Get to know “Colonial House”

Get to know 'Colonial House', an architecture that blends Thainess with Western art in a delightful way. Due to the overwhelming influence of Western nations during the colonial era, living like a European visitor was considered a civilization of the upper class in Siam. The nobility and nobles loved Western art and civilization. There was a trend to combine Thai and foreign aesthetics to express their own identity in their homes. The mixed architecture of 'Colonial House' was born in major cities like Bangkok. 'Western building' is another name for colonial houses that hides its origins in the name. Western buildings can be found all over Bangkok, especially in Bang Rak, Sathorn, Phra Nakhon, and Thonburi where nobility and foreigners resided. The highlight of colonial houses in Siam is the unique identity that blends the local identity of Siam with Western art from various countries, not limited to the art of the colonizers as seen in neighboring countries. Therefore, Western buildings in Thailand have both a Thai touch as decorations and are also practical architecture in the Western style. The purpose is to make the lives of residents more convenient and to be a symbol that the upper class uses to show their advanced civilization that is no less advanced than superpowers. Colonial houses in Thailand are characterized by two-story buildings. Adopting classic art with prominent pillars and beams to appear as the house structure, arranging the pillars with equal spacing to support the eaves. The house usually uses light colors that are easy on the eyes, such as white, light pink, and pastel yellow, which are perfect for the hot and humid climate. It also likes to make use of the surrounding context by drilling holes and windows, emphasizing good air circulation to ventilate the hot city, and adding details with curved door and window frames following the classical Roman art, decorated with louver lines to create a sense of elegance. The roof is a mix of Thai with a gable and hip roof, covered with kite tiles, which is a unique characteristic of Thai houses. The eaves and windows are also decorated with carved wood, giving the building a unique identity. The interior decoration of colonial houses also combines Thai and Western styles from floor to ceiling. It is popular to lay the floor with various patterned tiles or dark and light wood in the Western style. Dark wood adds a warm and dignified atmosphere, while light wood helps adjust the space to look airy and comfortable. Next to the walls, both smooth plastered cement walls and grooved wooden walls are popular to make the house look more dimensional. The decorations are popular in the vintage style or antique furniture from both Thailand and abroad, such as floor clocks. Rare musical instruments or metal lamps to create an old-fashioned aesthetic that fits with the architecture. Around the colonial house, there is also a popular landscape with beautiful gardens, connecting the shady context of nature to the interior space through skylights to adjust the atmosphere to be even more pleasant. It can be said that the colonial house perfectly combines Thainess with the civilized influence of the West, using architecture as a record of the glory of the past capital, ready to tell and pass on the rich history from generation to generation.