Designs On Asia: Roukh Kiri Khao Yai, A Farmhouse-Style Resort in Thailand Where Simplicity Meets Luxury

PUBLISHED December 3rd, 2021 06:00 am | UPDATED July 22nd, 2024 05:42 pm

Remember the houses we happily drew as children? A triangular roof on a boxy base, framed by a grassy lawn and likely a round tree or two. That’s perhaps why the 12 villas in Roukh Kiri Khao Yai, a new farmhouse-style resort on the fringes of Thailand’s Khao Yai National Park, seem to ooze such wistful charm. Designed by Bangkok-based studio Onion, this hilltop hideaway rewrites luxury in clean lines and serene simplicity.

Set within sight of Khao Yai‘s picturesque peaks, the resort could have been transported straight out of a European countryside. With rustic perimeter walls built of tightly packed logs and double barn doors for an entranceway, you might easily be stepping into a farmstead. Indeed, Roukh Kiri was initially planned as a rural retreat for its Bangkok-based owners; but it soon took on a life of its own as a space for friends and paying guests.

‘Farmhouse’ was the starting point for the Onion designers, in their quest to blend the rural and the contemporary. The designers began by sketching out the villas by hand, reducing each element to its simplest geometrical form – “just like a child’s drawing”. They turned triangle roofs into shingled ceilings, sloped at charmingly crooked angles – 31° and 48°, to be exact. They planted each whitewashed house amidst gardens flowing with feathergrass and mango trees, arranging them in an organic layout to appear random. The result might be a snapshot from some tranquil village.

Ranging across a spacious 65 to 364 sqm, the villas’ interiors were imagined along the lines of living in a craftsman’s workshop. Wood, naturally, takes the spotlight in strikingly raw form – from the oak barn door textured with cross braces to the natural tree stump that serves as a side table.

Other natural materials complete the sustainable picture: a headboard woven from rattan, pure cotton bed linens, and crocheted cushion covers. The colour palette is spartan in its simplicity, pared back to austere whites and beiges to set off the rooms’ rich wood tones. The cosiest nook of the room might just be the deep window seats, lined with cushions and perfect for curling up in.

Each villa boasts a semi-outdoor bathroom, heightening a sense of closeness with nature just beyond – even the mirror over the sink is precisely placed for guests to view themselves reflected amidst a lush garden. The shingled wood ceiling resembles the roof of a hut, giving a rustic dimension to the rest of the room: a spa-like white, set off with luxurious Carrara marble.

Step through the glass-paneled doors to access the outdoor bathtub, where you can have a dip under the stars. In keeping with the resort’s sustainable ethos, all bathroom amenities are crafted with natural ingredients too.

During the day, the best spot to lounge back and catch the breeze is undoubtedly the resort’s open-air lounge. Designed as a sala – an open pavilion commonly found in temples and on riverbanks in Thailand – the lounge was positioned to face the southwest wind. It’s undoubtedly a breezy spot with its soaring double-height ceilings, topped off with a gabled roof shingled in Teng wood. Rolling bamboo blinds offer a traditional touch of shade for guests lazing back on white couches.

Just beside the lounge is the resort’s outdoor swimming pool – though you might easily mistake it for an expansive pond. Unlike the usual sleek tiles, the saltwater pool is framed by rough-hewn stone and fringed by a luxurious carpet of wild grass. Best of all, it commands scenic views over the green-clad mountains of Khao Yai National Park – it’s practically bathing in the heart of nature.

Besides mango trees, the resort is home to the likes of avocado and lemon trees, along with an organic vegetable garden. Most of this produce makes its way into the in-house restaurant, re-emerging as traditional Thai cuisine with a countryside flair. Like the rest of the resort, the open-air restaurant is a marvel in wood architecture, paneled almost entirely in various shades of wood from floor to walls. Exposed beams draw the eye upward to the lofty ceiling, and candles supported by wood slice coasters set a romantic mood.

Roukh Kiri Khao Yai is located at 10 Pong Ta Long, Pak Chong District, Nakhon Ratchasima 30130, Thailand. 

Top Image: Roukh Kiri