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Behind the design: Soho House Bangkok

Our first outpost in Southeast Asia has just opened – here’s your preview of its architecture and interiors

By Anastasiia Fedorova

Soho House Bangkok is finally here. Back in October, we were lucky to get to know some of Thailand's creative community and Founder members at our Soho House pop-up, and we'll soon be welcoming many other faces behind the city's burgeoning music, food and art scenes to come together at the House. The setting has been created with them in mind, drawing from Bangkok's rich cultural heritage.

The character of Soho House Bangkok was inspired by the original building and its intimate feel. Despite being located in a former hotel, the House has no bedrooms and resembles colonial-style Thai residential houses from the mid-20th century. Located in the Sukhumvit neighbourhood, the House is created to embrace the climate and nature of social life in Bangkok, with indoor and outdoor spaces merging, and the pool in the outdoor terrace as the centrepiece. Each room has its own identity: from calming, darker spaces to vibrant, bright areas.

Throughout the House, members will find two very special furniture pieces created specially for the space, which are now available to shop as part of Soho Home's Bangkok Capsule Collection. There's the Limited Edition Bangkok Lounge Chair upholstered in Pierre Frey's blue Menerbes fabric, as well as the Limited Edition Bangkok Table, a bistro table with a starburst marquetry top. Together, these pieces mirror the interiors of the House, reflecting the calming, darker space of the intimate Lounge Bar where they're found.

To get an insight into the design of the House, we sat down with Carla Murillo, the architect at Soho House Bangkok, and Severine Lammoglia, Principal Designer at Soho House Design. You can watch the interview via @sohohome on Instagram - and read an in-depth version of their key points below.

On the original building, location and inspiration

Carla Murillo: 'Architecturally, the main starting point was the existing building, and we kept pretty much to the same footprint of the indoor and outdoor areas. We also retained the original size of the house, but totally changed the use to make it all one club.'

Severine Lammoglia: 'For the interiors, we were inspired by the local crafts, ceramics and textures, such as bamboo finishes and basket weave. The House has a very residential scale, which is great to work with for our first club in Bangkok. It feels like coming back to your home with a range of comfortable lounge spaces.'

On the club spaces

SL: 'The pool is the heart of the House. All of the spaces that we've designed kind of open up to it on the first floor. The events room, which has its own bar and outdoor area, is also great - alongside a restaurant with a big terrace on the second floor.'

On the Bangkok influences

SL: 'The original design of the building was colonial-style. We tried to incorporate that, but still make it relevant to today with original finishes and techniques typical of the city. Bangkok's climate also influenced the House. We wanted to reflect the beauty of the leafy, sunny outside spaces, but also if you want to go inside, it's a contrastingly cool, cosy and dark space.'

On the attention to detail

SL: 'We've used a lot of plaster finishes and colourways that pick up on the overall colours of the House, so we went for greens, mustard and deep orange tones that we found locally. Local silks and other fabrics, plus the layering of different patterns also feature. And we've been working with local craftsmen for glazed tiles and ceramic details. Some of the suppliers include L-Thai for tiles, Royal Thai for rugs, and Jim Thompson Fabrics.'

CM: 'Everything in the House is handmade, and it's really special for us to have the opportunity to feature bespoke objects and finishes. It allows us to really take the design to a new level, as nothing is prefabricated. It's beautiful to see how the building has come together.'

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