Contemporary Thai Furniture by Thongthon Thitikawin

How designer Thongthon Thitikawin translates local Thai identities into his furniture pieces through the mix of exotic materials, patterns, and user-friendly design.

Undoubtedly, Thongthon Thitikawin is one of the rising stars in Thailand’s furniture design industry. His key to success? One of that might be his attention to the R&D process. The works of this former Design Researcher of Modernform combine experimentations on new materials with simple and user-friendly functionalities. Above all, the ‘Thai touch’ is always present in his contemporary furniture creations.

In 2018, Thongthon became internationally recognised from his ‘TAA-NEE’ chair, which earned him the Design Star title from the International Furniture Fair 2018 in Singapore. This year, he launched the new outdoor furniture collection ‘NGORG-NGAM’ (or prosperous in English) he developed with a Thai-Muslim community. Another collection which has created buzz among his design fans is ‘YAI’, a collection he collaborated with Hawaii Thai.

“Before designing or creating something, a good designer need to take time to thoroughly study the lifestyles and usages of the targeted consumers.”

NGORG-NGARM
STEP design studio X Islam community (2019)
A collaboration between STEP Design studio with a Thai-Muslim community which reinterprets the traditional weaving techniques.

YAI
STEP design studio X Hawaii Thai (2019)
YAI is the result of an experimentation with a new pattern, using aliminium parts inspired by Pikul flower. The idea is to reduce the use of artificial wicker in creating a contemporary furniture piece.

Thongthon is currently leading his own design company STEP design studio that works with brands like Hawaii Thai and Artititure Creations (Hong Kong) and special projects like Bangkok Design Week.