EXPLORE PODIUM SHOWROOM THROUGH ITS NEW RENOVATION, WHERE THE ARCHITECTURAL ELEMENTS PRESENT NOT ONLY A MASTER IN WOODCRAFT BUT ALSO THE CONFIDENCE TO ENGAGE WITH CONTEMPORARY LIVING
TEXT: SARUNKORN ARTHAN
PHOTO: KETSIREE WONGWAN
(For Thai, press here)
Featured Product
ENDO LIGHTING
HOMEWORK FABRICS
BLUM
COTTO LIFE
_
PODIUM, the Thai wooden furniture brand that has earned international recognition through its sustained and serious commitment to original design, once again makes a significant move with the transformation of its showroom on Soi Sathorn 1. The existing space has been revisited and reinterpreted to challenge familiar perceptions of woodcraft, bringing together master-level expertise and innovations shaped by contemporary living. Lighting systems calibrated to the rhythms of the day, environmentally conscious materials, and an atmosphere designed with the user’s emotional experience in mind all come together to suggest that wood need not remain confined to the realm of craftsmanship alone. Instead, it can move seamlessly with the changing contours of modern life, quietly supporting a more thoughtful quality of living.
art4d spoke with Podjanarit Nimitkul, Design Director at PODIUM, about this important shift in direction. Previously, the brand had focused primarily on intensive R&D and the development of product innovation. Today, that emphasis extends to the creation of a more clearly articulated ‘ecosystem of feeling.’ For the management team, even the most accomplished wooden furniture cannot ultimately be separated from the environment in which it is placed. This renovation, therefore, marks an extension from the design of objects to the design of spatial experience, seeking to understand how masterfully crafted woodwork might shape the emotions of its users when situated within a deliberately composed atmosphere.
The central premise of the renovation lies in an attempt to create varied states of perception through architectural elements, from ceiling height and spatial width to the changing direction of natural light as it shifts throughout the day. The effect is not unlike the calibrated lighting of a stage set, where each angle is carefully adjusted to cast emphasis on the lead character in a given scene. Rather than illuminating every corner with uniform clarity, PODIUM chooses instead to highlight selected focal points through lighting fixtures designed to bring its own ‘protagonists’ into sharper view. Key brand partners form an important part of this composition, from ENDO Lighting, with its expanded spectrum of color rendering and refined fixture design, to the contemporary textile qualities of Homework Fabrics, the fluid functionality of Blum’s fittings, and innovative stone surfaces from COTTO LiFE. Together, these elements help visitors more readily envision possibilities before them through scenes drawn from the rhythms of everyday living.
The journey begins at the reception area, conceived as a space with an easy, relaxed, and welcoming atmosphere. Rather than densely filling the room with large furniture pieces, this part of the showroom channels the energy of craftsmanship through smaller objects from PODIUM Select, including vases, coffee cups, and a range of handmade items, alongside pet bowls from PODIUM Pets, which pair finely crafted oak bases with ceramic bowls sourced from different regions of Thailand. The presence of these smaller objects allows visitors to more vividly imagine such moments within the corners of their own homes, while also reflecting the value of craft as an integral part of PODIUM’s way of thinking.
Upon entering the first room on the eastern side, visitors encounter a key transition marked by a long expanse of glazing that welcomes the morning light in full. The gentle sunlight that washes across the space in the early hours softens the sharpness of contrast, allowing the tactile warmth of the wood to come through with particular naturalness. Here, PODIUM introduces a 3,500K light temperature from ENDO Lighting, a soft white tone that lends the room a sense of liveliness, while narrowly angled spotlights, positioned with precision, draw out the grain of the wood and bring the texture of Homework Fabrics’ pet-friendly textiles into focus with quiet sophistication.
The sequence continues with the CANE room, conceived as a calm and enclosed setting. Its ceiling is lowered to just 2.5 meters, creating an atmosphere that brings the sliced bentwood and woven rattan pieces of the CANE collection into sharper prominence. As one of PODIUM’s signature collections and among the original designs that have carried the Thai brand onto the international stage, CANE is given a setting that feels both intimate and deliberate. Though enclosed, the room incorporates a subtle play of light through ENDO Lighting’s Synca collection, which simulates the shifting qualities of natural daylight over the course of the day. This is further complemented by the rhythm of doors articulated with turned wood detailing, reinforcing the strength of the brand’s Thai design DNA.
A striking contrast emerges upon entering the ENSO room, an open space on the western side defined by a 3.5-meter ceiling. Conceived to evoke the atmosphere of an afternoon gathering, the room embraces a more dramatic interplay of light and shadow. Its sense of refinement is supported by Blum’s Pocket Door system, which allows the kitchen frontage to disappear seamlessly from view in an instant. This is paired with stone surfaces from COTTO LiFE, developed to diffuse light softly rather than scatter it through glare, creating a balanced dialogue with the surrounding wooden furniture.
The journey through the PODIUM showroom concludes in the ‘dark-toned room,’ an enclosed space scaled to evoke the proportions of a contemporary condominium with a ceiling height of 2.8 meters. Here, darker-toned furniture is presented against black walls to create an atmosphere of privacy, akin to a hidden bar or a listening room for vinyl records. Even so, the technique of simulating natural light remains in place, allowing the darkness to retain depth and gradation rather than feeling overly dense or sealed off. The result not only invites visitors to encounter the furniture within a markedly different setting, but also begins to loosen the long-held association of woodwork with pale tones alone. At the same time, it reveals a brand increasingly willing to propose spatial experiences that are more distinct and more emotionally resonant.
This transformation of the showroom reveals a brand with the confidence to move beyond the boundaries of its own expertise in woodcraft, engaging more deeply with the increasing complexity of contemporary living. In this sense, the space functions almost as a guide, inviting visitors to reconsider how wooden furniture from a brand with more than four decades of experience like PODIUM can shift the emotional tenor of a home when placed under the right light and paired, with careful balance, alongside modern materials, turning an ordinary living environment into a place of repose shaped by aesthetic sensitivity.
Ultimately, what this showroom offers is not simply a beautiful chair or a well-crafted table. It opens up new possibilities for imagining one’s own home through the deliberate orchestration of atmosphere that PODIUM has so carefully brought into being. The renovation stands as a quiet but persuasive demonstration that internationally minded design by Thai makers can extend far beyond function alone. It is also the design of ‘feeling,’ and it is this very quality that allows a living space to become a setting where happiness, calm, and shared living can unfold.
Visit the PODIUM showroom at Soi Sathorn 1.
Open daily from 10.00 AM to 7.00 PM.
View location and contact details
Discover more stories and explore PODIUM’s furniture collections at podium.co.th