Robert Sukrachand

Robert Sukrachand moves fluidly between worlds. The furniture and lighting designer has had a lot of practice: Growing up in Massachusetts, he spent his summers in Thailand, where his father lived. Little wonder that Sukrachan’s practice has evolved to be a dialogue between craft disciplines, cultural histories, and material forms. To deepen that exchange, Sukrachand recently moved his studio from New York to Chiang Mai, Thailand, to better collaborate with the country’s artisans and makers. Below, he shares his process and upcoming projects.

What is your design philosophy?
It’s evolved a lot since I relocated my studio from NYC to Thailand. Our new products focus on creating ‘design conversations’ between my two homes. I spent 2 years researching traditional craft techniques and visiting workshops around Thailand. Once I had a grasp of the methods of a particular material or group of artisans, I approached my design friends back in NYC to begin exploring the design possibilities. The prototyping process usually takes a year, with much back-and-forth and collaboration. I see our partners in these two far-away locales as equal voices. Each brings their own expertise and passions to the exchange, and the result are products that couldn’t have been birthed in just one place.

Give us some context about where you live and how it influences your work.
Thailand is a sensory feast, and design—in a colloquial sense—is everywhere. The streets are filled with innovations of necessity; the building methods and everyday functional projects make use of an endless array of materials from woven fiber to stone to metal; and the color palette is rich, vibrant, and sometimes chaotic. All of this serves as inspiration for the new products we are creating.

Who are three designers you follow on Instagram?
Lately I’ve been inspired by designers whose work explores the contemporary design possibilities of local materials and forms. People like @FangoStudio, @MabeoFurniture, and @rrrrrr.es

Which of your pieces or projects are you most proud? Why?
I’m most proud of the Ban Pa Ao collection, which we produced in collaboration with the heritage brass-casting village of Ban Pa Ao in Ubon Ratchathani, Thailand. We developed a series of contemporary wall sconces and pendants that highlight signature details inherent to the village’s centuries-old casting process. Every piece is unique due to the one-off manufacturing method which uses no molds or modern manufacturing technologies.

This relationship was built over the course of a dozen visits over 2 years, and the community in Ban Pa Ao has become like family to me. Figuring out how to adapt their esoteric fabrication techniques to contemporary lighting was a major challenge, and I’m really proud of what we’ve been able to create together. It shows that design can be a vehicle for connecting people who otherwise might not have a chance to meet and learn from one another.

What is the most pressing issue in the design world today?
Most people talk about sustainability in design in terms of inputs: the use of safe, alternative, and regenerative materials. I support those ideas, but my own strategy leans more towards trying to create products that my customers feel attached to and won’t readily dispose. I believe the best way to achieve that is through storytelling, naming our artisans, and sharing the process behind our products. The richness of a design story can also help insulate us against the negative consequences of IP theft, which has already occurred with some of our products.

What are you currently working on?
We plan to launch two new lighting collections at ICFF in addition to showing our original Brass and Marble collections. We’re also prototyping some new mirror and furniture designs in metal and rattan that I’m super excited about.

What’s next?
I’m renovating a 5-story shophouse in Chiang Mai Old Town, which will serve as a multi-use space for our partners and customers to connect. It will be home to our studio, a gallery, a residency apartment, and a rooftop with outdoor kitchen. Our opening party and exhibition are slated for January 2025!