seasonal expressions

Vibrant colours of the season are depicted in the striking ceiling installation at the newly refurbished Le Du in Bangkok.

- Amy Van

Le Du, awarded The Best Restaurant in Asia 2023 by Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants, underwent a renovation in late 2023. Chef-owner Thitid Tassanakajohn (most known as Chef Ton) engaged globally renowned Thai architect Amata Luphaiboon, principal and co-founder of Department of Architecture co., to work on the design as he’s been impressed with Amata’s work for many years.

According to the Bangkok-based architect, the brief was quite simple: “to create a space that’s worthy of Chef Ton’s wonderful creations”. Amata shares, “After talking with him for a couple hours, I highly appreciate his passion in modernising Thai dishes and bringing Thai cuisine to international recognition. His approach of using Thai ingredients, inspired by local dishes, turning them into new forms with contemporary techniques is quite similar to what we do as designers. So I like to use the same creative approach in creating this new Le Du.”

He continues: “The main design feature of the restaurant is the ceiling installation occupying the whole dining area. The installations are made of 10,000 over glass tubes (like the ones we used in school science projects), filled with certain types of Thai ‘seasoning’ and beads, hung in curves from the ceiling, and seamlessly incorporated with more than 1,000 tailormade lighting fixtures (again in glass tubes).”