Decorating & Design
April 12, 2017
This Thailand Hotel Is What Your Design Dreams Are Made Of!
Web editor Adena Leigh shares an inside look at a dreamy Chiang Mai, Thailand hotel.
At the Dhara Dhevi Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand, the eye is captured by something exquisite at every turn. (Think: A gilded antique chest from Burma, a sumptuous Thai silk pillow in a juicy shade, a sliver of intricately carved teak wood).
Architect Rachen Intawong and his talented team are to thank for the hotel’s abundance of eye candy. Sprawled over 60 acres of picturesque land, the Dhara Dhevi is designed to take guests back in time to the Lanna Kingdom during the mid-13th century, when the neighboring parts of Northern Thailand, Burma, Laos and China were ruled under the same king. As a result, the hotel’s design borrows aspects from all of these cultures, combining the best of each.
Take a virtual tour of the majestic resort below, which will have you wanting to book your next vacation, stat!
A wobbly cobblestone road — purposefully uneven to reflect the streets in the Lanna Kingdom — leads to the impressive Myanmar-style building. With its white stucco façade and stacked brown roofs, it looks straight out of a fairy tale.
A grand staircase with colorful tiles from India leads to the lobby.
The impressive lobby design makes a breathtaking first impression. In this magical corner, guests are served their welcome ginger tea. A canopy covers a plush love seat that keeps sight lines open for the twinkling glass chandelier up top.
Just around the corner, this inviting area is perfect for taking a break from the Thai sun. Intricate peaked carvings add architectural interest, while exotic textiles woven by the hill tribes break up the neutral palette.
The hotel is divided into buildings with different styles of architecture to reflect its history. The colonial-style building, seen here, overlooks tropical gardens and on the other side, a landscaped swimming pool.
These suites aren’t your typical hotel rooms — high ceilings, Thai silk drapery and teak furniture combined with classic colonial-style pieces create an environment that feels like home, only better.
In the entryway, a blue and white antique umbrella holder, beadboard panelling and an interrupted floor nod at what’s to come.
A leggy chaise lounge is the perfect spot to kick your feet up after a long flight or day of touring.
Each suite is outfitted with original artwork, like this painting of a traditional Thai dancer hanging on the wall.
In the bedroom, lush drapes make way for the Thai sun to stream through the French doors and intricate window carvings.
A two-poster bed makes guests feel like royalty, if they didn’t already.
Each colonial suite has access to a walk-out patio that overlooks the pool.
Here is the view from the patio outside our room.
Tropical potted plants in hand-painted porcelain pots surround the premises.
Rice paddys that are farmed regularly mimic the old way of life in the Lanna Kingdom.
Two-storey teak wood villas inspired by traditional high-gabled Thai-style homes overlook the rice paddies. Thai homes are typically built on stilts to avoid flooding.
Inside, traditional Thai decor dominates, with an abundance of teak wood and silk.
A walk along the property reveals pockets of man-made paradise between the lush landscape, like this regal koi pond.
The Dhevi Spa and Wellness Center is one of the best in Asia, and is modelled after a Mandalay Palace setting from Myanmar.
Burmese antiques soothe design-lovers’ before the heavenly, century-old treatments.
It’s relaxing just looking at the indoor pool, with metallic mosaic tiles that glimmer in the dim of sunlight.
The Dhara Dhevi Chiang Mai also has a shopping village that includes an antique store, macaron bakery and gift shop among others. Here is a pile of antique fabrics woven by Chiang Mai’s hill tribes sold at one of the shops.
The Thai restaurant on site offers an incredible view — but with a property as beautiful as the Dhara Dhevi, every sight line is spectacular.