AFTER OVER SEVEN DECADES OF ITS DEPARTMENT STORE AND RETAIL BUSINESS’S SUCCESSFUL REIGN, CENTRAL GROUP RETURNS TO ITS ORIGIN, OPENING THEIR DOORS TO WELCOME CUSTOMERS TO ITS FIRST HOME, CENTRAL: THE ORIGINAL STORE
TEXT: SUTEE NAKARAKORNKUL
PHOTO: DOF SKY|GROUND
(For Thai, press here)
After over seven decades of its department store and retail business’s successful reign, Central Group returns to its origin, opening their doors to welcome customers to its first home, Central: The Original Store, on Charoenkrung Road.
“When we started the project, we put a lot of thought into the format and style that would best fit the Charoenkrung spirit,” said Barom Bhicharnchitr, the fourth generation of the Chirathivat family to art4d about the genesis of the design regarding the multifunctional space inside the original five-story structure of an old shophouse where Central first operated its business back in 2493. The intention is to pay homage to the conception and history of Central and the Charoenkrung neighborhood all at the same time. Later, the idea became what Vincent Van Duysen, a Belgium-based studio, began to work with when developing the building’s program and design.
Consisting of five areas, Central: the Original Store houses a bookstore, which is reminiscent of the starting point of Central Trading as a small establishment selling imported used books and magazines. The bookstore naturally serves as a place for archival materials; The Kolophon Retail Library, a library that serves to unlock the know-hows of retail business in all aspects. The event and exhibition room that hosts temporary exhibitions with the current showcase features the many stories of Charoenkrung Road’s long-standing and evolving history. Other portions of the program include Aksorn, the new restaurant by David Thompson and SIWILAI Café, which occupies the renovated two-story ancient house. Situated in the middle of the program is a lovely little courtyard that connects all the functional spaces together.
There are several other details about the design. The façade is clad with handmade ceramic tiles from Lampang province, inspired by the architectural characteristic of Central Chidlom, one of Central’s most iconic flagship stores, to the details of the wood beams of the bookstore’s ceiling that intentionally mimic the original’s building structural composition.
