Nae Tanakorn: "Design the world you want"

Responding to a brief of ‘Design the World That You Want’, the Jintana cabinet draws inspiration from Nae Tanakorn's vision of an ideal existence - one of equality, respect, sustainability and peace.

For this year’s Australian Furniture Design Awards Nae Tanakorn wanted to create a piece that would evoke this philosophy while also providing a counterpoint to society's capitalistic tendencies. "I feel everyone has a chaotic lifestyle these days and I thought, why are we doing this?" Tanakorn explains. "My piece is to reflect the philosophy that we need to live a simpler life."

The design concept centres around four connected pod-like structures, each representing a "seed" of purity, potential and new beginnings. Tanakorn elaborates, "Each pod represents an individual decentralised community, yet still connected to each other." The pods attach to a central triangular core with thin, tapered legs.

Wanting to echo the materials used in traditional, sustainable communities, Tanakorn chose to work primarily with wood and bamboo. He settled on American maple to complement the bamboo. "I was told maple was stable and with a beautiful grain and colour, and I found it to be really strong, when I knocked it, it just didn't damage at all."

Each pod features a spike and cap made from solid maple, with brass connectors. Tanakorn notes, "I had to drill into 15mm maple "stems" for the pod supports and the maple worked really well and there was no splitting."

To create the intricately woven bamboo doors, Tanakorn collaborated with artisans at the Traditional Bamboo Handicraft Centre in Chonburi, Eastern Thailand. There he learned about traditional bamboo basket weaving techniques that have been passed down for generations.

The doors feature a delicate pattern called pigul lai Thai that showcases the craftspeople's incredible skill. With over 72 connecting pieces and 30 timber panels, constructing the Jintana cabinet was no small feat. Tanakorn went through an extensive development process, building prototypes to perfect the door mechanisms and carefully crafting moulds for the curved elements. The complex organic shapes required great precision to achieve the high level of fit and finish Tanakorn
wanted.

Besides its striking aesthetics, the Jintana cabinet also embodies Tanakorn's dedication to sustainability. Organic, fast-growing bamboo makes up the bulk of the piece, with processing methods chosen to minimise waste. The maple was also sourced with sustainability in mind.

Nae Tanakorn's Jintana cabinet stands as a testament to slow, intentional living. By combining his Thai heritage, masterful crafts skills, and sustainable sensibilities.  The piece was shown at Stylecraft in Melbourne as part of Melbourne Design Week 2024 and is also entered in Maker of the Year, presented by Carbatec.

Learn more about Nayme Tanakorn and about American hardwoods.