Читать книгу Modern Asian Living - Wongvipa Devahastin Na Ayudhya - Страница 8

TRANQUIL LIVING

A calm, restful environment soothes, restores and rejuvenates. Natural, organic materials (inside and out), quality artworks and a spirited outlook combine with airy, open spaces to produce a simple, uncluttered look. Attention to detail, good flow of qi and cool colors are paramount. The pan-Asian aesthetic here is pared down: results are more Zen den than Oriental opulent, and impressively restful.

BAAN SUAN SANGHOB

Baan Suan Sanghob or the "Tranquil Garden House" is the home of Prabhakorn Vadanyakul, managing director of Architects 49, one of Thailand's premier architectural practices. Specializing in forward-looking works, A49 is celebrated for its innovative approach to architecture, design and landscape design. Appropriately enough, the house was designed by Khun Prabhakorn and built by A49 staff.

Set on the outskirts of the city on a plot of land planted by Khun Prabhakorn's father with seeds collected from around the country, the three-story house showcases mature trees at every turn. Built predominantly from steel and glass, it is light, airy and cool; it can either be fully air-conditioned, or parts of its structure may be opened up to encourage cross ventilation. Thus, there are minimal boundaries separating it from its lush, untamed natural environment.

"I wanted to prove that modern construction materials are not at odds with nature," explains the architect "I also wanted to show that you don't need solid walls to separate the inhabitants from their surroundings." Hence, Khun Prabhakorn and his wife experience a type of indoor/outdoor tropical living style that perfectly suits site, setting, context and climate.

An avid aviation fan (both he and his wife are pilots), Khun Prabhakorn brings his lifelong obsession with the mechanical into the design of the house. Stainless steel tension cables, doors in the shape of plane doors, a long custom-designed bench on the terrace in the shape of a plane wing, steel mesh walkways and exposed pipes combine with strictly utilitarian materials to give an industrial feel. This is softened and humanized by the plethora of vegetation all around - as well as by the pool and use of wood.

In keeping with the architecture, aggressively sculptural Mario Botta furniture is used sparingly throughout. Made from steel, perforated sheet metal and polyurethane, its rigid forms complement both the architecture and the owner's collection of mechanical toys. However, it needs to be stressed that this glass-and-steel house never for a minute seems out of place in its jungle situation. Rather, by inviting in light air, the breeze and the trees, it becomes a modern take on a traditional tree house.

The house took about six months to design and two years to complete with the ground-breaking ceremony taking place on the 19th day of the 9th month of the year 1999 at 9:00am. This view shows the wooden deck that leads into the front door of the house. Note the door handle- a propeller from a plane.

The exterior of the house as seen from the side in its jungle setting. According to the architect, steel structures can be slimmer than heavier concrete ones, thus enhancing the feeling of light and space within.

The expansive dining room looks out on to a downstairs deck with hammock and loungers facing a pool that seems to melt into the trees beyond. Decorative cabbages in glass vases from any room nestle in a potpourri from Siamrak on the black galvanized steel table; the pot pourri of seeds was chosen because Khun Prabhakorn's father planted the garden with seeds collected from all over Thailand.

The open-plan living room features polished sandstone floors, unadorned walls, simple furniture and floor-to-ceiling glass windows. Khun Prabhakorn says that these glass "walls" act only as space indicators- and give views on to the garden from all sides.

An open wood staircase leads up to the first floor. The treads were designed to replicate the flaps on a plane wing.

The upstairs deck leads off the master bedroom -and affords superb views of the forest. Some of the trees are as high as a ten-story building, and even though the plot is surrounded by huge shopping malls, shophouses, highways and traffic, you'd never know it once you are ensconced in this private arboretum.

A metal and shiny canvas lounger on the top deck.

At the front entrance Khun Prabhakorn installed a modern take on the traditional foot bath used to wash the feet before entering a Thai home. Made from one slab of granite, it is situated just before the front entrance landing.

The long lap pool as soon from above. Tiled in aqua-marine, it is surrounded by mature trees and overgrown heliconias.

The master bedroom sports polished cement walls, with factory-style light switches. Light wood parquet flooring and a low-level platform bed with fluffy white duvet soften the hard architectural edges.

All the bathrooms are fitted out with plane doors on sliding wheels, industrial-style fittings and exposed concrete walls. The dow n-stairs cloakroom is quite utilitarian, the only decoration taking the form of steel "wheels" on the sink.

A shower cubicle showcases exposed water pipes, a metal showerhead, and unconcealed nuts and bolts. It isn't really "boarding house basic," but comes close for sure!

Part of the owner's collection of mechanical toys.

ARTFUL LIVING

The home of Ek-Annong Phanachet and Carlos Manalac is elegant, clean-lined and serene. Originally designed for a Thai businessman with a Japanese wife by noted French interiors and furniture designer Christian Liaigre, it retains design stamps from its first owners and its present ones. Although vastly different in background, both sets of owners have a love of art- and this goes some way to explaining the large gallery-style spaces with in. It also explains the "real" art gallery next door (see right, below).

High ceilings, floor-to-ceiling glass windows, spacious rooms and floor track up lighting are statement-making aspects of this well-designed house. Comprising about 800 square meters (8,600 sq ft) in total, it has a pan-Asian feel that is both contemplative and contemporary. Apt then to find understated Christian Liaigre-designed furniture- in neutral tones- laid out with symmetry and simplicity in the perfectly proportioned living room. Here, massive glass windows are covered by three layers of amber-colored Jim Thompson unlined silk curtains; these contain the harsh glare of the Bangkok sun, but allow for glimpses of garden behind. They also allow for a slightly diffused light within.

Christian Liaigre is perhaps best known as the interior designer of New York's Mercer Hotel, but confesses to prefer smaller, residential projects. His combination of exotic dark woods and luxurious fabrics is illustrated in the dining room of this house, where a slatted wooden screen door opens to reveal a calm, formal dining room. Three silk lampshades above the dining table echo the color of the curtains, while the heaviness of dark furniture is alleviated by light parquet flooring. The room is calm, formal and understated.

Leading off the dining room is a more informal, relaxed family room, where Noon the pug curls up for a snooze and Ek-Annong and her husband take time out from their busy schedules. Natural furniture in modern designs by award-winning young Thai designers give the room a funky feel. The organic factor is furthered upstairs where a simple, meditative swimming pool shares space with the three bedrooms on the second floor. Here, more art pieces in wood and ceramic are displayed in peaceful poolside surrounds.

Japanese influences are evident in the woodwork in this home.

The family den (foreground) has wooden pivoting doors that open up fully to give views into the formal dining room- and beyond into the tree-lined street.

Situated adjacent Ek-Anong Phanachet's residence at 100 Soi Tonson is 100 Tonson Gallery. It has the lofty aim of making a vital contribution to the visual arts culture in Thailand. The gallery organizes a minimum of four to five exhibitions annually, including a curated exhibit ion; space is dedicated mostly to contemporary Thai art. Built from concrete, the gallery is a box-like structure with high ceilings and plenty of natural light mainly procured from skylights. For more details visit www.100tonsongallery.com.

A suitably opulent dining atmosphere is achieved with fine tableware and napkins that match the drapes and lampshades. Taking its inspiration from a Japanese ikebana device called a kenzan, whereby lead blocks are spiked with brass nails, delicate blue iris are secured in galvanized iron square trays along the center of the table. Their cool blue hues contrast beautifully with the ocher shades above.

The kitchen is an assured combo of wood and stainless steel fittings. The solid table and bench by Saiyart Sema-Ngern is an artwork in itself. All stonewares on the table and counter are by Eakrit Praditsuwana for E.G.G Enterprise.

The family room features rattan, van lipao (a weed from the south of Thailand) and water hyacinth furniture as well as tactile rugs in organics from a variety of artisans, artists and interior shops in Bangkok.

Low-level lounging chair in rattan with metal legs by Udom Udomsrianan of Planet 2001. The chair was an award winner at the Milan Furniture Fair in 2003. The water hyacinth rug in neutral tones is from Ayodhaya. Rustic chair designed and constructed by Thai National Artist Saiyart Sema-Ngern sits behind a handmade rug by Rapee Leelasiri, chief designer at Graph-TEX Studio. Khun Rapee is a multiple award winner for her stylish rugs in natural fibers. Central rattan and glass Threesome coffee table by Udom Udomsrianan.

Crystal wine glasses and champagne flutes with hand-crafted silver stems with gems were designed by Tam Devakul of T Positif. The handmade hammered-work cutlery and under plates are from Niwat at Gaysorn Plaza. The glasses' elegant lines and clean, modern shapes complement the long central flower arrangement by Khun Sakul where tubes of banana leaves form a base structure and green cattelya are housed in a long, slim acrylic vase from Cocoon. Christian Liagre organic-style wood side table. An installation on the stairs by Sakul lntakul features white cattleya hanging in light porcelain "senna" vessels created by the designer. Sinuous curving detail of low-level yan lipao loveseat by Suwan Kongkhunthian at Yokatha with brown raw silk cushions. A single bright red-and-yellow cattleya sits in a "tripod" bronze flower vessel designed by Sakul lntakul. Close-up detail of Fringe Design pouf by M. L. Pawinee Santisiri at Ayodhaya.

Beneath the painting entitled "A Day in the Life" by Chatchai Puipia is a large black leather pouf called the Black Spaceship by Udom Udomsrianan for Planet 2001. Wooden stools by Christian Liaigre.

Khun Ek-Annong's house is a veritable treasure trove of art. Adjacent the stairs is displayed a large blue-toned painting "Cyber Baby" 120031 by British artist. Andrew Stahl. It is one of a collection he painted whilst he was Artist in Residence at Silpakorn University in the summer of 2003. On left on the stairs is the hanging white cattelya arrangement seen on previous page.

On the far wall is a painting called "2002-20" by Somyot Hana nuntasuk; the two black stools on right were bought locally.

Above a dark stained wooden stool by Christian Liaigre is a painting entitled "Guitar" by acclaimed Spanish painter Gines Semin-Pagan. A mixed technique on canvas piece, it was painted in 2003.

A bench fashioned from railway sleepers designed and crafted by Saiyart Sema-Ngern and Thailand Nation al Artist Nit hi Sathapitanonda.

"Prai 1" (100 x 70 x 35 cm) a ceramic stoneware sculpture by Amornthep Mahamart (2003). Prai translates from the Thai as "water bubbles" and the sculpture floats if put in water.

Concrete girders frame downtown views from the third-floor pool side; at the far end is a bench fashioned from an old boat. also by Saiyart Sema-Ngern and Nithi Sathapitanonda. "The benches are intended as functional art," says Khun Ek-Annong, "and are great showpieces for the contemporary art scene in Thai land today."

SHOPHOUSE CHIC

The shophouse model in Asia is a compact one, but is often criticized by modern city-dwellers for being too long and thin. This apartment created by taking the top floor of three shophouses and knocking down the dividing walls between, does away with the long/thin configuration and comes up with a spacious alternative. The owner Vichien Chansevikul and his partner Michael Palmer design, manufacture and export leather home decor items and furniture in the first three floors of the shophouses below- and live in splendor above.

Access is from the third storey of one of the outer shophouses. The central focus of the apartment is an enormous living room with open-plan dining area and kitchen. Clean, airy and light, it was designed by the owners with a little help from an architect friend. A wonderful, polished timber floor in teng wood was laid during construction, and it adds a warm sheen to the contemporary styled room. The adjacent dining area, cleverly divided off from the kitchen by a false wall that houses bottles of wine, is a little small, but ideal for entertaining in a relaxed, casual manner. Because there are no views to speak of, the rooms all look inward over a central courtyard. It's from here that light pours into the interior- from huge wall-to-wall aluminum-and-glass windows.

Unsurprisingly, furniture is imprinted with the flair and style of the two partners. The cream-colored, 1-shaped sofa suite was designed by the pair, but made in a friend's factory that specializes in padded furniture. It is complemented by plain and woven leather poufs in turquoise and dark brown. Of note are the cushions made from leather embossed with a woven rattan effect. Elsewhere in the room are textural, beautifully finished pieces from the couple's leather lines: plant stands in faux-croc leather, a nest of tables in wood and woven rattan, a console in wood-and-leather - and more.

Overall, the apartment illustrates how shophouses may be redesigned and re-configured for a more modern feel, all the while retaining the character of the original. The timber floors and internal courtyard are reminiscent of the past while the airy spaces and modern furniture look forward to the future. And because of its situation, the pair has no excuse for being late for work!

A boxy cream upholstered armchair is adjacent a checked leather side table.

In the dining area an Italian dining table and chairs sit below an elaborate wrought-iron chandelier. The windows are clothed in sheer white drapes; on left, an elegant plant stand from the owners' company Leather Paragon, fashioned from the wood of the rubber tree with a wrapping of leather, complements tall red amaryllis blooms perfectly. The wooden salad bowl in center of the table is a local buy.

Floor-to-ceiling paneled and tinted windows run the length of the generously proportioned living room. Furnished simply in tones of beige and brown, the custom-crafted corner sofa with bolsters encourages relaxed lounging. A rectangular box in tan leather in the foreground is sized for magazine storage, while two different styles of pouf and a cylindrical, layered lamp (all from Leat her Paragon) are featured. Reed mace secured with a leather band makes for a minimalist arrangement in a mock croc leather vase, also from Leat her Paragon.

Beneath a wall with inset display niches sits a console with three drawers designed to look like a traditional Chinese console. It is from Leather Paragon's most recent collection and was shown at the B. I. G. Fair in April 2004 for the first time. It is made from rubber wood and the cow leather used has a small crocodile imprint in dark brown.

A two-toned console from rubber wood and topped with lizard-imp cow leather is placed in master bedroom across the courtyard. Beneath wooden trunk with al lid, while on top are two identical vases housig amaryllis lilies.

Detailed workmanship different leather toned checks on a side table. Three-drawer console wine or champagne featuring a stainless steel inner and a leather outer with handles. Close-up detailing of the dining metallic chandelier. of a ring-leg nest of tables where frames are in wood and the tops are from woven rattan leather (it comes in three colors); above is a ceramic pot Chiang Mai. Leather on wood. Reed mace secured with a leather in a mock croc leather All items from Leather Paragon.

COOL BLUE

The marine-inspired palette of this Pattaya apartment came about more by accident than design - but makes for a fitting decor scheme as it overlooks the marina. Furthermore, it is owned by a couple who love the sea, own a luxurious yacht, and like to sail whenever possible. Apt then, that blue is the dominant color.

That, along with the liberal use of organics and unusual Eastern art, makes this a unique space. The French Oriental Art dealer owner, Jean-Michel Beurdeley, and his Thai wife Patsy divide their time between Paris and Bangkok - and use the condo on weekends when they want to go sailing. The Beurdeley's love of art and the sea is evident at every turn.

The first thing one sees on entering the apartment is a custom-designed screen made from woven rattan slotted into a nearly square, dark wood frame. Hand-crafted by Udom Udomsrianan, it prevents people outside from looking in when the entrance door is open, and also has good feng shui. "We were attracted by the simplicity of the natural material and the modernity of rattan and water hyacinth furniture from Udom," explains Jean-Michel, "His pieces look like modern sculptures."