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Published on August 24, 2007

Four Pattana managing director Pramote Teerakul decided to demolish his existing home and build a new one. So how does it look, this house for the owner of a home-building firm, when Pramote has spent decades building houses for others and has every service and industry professional within call?

Significantly, it cost him Bt30 million. It is built on 300 square wah of land in Soi Lat Prakaew 10 in Bangkok's Chatuchak district, and half of the total cost went towards interior design.

Pramote says he didn't simply want a new home, but rather a home office that would serve his business expansion in the future.

"My idea was to build a home office with more functions, in order to serve my family's demands and support my business. I asked my architect and interior designer to build a home office to match my idea," he says.

Four Pattana's special architect, Rujlaphus Phenphaijit, who designed the building, says the first step, as usual, was to learn both the nature of the home-owner's business and the kind of activities to be pursued in the home office.

"Pramote's idea needed a more functional home to serve his family's activities, and he also wanted a green area. As a result, the home office has five storeys: the first three are the office area, and the next two are home space."

With total floor space of 2,000 square metres, Rujlaphus allocated 500 square metres on the fourth and fifth floors to be the family's home, with 100 square metres was set aside as a garden, or green area, within that space.

Rujlaphus says that when a green area is provided on a rooftop, the architect must design strength into the structure, so that it carries a weight of 1 tonne per square metre. Normally, a conventional floor needs to carry less than half of that. Therefore, if a rooftop green area is needed, a home-owner must tell his architect what he has in mind, because the building structure and water system must both be strong enough to cope.

Meanwhile, Pramote was also concerned about saving energy costs, so small concrete blocks called cellocrete were fixed on top of the roof to provide insulation from the direct heat of the sun, reducing the temperature inside the building and cutting back on electricity bills.

The theme for designing the home office involved creating an interior that was close to nature, so more than half of the walls are glass, providing a direct relationship with the world outside.

During the design stages on the home office's architecture, Four Pattana Interior managing director Pimpaga Prakunpavong was called in to combine his talents with those of the architect.

The main idea for the home office's interior design, Pimpaga says, was modern style with simplicity, functionality and closeness to nature. Decorating the interior was a matter of contrasting textures, with wood, stainless steel, sandstone and glass.

On the third floor, the main entrance to the home area above is marked by a wall of sandstone blocks, with their sandy texture matching the stainless steel and wood of the staircase.

Opposite the sandstone wall, on a mid-level between the fourth and fifth floors, the designer has provided a prayer room that is dominated by a wall painting depicting the life of the Buddha. Soft overhead lighting creates a feeling of peace.

The fourth floor has two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a living room and a modern tropical garden.

The 100-square-metre rooftop garden features stone blocks, tropical plants, a fountain, a small waterfall, and a pavilion that can be used for small parties with family and friends.

A long glass wall separates the living room from the garden, giving the feeling of being part of the outdoors, even when it is raining.

The designer has selected white as the main interior colour, matching with the different surface textures of sandstone, stainless steel and wood.

Pimpaga says when the theme for decorating a home is "modern style" but the home-owner wants a feeling of simplicity, then the designer must mix and match between different textures.

"Our design is aimed at looking simple but with a smart feeling that matches the home-owner's character. We selected earth tones to match the natural raw materials, such as wood and stone, while trying to reflect a modern lifestyle with stainless-steel artworks," Pimpaga explains.

Pramote has set up the fifth floor of his home office as a fitness and work area to serve both his work and relaxing hours.

"The idea for my house is to serve my business and my family's lifestyle. The home office with its rooftop garden is the answer to my ideas, and it fulfils my life after working hard for more than 20 years," Pramote says.

Somluck Srimalee

The Nation