Bangkok-based architecture and interior design practice PHTAA Living Design has converted an old suburban Bangkok house into a new restaurant by maintaining domestic feeling throughout the structure. 

Named H Dining, the small coffee bar & restaurant was transformed from a typical 1960/70s suburban Bangkok house into a new dining place with the aim of keeping a domestic feeling without resorting to cliches of suburbia. 

Located at the center of Bangkok, H Dining takes its name from both the owner’s previous cafe, "Hand and Heart" and its accommodation in an existing house / home. 

From the street, the demolition of the existing wall on the boundary of the property allows the streetscape to flow onto the front lawn and create a sense of openness to the property. Once in the front yard, one passes loosely arranged, semi-enclosed pavilions, which house a hot dog stand, performance space, and craft beer bar. 

These semi-outdoor dining areas are separated by walls constructed of interlocking concrete pavement blocks, often used on footpaths in Bangkok. 

The blocks, which are laid either vertically or horizontally, are painted red-brown by hand to make a random design, adding an artistic touch to a mass-produced element that has been given a new function. 

The pavilions remain open to the sky with the use of clear roof sheeting, shaded by the trees in the garden. Before entering the main house itself, guests are allowed a back-of-house view of the bar through the large plate glass window, again to promote the idea of openness. 

Inside the entrance is a cylindrical stainless steel maitre d' stand from where guests can choose to dine upstairs or downstairs. In contrast to the maitre d’stand, the bar and furniture throughout the interior keep a domestic feel, with the use of rattan and wood. 

All images © Jinnawat Borihankijanan

All drawings © PHTAA Living Design

> via PHTAA Living Design