Story :  Marie Moon   
Images : Zeyco Thailand   
Photography : Nakarin Banjerdjin
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Managing Consultant for Zeyco Thailand, Raymond Teh, describes his customers as innovators; those who have their own taste and personal style. They don’t want mass produced items, they want to have something of their own.

Zeyco Thailand specialize in custom designed kitchens and wardrobe systems for the high-end budget.  With planning that is dictated by quality, aesthetic appeal and ergonomic principles the brand, while relatively new in Thailand, already has a number of highly satisfied, high-end customers.

Painless Planning

Patricia and Patrick Ganaye bought a beautiful villa on Phuket’s east coast two years ago. Based in Shanghai, Patrick is the Vice President of Carrefour for China. “I ran the first Carrefour in Bangkok in 1996. After that I moved to Indonesia and then Singapore. Now I manage all the Carrefour investments in east China; 35 stores in Shanghai and four provinces. This is our holiday house; our retreat. We love Phuket and come here four times a year as it is only a five hour direct flight from Shanghai.”

Patricia said, “I searched for a good kitchen planner for almost a year before I found Zeyco. I looked around kitchen shops in Phuket and Bangkok but none of them met my expectations. They didn’t return phone calls or answer my emails; I just couldn’t get any communication with them. Then I found Raymond and he was the complete opposite; so helpful and reliable, it was very easy to work with him.”

Raymond said, “My partner, Mr. YK Keong, and I attend to all the client services personally. We believe that if we aren’t willing to go that extra distance, we won’t be able to take the company to the next level. What we are doing is very personal, so we do everything ourselves.”

Peace of Mind

This level of commitment impressed Patricia from the outset, “As soon as we got the design finalized we had to go back to China, but from Zeyco’s attention to detail and professionalism I had confidence in them to get the job done.”

Patricia’s absence during construction of her kitchen is demonstrative of many Phuket home-buyers, however her peace of mind is not. Raymond of Zeyco said, “In Phuket everyone involved in building a house is only concerned about getting their part finished; they don’t care about anyone else’s job. We believe in complementing all the others so that the end product is truly excellent.”

Synthesizing Life

Zeyco focuses on designing the space to complement lifestyle. Raymond explained, “We need to know what they want the kitchen for; family cooking, entertaining, holiday lifestyle? Also what concept they have in mind: the concept of the whole house, what sort of flow they would like to achieve, what colours, materials and highlights are wanted. All this helps us to design a space that is suitable for the lifestyle.”

Raymond explained, “Patricia told me she wanted something white with clean modern lines because they didn’t want the kitchen to be the focal point of the house, more a part of the decor. She wanted an open kitchen so we decided against an island or counter as a fourth wall. This helps the flow of the kitchen; this is an open kitchen so we didn’t want to close it in.” 

Raymond Teh, Patricia and Patrick Ganayeand

For the look that Patricia wanted, a white custom-built acrylic work-top was the best option. Stain-resistant and water-resistant, these durable work-tops can be fashioned in any colour, shape or size to accommodate any design. Under the acrylic work-tops and handle-less cabinets, medium-density fibre-board is strong and durable and can be spray-painted with high-gloss to achieve the sleek finish required of this kitchen design. Zeyco trademark aluminium strip skirting boards add another modern accent to the space.

Keeping it Simple

Raymond said, “For this kitchen, to use too many gadgets would not be very functional. We included a good set of drawers, pull out shelves to utilize the corners and that’s it - no fussy accessories or magic corners. In a large deluxe kitchen with lots of cabinets and lots of things to store,  magic corners help to maximize the space; that’s what accessories are all about. Basically for a kitchen like this you need to think about the practicality of the space.”

Patrick and Patricia admit that with so many great restaurants around they haven’t cooked in the kitchen yet. “For our holiday lifestyle it’s very convenient to use; everything has a home and is in reach, the drawers are easy to slide and keep tidy and we love the dishwasher.”

Patricia added, “I’ve been through this process in France also, but it was actually much easier here once I found Zeyco.”

Hailing from Malaysia, Zeyco has, over the last five years, developed into one of the best known kitchen and wardrobe brands in the country. All the custom-designed cabinets, drawers and shelves for Zeyco Thailand’s kitchen and wardrobes systems are crafted in the Kuala Lumpur factory. “We visit the site, take photographs and work with samples of building materials to develop intricate drawings that depict how the kitchen or wardrobe will look.” Any materials can be sourced, from melamine to high-pressure laminates, granite, marble and solid timbers.

Custom Fit

John Howard, Managing Director of Tilleke & Gibbons, recently had two custom-designed wardrobes and storage systems installed in his west coast villa. John said, “I needed wardrobes designed for my requirements and I was on the lookout for a dedicated wardrobe build company - then I saw their ad and made contact. To be able to converse regarding design details in English was an added plus.”

John was impressed with Zeyco’s attention to detail and fore-planning. “All the details regarding design and installation were agreed and rechecked and then they made a couple of extra pieces that can be fitted just in case they were needed - they were! Again the fact that the principal is of English mother tongue does help. They were careful to keep appointments and kept me briefed as to construction progress.”

Raymond explained that, “For wardrobe design it’s important to know if you are designing for men or women, such are their different requirements. For example, men require space for ties, deeper drawers, pull out hangers for trousers and shirt-length hanging space, whereas women require taller hanging space for long dresses etc. Some people also ask for secret compartments to be built in.”

Arrange and Order

“For John’s villa,” he continued, “he needed separate His and Hers wardrobes to replace an existing wardrobe that came as part of the villa furniture package. We had to be careful not to damage any of the supports while we dismantled the old wardrobe. It was also challenging to match the new wardrobe to the existing villa decor.”

John opted for solid Malaysian hardwoods for the wardrobes and extra storage units in his office. He said, “I am by nature reasonably organised and my wardrobe, as well as my office, need to reflect that. To wake up in the morning and open a malfunctioning unit that is an all purpose ‘design’ - rather than mine - and then to deal with space that is either insufficient, or unneccesary, can be stressful. With the new units the doors and draws effortlessly glide open to reveal their contents. They are designed to be efficient storage units that are pleasing on the eye - as for cleaning,  the housekeeper has not complained!”

Zeyco’s dedicated, personalized services and innovative custom designs assist you in creating your own unique kitchen or wardrobe systems to suit your Phuket villa and your lifestyle.

For more information contact Raymond Teh for a consultation.
Zeyco (Thailand) Co., Ltd. 108/105-106 Moo 5, Chalermprakiat Ror 9 Rd.,
Rassada, Phuket 83000    Tel: +66(0)76 261 695
Mobile: +66(0)84 849 7212    E-mail: Zeycoth@gmail.com