Italian design. Scandinavian design. Thai design?
You bet.
Udom Udomsrianan is a name to know on the burgeoning Thai design scene, which is primarily centered in Bangkok. The 40-something artist and furniture designer is quickly gaining an international reputation for the lovely, modern things that he and his crew of craftspeople are doing with their native and sustainable rattan.
They’re weaving fine (and immaculately uniform) coils of the traditional material into chairs that look curiously like birds’ nests. The look is primitive-modern at its earthy best.
Doug Van Tress, co-owner of The Golden Triangle, a River North furniture store that specializes in antiques (and some new pieces) from China and other parts of Asia, attributes the growing Thai design scene in part to the country’s economic crisis of the late 1990s.
That, along with Thailand’s rich history of handicrafts, says Van Tress, seems to have sparked a new generation of designers (many of them well-traveled and schooled outside the country) who aren’t content with making the traditional carved Buddhas and rattan baskets. They are intent on redefining what “Made in Thailand” is all about — or can be.
As for the Bird’s Nest chairs, all of them are handmade. Several variations ($600 to $1,500) are available. The one we tried (which is shown) was surprisingly comfortable and costs $1,200 at The Golden Triangle, 72 W. Hubbard St., 312-755-1266.
