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Published on August 12, 2007

The party buzzed till midnight in a store transformed into a nightclub with DJs, fusion food and Bombay Sapphire gin cocktails carrying names like Habitat Martini and The Launch. Festooning the premises were dozens of models "propping" up the well-design furniture.

The Habitat showroom at Bangkok's Siam Discovery Centre has had an image makeover and expanded to two floors. The aim is one-stop shopping for design-savvy people.

"A lot has happened in 10 years," chief executive officer Chanintr Sirisant said. "Consumers today want a place where they can get inspiration, and a store where they can get professional expertise they can trust."

The store has added new services, including a design centre that comes up with comprehensive solutions and a section packed with children's furniture and toys.

An art centre stocks more than 5,000 paintings and graphics, 200 of them exclusive to Habitat Thailand. You can order reproductions of famous works of art in whatever size you like and get them framed and delivered within seven days.

Customised curtains and blinds are another new offer, with some 500 designer fabrics to choose from. Popular florist Sakul Intakul is ready with themed arrangements of fresh blossoms.

For the party, 10 celebrities were invited to create their own Mona doll, using the featureless doll created by fashion designer Paco Rabanne.

ML Chiratorn Chirapravati dressed his Mona in black silk, illustrator Kongpat Sakdapitak went funky, Korn Kiatfeuangfoo played innocent with a "Don't Cry for Me Mona", and actor Chalie "Nac" Trairat concocted a two-sided Mona.

The 10 dolls are on display all this month in a silent auction, with the proceeds going to the Sarnelli House in Nong Khai, a home for HIV-affected children.

"At Habitat, our logo says it all: a Home with a Heart," Chanintr pointed out, "and we're very excited and grateful to the celebrities who donated their time. Our theme is 'Bigger Than Life', and these people have shown that their generosity is indeed bigger than life."