Entrepreneurs of the Northern Rose (1)
Located not far from the famous traditional handicraft district of Ban Tawai, we find Onyx Designs. An innovative furniture maker  that specializes in bamboo, rattan and water hyacinths for their products. 

With contemporary Belgian design and the skills of talented Thai craftsmen the result makes an exciting blend of east and west.  Onyx is a fresh and modern initiative that brings out the best of indigenous traditions and giving it a new touch.

Olivier Laurent is one of the founders of  Onyx. Feeling fed up chasing deadlines and caught up in the stress in a major European company, Olivier left Europe for Chiang Mai. When his friend Xavier who was already in Thailand asked if he wanted to join in to start up a new business, Olivier didn’t hesitate. It took him only a month to move to Chiang Mai and soon after Onyx saw the daylight. In the beginning Onyx was trying to make their products in Ban Tawai but the result wasn’t 100% satisfactory, so they decided to open their own factory. For a good three years now Onyx founders have been working hard to build their brand and developing their products.

Onyx has a vision of creating furniture from sustainable sources. Water hyacinths are a nuisance in the rivers anyway and rattan can be planted and harvested from rainforests without causing damage to the forest.

The Northern Rose had its first contact with Olivier at a Green Fair in Nimmanhemin Street in December last year. At that point we were a bit disappointed to see that many companies at the fair just seemed to use “green products” as a marketing tool. Onyx was one of the few companies that caught our eyes. Olivier admits that there is still a lot of work to realize the idea of 100% green products but it’s getting easier every year, and the environmental awareness increases gradually a as the Thai suppliers becomes more aware of these issues.

- Some years ago, it was hard to find LED lamps for our  Bulb chairs but now it’s no problem says Olivier.

At the moment the factory has half a dozen workers. The Oxbow sofa made of “honey” rattan and water hyacinth takes more than two weeks to make. Some of the necessary machines used are imported from Belgium, and modified by Olivier and Xavier to suit their new purpose of cutting and bending rattan.  No strong smell of chemicals can be felt in the factory and the workers go on with their job at their own pace. 

- We can’t show any three dimension sketch for our workers. They are very talented but the best way is to make a model and then let the workers copy it, Olivier explains. At the same time it takes a lot of work to reach perfection to meet the target set by the Belgian designer Gaëtan Van de Wyer.

This kind of material is best suited for indoor use claims Olivier. If you want furniture for outdoor use, you would better use synthetic rattan, he says further.

Before we leave we have a look at the furniture Onyx displays in the small showroom. We at The Northern Rose are very excited to find these encouraging entrepreneurs, and we will keep looking for interesting people and products to present to our readers. Our target is to find entrepreneurs that strive to make green products, or that shows and example when it comes to social entrepreneurship, or both.  We are grateful for any tips that we might get from our readers.

By the way, next time you see an article about Onyx. Remember where you saw it first!

© Text: Per Sundberg

© Pictures: Jan Friman

Sights and attractions around Chiang Mai

Most of us see these peculiar signs pop up everywhere in Thailand and all over Asia for that matter. Images blend with phrases in a rare mix. The meaning may seem a bit hazy, but… What can we say?

From today we will start to build a an Image Library of these incredible signs from the Lanna Region. As we stumble across fresh signs we will of course add them to the collection. Stay posted on updates by following us at Twitter @thenorthernrose

Of course you can also check out the images directly at Flickr, which provides a much nicer fullscreen slideshow.

We more than welcome your contributions and suggestions! If you have pics or locations, please go ahead and send them in. In due time we will select Top Contributions and create a "Sign of the Thai" Gallery at Flickr. Who knows... the selected winner might even be rewarded ;) We just have to figure out a suitable Grand Prize :)

Please share and upload your suggestions Right Here, Right Now

Join the wisdom of the crowd!

© Text and Photos: Jan Friman & Per Sundberg

In recent years there have been quite a lot of articles on cycling in Bangkok, but very little on the corresponding experience in Chiang Mai. I and Jan decided to try it out. We booked a tour by Spice Roads. Taking the ride from Chiang Mai to Lamphun which showed to be a 35 kilometer smooth and flat road through enchanting northern Thai villages. 

The trip was partly along the Ping River which is one of four rivers that together with Nan, Wang, and Yom flows together to create the Chao Phraya in Nakorn Sawann and further down through Bangkok to the Bay of Siam. We followed the tracks of the ancient Mon Kingdom of Haripunchai and trade routs along the now dry area where the old flow of the Ping River used to be. It was a kind of thrilling experience to bike along routes where trade caravans of elephants and buffaloes once were carrying spices and wood.

For us the excursion was more about how to come into harmony with the countryside and villages we passed and not so much about the actual physical challenge. The Cicero of the day was Danny, an aussie who never hesitated to hold back with his humor and Mr. Win, a friendly thai localguide with a very suitable name. He proved to be pretty fast on his bike and was way ahead of us most of the time.

The day began with a visit to Wieng Khum Kham, sometimes called The Lost Kingdom of Chiang Mai. 
Some scholars say that King Mengrai, the founder of the Lanna Kingdom, established Wiang Kum Kam in 1286, intending to make it the first Lanna capital on the grounds of what previous was a Mon settlement. What could then have been the reason for changing his location to Chiang Mai? Then, about 700 years ago, floods and mudslides hit Wiang Kum Kam, so severely that its secrets were all buried. 

The rediscovery of the "Lost City" came in 1974, when the Fine Arts Department embarked on a restoration project to dig out the ancient structures. About four meters down, they unearthed old temples, ponds and stupas. The area is  located about 5km south of Chiang Mai and  covers about 9 square kilometers. Around 20 wats have been found and dug out so far.

The villages along the way are really captivating and the roads seem like made for cycling. Traffic is not at all disruptive. We cycle along fields of soybeans, tobacco plants and maize. Longan plantations and mango plantations  that we see every now and then gives you the impression that the living standard is fairly high in the region. Proof of prosperity can be seen in the form of majestic teak houses in Lanna style with their kalae-buffalohorns on the roofs. 

After a short ride we pass a house with plenty of woven bamboo cages outside. Danny stops and invites us in. He knows the owner.

Inside the cages are roosters. Here were find some of the best northern Thai roosters for cockfighting. The owner's champ was a Burmese rooster valued as much as 40,000 baht (about 1200 U.S.) During the last contest he won around 150,000 baht. (4 550 USD).

One of the highlights of the day is a stop at a local chip producer. We are just amazed by freshness of these chips, lightly salted and with a tone of pandanus herb. They are crisp and not at all greasy. We enjoyed this stop a lot, gorging ourselves with a whole plate of chips. The chip factory owner proudly explained that they use only fresh oil every time when they fry the chips.

- Give me two big bags cried Jan. I need two kilos!

We stocked the treasure in Dannys car. Some time later we drop by a an old wood house where an elderly couple grow “mouse ear mushrooms” along the riverbanks of Ping.

Now it was my turn:

- Please one big bag of mushrooms. Put it in Dannys car.

These mushrooms taste great fried with toufu or with glass noodles.

The best thing about cycling here in the north is the time we get to take in the countryside and enjoy any aspect of it. When you bike you hear sounds and you can get the scents and smells of the area you pass. The sounds and smells you always miss out when you sit in a cold air-conditioned bus. Maybe for someone it might feel a bit strange to do longer biking tours in the tropical heat, but honestly it wasn’t that hot  nd Danny and Win made sure that there were enough breaks and pauses for water and fruits. 

Early afternoon, we reached Lamphun an important industrial city today and  perhaps primarily known for its industrial park. However it was once the capital of the Haripunchai kingdom in the 8^th century, a Mon kingdom ruled by a queen named Chamadevi and a rival to the Khmers that dominated South East Asia at the time. The city fell to the Thai kingdom of Lanna in the 13^th century.

In Lamphun we enjoyed a wonderful lunch by the river and then rounded the day off with a visit to Wat Phra That Hariphunchai (วัดพระธาตุหริภุญชัย) with its 46-metre tall golden Chedi. At the top of the the majestical golden Chedi, it is said, that one very special relic from the Buddha Shakyamuni rests; Some of the Buddhas hair!

© Copyright | Text: Per Sundberg and Photos: Jan Friman

Introducing The Authors Uncut on The Northern Rose Developers Blog

After the merit making for 10.000 Buddhist monks, the street of Nimmanhemin in Chiang Mai has been hosting two larger events.  The first one was NAP (Nimman Street Art and Promenade จัดงานที่นิมมานเหมิ) which took place between 5-9^th December on soi 1- the soi of design and contemporary art. Just as the name say, this was an opportunity for designers and artists to show their work. Closing the street for traffic turned soi 1 in to a "pedestrian paradise". 

Then to be in phase with the climate conference in Copenhagen, Think Green (10-13^th December) –  an initiative to promote the future of environmental friendly Lanna architecture, took place opposite Amari hotel. It seems that by focusing on the traditional Lanna type of house much can be won in terms of green housing. The event also put some focus on rediscovering bamboo- the plant of life.

However, Nimmanhemin is primarily a place to go people watching. December is the time when Thai people go north, it seems hugely important for some Bangkokians to show up at trendy places and coffeeshops (such as Wavee coffee) in winter clothes at this time of the year.

Text: ^PS & Photo: ^JF

Saturday 28th November, at 6.09 in the morning, busload after busload with saffron colored monks are entering Nimmanhemin Rd in Chiang Mai.
 
According to the organisers 10.000 monks from different parts of Thailand, Burma and Laos are participating in this form of meritmaking, or Thambon. This is the term for merit making and function like a kind of religious bridge between the layman and the monks, who are the reservoirs of merit that the laymen morally can benefit from. Except from the benefit of meritmaking itself, money and food donations are also given for various benefitting purposes.

I have always been impressed by the large number of monks walking through Mae Hong Son or Luang Prabang in Laos at dawn.
This, event was however of an entirely different magnitude. The sidewalk full of people waiting to pay respect to the monks, many of them dressed in white holding the buddhist symbol of a lotus between their hands. The monks in their turn are taking pictures themselves and the event. They seem to be enjoying themselves while preparing their walk through Nimmanhemin.
 
This amazing event is a kick off for a lot of happenings that will take place in Nimmanhemin area and other areas in December.
December is the month when Nimmanhemin really comes alive with jazz afternoons and “walking streets”. There is also the Royal flower show in Ratchapreuk Gardens starting on the 1:st of December running all through the 10:th of December.

Thenorthernrose.asia will of course make an effort to envision these illustrious events. We warmly welcome you to join us in some of the most colorful events in Chiang mai.

Text and Photo: ^PS