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It’s hard to be subtle in Thailand. “Thai people usually go to the maximum in how we dress, tuk tuks, temples, and so it’s very hard to be subtle,” says Niwat Aunprueng, the executive partner with the Bangkok design firm PIA Interior Co. “People aren’t used to it.” A visit to any temple or mall in the country’s largest city, Bangkok, reveals layers of colours, textures and patterns that can overwhelm your eyes.
Subtlety, however, was the main objective of PIA’s work on the recently opened Hyatt Regency Bangkok Sukhumvit. For the hotel brand’s debut in Bangkok, the design firm aimed to put a minimalist twist on traditional Thai decor. “The owner said, ‘I need something very Thai, but not Thai,’” Aunprueng says. His answer was to focus on the space as if it were a residence, versus the 31-storey, mixed-use building that it actually is.
“The key word for me is ‘quiet,’” Aunprueng says. In other words, some visual calm to counteract the cacophony of the busiest of cities.Open this photo in galleryThe tallest building in the country at 78 storeys, MahaNakhon is dubbed the “Lego building” due to the under-construction effect of its exterior design. Located in the city’s central business district, visitors can head to the top to take in the view from the SkyWalk observation deck or grab a drink at the Skybar.