A steely eye for design
Architect Phanuphonl Seendanchan irons out his sustainable vision of home decor
For years, architect Phanuphonl Seendanchan has kept pencil and paper handy to scribble down his design ideas, with a dream of founding his own brand. Last year, he teamed up with a group of artist friends from Silpakorn University and turned his sketches into an innovative collection of home-decor items made from recycled metal.
His new shop, Ox Object, was born from the fruit of Phanuphonl’s long experience designing products for local brands. During that time he noticed that importers overseas were interested in Thailand for its efficient supply rather than trend-setting designs. Meanwhile, he realised that young, home-grown designers were strong on creativity but weak on knowledge of production and business management.
“I have worked as a designer with many famous local brands. I think art and business can go together, but we need good production to ensure quality,” Phanuphonl says. “I want to offer new materials to the market as alternative options for shoppers.”
His core inspiration is living harmoniously with nature. He opts for recycled aluminium and iron as his main materials, lending durability and functionality to his decor designs. Produced with a special moulding technique, his products reveal textures and defects that are a result of the chemical process of fusing different materials.
“My concept is sufficiency living. I like to use materials that are cheap but functional. I spent months of research in a foundry to learn how to mould scrap iron. I found that the process of smelting can give metal a charming texture.
“We launched our first decor collection at last year’s Bangkok
International Gift and Houseware Fairs and received orders from Japan, America, Europe and the Middle East.”
Providing decoration options for every corner of home, his products come in shades of silver and metallic brown, with simple forms designed to match either modern or traditional oriental-style furniture. Functional, minimalist and adaptable, it’s no surprise they’ve been a hit both here and abroad.
The store reflects the simple design aesthetic with an unfussy layout of wooden shelves and table. On them shoppers will find diverse designs, with bowls, trays, pots, buckets, tumblers, lamps, spoon holders, candlesticks, vases and even animal figurines.
TEST YOUR METAL
Ox Object is at 806/4, Soi Sukhumvit 38. It’s open from Monday to Friday, 9am to 8pm. Call (02) 381 1970 or visit www.OxObject.com
