WHITE AND BRICK CONTRAST IN SALA AYUTTHAYA BOUTIQUE HOTEL

Thai architecture firm Onion designs refined hotel in Thailand

Located in Thailand’s former capital of Ayutthaya, the Sala Ayutthaya is a twenty-six room boutique hotel near the Chao Phraya River. Designed by Bangkok-based architects Onion, the hotel is divided by a long corridor of locally handcrafted brick. The gently curved geometry offers visitors seclusion and privacy. The hotel is divided into twelve individual “homes” within the L-shaped, roof peaks rising like buildings in a city on either side of the corridor. Stark white walls offer a tidy contrast to the brute orange-red brickwork.

A marble pool, inspired by the Chand Baori Step Well in Rajasthan, India, is positioned in the center with three rooms directly connected to the elegant space.

The exterior of the hotel flanks the river like a small city rising from its banks. Due to the frequent flooding of the area, the hotel is slightly elevated with a labyrinth of steps leading down to the river. The pattern is adopted from ancient Ayutthaya architecture.

Onion paid great attention to detail with customized objects such as the bell-shape granite lamps in the restaurant. Borrowing a corner of the famous 14th century Phutthai Sawan Stupa temple, the architects reduced the scale and used it to frame the angles of the walls, furniture and even the pillowcases. Every room is unique with hidden pools, sweeping viewpoints and meditative spaces to delight all visitors.