Is it possible to create a commercially successful product that doesn’t borrow from culture, but truly learns from it?

This was the question I asked myself when, after a design trade fairs in Frankfurt, a Thai design company invited me to collaborate on a new lighting collection.

The goal was to create a product that carries the spirit of Thai heritage, reinterpreted through a contemporary European design lens. 

Making it accessible and meaningful for European audiences. 

Rather than exploiting Thai culture, the lamp was intended as an invitation to discover it more deeply. 

To understand the context beyond aesthetics, I moved to Thailand for one month. I explored hidden jungle temples around Chiang Mai, lived in a student town near Bangkok, and worked full-time in a Thai design studio. Side by side with local designers, I learned from religion, craftsmanship, materials, and everyday rituals—sharing working days, lunch breaks, and moments of meditation in temples.

The concept draws inspiration from the Naga, a mythical serpent-like dragon in Thai mythology symbolizing protection, nature, and spirituality. In Buddhist tradition, the Naga is believed to protect the Buddha and guard temple entrances, acting as a bridge between the sacred and the everyday.

The base is crafted from teak wood, a material commonly used in Buddhist temples. Lampshade made from natural linien, popular local fabric.

The result is an object that explores the meeting point of local tradition and European aesthetics, transforming familiar Thai materials into a design with new, global meaning.
Like the Naga at temple thresholds, the lamp becomes a bridge between two worlds — Thai and European.