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Stylish Rentals in Chiang Mai
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There are clearly colour-coordinated connecting threads between Baan Thip Chang and the two outlying properties that make up the northern real estate kingdom of Jean De Gomery and his wife Primprow. |
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There is the blue of water for one. All three properties have a blue heart - namely centralized pool waters that beckon in swimmers and waders alike and a riverside view of the Ping. Then there is the brown of teak wood, walls, ceilings and furniture pieces that present a more modern Lanna design, functionality with beauty intact. Lastly there is the colour green; grass and potted plants and lofting trees that suffuse each property with the sounds and smells of nature. All three are ideal retreats from the nearby city of Chiang Mai, but only Baan Thip Chang is now available. The other two are already serving as long-term rentals, one as a spa and the second as a private home. As if to emphasize this, the "renteds" share adjoining ground, separated from Baan Thip Chang by a square undeveloped plot of land, bare if not for a grove of trees.
The spa was the brainchild of a Japanese couple, a full-service massage and oil treatment centre that is surviving nicely despite the half-hour drive from Chiang Mai. Truth be told, the centre is available to all who would avail themselves of its services and thus could be considered as part of the overall package that is Baan Thip Chang, although visitors could opt to receive massages without ever leaving the comforts of their home. The spa was quiet on the day that I visited, but I received plenty of attention from De Gomery and the spa manager, who toured about with me in my perambulations. The decorative and architectural flair of Primprow, a distinctive part of Baan Thip Chang, is clearly in play at the spa; the dark teak wood high ceilings immediately cooling us as we entered the front hall. With floor rugs and soft classical music in the background, patrons are welcomed into the second building with understandably cushiony arms. The design of the spa is U-shaped, with both arms extended about the central pool area. Master bedrooms have been turned into spa rooms, which are limited for now to massage and hot oil treatments and a pantry area closest to the river has become a drink bar for post-treatment. The effect is of a private, enclosed space with a viewing area of blue sky and river at the end, quite enchanting for any visitor. With the surrounding walls of the villa so close the pool, it would seem brown wins here; the dark teak dominating the other colours.
De Gomery explained how, in a bow to the culture, he moved an antique Buddha head from the pool to a fountain area at Baan Thip Chang. I remembered well the piece, a hefty almost Angkorian face that seemed quite serene now in its new home. The tour of the second building took barely 20 minutes, which gives some indication of its compactness. Our two-man tour party bade farewells to the spa staff and entered the second property through a side gate. This is the third home in the Baan Thip Chang set and is currently under long-term ownership by an American woman, who was off on travels when we visited. The property was still bustling, however, as a maid ran a vacuum and gardeners cleaned up the foliage and lawn area. For this four-building third house, the sala is the main attraction, a great circular seating area overlooking the river. The sala allows occupants an ample view of the flowing waters of the Ping, the raised pool area, the myriad flowers that have been planted along walls and borders and of the more sprawling, open-style design of the space that is made all the more apparent after the privacies of the spa. Green predominates here.
A brief peak inside the main area reveals a shared vision with Primprow's taste in decoration. The owner has mixed Northern handicrafts with Tibetan antiques, my favourite a Tibetan drum that I can't resist sounding. There is also a Christmas tree, as tall as both De Gomery and me, which evokes a hint of jealousy on both our parts. While I definitely enjoyed the spa, I could find myself spending more time in the openness of the third property, lolling away the hours reading, writing and just breathing in the clean air of the large sala. The grand vision of all these properties would be to one day combine
them, creating one sizeable long-term resort option, or three private
lots for the De Gomery family to share. If the latter were to happen,
one could say the area of Baan Thip Chang and its attendant buildings
had become this couple's Northern Kingdom indeed, the woven quilt
from the connecting threads and colours that make up Baan Thip Chang
and its outer villas.
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Tropical Living: August 2004, Volume 4 Issue 3 |
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