GET TO KNOW BLUE IN GREEN, WITH A WORK THAT IS A SILENT DIALOGUE BETWEEN FLOWERS, ROCKS, AND CULTURE THAT CONNECTS PEOPLE
TEXT & PHOTO: BLUE IN GREEN
(For Thai, press here)
WHO
I’m Thyme Neelaphanakul—also known as Blue in Green, a botanical and materials artist.
WHAT
An artist who works with plants, flowers, and natural materials.
WHEN
Since 2019, during the early days of COVID.
WHERE
I work from my home studio on Lan Luang Road, Bangkok.
WHY
I started out arranging flowers, but as time passed, the work evolved alongside me. I fell in love with nature, with people, and with the cultures reflected through plants. That’s why I now consider myself more an artist than a floral designer.
How do you define your own style of work?
Chaos in Order. At first glance, my work might seem like a spontaneous collection of materials—like a flower arrangement with tangled lines of plants and blooms placed in a single vase. But behind that apparent messiness is a carefully planned grid. Each and every element has its place.
What inspires you and what principles do you apply to each project?
People and the way they live. I’m often inspired by everyday culture—ordinary things we see all the time. These influences are rarely spelled out in my work, but they’re always present. I try to find ways to let both the stories and the materials speak. Even though I work with natural elements, there are still endless ways to reshape and reinterpret them.
Which project are you most proud of and why?
A piece I call ‘Stopping Stone’—though it wasn’t technically a project. I made it as a gift for Kong, the owner of Ku Bar. It was just a stone and some rope, but for me, it encapsulated everything I try to do: the quiet beauty of natural materials, combined with craftwork that subtly enhances them. It was simple, functional, and, to me, very beautiful. After that, I started getting commissions that involved working with stone, which opened up new creative territory beyond floral work.
Which part of the process do you enjoy the most during work?
The crafting. I love working with my hands—touching materials, folding, arranging, bending them into form. The conceptual phase is often stressful and ideas are all over the place. But once I begin crafting, especially repetitive actions, it becomes almost therapeutic.
If you could invite any ‘creative’ for a coffee, who would it be and why?
I’d love to go far back in time and meet Sen no Rikyū, the tea master who designed tea rooms for the Japanese tea ceremony. His philosophy and aesthetics have deeply influenced me, from something large-scale like landscapes to the small details inside a teacup.
