This beautiful place is home to a large, multigenerational family. With family members from 8 to 84 years old, what stories it tells! Here belongings passed down across nearly a century give a sense of modern oriental flavor to every corner of its design.
Patama Roonrakwit, the architect and the owner (second from the right), and her family
Long-time community worker Patama Roonrakwit, CASE Studio architect who designed and owns the house, created it from her knowledge of the ways and tastes of all its residents in their old home.
In a unique adaptation and fundamental design difference here, she preserved an old wooden house Pong’s grandfather had built, hiring Chinese craftsmen to raise it up to the second floor of the central building so family members could continue to experience its warmth.
Besides this, the home contains the offices of CASE Studio, Ed The Builder/Contractor, her brother’s tour company, sister’s music school, and guest rooms where friends can stay.
All this had to fit in a space of 1 Rai (1600 sq.m.), a narrow, long north-to-south lot. The building divides into seven sections, some of which are open, verandah-like corridors that give an angular definition to the space, trapping the wind and making for good air circulation throughout.
Wooden slats guard against the sun and wind and create visual harmony.The lower floor is a multipurpose area, adapting the Thai traditional “tai thun” space below a house to fit modern lifestyles.A nearly hundred-year-old wooden house is set as the very center of the main home, and contains a shrine holding Buddha images.
Bedrooms are intentionally not large, so as to encourage residents to come out and socialize in common spaces. Throughout the home, doors open onto walkways sloping down to the swimming pool.
The swimming pool parallels the central verandah on the west side, which is set back a bit to reduce heat entering the central building.
The charm of the wooden house and the heirloom furniture gives the three generations of the Roonrakwit family and their regular guests the sense of a home that has opened its doors to welcome change while incorporating the experiences of them all at this important time.
An elderly person’s room, with special adaptations: bathrooms with no steps, support railings, and adjustable wash basins.An elderly person’s room, with special adaptations: bathrooms with no steps, support railings, and adjustable wash basins.
/ Story: foryeah! / English version: Peter Montalbano /
/ Photographs: Chalermwat Wongchompoo /
“ReGEN House,” Pankwan Hudthagosol’s home, was designed as a modern home for a multigenerational family. Built on the same property as his father’s house, its concept echoes his father’s belief that the gift of warmth and closeness can show us how to think and live, and both welcomes and provides a foundation in life for young Mena, the newest family member. It began with a great design from EKAR Architects.
The four-storey building on about ¼ acre of land has an interior space of 1600 meters. Its L-shaped layout opens on a green courtyard facing the forest-like garden at “Grandpa’s” house, connecting views for the people of three generations.
The first floor holds a carport, maid’s bedroom, and rooms for swimming pool equipment and other services.
The heart of this modern home is the second storey, where a wide balcony/deck taking up a full half of the floor space is used for family recreational activities.
This floor is designed to give the sense of being at ground level, as it reaches out to a “green roof” planted with ground cover seemingly floating atop a gazebo rising from the garden below, and with a swimming pool right there giving the feeling of an old-time streamside home.
The third floor includes a bedroom and workroom with large glass windows offering a panoramic view of Grandpa’s house and the big garden. The fourth floor is all about young Mena and her bright future.
The 4-storey height of the building gave the designers the opportunity to show differing siding materials on each floor, which they did using synthetic wood, stone, tile with stone designs, and glass.
If we look from the outside at the way the floors overlap, we get the impression of being a moderately sized house set inside a large one. Each floor has a self-contained design similar to a penthouse, including bedroom, bathroom, living room, and kitchen of its own, so the whole house is a bit like a four-storey apartment building.
To give a sense of spaciousness, doors and windows were put in only where necessary, but they can be conveniently opened and shut to give privacy.
This house shows how modern design can be used to catch the spirit of the traditional Thai family residence of earlier days where many generations lived together, as modern architecture directly inserted into an urban environment manages to beautifully preserve a truly Thai way of life.
/ Story: Panalee / English version: Bob Pitakwong /
/ Photographs: Sitthisak Namkham /
Here are beautiful country lodges nestled in a verdant oasis perfect for a weekend getaway. M.L. Apichit Vudhijaya sojourned in this part of the country a decade ago. Prior to that he had been searching for a modest, relaxed home with a seaside atmosphere. But as luck would have it, he came across this piece of land on the bank of the Bangpakong River in Prachin Buri Province. Needless to say, the location was peaceful and pristine. And the rest was history.
Soon he started building his dream country lodges largely out of reclaimed timber because it wasn’t too difficult to find. The weathered look of old wood paired with the imprints of time adds gorgeous curb appeal to the home.
The house is built of old wood recycled from old homes in the vicinity. The first floor holds a common room that doubles as lobby seating area and reading nooks. The homeowner’s residential units are on the second floor.
“I wanted to try living the local way and experience life the way locals see it. No air conditioning, no glass windows. The first building on the property was made of materials recycled from what used to be a schoolhouse.
“Window frames and shutters came from recycling warehouses on Canals 2, 4 and 16. A local master builder named “Oy” undertook to build it from scratch,” said the homeowner.
He moved in after the first building was completed, and loved every minute of it. Impressed by the peaceful environment and unhurried, bucolic lifestyle, he decided to put in a second building two years later.
M.L. Apichit said: “I’ve got an antique-style Jacuzzi tub that was bought new from Italy. There was no room for it after our family home in Bangkok had been remodeled, so I had it shipped out here and set it up in the center of the yard.
“I put in a canopy to protect it from dead and dried leaves. After a while, it became a familiar sight, and the weather was nice. So I had a second house put in where the tub was originally.”
“The children came and stayed there, they love it, and the rest is history. Friends dropping in on us said it turned out to be a very romantic place,” he recalled.
House number 4 named Jakha offers seven rooms for guest lodging on the first floor overlooking a swimming pool. Upstairs holds a spacious suite.
It wasn’t long before the two houses became ill-prepared to meet increasing demands. M.L. Apichit soon decided it was time he put in a third building. The plan was to build a two-story home with a rooftop deck to take in views of the Khao Yai National Park clearly visible from miles around.
One day he came across an old home on the riverbank that was up for sale. He bought it, had it taken apart and shipped out here. The 70-year-old wooden home was given a new lease on life at a new address, this time with new roofing. Old-fashioned corrugated sheet metal made way for new terracotta roof tiles. Where appropriate, the walls were built of solid wood.
The unblemished charm of rustic life represented a turning point in M.L. Apichit’s perspective towards property development. He sought advice from a close friend, Apasiri Devahastin Na Ayudhya. The two friends shared a background in the hospitality industry.
“Now I wanted four houses on the property and they would be given appropriate Buddhist names. Already a team of creative designers have come up with titles from “Kharawasa Dharma 4”, a set of four disciplines for leading a happier life. They are Sajja (truth), Thamma (freedom from greed), Khanti (patience) and Jakha (generosity).
“House number 4 has a swimming pool. I designed it with the knowledge that I had. It was a terraced house design with 8 residential units,” he added. Upon completion, the latest addition named Jakha, became the first building to be visible from the country road in front of it.
The lure of a laid-back home in the countryside can be irresistible. Nature-inspired design is so charming, it’s hard not to fall in love with it. No wonder many come away impressed by the hospitality they have experienced for during their visit. The property contributes to the local economy, as workforce is hired from within the community and local products are used.
But it’s the warmth and homey feelings of these country lodges that have kept many coming back.
/ Story: Ajchara Jeenkram / English version: Peter Montalbano /
/ Photographs: Soopakorn Srisakul /
Comfort, safety, and privacy were the primary considerations in designing this house. Spacious, cool and airy, it fits right into its Nakhon Pathom city neighborhood.
“Coming back exhausted from work, the owner feels he’s escaped to the other side of a wall where he can finally relax with family in an inner sanctum hardly at all visible from outside.”Meechai Jaroenphon, architect from the Backyard Architect Co., Ltd., says the family wanted a lot of privacy for their home, which accounts for the dense concrete fence, broken only by a few narrow slots.
The house entry area next to the carport.
The property holds three houses with a connecting court in between. There’s the main house where the owner lives, a second house for his siblings, and at the very rear is the parents’ house.
The idea was to live together as a big family while still having privacy. At the architect’s suggestion the homes are compact, leaving a large common space for a garden they work together, which adds a warmer, more intimate atmosphere.
Meechai goes on to say, “The owner wanted the different homes to be set at different levels, with stairs of different heights. I took this a step further and designed stairways as connecting elements, primarily using wood for its simplicity and warmth.”
The owner’s outside staircase.
Stairways connect the three buildings, and going up or down each time brings us into the private space of a different family unit. Sometimes there’s more functionality involved: the stairway in front of the first house, for instance, has a frame of steel and wood railing which screens the view from outside.
Although privacy is important, there are also openings to facilitate sun and wind coming in. “I had in mind the concept of a “safe house,” says Meechai.
“So I designed the carport to block a house view, but the buildings are open to the breezes. When the owner comes home exhausted from work he enters a cool, comfortable atmosphere, escaping into his very own world.”
The altar room is a common area where the parents come to pray and make merit every day. Set at the highest point, it’s larger than other rooms, and divides into two sections: a meditation room and a sitting room. The walls here are open on three sides for an open, airy ambience.
As you can imagine, it’s quite a challenge to create a home for people of different ages to live close to each other. Good design has to anticipate actual usage and find solutions for each person. This house in Nakhon Pathom is a real success story in that way: the big family really enjoys living together.
The house fence and carport wall have 10 cm. slits allowing a view outside.
Materials used in the house: teak, Makha wood, brick, marble, mosaic tiles.
Architect: Meechai Jaroenphon of Backyard Architect Co., Ltd.
/ Story: Jeadwonder / English version: Bob Pitakwong /
/ Photographs: Sitthisak Namkham, Piyawuth /
Young married people these days tend to move away to have children and live separately, but Chang (Somprasong Sawat) and Bua (Buachomphu Ford) have brought their families back home. Everyone living together in a warm communal atmosphere makes this big wooden house a true family home.
Mother and her younger sister live in the left wing. Behind is the parking area. Spaces are separated with drapes that can be rolled up and put away to create a common space for big family dinners.Teak wall and outdoor connection of mother and younger sister’s house.
“We’re all one big family, Mom, my sister, and my family, which right now is me, Bua, and our three young sons. It’s comforting to have relatives nearby. Grandma and Auntie help with the grandchildren,” Chang says with a smile.
Kanika Rattanapreedakul of Spacetime Architects Co.,Ltd. designed the house: Chang had learned about her work from a magazine article about house design in New York’s Soho district, where Kanika was the single Thai woman featured among a number of Westerners.
Her design resulted in this unique 1,000 square meters big wooden house, divided into three main sections. The first part, in the center, holds the swimming pool and central area of the house: living room, dining area, and Western-style kitchen. This is everyone’s common area.
Dining area and light-use kitchen.Chang and Bua’s parlor, used for a meeting room or just to socialize.Fresh red tones enliven Chang and Bua’s living room.Left: Chang’s sister’s private kingdom. Right: A glass corridor on the second floor connects Chang’s house to the central area.
A section of the lower floor is designed for parking. The mother’s bedroom on the second floor has a classic décor. A vertical garden adds a feeling of warmth. The third floor is Chang’s sister’s domain. The right wing is surfaced with aluminum paneling, for a modern, fashionable “industrial” look: the family calls it the “tin house.”
“I collect paintings, so we have a room for them; in fact the room is designed around them. I favor surrealism and expressionism. You don’t have to understand everything to appreciate the art: it’s enough for it just to have an emotional impact.”
Chang and Bua’s art-gallery bedroom connects to a spacious white bath.
The ground floor next to the pool has a reception area for guests, decorated with Chang’s art collection and next to a glass room where Bua practices yoga or sons play with friends, neighbors, and relatives their age.
The second floor is a mezzanine, with young Matt’s bedroom and a small pantry. Finally, on the third floor is Chang and Bua’s bedroom and two more small rooms for the children as they get bigger.
The design takes everyone’s needs into account in creating not only a beautifully designed and fully functional living space, but more than that, a place that brings together the love and warmth in the family, something that can’t be found anywhere else but here, their “home sweet home.”
/ Story: Wuthikorn Suthiapa / English version: Bob Pitakwong /
/ Photographs: Sitthisak Namkham /
In the old town of Ipoh, a stylish boutique hotel named Sekeping Kong Heng not only blends into its historical surroundings, but also contributes to restoring all its former glory.
The history of Ipoh dates back to 1880 when Hakka immigrants arrived for work in tin mines and made a permanent home here. As mining industries continued on the decline, the once exuberant town was losing its luster.
A pleasant twist of fate, the waning days of Ipoh attracted the attention of many designers, who banded together to keep the old-world charm from disappearing. Giving it their best shot, they succeeded in bringing Ipoh back in the limelight.
Among the projects aimed at restoring glory to Ipoh was Sekeping Kong Heng, a small boutique hotel designed by Ng Sek San, an internationally renowned Ipoh-born architect.
The charming small hotel is tucked away on the upper floors of a three-story Colonial-era shop-house complex in the old town. The first floor is reserved for a famous local coffee shop known for a variety of Chinese-style coffees and Ipoh’s favorite dishes.
Its food menu includes the noodle dish called Hokkien Mee, satay, and spring rolls. Its existence guarantees that hotel guests will never run short of delicious foods and beverages.
To check-in, know that the entrance to the hotel lobby is located on a small alleyway. Sekeping Kong Heng offers three types of accommodation — standard rooms, a family room and glass boxes.
With its location, hotel guests can expect the authentic Ipoh experience. They wake up each morning to the heavenly smell of coffee being brewed fresh in the shop below. When in Rome, do as the Romans do. The same applies here. Come breakfast time, expect to eat with locals and like locals do. Time well spent is time spent exploring this and other alleyways a stone’s throw away.
The boutique hotel’s time-honored appeal blends seamlessly with Ipoh’s old-world ambience. It’s obvious the Ipoh-born architect has intended to keep this part of town like it has always been.
In the process, the hotel’s existing structure is left intact. A loft-style twist adds contemporary feel to the hotel’s interior, while patches of greenery adorn the exterior walls keeping the building cool.
The open-concept design provides easy access connecting the café to retail shops and a flea market nearby. The architect’s thorough understanding of Ipoh’s lifestyle is manifested in the way the boutique hotel is neatly restored. Sekeping Kong Heng now contributes in its small way to breathing new life into the old city.
/ Story: Ronnapa Nit / English version: Bob Pitakwong /
/ Photographs: Sitthisak Namkham /
Simple design wins big. Unaffected by the passage of time, this Modern Tropical house makes simple living stylishly chic.
Nestled in a residential neighborhood near Singapore’s downtown, this modern tropical house stands hidden in plain sight behind a row of leafy trees. One has to walk through the main gate to see the monochromatic beauty in full view.
“I started out with a rectangular floor plan like a traditional Malay house, and designed the interior space later,” said architect Yip Yuen Hong.
“The house is crafted of metals and concrete for durability.”
The building boasts an open, airy feel thanks to slender metal frames. Combine that with a lush garden landscape and the cool shade of bamboo groves, and you get a modern house with beautiful Tropical vibes.
The open-concept design affords three bedrooms, a living room, and dining space, all conveniently connected to a poolside patio. For a simply clean, uncluttered interior, the architect avoids all kinds of built-in furnishings, and prefers only free-standing pieces for easy updates.
The result is a spacious, airy ambience like he intended.
The house’s appearance bespeaks the architect’s passion for design that strikes a perfect balance between easy and sophisticated lifestyles. He translates it into a well-proportioned home hemmed in by beautiful yards in the middle of a perfect neighborhood.
/ Story: Supachart Boontang / English version: Bob Pitakwong /
/ Photographs: Chaiyapruk Podang /
Created by a master architect, this contemporary wooden home in a suburb of Bangkok bespeaks the timeless elegance of traditional style residential architecture.
“It’s my intention to build this house out of wood because our country has strengths in wooden architecture,” said Chatree Ladalalitsakul, a nationally renowned architect. “Use of wood is the root of our wisdom and culture. It has made us self-sufficient in residential design and construction.”
The three-story home is crafted mainly of wood and structural concrete in beautiful flatwork finishes. Its uncluttered interior space is evidence of a minimalist style, combining aesthetics and functionality in ways that allow materials to show off their unique character.
Because the owner wanted his home to be perfect in every way, he gave the builders all the time it took to do it once and do it right. The resulting unsurpassed craftsmanship took three years in the making. The house emerged as a magnum opus in Thai residential architecture as he intended.
Striking the right balance, the interior showcases just enough pieces of magnificent woodwork, some of which are rare in this day and age.
The house plan is divided into two zones according to needs and activities. There’s a 10-meter-wide open space that clearly separates the private residential area from the office zone. The in-between space provides semi-outdoor room to chill out in the cool breeze looking out over the pool.
The first floor of the residential wing has plenty of room for dining, an open kitchen and piano room. The second floor holds a bedroom with private workspace, while the third contains a multi-use area for rest and recreation plus the owner’s favorite hobby, painting.
Sharing his work experience and a passion for wood, Chatri said: “A culture of wood construction that for centuries has benefited from the wisdom of our predecessors is on the decline. If it’s gone, our next generations will lose it forever.”
Overall, it’s a contemporary wooden home of outstanding merit. This is one that bespeaks the homeowner’s energy and enthusiasm to keep inspiring young architects to do their parts in preserving traditional-style wooden house design and architecture for years to come.
Owner/Architect: Chatri Ladalalitsakul of Tonsilp Studio
/ Story: Wuthikorn Suthiapa / English version: Bob Pitakwong /
/ Photographs: Sitthisak Namkham /
Many have dreamt of owning a beach house on a beautiful island. The owners of this property have made their dream come true with style and grace.
The pier at Ko Pha-Ngan (Pha-Ngan Island) is always bustling with activity as tourists keep coming in droves, looking forward to the party. But the island on the Gulf of Thailand is also known for its fine collection of tranquil beaches, especially the one on Hin Kong Bay, where this charming beach house is located.
The casually cool house sits embraced by a circle of trees that gives it a tropical touch and camouflages it from the busy streets. The wide open design ensures every part of the stilt house is easily accessible wherever you may be, from the room at the rear to the front porch to the infinity pool that connects to the ocean beyond.
The house with a twist features a tree trunk that continues to grow through the floorboard. A clever design element, the tree had been there long before the owners decided to put in a home.
Not wanting to cut it down, they built their home around the tree and let it keep on growing. They are just happy to live and let live despite having to adjust the floorboard and roofing from time to time.
Almost all the furniture in the house is made of wood, a personal preference that fits in well with the kind of home they live in. The interior living space is bedecked with ornaments and souvenirs from a lifetime of journeys as well as stunning found objects that were washed ashore.
Both the first and second floors feature long corridors that provide easy access to every part of the house. The owners have wanted their beach house to be a seaside resort designed for relaxation and good times with family and friends.
“While I am here, every day is a holiday,” said the owner with a smile.
“I love to just lie down in the living room and gaze out into the sea. Every now and then, friends come over for a visit, and we throw a barbeque party. My husband usually spends his time in the garden taking care of plants and things.”
One last word. If you haven’t thought of owning a beach house before, this picturesque house on a paradise island will make you want to have one.
Set among lush greenery and a relaxing atmosphere, this light and airy house with gardens brings the whole family closer to nature.
The swimming pool area features a large open space for walking. For simple maintenance, in some places plots of spike moss are planted instead of grass.
After living in an old house on this same plot for 30 years, the Srijakarin family bought additional parcels of land and rebuilt a comfortable home with gardens for three generations of family members.
The newly rebuilt house is divided into three parts. The first is the old house, which was set aside for the owner’s parents. It was remodeled with the comfort of older people in mind.
The second building is a two-story house where the owner lives with his family, and the third a modern Tropical-style structure with a relaxing, resort-like atmosphere. The couple keep their belongings and stay here during weekends and holidays. In the fewest possible words, it’s about reconnecting with nature at home.
Trees and shrubs shade the semi-enclosed pathway connecting the two houses with the swimming pool, giving the sense of walking through a sparse jungle.The overall harmony of garden and house architecture creates a relaxing atmosphere.The stairway overlooks a courtyard between the two houses, showcasing the English style in landscape design.
The front yard is in the English style characterized by neat, clean lines. There are park benches set in corners and trees in zones, while bright flowers thrive in large weathered stone urns.
The inner zone is a Tropical rainforest garden. There’s a good-sized waterfall and the gentle sound of a small brook. The garden is filled with verdant green mosses under the shade of trees carefully selected with the help of the landscape architect.
A delightful Tropical forest garden provides an oasis of calm in the courtyard between the two houses.A veranda along the outside of the house lies in the warm cocoon of a lush Tropical resort atmosphere the owners really love.A wide-angle view shows the interaction relationship between residential architecture and surrounding lush vegetation.
It’s not easy to put together a landscaping combination like this, but in the end a skillful and artistic integration of components, textures, patterns, and colors brought about a lasting and unified harmony of two garden styles – English in the courtyard, and Tropical forest upfront.
The living room showcases the beauty of open-concept design, while a double-height ceiling gives the feeling of openness and relaxation, all with a view of the garden.[Left] The multipurpose room has a big natural wood table ready for all sorts of activities, from casual work to comfortable pleasure reading. / [Right] The pantry is in white, designed for increased light and a feeling of space and comfort.The dining room is ringed by glass to let in natural light during the day. The dark furniture color reinforces a warm, welcoming atmosphere.
All things considered, it’s a house with beautifully landscaped gardens that’s the perfect fit for an extended family, an expression of pleasure and the combined happiness of the three generations that live here.
[Left] The master bedroom is furnished in a chic, fashionable way that invites relaxation. / [Right] The downstairs bathroom has a classic décor, with natural stone floor, walls, and washbasin counter. To one side, mirrors give a sense of spaciousness.For an elegant and practical look, pantry décor is primarily in natural materials and colors.[Left] An outdoor “living room” for the family elders. / [Right] A large sculpture adds dimension and narrative to the Tropical forest garden.A spot in the garden where plants grow as naturally as they would in the wild. The natural effect is enhanced by setting plants at different heights, from ground cover through low shrubs, on up to tall vegetation.
Architecture/Interior Designer: Architecture and Interior Office Co., Ltd. (AIO) by Kowit Suriyporn (www.aiodesigns.com)
Marketing/Advertising Cookies – used to remember and process the relevance to your website visit in order to personalize contents shown including optimization of commercial advertising placements. For instances, we use this type of cookies to display commercial advertisements related to user’s attributes and interests as well as to limit how many times should a user see repeated advertisement in order to optimize and measure marketing activities. อ่านเพิ่มเติม
![[Left] The multipurpose room has a big natural wood table ready for all sorts of activities, from casual work to comfortable pleasure reading. / [Right] The pantry is in white, designed for increased light and a feeling of space and comfort.](https://livingasean.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/010-9-1024x730.jpg)
![[Left] The master bedroom is furnished in a chic, fashionable way that invites relaxation. / [Right] The downstairs bathroom has a classic décor, with natural stone floor, walls, and washbasin counter. To one side, mirrors give a sense of spaciousness.](https://livingasean.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/012-5-1024x730.jpg)
