THE THAI FURNITURE BRAND ‘PODIUM’ LAUNCHES THE 2021-2022 COLLECTION IN COLLABORATION WITH ATELIER 2+ WITH THE CONCEPT “THE TIMELESS DESIGN OF EAST AND WEST”. THE RESULT IS A FURNITURE COLLECTION THAT IS STYLISTICALLY UNIVERSAL YET DISTINCTIVELY ENCAPSULATES THE SPIRIT OF ORIENTAL AESTHETICS
TEXT: PICHAPOHN SINGNIMITTRAKUL
PHOTO COURTESY OF PODIUM
(For Thai, press here)
‘It’s because we believe in the design principle that furniture isn’t just a home decoration item but a tool that can actually bring a different experience to each user,’ is a brief statement that Ada Chirakranont and Worapong Manupipatpong of Atelier 2+ told us about why they find the Thai furniture brand, Podium, so interesting. Their collaboration with the brand for the 2021-2022 collection named ‘NEORIENT’ is an intriguing clash between Eastern craftsmanship and characters, and the spirit of Scandinavian Design. Conceived is a furniture collection that is stylistically universal yet distinctively encapsulates the spirit of oriental aesthetics. “The timeless design of East and West” is the genesis of NEORIENT’s design concept, which perfectly encompasses the functional aspect and caters to users’ contemporary lifestyles and living spaces. Not only that, Podium intends for every material and element of design to meaningfully convey their interpretation of timeless beauty.
Every piece of furniture from the collection is meticulously translated and realized, from inspiration to unpredictable designs that incorporate high quality materials to deliver the most immaculate production process and final products. Podium chooses US-imported oakwood for its superior physical properties, and highly durable, patterned, authentic leather for the pieces in the collection, which comprise of a number of chairs and tables and a bed, each distinctively reflective of NEORIENT’s East-West amalgamation.
NEORIENT Chair-01
The chair sees interesting and quintessential details of antique Asian furniture with a delicate looking wooden backrest. The design comes with two variations. ‘NEORIENT Chair-01’ is a relatively large dining chair with connected backrest and armrests made of one single piece of wood using the steam bending technique, resulting in the seamless details and ergonomic properties that appropriately support users’ body proportions. The piece is an ideal dining chair with oriental elements of an antique Chinese chair that unabashedly embraces modernity.
NEORIENT Chair-02
‘NEORIENT Chair-02’ may be smaller in size but still does a magnificent job in accommodating users’ body proportions. The chair stands out with its use of one single piece of wood, bent into a perfectly unified mass where the backrest and seat are seamlessly joined together with the curved part supporting users’ postures comfortably just like NEORIENT Chair-01. Users can choose between a leather and wooden seat, whichever suits their preferences and daily usage.
NEORIENT Lounge Chair-01
The collection reflects Podium’s understanding in the diversity of young generation consumers’ lifestyles with the inclusion of ‘NEORIENT Lounge Chair-01.’ The design completes the comfort of daily resting with the chair’s structure’s meticulous joinery and unique characteristic of Eastern craftsmanship.
NEORIENT Table-01
NEORIENT Side Table-01
For the larger pieces in the collection, Podium purposefully designs the ‘NEORIENT Table-01’ to be extra oversized compared to other models of the brand’s tables, embracing the aesthetic and functional elements of antique furniture in Asia. The design of the table’s leg structure incorporates certain details found in Asian architecture, revealing the marriage between the intricate Eastern craftsmanship and contemporary lines and silhouettes, making NEORIENT Table-01 more fitting with decoration styles and functionality of modern homes. Podium also designs a multifunctional table, ‘NEOREINT Side Table-01,’ which takes inspiration from antique Chinese ceramic chairs, encapsulating the collection’s concept that’s hugely derived from Asian cultures.
NEORIENT Bed-01
NEORIENT Bed-01
The size makes the piece a perfect addition to different corners of the house or an ideal bedside table for ‘NEORIENT Bed-01,’ the only bed model in the NEORIENT collection. The bed is available in both 5ft and 6ft sizes and are distinctive for the curved form of the headboard that takes inspiration from the architecture of Japanese Torii gates and the combined physical elements of wood and authentic leather, bringing a new experience to both users and their living space. NEORIENT offers three different wood colors, NEO Black, NEO Milk White and the special color of the collection, NEO Red while the CC leather comes in two color variations, Americano Black and Cointreau Royal.
This particular collection from Podium has all the appeals that craft enthusiasts and those with a special fondness for the East meet West aesthetics look for. The color palette and pieces from the NEORIENT collection offer various alternatives that can be mixed and matched with almost every decoration style, while the sizes, forms, materials and manufacturing processes are meticulously thought of and executed, creating furniture pieces with all the expected functional and aesthetic merits for every living space.
Find out more about NEORIENT Collection from the designers’ point of view at https://podium.co.th/category/neorient/.
Visit Podium Showroom to see actual pieces from the collection at https://goo.gl/maps/EQcZpEQjwywjb1MH9
or contact sales representatives via LINE: @podiumth
Official Facebook: facebook.com/Podiumth
Official Instagram: podium.furniture