How was Bonaparte born?
Bonaparte's mother was feeling funny one day and she thought it was the tuna sandwich that she ate for lunch, but then she gave birth to a little pink-haired creature and realized what that funny feeling was: Bonaparte! That's how it all started. Oh, you mean the band? In 2006, I drove around Europe in a red rally car from the 60s with nothing but a guitar on the backseat. I was eventually stranded in Spain where I wrote a lot of songs. When I was invited to play in Berlin by the legendary Bar25, I needed a name, so I called the band Bonaparte! The project was only supposed to last for one night. But it was so much fun that we’ve kept it going for more than seven years now. From Berlin to Bangkok in 7 years—not bad!

How would you describe your sound?
Some say it is loud! I'd say it is a mixture of the energy of punk, the swing of jazz, the club affinity of Berlin electronic music, the message of folk music, the dripping love of soul and the tribal fire of native music. It is a mixture of everything that sticks after coming home from a journey. So, who knows how we will sound after this first visit to Asia? 

Would you describe your performances as concerts or cabaret?
I personally would not call them cabaret, no. I write songs, I perform them live with a band is the core explosion of everything. But I like to take along some friends who do not play instruments, so we started having dancers on stage–they call themselves "divas" and I guess because it is very visual I usually call it a "show." But we’ve also featured people reading a book or grilling sausages on stage. It is all a visual enhancement of the music. It should connect to all of your senses.

How can Bangkokians prepare for your show?
I think you should eat a lot of papayas for breakfast because on the night of the Bonaparte show you will sweat, sweat, sweat—and sweat! You could, of course, prepare by learning the lyrics to songs like "Too Much" but, most importantly, be there! Be there when we play our first ever show in Bangkok! We are very excited that you will have us.

What’s your favorite outfit for performing live?
I always wear the same shoes. For seven years now, I’ve only performed in my old white boxing shoes. I used to joke that the day I can't find old white boxing shoes anymore, I will have to stop performing as Bonaparte, but I don't think this would actually happen. As long as I have my shows and a guitar nothing can go wrong!

What's your first music memory?
I guess my mother playing the cembalo when I woke up on Sunday mornings as a child was quite magical. It's almost like what dying must be like, when you have done everything right in life and you arrive in heaven in a soft feather-bed and someone is serenading you. Sweet!

The rat race makes life meaningless. I reckon if I can grow my own food and produce my own power in alternative ways, I won’t have to work in the corporate world.

Mother Nature is a great teacher and I’m humbled by her daily.

One Straw Revolution is a book by Masanobu Fukuoka, a Japanese farmer and philosopher who practised his craft for a lifetime, living a simple life, while inspiring people the world over.

I lived in a Mongolian yurt in 2010 with no electricity, and a less than helpful wood burning stove, in the middle of Wales, surrounded by rolling hills and sheep. We had little but somehow life was good

My ultimate aim is to one day own my own farm, small enough that I can manage without machinery and yet big enough so I produce enough food for my family and to lead a simple life.

I believe that treating people well and generating goodwill is the currency of the future and my values center around that.

The food scene is thriving, lots of great chefs opening up new joints around town. There is a strong sense of competition that really creates a positive vibe in the dining scene.

The biggest thing we lack is the freshness of produce as everything is flown or shipped in.

I truly miss cooking and eating with the seasons. It’s nonexistent here as we have access to all types of food year round.

Everything fell into place, though I was your average kid who didn’t do too well in school, and was a pretty late bloomer.

My first real job was in an interactive agency called BLUE as a suit.

We got drunk most Fridays, mostly to drown our shitty week with pints of beer. Life was pretty good.

As a kid, I wanted to be an archaeologist. It didn’t go too well as there was no career plan or course I could take to be one in Singapore, and our museum didn’t help much. So I ditched that.

I lived with a few archaeologists in Wales and worked on a few excavation and restoration projects. That was fun though I wouldn’t have made it my career.

There are always surprises good and bad that await you in the garden.

To stay positive, I always practice impermanence.

“Stay in your old job cause you need the security,” is the worst advice I’ve ever gotten.

“Take the risk and follow your dreams,” is the best advice I’ve ever gotten.

Be appreciative of the food that you eat because a lot of hard work and sweat went into growing that!

I love mee pok ta because you can’t get anything that resembles it anywhere else in the world except in Singapore.

Education is the key to the world, but once you open that door to the real world, you realize that it’s merely a guide in your life journey.

I got my name from my aunt. She said, “Oh, I can’t remember why but it has to be either Bjorn Borg or Bjorn from ABBA.”

I would like to be remembered as “that urban farmer.”

My life is like a really good meal. 

If I had a twin, he would be my ghost producer. 

My superpower would be flying to see things from a different perspective. 

I hate the sound of guitars. 

My biggest blessing is having people listening to my music. 

The best thing about my job is having a baby-sitter to take me around every city. 

Friends and family are what makes home the best place on earth.

DJ Zimmer performs at The Powder Room on Dec 7 at 9pm. Free admission.

Casa Pagoda

This two-story building at the corner of Sukhumvit Soi 45 hints at its eclectic mix of home decor with its faded brick walls, unpainted floors and pipes that run all over the ceiling. Smaller decorative curios, nightstands and wooden chairs can be found on the first floor, while larger pieces like dining tables, chests of drawers in a distressed silver finish and industrial-chic leather couches take up the second floor.

Sukhumvit Soi 45, Sukhumvit Rd., 02-258-1917. Open daily 11am-8pm. www.casapagoda.com 

Haus 20 Design & Dine

This bar and restaurant down on Ramkamhaeng Road has already made its name for hosting the monthly Haus Are You gigs and being the new home for Goodcat parties. The other side of the business, though, comes from partner Natchaphan “Ae“ Pisarnkoskul's, passion for architecture and interior design. The third floor is packed with imported furniture for both rent and sale. There’s plenty of mid-20th century designers’ products like the 1950s George Nelson Swag desk and 1960s Vintage Eames Upholstered Shell office chair.    

62-64 Lad Phrao Soi 122 (Ramkhamhaeng 65). 085-162-2111. www.facebook.com/Haus20.Modern

Shades of Retro

Here’s another great option if you’re looking for a combined chill and vintage retail therapy session after dinner around Thonglor. Sip a bottle of beer while listening to music from all corners of the globe surrounded by old-school surfboards, Vespas and vintage pianos. Most of the collectibles are up for sale, too, with prices starting from B1,000.

Soi Thararom 2, between Thonglor Soi 18 and 20, 081-824-8011. Open daily 3pm-1am 

Y50

Even though the club on the second floor has been revamped as Moose, the original home décor outlet on the first floor is still running, with a second branch also in Ekkamai-Ramintra. Here, you’ll find 60s folding dining tables, an Ibkofoed Larsen wooden dining set, Borg Mogensen chairs and colorful iconic Egg Chairs by Arne Jacobsen. 

24 Ekkamai Soi 21, 02-711-5629. Open daily 9am-6pm. Ekkamai-Ramintra Outlet, 081-373-0980.

Tuba

This two-story pub, restaurant and art gallery's 70s-inspired oddball bric-a-brac is actually for sale, The place also serves up a nostalgic soundtrack, Thai-inter food along with draught Stella Artois, Hoegaarden and cocktails served in huge martini glasses. 

11-12 A, 34 Ekkamai Soi 21, 02-711-5500. Open daily 11-1am

Inspired? Get the look with Best Shops for Retro Decor in Bangkok

You can’t deny industrial décor is in vogue right now. Over the past year, it seems that every other new café and restaurant has adopted the bare bricks, black steel and naked bulbs look. One of the venues to kick off the trend was the expansion of Casa Lapin [originally in Thonglor Art Village] to Sukhumvit Soi 49. Here, the Be Grey design team transformed an old shophouse into a hip yet homey loft-inspired café (it helps that they serve great coffee, too). The first two stories are still reserved for the coffee shop, but the fourth floor is now home to one the café’s partners and Be Grey designer, Nattaphat “Lux” Suriyakumphol. We paid Lux a visit and he told us more about why he went with a functional, industrial look for his 48-sq-meter home.

What was your original plan for this shophouse?

This three-story townhouse project has taken me over a year to build. After I decided to move out of my place in the Lumpini area, I was looking for somewhere to combine a café, office and house. Then I found this building owned by my friends’ parents, who just decided to lease it out. The first floor is planned to be a bike-friendly café, as I’m a bike lover myself. It will officially open in January next year. The second floor is now a temporary Made by Anan factory, as a partner and I are also building a permanent one in Trad province. Once operations are moved there, the floor will be turned into a weekend workshop. 

 

What’s the inspiration behind the décor?

Industrial design is the hottest trend at the moment and everyone is kind of doing it that way. For me, though, my fascination started with the film Closer (2004), in which Julia Robert plays a photographer who lives in a very nice New York loft house. Photography is one of my interests and the film really encouraged me to want a house like that. Plus, working in interior design helped me get my hands on a lot of rare decorative items, like the World War II-era lamp I got from Rod Fai Market or the navy military steel drawers that I got in an auction at the US Embassy. When it comes to my own space, even if you generally could call it “industrial,” I feel I’ve made it my own. 

 

What is the most enjoyable part about designing a home?

You can do what you want—that’s the first joy. Apart from that, designing this interior also let me try new things, like using steel as my headboard. Some people might warn you off things because they’re not the most practical, but you can still do it if you want. An open closet might get dusty, yeah, but that’s the trade-off for something that looks nice. See all those bricks on the wall? I’ve hardly ever seen anyone lay bricks vertically. I didn’t know if it would work at first but I wanted to try it anyway.       

 

Where do you normally shop?

I used to go to Rod Fai Market a lot but now since I have a good relationship with specific shop owners, it’s a lot easier to get stuff directly from them without having to visit the market all the time. Y50 is another place I like, as well as a bunch of other random places.     

 

 

For you, what’s the most important part of a house?

When I get to design a house for somebody else, I always tell them to invest in a good bed and sofa. But it all depends on the character and lifestyle of the person. For me, in this place, the living room is everything since I spend most of my time chilling and working here. 

 

 

On top of founding the Art House art school and working on many projects like the design of Parata Diamond, Chanchalad “Burne” Khanjanawong launched an innovative stationery brand, Grey Ray, for which he was recently awarded Designer of The Year 2013 by the Fine Arts Department. With his own 105-sq-meter apartment on Sukhumvit Soi 85, he has tried to fashion a space which combines his childhood memories of home and his passion for music. We sat down with Burne to talk about how he made his apartment a home.

 

 

Why did you decide to buy your own apartment and not a house?

I’ve loved to decorate my room since I was very young. Even when I lived with my big family and everyone had their own room, most people loved to hangout in my room anyway. Living in a house feels lonelier than in an apartment, if you’re staying alone. It’s like you expect someone to be in the room next to you. That’s why an apartment suits my needs better. And this apartment is quite cool: they let you look at the floor plan and change it before construction starts. So I was able to request a connecting terrace. 

 

You’re obviously really into old music memorabilia—why is that?

I was born in 1972 and by the late 70s, my parents had decorated the house in a hippie style, my dad had long hair and wore bell-bottom jeans, my grandparents worked as film dubbers using 35mm film for screenings. These are images I grew up with and they got me into music, art and design. When I got the chance to design my own space, I wanted it to show what I am all about. I wanted to create a room suited to music.

 

 

Where do you normally shop?

I get a lot of my vinyl from online shops (like www.thaigramophone.com) which sell both new and rare records and hold big sales from time to time. For furniture, I like Y50—that’s where I got the 1960s’ Eero Aarnio Ball Chairs. I also got some rare items from Talad Mued [Dark Market, next to Yaowarat] like this retro telephone, which still works.  

 

You studied architecture; what led you to start a stationery brand?

I was inspired by the book written by Farm Chok Chai owner Choke Bulakul, Chok Chuay Doey Prasobkarn, in which he said that his business model is not focused on horizontal growth but more on vertical expansion. Meaning that instead of creating more and more farms, he’d rather expand more businesses from within the original farm. I thought about my art school, Art House; maybe instead of opening more branches, I could invest in products that might help the school run better. That’s how Grey Ray and EE Defender: Pencil Cap came into being.

 

Are you still doing interior projects?

These last two years I’ve largely stopped. When you work on site, doing interiors is not about designing anymore; it’s more like communicating with people and meeting their demands, and sometimes that gets on your nerves. With my last work, for Parata Diamond, the owner is my junior from university, so I agreed to make an exception.        

 

What is your style when doing interiors for customers?

In general, I don’t have a fixed style, like we were taught to have in architecture school. I love to surprise people, if you can call that a style. Every design I do starts with the taste of who ever I’m designing for, and then I just try to exceed their expectations.  

Nestled in the old town, near Pichai intersection, Pichai Apartment is a three-story building that’s home to many writers, stylists and other creative types. The tenants’ easygoing character and the place’s lack of strict rules make it more like a community than a sterile apartment complex, and hence a welcoming place to live. Wuttikorn “Ong” Akkaratanasompop, the executive art director and production supervisor at the Visionary production house and guitarist for the band The Layers, just won a Baan Lae Suan Award earlier this year under the best design category for his room. We caught up with Ong to get the lowdown on how his passion for grunge informed his design.     

Why do you like to act so provocatively? 

I don’t see it as provocative. It’s a way to bring people’s attention to the message that I want to communicate. Regarding the pose with the Pridi Panomyong statue at Thammasat University, I just wanted to remind people that Pridi would have wanted students to follow his principles, not simply worship him. That statue is just stone. The act was criticized by many, but I just used sex as a tool to communicate that uniforms are controlling our true identity. I quit Chulalongkorn University because they abused my fundamental human rights, forcing transgender students to wear male uniforms and cut their hair short. I couldn’t stand for that. Thammasat gave me the freedom to be who I am.

People say you only did it because you want to be famous.

That’s so untrue. Why would I put myself in a position where people are denouncing me and even cursing my family? I just want to raise awareness of the fact that people have the right to go against tradition and culture, which are often just concepts used to control people. 

Have you been threatened? 

Yes, a lot, but mostly on the internet, not in reality. I did have to run away once, though, after I saw a bunch of people walk towards me with a look of hatred. 

Why do you keep doing it?

I believe it’s a way of showing people that not everyone in society has to think the same way. We must learn to tolerate and accept one another so that we can live together without have to resort to violence.  

Why are you against this controversial amnesty bill?

This law is totally unfair for people who lost their lives. There was a massacre in 2010 and those who ordered the killings, Abhisit Vejjajiva and Suthep Tueksuban, will get away with it. Even Thaksin Shinawatra, I want him to be punished for his involvement in the killings in the South, the Krue Se Mosque incident and Tak Bai incident. This amnesty is unlawful as it’s against the human rights of the people who died. You can’t just forget that. It shows that Thai society just doesn’t learn from past mistakes. We had killings in 1973, 1976, 1992 and 2006, and, in all those incidents, ordinary people are always the biggest losers. I feel betrayed by the Pheu Thai Party. 

What’s next for you?

I will campaign to reduce gender discrimination, especially against transgenders. If we aren’t as pretty as Poy Trichada, then we are always treated as a joke, and that’s not right. I also dream to work in journalism to encourage people to understand this important issue.