JIM THOMPSON - Press Centre

HOUSE ON THE KLONG
Wallpaper Collection

When Jim Thompson decided to build his house on a canal in Bangkok in the 1950’s, he created a small architectural treasure - his “House on the Klong”. Even after his mysterious disappearance in the jungles of Malaya, his unique teak home has continued to welcome guests in an environment that showcases the best of Thai and Asian art and architecture. In honor of his memory and his unique aesthetic sense, Jim Thompson’s first collection of wallpaper has been named House on the Klong.

Visitors to his house, now a private museum open to the public, never cease to be impressed by the warm, welcoming atmosphere Jim Thompson created when he assembled a series of antique Thai houses in his own individual style. In developing our new wallpaper collection Jim Thompson have sought to create the same sensual, warm and welcoming atmosphere that is imbued in the House on the Klong. To create these remarkable new wallpapers we turned to the “essence” of Jim Thompson for inspirations: our luxurious handwoven silks. Our new wallpapers share the same rich textures, classic designs and wonderful elegance associated with all our textiles.


	IMARI W001-001/01-07 7 Colorways Substrate: non-woven Roll: W - 52cm, L - 10.5m This amazingly graceful and soothing wallpaper is all about depth and texture with splashes of metallic silver tones bringing the fern stems to life. For this pattern we were especially inspired by traditional Japanese hand-made paper with silver leafing.

	NEW KHMER W001-004/01-09 9 Colorways Substrate: non-woven Roll: W - 52cm, L - 10.5m

	BYZANCE W001-003/01-08 8 Colorways Substrate: paper Roll: W - 52cm, L - 10.5m The great Byzantine Empire merged the East and West and here with Byzance Jim Thompson has done the same. This damask design boasts large European trailing flowers that appear to be woven with an ikat technique. The success of this design relies on the contrast of matt and shiny between the ground and the pattern.

	MEKONG W001-002/01-09 8 Colorways Substrate: paper Roll: W - 52cm, L - 10.5m For our first wallpaper collection we naturally looked for inspiration from our most popular handwoven silks: New Khmer and Mekong. Thai silk yarn has a special slub-like quality – what Jim Thompson called the “humps and bumps”- and a sheen and lustre that is different from other silk varieties. While New Khmer wallpaper in nine appealing colorways replicates the irridescence of our hand woven silk, Mekong imitates the more matte feel of our popular heavier weight six-ply silk. Handcrafted fabrics woven on old-fashioned wooden looms have a special unmistakable quality that we have recreated here based on Jim Thompson’s weaving tradition.

	IKAT W001-005/01-09 9 Colorways Substrate: paper Roll: W - 52cm, L - 10.5m No Jim Thompson wallpaper collection would be complete without a signature ikat design. The ikat motif here is taken from the classic 19th Century Central Asian “flower in vase” design also to be found as a silk fabric in our ‘Caravans’ Collection.

	MONSOON W001-006/01-06 6 Colorways Substrate: non-woven Roll: W - 52cm, L - 10.5m Continuing the theme of handwoven silk, with Monsoon we offer the Mekong texture contrasting with bold satin stripes. Such elegance and grandeur is created by each of the six different colorways of Monsoon.

	JIM’S DREAM W001-007/01-03 3 Colorways Substrate: non-woven Roll: W - 137cm, sold by the metre Another reinterpretation of the Jim Thompson “Weaving Scene” which has been used as the “face” of Jim Thompson for many years. The pattern recounts the different stages of silk-making and was taken from one of Jim Thompson’s favorite paintings in the House. In its latest incarnation as wallpaper, the design has the appearance of a wall painting, lightly sketched, aged from years of exposure to the elements, but still showing the charming details that have made this pattern endlessly popular.