Architect Upa Prathumchart (who goes by ‘Teem’) owns and operates The Little Handmade Shop on Lanta, a small store full of amazing locally made art, home accessories and quirky toys. She’s focused on handmade products by local people in contrast to a lot of the factory-made ‘souvenirs’ that are abundant in the tourist-rich South of Thailand. I stumbled upon Teem’s shop and just had to show you what she’s up to.
Teem & I – clearly we share a taste for unique eyewear
One of our longest stays in Thailand was on the southern Island of Koh Lanta. We had planned to do some island hopping in the south but the weather turned soggy for a couple of days and since we had found a nice little community (and even made some friends) in the tiny village of Kantiang Bay, we decided to wait out the storm there. With our sunny itinerary (consisting entirely of ‘lay on beach’) cleared, we had to find other things to occupy our time.
While exploring the area we came across The Little Handmade Shop on Lanta and the neighboring Little Art Space and absolutely fell in love! Most stores throughout Thailand follow the merchandizing standards of a 7-11, so these two little shops really stood out. The Little Handmade Shop is a small white space with a whimsical nautical theme. The ceiling is covered in blue fishing nets and the walls have hand-drawn art and signage. The entire space is a mix of textures and colours that are rustic but fresh.
Little Handmade Shop on Lanta
The Little Handmade Shop on Lanta – photo by MãK
The fishnet ceiling – photo by MãK
The Little Handmade Shop on Lanta – photo by MãK
The Little Handmade Shop on Lanta – photo by MãK
Teem opened the shop 4 years ago as a place to sell 100% locally handmade items. She has a stunning collection of pottery made by sculptor friends from across Thailand including textured vases, glazed pieces and quirky sculptures of cats and tiny houses. She also has an assortment of small wooden carved items; spoons, combs & dishes, all with beautiful clean lines as well as jewelry and other accessories. My favorite of her many treasures are the mobiles and stuffed dolls crafted by local grannies. The unusual under-sea shapes and characters have a modern patchwork feel mixing shades of blue, grey and white in linens, textures, dots and stripes. Some pieces are so small and so detailed that it’s hard to believe they could be sewn together at all! I took one home with me of course.
Great texture in this pottery collection – photo by MãK
Nicest spoons I’ve ever seen – not to be used for Cap’n Crunch! – photo by MãK
I loved these little treasure boxes with legs – photo by MãK
Shockingly I was pulled away from the jewelry wall without buying everything – photo by MãK
The mobiles! – photo by MãK
Please ignore the fact that I have no makeup on .. I’m on vacation! – photo by MãK
Such great shapes, colours and patterns – would be great in a kids room. Or .. my office. – photo by MãK
When Teem isn’t bringing together local artisans (at this and her second location just a few blocks away which opened 2 years ago) she’s designing Eco-friendly buildings on Lanta and neighboring islands. She specializes in traditional bamboo structures which respect the existing landscape allowing both homes and business to nestle into the property that they occupy, rather than demolish it. I was so happy to meet Teem who is clearly very passionate about preserving Thailand’s natural habitat and promoting its local talent.
Teem showing me some of her architecture work – photo by MãK
We also chatted with Teem’s neighbour ‘Dew’ (Onchuma Jaewae) who opened the Little Art Space three months ago. You can see Dew working on her latest paintings on the store’s veranda and then wander through the studio to see more of her work as well as the ink drawings and canvas work of other local Thai artists. Dew’s pieces range from large colourful canvases to small pen sketches. All of them seem to combine a distinctly Thai aesthetic with a more childlike take whether it be through simplified shapes, bright colours or a unique use of pen strokes. Her work (and the work of artists she carries) is a real departure from other work I’d seen through my travels.
Little Art Space
Dew and I at the Little Art Space
The Little Art Space – photo by MãK
These look like my cat – photo by MãK
Original painting by Dew – photo by MãK
These two shops, and these two ladies, we’re such a breath of fresh air. Please visit The Little Handmade Shop on Lanta on Facebook (online store coming soon!) and show them some love. Dew is still working on her site but we’ll be sure to keep you posted.
Big thanks to Teem and Dew for welcoming us into their shops and sharing their stories.