SPEAKING WITH TARITH THAIYANONT FROM ABOUT HOME ABOUT THE WOOD, THE MATERIAL THAT HOLDS A SPECIAL PLACE IN HIS HEART, AND HIS REVIVAL OF FINE AMERICAN HARDWOOD SCRAPS INTO FURNITURE
TEXT: NATHANICH CHAIDEE
PHOTO COURTESY OF ABOUT HOME
(For Thai, press here)
About Home is a wooden furniture brand with a well-known reputation that practically everyone in Thailand’s wooden furniture industry is familiar with. Founded by Jesada and Orathai Thaiyanont, the brand has been in the Thai furniture factory and retailer business for fifteen years.
As About Home’s factory was starting its operations, Tarith Thaiyanont, the nine-year-old son of the two founders, was running around the facility. He witnessed firsthand his parents’ love and expertise in design, and along the way he developed his skills and knowledge in furniture-making through his own personal experience, actual practice, and appreciation for the beauty of furniture. With his father being the primary inspiration and supporter in this pursuit, Tarith has been given opportunities to actively experiment and accumulate knowledge from highly skilled artisans working at his family’s factory.
Tarith Thaiyanont
Through trials and errors, he began to develop a passion for design and a deeper understanding of it, gaining knowledge and techniques through one-on-one lessons and real-life experiences at the factory. Tarith has always been driven to explore and seek out knowledge beyond the realm of furniture design. It led him to pursue a study in interior design at Rangsit University. It was then and there that the theoretical knowledge he had been learning in university classrooms finally came together with the practical experience that he had acquired throughout his life.
“My father does not teach me by telling me what to do. He encourages me to learn by through my hands, by talking to the craftsmen in the factory, by making my own mistakes.” Tarith shared with us how the theories he was learning in class had a significant impact on expanding his imagination in design. “Learning by actions is better than just theory. I’m going to design school to learn theory and I apply it to my family’s business.”
About Home’s design creations primarily feature wood, the material that holds a special place in Tarith’s heart. “Wood helps us to create furniture with emotions. The natural grain, the imperfection of the wood, the holes are a reflection of human nature – we are not perfect, and embracing the flaws makes the furniture reflect reality and therefore feels human.” The sentiment eventually inspired Tarith to officially join the family business four years ago whilst pursuing his degree using American hardwoods.
“American hardwoods have quality, texture, and grain which are timeless.” Tarith has always appreciated the physical characteristics of every piece of wood, even the leftover scraps from manufacturing processes that have been repurposed. He has adopted a sustainable mindset and utilized it to steer his family’s business towards sustainability, incorporating design as a means to effectively optimize the use of every piece of wood.
About Home has found a way to give new life to wooden scraps by using creative design methods. Examples include pendant lights that Tarith’s father created using American walnut or small pieces of American white oak used to embellish the legs of the table, creating beautiful shadows and silhouettes in the process.
“We know the origin. It’s about being responsible designers,” Tarith commented. “Sustainability is important. We are trying to push our design to an international level so we are looking for holistic, circular loop design. We not only make furniture but what we do with the rest is as important as ”furniture, since the entire process of furniture production is equally significant,” says Tarith.
The value, beauty, and aspect of sustainability are among the reasons behind About Home’s use of American hardwoods. The materials do not only enhance the creative and functional aspect of design but also allow for the unique identity and expertise of Thai artisans to be encapsulated and ultimately appreciated on a global level. Ultimately, that is the goal that Tarith has for the future of ‘About Home.’
