Going Places

An oasis , a getaway, a place to feel at home.

Spanning over 7,000 sqm, the Astrid Klein-designed Open House at Central Embassy Mall has redefined the definition of modern lifestyle retail-tainment.

It is a lifestyle retail hub that features an array of dining options, galleries, pop-ups, library and stimulating work space. It feels like a co-working space that is enhanced with retail and lifestyle components.

It offers a space for patrons to pause, take a break and rejuvenate. This encourages patrons to hang around for a longer time, which potentially turn into higher spending at Open House.

The architect worked the magic to make the restaurants visible from a distance by making them look like totems, well hidden the kitchen hoods and ventilation ducts and enclosed many of the columns and reduced their visual impact.

The towers are clad in a variety of timber fretwork patterns, serving the purpose of changing the way light passes through the towers as you navigate through the space. Mirrored panels on the ceiling around the towers make them appear to extend beyond the space and also break down the large scale of the ceiling.

Open House Bookstore by Hardcover

The bookstore element is linear and a path with reading stops along the way weaves its way through the space. A tall book tower anchors the bookshop at one end of the space, and a large double height library wall wraps around at the other end. The bookstore seamlessly integrates into the bar and restaurant spaces and allows people to browse freely.

Shane Suvikapakornkul, the man behind Open House Bookstore by Hardcover played a significantly important role in curating a bookstore dedicated to art books that is home to some of the most comprehensive selections in the region.

The whole concept in the beginning was to celebrate print culture. So not only will you find rare and out-of-print books here, but there is a great emphasis on everything about print and paper. For instance, there’s a corner showcasing beautiful papers from Japan and Thailand. There is also a workshop space here for activities like paper dyeing or book binding.

Art Tower 

Sits under the main roof light, which contains a small gallery and a look-out surrounded by trees on top. The internal gallery forms an intimate space within the Open house for art exhibitions. Externally the tower has illuminated shelves for displays and large plain surfaces for future art exhibitions and installations.

The greenhouse

A co-working space which is located behind the book wall. It is quieter and feels more secluded. An ideal space for working and a suite of meeting rooms. Food and drinks from any one of the restaurants can be ordered and delivered to your desk.

The Central Embassy complex is in a surprisingly leafy area of Bangkok, overlooking the British Embassy complex on one side and more green tree tops on the other. The landlord was inspired by that and came up with the idea to extend this notion of greenery inside. The impact of the extensive white ceiling was significantly cushioned by a pattern of leaves that spreads cross the whole space. The 9,600 leaves were hand painted over a series of 6 weeks and collectively create an amazing art work, an iconic and memorable element of the space.