“The highlight of Plural Designs is the design of the material combination character.”
Horizon Thailand talks to Piboon Amornjiraporn, Design Director of Plural Designs, a successful furniture and home decoration brand, about his inspiration for creating the brand.
Can you tell us how Plural Designs started?
I am an architect and I have opened a design company called Plural Designs since 2013, which includes furniture and home decorations. Earlier, I am mainly in the design section, later I feel into the production process and study more materials especially from many different local areas. I just want to know how a home or a piece of furniture could be created with different materials.
What makes your products special?
The highlight of our work is the choice of material to mix in one piece. Each design is a mix story, creating a character for that area. So, the highlight of Plural Designs is the design of the material combination character, which is reflecting on our brand name – Plural Designs, a wide range of designs. Our highlight product is weaving steel stool. It really reflects the craft industry which is the selling point of Thailand. We do not have a high-tech point of sale, but we have the same level of sophistication.
How do you see the Thai product and design industry in general?
If you look at the Value Chain picture, Thai designers are very creative. On the side of the manufacturer is considered skilled hands. It helps to create a fine piece of work and good quality. But in marketing or export. It also lacks the link to these values. I see many DITP projects trying to push this point, which is great, it does not just add value to the product itself, but it adds value to Thai exports as a whole.
What is your market?
Our main customers are domestic, foreigners are in Asia, which are Taiwan and Japan. They know us by trade fair such as BIG & BIH and TIFF. The buyers just want to get the niche products from smaller brands than mass.
What are your future plans?
We want to focus on furniture and home decorations with stories about Thailand or Asia. In simple words, we want to focus more on Thai folk craft because that is what our country has already. It is a matter of value and character. I think the world is changing now. Some of them do not want only the speed and lowest cost of production, they also need the real craft.
How have you benefitted from your involvement with the DITP?
I have joined Talent Thai. We also attend the trade show BIG & BIH and TIFF and Plural Designs products have been awarded by Demark. I think that these projects are good for supporting designers who have a young business, about 3-5 years. We have training, business mentors, and more importantly, we have more networking to exchange knowledge and experience with each other. It may also be a joint business.
For more information, visit http://www.pluraldesigns.net/