/ Story: Wuthikorn Sut / English version: Peter Montalbano /
/ Photographs: Soopakorn Srisakul /
The townhouse is a common type of building in Thailand, especially in Bangkok. Homeowner and architect Narong Othavorn grew up in one, always thinking of ways it could be better designed. Eventually, he and his wife Pim Achariyasilpa chose a 30-year-old townhouse in Si Phraya, a downtown neighborhood, and turned it into one of the most excellent townhouse makeover projects in the city.
Overall, the final building is a combination of the adjacent townhouses. Narong kept the original wrought-metal façade, modifying the original metal entrance door with a mixed frame of wood and steel, leaving the next-door side the entrance to a fourth-floor warehouse.
A picture window in the living room brings in natural light onto washed gravel walls that lead down to a small garden behind the house, inspiration for the “double space” mezzanine.
The double-space ceiling isn’t only about making the lower level look good: it supports the open-plan design.
Glass panels in the dining nook of the mezzanine above extend a feeling of comfort to every space in the house. From the mezzanine there’s a continuous view through glass partitions out to the garden behind the house, and there’s steady circulation of air from front to back.
Townhouses are apt to feel cramped, but not this one! The light is different in each area, but the light is what connects everything.
“These things came from our own personal tastes. Pim likes well-lit spaces. Me, I like indirect light,” explained Narong.
“So with a house for the two of us, we had to get the division of space just right, using the light available in each area. The lower floor is bathed in subdued natural light; upstairs, the living room is brightly lit through the front window.
“Moving back to the dining area and bar, the light is dimmer. Go upstairs to the bathroom and dressing areas and it’s lighter again, suiting the specific limitations and characteristics of each space.”
“Small, but spacious” is how both owners refer to this house: better than adequate, the size is really perfect.
Not so small as to be cramped. Everywhere some things catch your eyes up close and others at a distance. The home offers a master class on how townhouse renovation can work with limited areas to create special, interesting spaces.
Even though adjoining buildings make side windows impossible, careful arrangement of space and windows on higher levels give this house a beauty that is anything but ordinary.
/ Story: foryeah! / English version: Peter Montalbano /
/ Photographs: Nantiya /
Codenamed Huamark 09, this four-story home wrapped inside the concrete block envelope belongs to architect Intanon Chantip, aka “Non” of the INchan Atelier, a Bangkok-based architectural practice. It’s a design experiment aimed at testing several theories that he’d arrived at through intense study and experience. The architect wanted his concrete block home to tell its own story through changes in the looks of construction materials. Precisely, all the years that pass by will leave their trace of time as the house ages. It will be interesting to see how the building materials perform in the course of time.
The concrete block home resembles four big boxes stacked one on top of the other. The fence that protects the first floor of the house is painted a cool-toned white that contrasts with bare walls on Levels 2, 3 and 4 intentionally left exposed to blend with other houses in the neighborhood.
Not that long ago, Non and his wife Tharisra Chantip, aka Ploy, bought this 80-square-wah property (320 square meters) in Hua Mark District on the outskirts of Bangkok. They had the old 30-year-old house demolished to make room for a new four-story concrete home integrating office, art studio and residential spaces to form a coherent whole.
The building external envelope is built of concrete blocks without plaster. It’s left uncovered on purpose so as to blend with everything else in the neighborhood. All together the usable space comes to 490 square meters.
Like everything else, the principal face of the house is intentionally of cement blocks, which collect dust and dirt as they change color with the seasons. Outer metal grating lets climbing vines grow naturally reaching for sunlight.
The homeowner couple divided the property into northern and southern sections. They raised the property slightly higher from ground level to put in a garden to the north, then a rectangular building to the south.
The building’s long side runs east-west to block prevailing winds and allow openings to control sunlight and breeze streaming into the home.
The house’s four-meter width is comparable to most row houses in the area. Each side has double walls that work simultaneously for ventilation and heat insulation. Door and window openings reinforce the concrete block house’s primary relationship to weather conditions, wind, and sun.
On the south side are fewer openings because of a staircase, while north and east sides have balconies and various service areas reaching around to the west side, which also has the double walls characteristic of the building’s overall design.
The four levels are divided according to function. The architects’ offices are primarily in two first floor rooms: a larger one with a long work table for working in teams and a smaller one that serves as meeting room and library.
The second floor is a private residential area, with a living room connecting to kitchen and dining area.
The third floor contains one bedroom for Non and Ploy and another for Non’s mother. The two are connected with a shared bathroom.
The fourth floor is a studio for creative work and enjoyment. It’s designed with a view to high flexibility of function in expectation of anticipated future changes as little members of the household gradually grow up.
/ Story: Wuttikorn Suthiapa / English version: Peter Montalbano /
/ Photographs: Soopakorn Srisakul /
In house design, the phrase “limited space” raises worrisome questions for some. Here, though, homeowner Sarin Nilsonthi used modern Tropical design techniques and inner space connectivity to build large-house functionality and comfort into a compact house plan.
“I designed this house on one A4 sheet of paper,” said Sarin with a smile.
“Since it’s small, I tried to write down all the functionality we’d need on a single sheet of paper, and named the house ‘PSA,’ from ‘Paper Series A.’ I can still recall entertaining the idea of living in a small Tropical home with all necessary features and conveniences neatly fit into it.”
Overall, it’s a small house plan that takes account of the size and comparative relation to a whole. Like so, post and beam construction is done in somewhat unusual ways to create the right kind of space in each part.
“We didn’t set the beams and posts this way because we wanted to, but in order to set things up in the right way. Still, anyone living in this house will have to be the same height as my wife and I,” Sarin said smiling.
Upon our arrival, the first thing we saw was a massive steel panel which the homeowner left rusted on purpose to show a stylish authenticity of construction materials. The principal front that looks onto the street shields the second floor from heat while showing off the shipping-container design of the office area. Below is a carport paved with fine gravel reaching up to the house entrance.
The carport and relaxation area beneath the home office section.
Sarin intentionally kept the front yard fence low to create a clearly defined “inside the fence” area. There’s a gravel yard with benches and trees which actually becomes a part of the house itself. The house walls are rough concrete all around, and H-beams sunk into the yard support the office section, which is raised above a lower area where Sarin and his wife Pairin Boonpinid plan to open a café in the future.
This inner courtyard tree is integral to the design, adding shade and a refreshing atmosphere to the home.
Inside, on the lower floor, the living room, dining area and kitchen are all connected, each ceiling at a different level. For good ventilation and a sense of spaciousness, the living room has a double height ceiling. Nearby, the ceilings in the dining area and kitchen are set slightly lower, with electric lighting giving them each a unique identity.
The staircase has no railing, so is accessed from any direction; you can just walk down to sit and relax in the dining area, which is also used to store kitchen necessities: spices, condiments, even a refrigerator.
The living room with a double height ceiling and tall glass windows.
Openings in the exterior walls are perfectly arranged to let air and light in for a spacious feeling.
Going up the stairs and turning left brings us into the container-shaped office, the rusted outer wall reaching up to the third floor as protection against heat. The container surface is rainproof, with a layer of insulation between it and a plywood surface that gives an orderly look to the interior. There is also a houseguest bedroom on this floor that’s currently being used as a reading room, but planned as Air B&B tourist accommodation once the café opens.
The workroom opens to greenery on both sides. It includes storage space and a large table for work and meetings.
The entrance to the master bedroom is in the back, accessible via a corridor next to the kitchen; Sarin designed it as a separate building so as to remain private when the café/hostel section opens. It’s accessed without going through other sections of the house. Here the floor is raised up above the ground as protection against moisture damage, and there is a skylight above for indirect lighting.
This bedroom has an overhead storage space reachable by ladder. The closet for clothes is below with a bed directly on the floor to give more space, and a bare cement ceiling positioned to reflect light indirectly.
All the above features combine to give this compact house a comfortable, airy feeling, enhanced by imaginative placement of openings for breezes and natural light.
Sarin refers to the greenery and openness as creating “breathing space,” as rooms are all interconnected, airy, sunny, and in touch with the natural world. He likens this house to a well-tailored suit: the tailor has to measure, ask about the wearer’s taste, and plan everything to be comfortable and pleasing. A truly beautiful design!
The bedroom in the back rests on a slightly raised floor.
/ Story: Kor Lordkam / English version: Peter Montalbano /
/ Photographs: W Workspace /
This box-shaped steel house, hidden in shady green woods, has a cool, peaceful resort atmosphere. – hard to believe it’s right in the middle of a congested city!
wide eaves, glass windows set 3 meters in for shade and rain protectionpaved driveway leading into the carport 5 meters from the street
Designing architect Boonlert Hemvijitraphan ofBoon Design took up the challenge set by the owner: create a home on the limited plot that is neither cramped nor stuffy.
Boonlert said, “The challenge was to make that work within the urban context. Fortunately, the owner gave us a completely free hand; our job was simply to design a comfortable residence on a 360-square-meter (90-square-wah) property. The starting point was what we saw in the original landscaping here.”
[left] The dark of the steel house and bamboo blinds contrasts with the surrounding greenery. [right]: Open space carport leads up into the house.The main door from the carport into the living room
The property was not large, and its location right in the center of a capital city was seriously limiting
How to build a comfortable residence here? The garden/orchard greenery was used as a tool to create a sense of spaciousness.
Instead of the house spreading outwards toward the fence, it rose vertically as a 2½-storey home with open space beneath the house used as a carport and multipurpose area, the rest of the property becoming a relaxing, park-like space.
High-ceilinged living room, naturally bright and airy, with a great view of outside greenery.
The large garden was set up to the south to get the best breeze and the best shade from plants and trees.
The garden is planted on soil raised 1.2 meters higher than before to be level with the 3-meter height of the living room.
The living room connects with the dining area beneath the mezzanine, with the kitchen behind the glass doorThe metal bookshelf reaching almost to the mezzanine also acts as weight-bearing support for the staircase behind it.
The first floor has a high “double volume” ceiling for more natural light and ventilation. A steel staircase rises from the living room to the mezzanine, which holds a workroom and guest bedroom, and up to the second floor, the owner’s private space.
The single staircase up from the carport connects everything from the ground to the top floor.
Mezzanine walkway with banister and protective grating steel is the primary building material, but natural materials such as bamboo are also important.
Bamboo shades cover the house façade, filtering sunlight, protecting against rain, giving privacy from outside view, yet still allowing good ventilation.
“We used steel not because we especially wanted to use steel, but because it was light, and we wanted that quality,” explained Boonlert.
“Each material has its own particular value. Coming up with a principle means coming up with the quality we want. Design is a value in itself.”
The architecture of this house reflects modern times. It’s surrounded by the natural environment people long for, so no matter chaotic and confused the outside world, in this home there’s a mood of relaxation and contentment: it’s just a great place to live.
/ Story: Foryeah!/ English version: Bob Pitakwong /
/ Photographs: Nantiya Busabong /
The houses in this area all looked the same when parents brought the owner of this newly renovated house here when he was a child; now he has renovated their home into a hip, modern brick house with 200 square meters of usable space on a property of 400 square meters.
The lower floor retains the old “tai thun” space below, a brick wall with angled patterns perforated for ventilation on the floor above.
“After studying abroad I lived in a condo for years, but modern urban life is too full of needless accessories, so I finally came back to this house for its serenity and privacy,” said Roj Kanjanabanyakhom, the owner and architect of his own home.
“I like peace and quiet, listening to music, watching movies, and that’s enough.”
A staircase up to the hobby room, apparently playfully designed for legs of different lengths.The old house wall was removed in favor of tall “picture windows”Leaving open space between the old house and the addition makes for good ventilation and cooling.
An architect himself, he was the designer and construction supervisor. Since the house was in an old condition, there were a lot of problems: leaks and seepage, rusty pipes, etc., even asbestos tile, now recognized as carcinogenic.
The structure of the house had to be almost completely torn down to its basic frame: pillars, beams, and a couple of walls.
Striking improvements were made to suit Roj’s lifestyle in both the new building at the front and the old house at the back. The newly built structure at the front consists of bright orange brick walls with ventilation spaces below.
A former open “tai thun” (the space beneath the stilt) area, half the ground floor, became his own bicycle maintenance shop, with the other half a carport.
On the second floor is a hobby workshop, and above that a roof deck where support pillars are capped with metal plates in anticipation of future additions.
At the back, the 2.4-meter outside wall of the old house was demolished and replaced with tall glass windows all around for a spacious feeling.
Bedrooms on the second floor were removed to create a “double space” area, and a projector was set up behind one wall for full-size movie viewing.
A skylight was put in to let sunlight in all day, relieving the stuffy, damp, dark atmosphere, and polycarbonate tile was laid on floor and walls.
“There were some difficult structural and material design limitations in the old house,” said Roj.
“Parts of the old roof weren’t able to support much weight, so besides replacing the asbestos with double Roman tile we used metal purlin trusses instead of wood.
“To avoid joint problems where the new roof meets the old gabled one, we used steel-reinforced flat slab concrete, which will be able to hold the weight of future additions.
“Sometimes it’s easier and cheaper just to tear everything out,” he continued. “But I renovated because I wanted to preserve the memories here,” said Roj with a smile.
And so here’s a home filled with remembrance, ready to bring present and future memories into the mix.
The roof deck, designed to hold weight for future additions and a path connecting the two buildings.
This 7-storey concrete house, blanketed with a refreshing green façade, has angles everywhere, with one especially remarkable section dominated by slanting red posts and beams.
Chatrawichai Phromthattawethi, interior decorator and owner of the company “Pro Space,” lived in a two-storey building for 15 years before finding it too small and building a new place on a nearby property. On that limited space he built upwards rather than out, in fact seven storeys up.
“Designing, we weren’t thinking primarily about style, but utility. The space was narrow, so we built tall.
“Then with a 4-storey townhouse next door we figured an ordinary building would seem too cramped, so we made the building structure visible: posts, beams and deep spaces into open walls creating dimensions of light and shade, adding panache with one section of oddly slanting posts painted red, set off with flowers here and there.”
Angular concrete building animated by the refreshing green of a quick-growing ivy.Spiral stair where people can come into the office on business without entering the house.Roof deck: garden spot with swimming pool, an outdoor living room.
Even closed in next to a small street, Chatrawichai’s design still provides nearly 1,000 square meters of usable space.
“Depending on use, each floor has a different height.
“The ground floor, with garage and kitchen, is moderately tall. The second floor is an office, and the third holds the butler & maid’s room, all normal height. We use the fourth floor for entertaining, so it’s spacious, with a higher ceiling than the others.
“The fifth floor has a guest bedroom and storage space, the sixth is my bedroom, and the seventh floor holds a living room and dining room set at different levels according to usage; the living room has a higher ceiling. On the roof is a deck, swimming pool, and garden.”
Chatrawichai agrees that this is an unusual design for him, with its red exterior posts at odd angles and interior ceilings displaying working utility systems, plus use of unusual materials such as metallic structural highlights in certain spots, creating a much different residential feeling than before and incidentally requiring a lot of detailed work during construction.
For the interior, furniture and décor mostly come from the old house, a mix of many styles – modern, classic, and antique – matched with exceptional taste because the colors were chosen in advance, primarily framed in a context of gray and black.
Colorful ornaments such as cloth or bright pictures hung on the wall add vitality.
“Coming from a two-storey house, at first living here took some getting used to. It was a tall building with the green façade, but definitely no condo; how to live in such a place? In the end, though, we found it wasn’t all that different,” Chatrawichai adds.
Design: Pro Space Co.,Ltd. by Chatvichai Phromthattadhevi
/ Story: Wuthikorn Sut / English version: Bob Pitakwong /
/ Photographs: Tanakitt Khum-on /
This newly built snug steel home comes with “tai thun,” the lower open space, that allows cool air to pass through. Woodwork and a contemporary steel frame add remarkable touches to what now includes a coffee shop, clothing store, and family homestay.
The steel house is built between the two aged wooden homes.
Originally there were two old homes on the property before the new steel structure was built in the in-between space: one belonged to the grandmother, the other to her son, Kriangkrai Phithayapreechakul. It was a small house built on a raised foundation in 1986.
The plan was to connect the old homes to the new steel structure that contains a coffee shop, a clothing store, and a homestay.
The homestay lobby.
“We had already moved out, and were living in the central business district of Phrae,” said Kriangkrai.
“At that time,” added his wife Sasithon Chai-uphatham, “we were planning to live and do business there. But Mom (the grandmother) got sick, so we decided to come back.
“Our daughter, Kik or Kansiri Phithayapreechakul, was about to graduate, so we figured we could do our batik work right here at home. And we would be happier living together.”
[Left] The existing home on one side is the grandmother’s house with “tai thun” space. It has since become the guesthouse’s living room. / [Right] The lobby-cum-dining room of the homestay.
A shade tree in the yard keeps the front porch cool during the daytime hours.
Sasithon’s batik brand, “Thai Thaw”, is akin to “Roketsuzome”, a traditional Japanese wax-resist textile dyeing technique. Coming back to set up the family business is one reason her daughter Kik decided to go study fabric design. That’s the reason for building this intimate steel home in the middle.
“We started the building five years ago,” said Kik. “It took a year to finish it, and then we added a coffee shop and clothing store fronting the street, connecting into the old houses.”
[Left] A loft-style kitchen shows original flooring surfaces. / [Right] The kitchen steel-framed siding is glazed using clear glass designed to save space.
With a clothing store on one side, they created a homestay on the other. The homeowners also adapted downstairs space for use as family room.
“At first we didn’t plan on opening a homestay. But we had some friends coming over to visit a lot, and they liked being around this area,” added Kik.
“Later, when we decided to give lessons in batik making, the house became a guesthouse to accommodate workshop participants.”
The living room of the homestay is on the ground floor.
The new building features a mix of concrete, steel structure and reclaimed timber. Upstairs, the floor is made of recycled tongue-in-groove hardwood boards. It reaches all the way to connect with the grandmother’s house.
The “tai thun” or lower open space inside Grandma’s house now serves a new purpose as the homestay living room. The homeowners kept the space as it was because they wanted to preserve the character of the old house and, at the same time, made certain that it blended with the new steel home.
The homestay’s guestroom ambiance.
Outside, a large mango tree was preserved for shade, relating to the space left between the three structures for good airflow. Décors are mostly from family collections.
“We worked slowly, concentrating on details, for beauty and best use of space,” said Kriangkrai.
“I let the builders work in the ways they were best at, and they brought out the charm of the original materials, blending them into a whole. In some places the steel was allowed to rust, complementing marks on the old wood as well as bare concrete and brick surfaces.”
The imprints of time work indeed with the new design making this steel home something really chic and special.
/ Story: Wuthikorn Suthiapa / English version: Bob Pitakwong /
/ Photographs: Tanakitt Khum-on /
This rectangular brick home in Ho Chi Minh City is designed for a “hot and humid” climate. It’s open to natural light with cool air currents constantly streaming in and out through the brick walls. The homeowners Mr. Tung Do and Mrs. Lien Dinh are newlyweds who wanted a small house with straightforward design for pleasant living. They have found the home of their dreams.
Brick doesn’t retain heat, but insulates against it, and its porosity helps retain early morning moisture which evaporates to cool at midday.Work corner next to the food preparation section is screened off for privacy.
The owner had seen Tropical Space’s “Termitary House,” which won, among others, a 2016 Brick Award, and admired its form and design so much that – even with their limited budget – they engaged the Company to design and build their own home.
Ms. Tran Thi Ngu Ngon and Mr. Nguyen Hai Long of Tropical Space said:
“We want to build living spaces that connect people with nature, natural spaces that are easy to understand. The beauty of nature can reach deep into a person’s spirit to improve life in ways they would not have imagined before.”
Mr. Nguyen tells us he grew up in a house of brick and never forgot his childhood vision of sunbeams flowing through open spaces between bricks to throw patterns of light and shadow on the light dust in the air, and how beautiful it was.
Little phenomena such as this connect people with their surroundings, and support the choice of brick as a building material.
The brick wall both gives privacy and provides channels for air and light to pass through.
Stair frame of rebar saves space and adds structural definition.
Most of Tropical Space’s design work makes use of brick, partly because the form has a certain beauty, but deeper than that, brick is an inherently Vietnamese material, indigenous to the area.
The designer pays attention to its true characteristics and searches out new ways of using and arranging it, creating channels for wind and light and taking advantage of its moisture-retaining quality.
Seen from outside, the home is a rectangular block that itself resembles one humongous brick. It faces north because of sun, wind, and rain directions, and without being too hot it gets good light all day long.
The ground floor living room features a wall of bricks alternating with open spaces, lighting and cooling at the same time during the day.
Outside, a little distance from the house to the east and west are walls that keep sunlight from directly hitting it, instead reflecting light through the perforated brick wall and into every inside area.
These outside walls also create channels that guide the wind in and out. Trees are planted there, too, which cool the house with their shade.
The house may look a bit severe, but in this tropical climate its architecture aligns beautifully with nature to provide an amazingly comfortable residence built on a moderate budget.
Openings above and on the sides for natural light to enter during the day.
Architect: Tropical Space by Ms.Tran Thi Ngu Ngon and Mr.Nguyen Hai Long
/ Story: Patsiri Chotpongsun / English version: Bob Pitakwong /
/ Photographs: Sitthisak Namkham /
Turning left into a side street opposite Chiang Mai’s Mae Rim district bureau, rice fields on both sides of the road have matured and only just begun to bear fruit. In the middle of it, all emerged a two-storey wooden house with vintage Thai-style appeal. It stood hemmed in by tall trees and lush green lawns. This two-storey wooden house showcases a mix of concrete and timber, its wide façade looking out on a fabulous panorama of mountains and paddy fields.
Open-back bookshelves contribute to an airy interior made for lounging, reading, and viewing pictures in the gallery.
Anchan, the housedog, gave a welcome bark, followed by greetings from the mustached host, “Tom” Apichai Wangtragul. He introduced us to his better half, “Saa” Narawan Rajchasee Wangtragul, AKA the heart of the house. The Retro look of her Thai-style sarong matched the atmosphere of the home named “Good Old Days.”
“Back in Lampang we had a small coffee shop offering snacks and selling guitars. It was very warm there, so we started looking for a new home in good weather. We found one on Google, not far from where we wanted to build our first home in Chiang Mai. One day that piece of land was up for sale, and we were lucky to have bought it,” Saa said.
Tom was teaching draftsmanship courses in Lampang, when they met, and the rest is history.
In Chiangmai, he designed the new wooden house after first setting up a model to determine effects of different building orientations at various times of day. He kept track of amounts of sun and natural air circulation and used the information to aid in the design.
The result was a home that fit in well with its natural surroundings and weather conditions.
As he puts it, “The home facing west gets a full dose of afternoon sun. The glare can be felt, no doubt, but the trade-off is worth it.
Panoramic sunsets can be seen every day.” To solve the problem, he has put in moveable latticework, which reduces the sun’s harsh glare.
The kitchen counter boasts naked concrete finishes similar to those found in coffee shops.
A draftsman’s desk sits by the window that opens to take in cool breezes and views of the surrounding landscape.
“I grew up in a wooden house on the water’s edge. I told him I wanted one with a shed roof made of corrugated sheets just like old times,” Saa recalled.
“Tom said that could not be done. So we built our new home using metal sheet roofing instead. I wanted doors with plantation shutters and places to showcase collectibles that we have cherished for a long time.”
Tom made sure his loved one got what she wanted. He searched and found reclaimed timber in Sanpatong and paired them with old wood imported from Lampang.
The timber supplies included Burma padauk wood, ironwood, and teak. The couple sought blessings for peace and prosperity before every piece was put to good use.
Apart from carpentry details, Tom is passionate about modern style with an emphasis on naked concrete finishes. Together they make the building feel light.
The interior living spaces are light and naturally ventilated, thanks to plenty of openings on all sides. Each function area is clearly defined with floating furniture for easy updates.
This design concept applies to the sofa in the living room and the dining table by the rear windows. The kitchen comes fully equipped, as their house becomes a home-stay destination.
The couple does everything in-house from selecting natural ingredients to preparing indigenous meals. It is attention to details and good health practice that keep customers coming back.
Tom’s hobby projects have been the source of many décor items.Triple-shutter design : In the Northern region, the window with three shutters in a row is generally preferred for cost effectiveness. The ingenious design needs only one latch to lock all three windows.
Tom keeps a collection of vinyl records for sentimental reasons. He likes listening to relaxing music on the old-fashioned phonograph while Saa cooks. Some of it is rare on this day and age. Here time goes by so slowly that it seems stuck in history.
The floor plan features a flight of stairs made of concrete and wooden steps. Located in the center, it keeps the two bedrooms on the first floor a good distance apart for added privacy. There are cabinets where old books and other collectibles are neatly kept. Nearby stands a gallery made for lounging, reading, and viewing pictures on the wall.
The second floor offers two good-sized bedrooms : one for guest accommodations, and the other for the couple’s exclusive use. There are antique beds in all of the bedrooms. Saa said she felt good about them knowing they came from good homes. She bought them direct from their previous owners. Between the two rooms stands an office space, where Tom spends time working at his draftsman desk. The workspace is bedecked with collectibles including old cameras and vinyl records.
As Saa puts it, “This is the wooden house that strikes the right balance for the two of us. It effectively chronicles our love story and journey through time. I am just happy being here.
“Chiangmai is such a delightful place, with canals, plenty of water, trees, and beautiful culture. During the period from November to February, our house becomes a home-stay destination.
Known as “Good Old Days,” the house has become a wholesome getaway for like-minded people. The service is not available during summer months, because we don’t use air conditioning. Time is well spent in the great outdoors.
/ Story: Wuthikorn Sut / English version: Peter Montalbano /
/ Photographs: Rithirong Chanthongsuk /
Looking back on former times for inspiration? Here’s a laid-back wooden home reminiscent of what life was like in Lanna, an ancient kingdom that’s present-day northern Thailand and vast swaths of countryside now part of Myanmar and Laos. As an expression of love for simple rural life, the homeowners named it “Tathata” in the vernacular of the region meaning “just the way it is”.
The house was built based on local traditions of the distant past. It has a pleasant, relaxed and chic open-concept space with a nice cool breeze blowing all day long through its exquisite form. Plus, harmonious lines and distinct finishes boast the charm of eco-friendly Lanna craftsmanship.
“We’re Bangkok people, but love the atmosphere and way of life here in Nan. After coming to work at Nan Hospital, we decided to live here and looked around for where to build until we finally found this property,” says Natthathon Kharaphongsathaphon, who owns the house with Jittraphon Khwamkhnueng.
Double walls with alternating slats sliding open and closed to control airflow.
The house sits on a road convenient to Nan Hospital, in a quiet natural setting by the water’s edge. For design, the owners hired Nanthaphong Lertmaneethawisap, of Arsomsilp Community and Environmental Architect Co., Ltd. as the project’s architect.
The “tai thun” (open underfloor space at ground level) acts as the guest reception area connected to the kitchen.A wooden porch connecting the father’s bedroom to the carport is designed to be wheelchair accessible when needed in the future.
The architect said, “The owners liked the cultural and artistic dimensions of life in Nan, as well as its traditional wooden architecture. This house is only a few kilometers from the city, but in a perfect natural setting, easy breezes blowing around the clock.
“From the beginning, the words “Little House in the Big Woods” popped into my head. The doctors and I agreed we should take special care of the plants on the property, and we managed to preserve all the trees.”
The homeowners wanted the new design to use carefully selected old wood in ways that would preserve traditional Lanna craftsmanship. So all materials were taken from five traditional houses around Nan Province. They had the imprints of time and a lot of colorful history among them.
The traditional open space beneath the house, or “tai thun,” was designed for receiving guests with a deck connecting it to the kitchen and other sections of the house. The area around the stairwell is open, so light comes in from above. Walking up, you first come to the altar room, then a living area, and furthest in, the bedrooms.
The stairwell connects all sections of the house.Compact bedroom ideas for father and mother.
“We tried to make the house airy and open while providing for privacy, safety, and a clear division of space according to use,” said Natthathon.
“Towards the end while supervising the work, I started to learn the craft techniques. I sawed wood, used a chisel, and sharpened bars myself. I even did some of the kind of self-reliant agriculture everyone used to do, raising ducks, geese, and chickens, even growing a vegetable garden.
“Doing this was a revelation: it was entertaining! And it all takes physical effort, so there’s no need to go to the gym.”
All told, it’s a home that successfully applies traditional Lanna themes to present-day life. It’s a dream home that has become a reality in the natural environment of Nan, somehow seeming ordinary while being as beautiful a home as we’ve seen.
Natthathon Kharaphongsathaphon and Jittraphon Khwamkhnueng with their dream Lanna wooden home.
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