Household Department, started to build a Thai-style house alongside a klong in what was then an idyllic rural area of Sukhumvit Road. Comprising four teak houses brought from Ayutthaya province which are now over 100 years old, the houses are arranged in a square connected by a wide, spacious chan-ban verandah. Another Thai house on the ground level was a later addition, built for one of the sons.
The Bunnag residence is significant as a rare example of a traditional building that is still lived in as the contemporary home of an aristocratic family. The family of Tula Bunnag are the direct descendants of Chao P'raya Suriyawongse Bunnag, an important figure in Thai history who was the formidable Regent of Siam during the minority of King Chulalongkorn (Rama V).
The upper rooms of the main house are used as bedrooms, and there is also one formal reception room with a Buddha room annex. A skylight opening cut in the middle of the chan-ban verandah allows sunlight to shine on to a fish pond in the open-air space used as the living and dining area beneath the chan-ban verandah.
In keeping with the classic Thai house layout, the open-air chan-ban verandah, lower living area and uncovered outdoor staircases tend to leave the residence exposed to nature's elements. This is wonderful when breezes circulate during hot days, but when a thunder storm breaks out, it is another matter. "People always ask me what we do when it rains," says Khun Tula's widow Khun Chancham, a writer noted for interpreting the English edition of M.R. Kukrit Pramoj's most famous novel, The Four Reigns. "And I always tell them, well everything gets wet, of course."
A house on ground level was a later addition as the family grew. The decorative panels beneath the windows were carved by Tula Bunnag.
The house as seen from the leafy garden.
In the reception room, a carved manuscript cabinet depicts Buddha's flight from the palace. Resting atop a day bed, a mother-of-pearl tray holds a betel nut set and offering bowl crafted by Tula Bunnag. On the wall hangs a photo of two of King Rama V's sons.
Above a gold-and-black lacquer manuscript chest, a portrait of the formidable family ancestor, Chao P'raya Suriyawongse Bunnag, looks out over an arrangement of poom, the classic ceremonial floral decorations that are meant to resemble a budding lotus. Beneath the window is a bronze sculpture of the same ancestor, along with family photos including one of Khun Tula with the present monarch, and an heirloom sword.
A view into the Buddha room, a classic feature of an upper-class house. The pot on the left is a traditional Mon terracotta water jar.
A type of altar known as attachan stands beside a traditional dressing table. In the foreground a mother-of-pearl inlay tray holds a set of antique Bencharong dishes.
A collection of Tula Bunnag's mother-of-pearl creations on display with the chan-ban verandah behind.
Particularly large chan-ban verandahs such as this one normally have a central skylight opening to accommodate a shady tree. This one allows sunlight to fall onto a fish pond beneath.
Reflecting the family's history, the sprawling Bunnag residence is stuffed full with heirlooms of Thai antiquity, decorative wood carvings, delicately crafted mother-of-pearl inlay objects that Khun Tula carved as his hobby, as well as people and animals spilling over each other in the course of everyday life. Exquisite Thai antiquities form the backdrop to the family's daily life, merging into the living space with a casual familiarity derived from a shared history over many generations.
True to tradition, the open-air ground level beneath the chan-ban verandah is used as a dining room and sitting area that opens onto the garden, providing easy access for the influx of plants, animals and friends. "An authentic Thai house is supposed to be messy and lived in," chuckles son Khun Tew Bunnag, as a gleaming rooster struts across the dining-room floor, followed by several cocker spaniels. "Daily life creates clutter. This isn't a museum, it's a real Thai home."
Exterior view of the Red Palace as seen from the museum's lush garden. This building is a reduced scale replica of a former royal palace called Tamnak Daeng that is now located in the National Museum.
The Prasart Museum
The Prasart Museum, located on Krungthep Kreetha Road on the outskirts of Bangkok, was built to house owner Prasart Vongsakul's collection of Thai prehistoric artefacts, Buddha images, pottery, Thai furniture, paintings and porcelain. An avid collector who had been amassing objects for 20 years before he started building his museum in 1980, Khun Prasart realised that many of Thailand's most precious objets d'art had been taken abroad by foreign collectors. Concerned that the country was losing its artistic heritage, he hoped to preserve these objects in Thailand for the benefit of future generations.
To provide a classical setting for the collection, the museum calls on a variety of buildings, each an example of classical Thai architecture. They include a temple designed by the owner, a teakwood library or hor kaeow set on stilts over a pond in the traditional manner, and a Lan Na pavilion, among others.
The highlight of the museum is the Red Palace, modelled after the original Tamnak Daeng now located in Bangkok's National Museum, which was built as a royal residence for a princess during the reign of Rama II. The original palace is 200 years old and upon seeing its dilapidated condition, the owner decided to replicate the building, lest the original fall into ruin. The replica is built to a smaller scale than the original and is made of rare golden teakwood and crafted by artisans from all over Thailand. Some parts, such as the pillars and doors, are antiques sourced from old temples. The building is sectioned into three rooms; a main sitting room, a bedroom, and a smaller room that probably served as a dressing room in the old days.
The main sitting room inside the Red Palace houses mostly Thai objects from the Ayutthaya and early Ratanakosin periods. On the left, a display cabinet on top of a carved Thai table is a rare example of a style of furniture that was used only by royalty. An 18th-century Thai temple carving of the Hindu god Vishnu on top of a garuda is displayed atop a manuscript cabinet in an extraordinary style that is intricately carved in wood and retouched in gold. In the corner is a 19th-century Thai monk's pulpit, used for preaching sermons. To the right is an enormous 19th-century Chinese decorative screen, carved in wood and covered with gold leaf. The standing and reclining Buddha figures, as well as the figure of the seated monk in the foreground are 19th-century Burmese from the Mandalay period. Paintings on window shutters was not a traditional Thai custom, but the painted shutters in the Red Palace are a creative touch added by the owner.
