Home tour: An opulent holiday home in Phuket, Thailand with views of the Andaman Sea

One of its residents is an English couple in their sixties, who purchased one of the Trisara villas 20 years prior as a holiday retreat and base in Asia, when the wife used to travel to Thailand regularly for work.

“The owners are long standing clients of Thorp, whom we worked together on three different properties before,” says Philippa Thorp, Founder and Director of London-based studio Thorp Design that was in charge redesigning the couple’s holiday property that spreads over 7,400 sq ft.

“Initially, they asked for my advice on soft furnishings, and from there, the project grew into a full architectural refurbishment,” she adds. “Our styles were completely aligned, partly because we’d already worked together on other projects. I knew we would enjoy the creative process and challenges of designing this stunning project.”

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With a traditional Thai vernacular architectural style mixed with Western necessities and sensibilities to appeal to a global market, the H-shaped property features a series of eight villa units with Thai-style roofs, each with a double bedroom, an ensuite and a dressing room that can accommodate up to 16 guests in total.

Later additions to the property include three swimming pools, a cinema room and a gym—all connected via outdoor terraces with sunken seating areas, and an open-air bar where guests can help themselves to drinks and snacks at any given time of the day.

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“When I first visited the property, it was very heavy and not particularly restful,” Thorp recalls. “Whilst there is a lightness to Thai design, it can also feature quite bold and dramatic colours.”

The clients requested for a fresh, light-filled and relaxing space that is more harmonious with the airy, surrounding nature of indigenous vegetation and the Andaman’s ethereal waters.

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A richer and more inviting dark palette replaces the original orange roofs and ceilings, whereas warm, honeyed walnut floors are put in place of the preceding stained dark wood flooring, grounding the space, and acting as a stronger contrast against the white pebble walls.

“Understanding the environment was key to designing a space that felt completely sympathetic to Thai culture and style, whilst also offering Western sensibilities,” the interior designer explains. “As soon as you step into the villa, you are drawn to look out of the windows, and admire the incredible views surrounding the property.”

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Thorp worked closely with local Thai craftspeople, builders and gardeners to bring the space to life. Antique furnishings with a Thai aesthetic sourced from local markets peppered the compound, while Thai garments and timber as wall art added character.

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These characteristic notes are paired with the use of pale and muted tones for linen upholstery and fabric-panelled wardrobes and walls, adding texture throughout the villa with a persisting fresh and light atmosphere.

“It conveys a Thai feel whilst still adding modernity and softness of sound to the space,” says Thorp.

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Besides creating spaces that seamlessly blend the ancient and the modern to stand the test of time, Thorp is also mindful of the guest’s experience while staying for a tropical escape.

“While every person staying has their own space, they should also feel comfortable and at ease without always depending on their hosts to be looked after,” Thorp elaborates.

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Besides tones of green and blue in the form of furnishings and rugs in each room to uplift the off-white base, practicality is integrated too, such as movable screens installed in some bedrooms for versatility, creating distinct zones within a seamless environment.

“There is a lovely internal garden, which one bathroom in the original house looked out onto through a window. I loved this feature, as it let so much natural light into the space,” Thorp shares. “So, we built the other bathrooms to mirror this and designed glass ceilings for the showers to maximise the light streaming into the space.”

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