I love designing furniture and then seeing it through from hand sketch all the way to finished piece of functioning furniture in a client's home. I created a range of easy chairs that I called the Layan Range (Layan is the beach in the north of Phuket that I love to go with my family on free days) My inspiration for the furniture was from the tropical environment that is my home here in Phuket. Each chair is unique and I travelled back and forth to China to get the prototypes done as at the time I felt that was more economical than trying to do them in our own factory. Once we have the prototypes done we can then easily replicate and improve on them in our own factory under the close eye of my partner Torben.
First up is the Rocking Chair - I love this chair and its fast becoming our most popular easy chair. Rocking Chairs appeal to everyone and this is the first one I created and I just love it too. We have experimented with different kinds of wood and different seat coverings....
Next up was this oversize occasional chair that I'm deciding on a name for. I love that it doesn't conform to any preconceptions or boring rules about how a chair should look like. Its awkward and heavy and not something you would like to eat dinner in or work at your computer in. But having a pair of them in a living space of your home or perhaps in a lobby of a hotel I think is very nice...
This next one I nicknamed Indy's Armchair because my friend Indy insisted on a pair of them for her home and they were the first of the range that actually were put into a client's home. I love the shape of it and the way the arms kind of float about the seat. I used a very nice shiny corduroy type fabric for the upholstery and it turned out very unique. I love it!
Not every chair turns out the way I wanted it and this next one just never could be the way I imagined it. We tried and tried but in the end I just never liked it. I don't mind though because that's just how it goes with furniture design and it's important to know when to stop and move on to something else - I simply don't have time to spend days and weeks fidgeting over a single chair design. Too many other things going on! We nicknamed this baby the Ugly Chair...:)
This chunky blue chair I love because it's just so comfortable and its appeal is in its simplicity and comfort. When you sit in this chair it just feels perfect - the ratios are correct which is important from a comfort and functionality standpoint. I love the fabric we chose and the cushioning is soft and luxurious. I call it simply the Blue Chair.
This last pair of chairs (there's many more but I think you may be getting bored by now) I made in three colours and once again experimented with this rounded wooden frames. These are in imitation leather because of the prohibitive expense of using real leather for the prototypes but I think in the future we may experiment with leather. I love the way the back rest cushioning is incorporated in the upholstery and it looks and feels like a very cool piece. I think it would work very well in a cafe or wine bar - so here's me having a glass of wine!
Hi. Love the chairs but I'm interested to know why you didn't use local craftsmen to develop the prototypes, which leads me onto asking about the materials and type of wood you used and your green and sustainable credentials?
Someone has to play devil's advocate here ;-)
PS Do you know a supplier of grade'A' exterior ply or even Marine ply anywhere in the south of Thailand? I know one just over the border in Malaysia but I'd prefer to use a local supplier if I could find one that sells a decent, gap-free product. Its for a small boat I want to make a start on :-) TIA
Thanks so much @nathen007 ! We used the Chinese company for the prototyping simply because of budget and time constraints. I was anyway doing business with them importing sofas. Out team at or factory were simply too busy and this kind of prototyping can quickly become very demanding on company resources.
Mostly we use reclaimed teak or plantation teak for all our furniture.
About the ply - I just asked my furniture partner but it's after office hours here so I will update you tomorrow...:)
Thank you so much!
I was surprised at teak! the forming and curves of the woodwork is incredible :-)
The rocking chair is not Teak..:) Here the details for the ply suppliers that we use..
Birch Wood Thailand
www.birchwoodth.com
The rocking chairs looks so beautiful @seancallow 😊
It’s design is not complicated but still gives you so much to look at.
Thanks for sharing your furniture designs with us.
They look stunning.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Thanks so much! I tell you the rocking chair took a lot of experimenting to get the balance correct. The first ones were too far forward, the next ones too far back...:) Hope your Sunday is wonderful ! I played golf in the morning...:)
You are welcome @seancallow 😊
I can imagine that it took a bit of experimenting to get the balance right. As it needs to be just right.
That is nice. My husband loves to play golf. Here it is just morning so we go out for a walk into the mountains in a bit after the coffee ☕️
Enjoy your Sunday further 👋🏻☀️
That sounds like a wonderful weekend. Fresh air and good coffee!
It sure was @seancallow 😊☕️🥾
This blog of yours makes me remember the time when I was in high school, during that time we are renting a house with a rocking chair in it, oh, how I love to sit in it, rocking chairs are so relaxing to sit on.
There is something very relaxing about gently rocking on a rocking chair. I feel the same way in a hammock. Thanks so much for your lovely comment!
You're welcome (^_^)
Oh, hammock, I love hammocks too!
I definitely want to have one of these 😁 and put it with my study table in my room
We offer free shipping if you are in Thailand...:)
Incredibly amazing @seancallow! Your company's remarkable architecture, interiors, and most especially its fantastic furniture creations definitely exhibit world-class appeal. Your featured rocking chair surely rocks! I'd call it a superstar! See, the majority of traditional rocking chairs I've come across typically have only 2 separate arched wooden beams mounted on each side, thus becoming quite common as well as boring.
On the other hand, your radical approach portrays a clever concept consisting of a single piece of that wavelike wooden frame being applied for the rocking motion, backrest, and armrest - complementing that furniture's overall aesthetic without compromising its distinctive function. As a result, you have manufactured an outstanding seating product that not only looks sophisticated but also provides a comfortable experience to its users. Keep up the awesome design heritage! 😊
Well @storiesoferne I think you summed it up perfectly!🤣 Thanks so much for your wonderful feedback. Rocking chairs have so much design potential like you say, and yes the traditional ones really are quite boring but in a way timeless. I'm most certainly entertaining the idea of designing a rocking chair range... what do you think?
Oh yes. go ahead please - by all means, @seancallow! 👍😊 A rocking chair collection would definitely add to your already excellent furniture portfolio. Since furniture design is also one of my professional fortes, I'd be more than happy to collaborate with you on its conceptual development, providing constructive ideas until their final fruition. How many furniture pieces are you proposing to include in the range?
Well that does sound like an interesting proposal! Let me think about this for a while and we can find a way forward!
Sure, no worries. I'm at your service. All the best! 😊
Congratulations @seancallow! We're delighted to specially curate your awesome publication and award it BRONZE MARK in Architecture Brew #66. More power!
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Thanks so much for your kind commenting..:)