A Crafty Addition to Chiang Mai’s Old City

With the opening of Kalm Village, Thailand’s creative capital welcomes the craft-centric community space it was missing

Home to old wicker-weaving communities, indigo dyers and next-gen ceramicists, Chiang Mai is widely regarded as the capital of Thailand’s art and crafts scene. But it was missing a space that tied it all together, a platform for both traditional crafts and contemporary interpretations that brings art, design, food and culture under one roof. Kalm Village, opened in May 2021, aims to fill in that gap.

Located between the ruined temples of Chiang Mai’s moated Old City, Kalm Village is a well-executed exercise in cultural storytelling. Through a permanent collection of wickerwork, ceramics, textiles and jewellery and a roster of art and crafts workshops and exhibitions, it tells the fascinating story of artisanship in Thailand and beyond. But it doesn’t stop there: with its home-style restaurant, library, textile archive and concept store (and soon, artist-in-residency programme), the creative hub delivers a tangible and holistic overview of Thai creativity in all its facets.

‘It's a product of our love and passion for not only preserving but continuing to develop the traditions of art and crafts in Thailand,’ says creative director Achariyar Rojanapirom, who co-founded Kalm Village with her brother. ‘We grew up in a traditional Thai house and have always been surrounded by crafts in all forms, from my mother’s extensive textiles collection to her stories of meeting craftspeople from all around the world. We learned the importance of preserving these objects and traditions, not only because of their artistic value, but their invaluable details about our ways of life.’

Like its workshops and exhibitions, Kalm Village’s architecture and interiors are a celebration of modern and traditional Thai design. The high gable roof, built with upcycled teak from derelict Thai houses, is an obvious touch, but the blueprint references vernacular designs and philosophies throughout. Like a classical Thai home, Kalm comprises multiple houses that each serve a different function, linked by communal courtyards where families would traditionally gather for shared activities.

The masonry of the walls, laid with handmade bricks, reflects motifs found in traditional wickerwork, as well as denoting each room’s function. Walls in Kalm Kitchen restaurant, for example, riff on patterns found on woven sticky rice containers. Moreover, every building is festooned with its own distinct symbol (a peacock or fish, say) inspired by the auspicious plants and animals that have influenced Thai crafts throughout history. ‘The design process was interesting, because we were the client and the designer,’ Rojanapirom says, referring to the collaboration with her family’s architecture studio, Bangkok-based Urban, which oversaw the construction.

‘But my favourite design features weren’t part of the construction drawings. They were added on site by the constructors and craftspeople during the construction process,’ she adds, pointing out the fish carvings hidden around the restaurant and the wooden spiral staircase in the gallery, constructed without nails following traditional joinery techniques. ‘These collaborative processes reflect the quintessential Kalm spirit, where we learn from each other’s experience and expertise to create something together.’

Text / Chris Schalkx
Images / DOF Sky|Ground