where to find quality unique furniture chiang mai?

[wisemonkey]

Im looking to redecorate the place a bit, wondering good places to find nice furniture around chiang mai?

I got my eye on one of these pit style sofas, anyone seen these around chiang mai?

[masuk]

neat bit of furniture. I'd have troubles getting out of it!

INDEX furniture comes to mind, or you could head south 20km to the craft village, (Baan Tawai) where they make a lot of furniture to order and for export.

[roger1999]

These guys made some custom made furniture for me but it was not a sofa. They might or might not be able to help you:

http://www.thaibamboo.com/?p=gallery

[wisemonkey]

neat bit of furniture. I'd have troubles getting out of it!

INDEX furniture comes to mind, or you could head south 20km to the craft village, (Baan Tawai) where they make a lot of furniture to order and for export.

Thanks, i just googled baan tawai, looks amazing, nice little gem here in chiang mai, appreciate that info being just a newbie here. haha the idea is to swim out of those couches, just ultimate relax place, put some music on and have a drink and sink in, or movie with the misses, basically just like a big bean bag for adults!

Edited April 28, 2015 by wisemonkey

[NancyL]

Index would be a good place to start. If you don't see something you like (the place is big -- you'll probably see something), then you can visit Gerard which is probably going to be pricier for a custom-made piece.

[Vogele123]

Baan Tawai is one place to look however, over the years it has become an almost ghost town and they bump the prices to make up for the lack of customers. If you come down highway 108 from the city, start looking on your left hand side about 2km before the Baan Tawai turn off, there are some shops there that sell pretty unique furniture.

Secondly, go straight on past Baan tawai turn off and follow the 108 past San Patong and there are a couple of decent shops about 2km past the traffic lights in San Patong on the opposite side of the road. If you want anything specific you can PM me as I have been friends with a lady that has a few shops in Baan Tawai and also some nice teak shops too. (No I am not on commission - but if it helps you it helps her - like I say, things have been a bit tight in Baan Tawai the past few years, she is a lot more flexible than a lot of the shopkeepers down that way)

[1FinickyOne]

I have not seen anything like that here - it does not look that comfortable - just get an oversized bed -- you can find someone to custom make something in Baan Tawai but they are mostly wood workers and that seems more upholstered so there might be 2 places needed...

good luck.

If not, look at some of the L shaped couches that allow you to stretch out...

[eyecatcher]

if you can get those custom made; I suggest the wine bottle recesses are incorporated on the inside.

a bit of a stretch otherwise

[ChangMaiSausage]

We bought most of our furniture in Baan Tawai over the last twelve months, as pointed out things seems to be very quiet there at the moment, however the prices we received are very reasonable.

Take your pictures with you I'm sure someone will accommodate you and I would prefer a handmade piece than one from Index

[maybefitz]

Past Lamphun on the Bangkok road, there is a turn left to Baan Maa (horse, high tone). The whole village is furniture making; and mostly standard junk. However, if you ask around, one can find some real craft workshops that can tackle anything to order. Takes some exploring to dig out the value stuff.

[wisemonkey]

Wow some great info in this thread, appreciate the responses a lot, will do some exploring around those areas mentioned!

[konisaan]

Index and Boonthavorn have some quality sofa's and other furniture and accessories. Prices aren't cheap.

However if you are after really unusual furnishings and accessories (although you won't find sofa's like that there) check out Machuda lighting (strangely named because they do a lot more than just lighting). Their sticker prices are high but they frequently discount 30-40%.

You should be able to find all of them by Googling but PM me if you need details.

[Oscar2]

Past Lamphun on the Bangkok road, there is a turn left to Baan Maa (horse, high tone). The whole village is furniture making; and mostly standard junk. However, if you ask around, one can find some real craft workshops that can tackle anything to order. Takes some exploring to dig out the value stuff.

i would suggest taking someone with you who knows people there and can help you locate where anything of quality may be. otherwise you will find 95% junk - cheap furniture that will fall apart in no time.

[masuk]

Past Lamphun on the Bangkok road, there is a turn left to Baan Maa (horse, high tone). The whole village is furniture making; and mostly standard junk. However, if you ask around, one can find some real craft workshops that can tackle anything to order. Takes some exploring to dig out the value stuff.

i would suggest taking someone with you who knows people there and can help you locate where anything of quality may be. otherwise you will find 95% junk - cheap furniture that will fall apart in no time.

Read the reviews about some of the furniture shops, as one person complained that their furniture was shipped back to the USA, and a few months later, it turned out to be laminated, and it was peeling off!

Another problem with teak is that when it dries out, it cracks very badly. Taking it back to Australia or Europe or the USA will be too dry for most teak furniture, unless it's well and truly seasoned. If it's for use in Asia. no problems.

[Mousehound]

Timber moisture is a problem. You can buy a moisture tester at big hardware shops. Measure the moisture in the room the furniture will be placed - with aircon on if you run an aircon and with dehumidifier etc. You then need to get furniture made from timber that is dried to that level. Typically furniture timber in Australia (mentioned by previous post) is 11-15% but each room is different. This is why furniture made in the tropics falls apart in Australia as it dries out. Or you can raise the humidity in your home. It is not necessarily that the timber is poor or poor manufacture, rather the moisture levels don't match. A craftsperson will know this. If they understand when you talk to them then this is a good hint they know what they are doing, if they don't want to know then I would talk to someone else, But I am talking about a serious bit of furniture and something that will be worth having for years and will have a suitable price attached.

[NancyL]

Yes, there is good info on this thread. We had a beautiful teak piece made in Thailand in the early 1980s that cracked within a year during the winter heating season in Michigan. Hadn't really thought about it, but it probably would have done just fine here in the tropics.

Now that we're retired, on a budget and get bored with the look in the condo every few years the low-end stuff from Index and finds from Chang Moi Rd. are just fine. We're no longer buying furniture that we want to last for "a lifetime". 3 or 4 years and then set it out in the hallway for the building staff to find once it starts to look dingy or like the cats have had too much fun with it.

(the cats would have W-A-Y too much fun with the OP's adult playpen! It's a giant scratching post.)

[Leonardo Madison]

The price for a standard western style sofa is expensive compared to prices in western countries. The large bed / sofa looks elegant but the cost must exceed > 60,000฿

[NancyL]

Like I said - start at Index. They offer a range of prices, from budget to high end.

[rawhod]

The title of this thread includes"quality unique furniture" and people are suggesting Index...

Try looking in Chiangmai Tusnaporn, on the 1006, Charoen Muang Road, for real quality. They won't have a play-sofa/bed, but they do have quality

https://www.google.co.th/maps/place/Chiangmai+Tusnaporn+Co.,LTD./@18.78165,99.035998,3a,75y,7.65h,90t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1slqWnNiGDwQLKQteAAVx_wA!2e0!4m2!3m1!1s0x30da25608ba71427:0xc433ad6792ebed3?hl=en

[Mousehound]

The title of this thread includes"quality unique furniture" and people are suggesting Index...

Try looking in Chiangmai Tusnaporn, on the 1006, Charoen Muang Road, for real quality. They won't have a play-sofa/bed, but they do have quality

https://www.google.co.th/maps/place/Chiangmai+Tusnaporn+Co.,LTD./@18.78165,99.035998,3a,75y,7.65h,90t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1slqWnNiGDwQLKQteAAVx_wA!2e0!4m2!3m1!1s0x30da25608ba71427:0xc433ad6792ebed3?hl=en

Very ornate and I don't think it fits with the OP's style. But shows that if you want real quality you will need to pay for it. I make most of my own "collectable" furniture nowadays. But I have taught furniture making for the last thirteen years. It is a rewarding exercise, if you have the time. Maybe I should start a new topic - on starting up a "men's shed" in CM?