EcoChic: A Touch of Thai

Globally, the issue of the environment is pushing itself further into the forefront. The Trendease Team has been striving to spotlight the ecologically friendly products which are friendly to the eye as well as the earth. This month Trendease highlights a couple of companies discovered during a recent trip to Bangkok, Thailand that are surely eco-chic.

These two companies, Just One of the Art Company Limited and Osisu, caught the attention of Trendease while visiting the Thailand International Furniture Fair (TIFF).

Just One of the Art’s mantra is “Art for your Mind, Art for your Body, Art for your Living, Art for your Life”. The company features a collective of designers, both well-established and new talent just entering the field. Thailand is a land wealthy of indigenous materials, many which these creatives utilize in their works. Recycled materials also find their way into the designs.

The adorable Porcupine chairs are made from recycled wood board, the Honeycomb lampshades from corrugated cardboard, She’s lamp from the midrib of the coconut leaf, and the foot message carpet and Biscuit stools from ambary hemp with stone. The new collection by Angkana Kongpetch aims to “evoke the human spirit to be conscience”.

Trendease gives Osisu’s contemporary vernacular design inspired by environmental concerns two thumbs up for the innovative use of waste. Every piece created comes from something which somebody else has discarded. Many products from other companies come from a similar birthing process; however, few look as fresh as these. And it transcends simple design; these are well considered designs which take function and life into deep thought to provide solutions to everyday living.

Take, for example, the chair from reclaimed wood which houses two hooks in its interior to hang personal belongings. Keeping such items out of sight will help to keep them out of the minds and hands of pickpockets. One of the designers, Veeranuch Tanchookiat, challenged Trendease Chief Creative Director, Jennifer Castoldi, to open a chest. She studied the object, pushed and pulled at various angles, and finally gave up in fear that she may break the solid piece if she used too much force. Mr. Tanchookiat then with a slight bump to a specific spot shifted the piece to lift the top and reveal the contents of the chest. He then proudly claimed that they utilize ancient techniques in their modern designs. Bravo!

Osisu claims, “Throwing away things is an unaffordable luxury. With Osisu, defects become a thing of beauty. Such ‘works of art’ are undeniably unique because they all celebrate random flaws.” Trendease would beg to differ. While each handcrafted piece is one of a kind, the assorted wood used to create the items is far from flawed.

Take a moment to review some of the eco-chic findings in this gallery and be sure to add Just One of the Art Company Limited and Osisu to the growing list of suppliers of products that not only look in their homes, but also feel good to the environment.

—The Trendease Team