Published by Periplus Editions (HK) Ltd
Copyright© 2005 Periplus Editions (HK) Ltd
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without prior permission of the publisher.
ISBN: 978-1-4629-0687-1 (ebook)
Printed in Singapore
Edited by: Kim Inglis
Design: Holger Jacobs and Gennett Agbenu at Mind Design
Distributed by:
North America
Tuttle Publishing, 364 Innovation Drive,
North Clarendon, VT 05759-9436, USA
Tel (802) 773 8930; fax (802) 773 6993
Asia Pacific
Berkeley Books Pte Ltd,
61 Tai Seng Avenue #02-12,
Singapore 534167
Tel (651 6280 3320; fax (65) 6280 6290
Japan and Korea
Tuttle Publishing, Yaekari Building
3rd Floor, 5-4-12
Osaki Shinagawa-ku,
Tokyo 141-0032
Tel: 81 (03) 5437 0171
Fax 81 (03) 5437 0755
Half-title page
Reproduction of Charles Rennie Mackintosh designed Ladder Back chair in the pristine confines of architect Khun Tinakorn Rujinarong's house.
Title page
Hallway in the home of Khun Korakot Srivikorn which was designed by Duangrit Bunnag, one of Thailand's premier young architects.
Philippe Starck chair aside three pots with pointed agave leaves in the gallery-style home of Tinakorn Rujinarong.
CONTENTS
| 6 | The New Asian Design |
| 14 | TRANQUIL LIVING |
| 16 | Baan Suan Sanghob |
| 24 | Artful Living |
| 34 | Shophouse Chic |
| 40 | Cool Blue |
| 46 | Thai-style Modern |
| 50 | Natural Organics |
| 56 | Collection Box |
| 62 | A Fresh Outlook |
| 68 | DRAMA |
| 70 | High Drama |
| 80 | Sky High |
| 86 | Heaven Sent |
| 92 | High-style Glamor |
| 100 | Candy Color |
| 108 | White Out |
| 114 | International Appeal |
| 126 | Small is Beautiful |
| 134 | LIGHT AND SPACE |
| 136 | Lofty Sentiments |
| 144 | A Passion for Chairs |
| 158 | Custom-designed Compound |
| 166 | H1 Hip |
| 178 | White & Light |
| 186 | Laid-back Living |
| 196 | Strong Geometry, Good Qi |
| 208 | Acknowledgments |
DWP Cityspace designed the offices of Hutchison Wireless with panache: primary colors and bold graphics characterize the non-office style spaces.
THE NEW ASIAN DESIGN
When international design luminaries such as Christian Liaigre or Christina Ong set up shop in a city, it's not an everyday occurrence. After all, these are big international names: Ong's Como Hotels is readily recognized as an icon for hip hostelries; and with clients like Calvin Klein, Karl Lagerfeld and Kenzo to name a few, Liaigre's sleek, luxe furniture and interior design style is now a global brand. So when they chose Bangkok for the new Metropolitan hotel and furniture showroom Hyle, design mavens worldwide stood up and took note.
One thing this cool hotelier and hot designer have in common is an up-to-the-minute aesthetic that combines the best elements of East and West. In Modern Asian Living, we showcase a number of spaces - residential, commercial and recreational -that embrace the spirit of modernity that imbues Ong and Liaigre's work. Like their designs, these mostly metropolitan spaces epitomize the modern exotic, yet they rely to a certain extent on tradition. Pan-Asian craftsmanship, motifs and cultural references are mixed with new materials, shapes and forms. Many were created by upcoming names in Bangkok's design scene.
Take Duangrit Bunnag, for example. Lauded as an important "voice" in Thai architectural circles, his work is more Corbusien than Thai. There's a sophisticated simplicity and restraint in his clean-lined projects, yet he insists they are Asian at heart. "Asian architecture isn't about romantic or rustic spaces," he explains. "There also isn't really a set style. What it is about is a philosophy of simplicity- but this isn't even minimal, just sufficient" Check out the house he designed for friends on page 196.
In fact, when we look closely at the homes in the book, it becomes clear that many are rooted in Asian tradition. The shop-house apartment conversion featured on pages 34-39, though no longer narrow and thin because walls have been knocked down, still follows the customary configuration overlooking an internal courtyard. This is true, also, of the recently constructed city-center housing development, the Lofts Sathorn (pages 136-143). DWP Cityspace principal Scott Whittaker explains the concept: "I wanted to create