety to the rolling landscape.
The open plan design of the waterfront house meets the needs of this small family of three. Everyone is aware of everything that goes on inside the vibrant interior spaces. It is the kind of plan that merges all parts of the house into one great room.
The designers reserve the second floor for privacy. The first floor has a playroom for the kid and the piano room for Kanokwan. The rest is open.
Open plan design ensures that all interior spaces are easily accessible. Large windows allow abundant natural light and provide visual continuity to the water’s edge.The child’s playroom makes way for family activity spaces for the time being. The piano was recently moved in here along with Dad’s guitar.
The property comes in two zones, business and residential. The coffee shop sits in front and is covered in natural wood palettes.
From the outside looking in, the roof design is eye-catching in every respect. As a matter of fact, its unique look is dictated by interior design needs.
The designer puts bedrooms on the second floor, leaving the spacious first floor for seating spaces. Kanokwan plans to give music lessons at home in future.
“It has to do with how we want to view the great outdoors from within the home. For this reason, the main hallway steps aside just a little bit so that the waterfront area can be seen in full view from the bedroom. Likewise, one side of the coffee shop offers a sundeck that overlooks the water’s edge.
“It is never meant to be jazzy. Rather we take into account advantages and disadvantages of every component before arriving at the final design,” Nathee explained.
The homeowners wanted to leave the existing tree where it was, and the designer got that. So the terrace was built around the tree while the building itself was kept a good distance away.
By now, our readers probably feel they have been mistaken all along about design intentions. A house that looks showy at first sight may not be showy after all. Rather it is designed for easy waterfront living based on existing terrain features and homeowner needs.
All things considered, it strikes the right balance to showcase a new kind of waterfront home, one with an eye-catching minimalist style.
[left] The lacy shade of tall trees casts interesting light patterns on the home’s white exteriors. [right] An artist’s rendition shows relationships between building formations and areas near the water’s edge. The drawing demonstrates how existing trees are preserved while the land is being readied for the home project.
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![[Left] The guest bedroom boasts the beauty of antique French furniture. / [Right] A sundeck with rattan furniture is designed for relaxation at the water’s edge. It is set on a pea gravel patio with retaining walls crafted of brickwork.](https://livingasean.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/010-3-1024x730.jpg)
