Wonder of Fabric Outdoor furniture by 4 Thai designers, made to touch, sit, play, and even play table tennis

Get ready to sit, lie down, and relax on playful, well-made outdoor furniture—from sofas with space for board games to dining tables that turn into ping-pong tables after the meal.

This is the return of Wonder of Fabric, a design exhibition by DOTS Design Studio in collaboration with textile specialist Homework Fabric and 70-year furniture manufacturer RES (Kunakij). Four Thai designers were invited to create four outdoor furniture pieces, exploring new potential for fabrics we are familiar with.

“We wanted to explore new potential for Homework’s fabrics beyond furniture upholstery or curtains, looking for new techniques and possibilities for the material. This continues from last year, when we invited designers to collaborate at Bangkok Design Week.”

Krit Phutpim, founder and designer of DOTS Design Studio, has long been involved with BKKDW. This year, his clear goal is to extend design into real business opportunities, presenting outdoor-ready fabrics developed by Homework to meet local needs during a time when imported fabrics were limited.

“This year, we wanted to take a more business-focused approach. We partnered with an outdoor furniture factory, Kunakij Furniture Industry, which mainly works with aluminum and has recently rebranded as RES, focusing on outdoor living. Since our directions align, we decided to collaborate.”

This direction also reflects the growing trend of outdoor activities.

“We design based on data, from market trends to product development. After COVID-19, we clearly saw that people were looking for outdoor activities to escape staying indoors. When this trend happens, new products and services naturally follow.”

The result is four outdoor furniture pieces by Thai designers, on display for hands-on use at the courtyard of House No. 1, Charoenkrung 30. Visitors are invited to sit, lie down, relax, and use the furniture freely.

“We want people to interact with our work because we don’t design just to show. We design for real use. People can touch, sit, and use everything. Imagine House No. 1 turning into a pop-up café or resort where visitors can enjoy the space freely.”

The collection includes a stylish outdoor sofa set with fabric board games like tic-tac-toe and chess, a dining table redesigned from Kunakij’s iconic chair that also works as a ping-pong table, and two other pieces that change roles, serving as a sun umbrella during the day and a light pole at night.

“After this project, we have two hopes. First, that the two factories will work together to develop these products into real businesses, whether for sale or future exhibitions. Second, if the project works well, it could spin off into a new sub-brand created by both factories together.”