Our products
Art Lab specialises in Contemporary Art and Modern furniture pieces, with products ranging from Pop Art sculptures & abstract paintings to high quality furniture replica. Our store on Koh Samui allows us to deliver to our customers all over Thailand in a timely manner, with local partners based in Phuket and Bangkok. Worldwide delivery is available upon request.
We believe Modern Furniture and Contemporary Art should be accessible to a wider audience - whether it is a painting by an emerging Asian artist, a Pop Art sculpture or an iconic furniture piece such as the Ultrafragola Mirror or the Alpha sofa. After all, design is made by people for people, and all people. That’s a philosophy we stand behind.
Whether you’re new to design or already an expert, shopping for yourself or for a client, our curated collection has something for everyone.
Contact us or go to the shop section for more information about our products.
“To affect the quality of the day, that is the highest of arts ”
— Henry David Thoreau
What is Modern Furniture? (1920-1950)
Essentially, modern design refers to a specific period from the 1920s to the 1950s, when furniture design went through a drastic change. Prior to the 1920s, furniture tended to be highly ornate and each piece of furniture would be handcrafted. In the 20s, new designers emerged offering organic, geometric shaped and function-centric furniture pieces, enabled with new efficient production techniques.
Following WWII, people flocked to urban areas and living spaces shrunk, increasing demand for modern furniture. “Modern” is actually short for “Mid Century Modern”, though some furniture pieces created in the mid-1900s continue to be reproduced today, others have been completely reinvented and adapted to contemporary design culture.
The Bubble sofa, an iconic model in the Roche Bobois collection, imagined by Sacha Lakic is a playful piece, with its unique style. The idea is to bring poetry and sensitivity to the houses, allowing space to breathe, being “emptiness” part of the design.
Bubble expresses the equilibrium between innovation, function and emotion, inspired by natural and mineral shapes. Made entirely by hand, its design required the development of specific elastic fabrics, including a black stretchable jersey, and a remarkable soft honeycomb wool, on top, that perfectly matches its rounded form, and remains in harmony with the environment and its elements.
What is Memphis Design? (1981-1989)
Memphis design is a movement that began in 1981 in Milan, Italy. The designer Ettore Sottsass (creator of the now notorious Ultrafragola mirror) founded the Memphis Group with other designers and architects and took their name from a Bob Dylan song titled Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again which was played on repeat during their first meeting.
Like many creative design movements, Memphis was a reaction against the status quo. The 1950s/60s mid-century modern and 1970s minimalism were about clean and straight lines. To counter that, memphis group centered their creative inspiration around “radical, funny, and outrageous” — essentially, disregarding what was considered as “good taste” at that time. The geometric figures of Art Deco, the color palette of Pop Art, and 1950s kitsch inspired their unusual aesthetic.
The Ultrafragola mirror replica, with sinuous and fragile profile designed by Ettore Sottsass Jr., as part of the Mobili Grigi series, does not need poetic and brainy explanations. It is one of the most wanted items in the design world.
A passionate, fresh, strawberry whipped cream shaped mirror.
Turning on the light, it acquires a suggestive pink hue that has made millennial decorator Sasha Bikoff, pay homage to it. Designer of modern aesthetics, such as the architect Nicolas Ghesquière, remembers when studying in Paris, walking through the Marché aux Pouces watching the Ultrafragola mirror and falling in love immediately. It belongs today to the select collection of precious objects that he treasures at home.
What is Contemporary Art? (1945-Now)
Contemporary art generally refers to works created since the second half of the 20th century, more specifically from the Second World War onwards.
However, the line is sometimes thin between modern art (post-Impressionism and prior to 1945) and contemporary art. Contemporary Art includes works produced by living artists or, in the case of deceased artists, works dating from less than twenty or thirty years ago. Contemporary art is also characterised by aesthetic practices and creations that use new techniques.
It also usually conveys ideas or concepts which sometimes transgress the norms conceived by modern art and classical art.
Interior Design Services
While you can buy only one piece of your choice and get it delivered directly to you, Art Lab also offers an interior design service to help you choose the artwork or piece of furniture for your home. Your project will be assigned to one of our interior designers that will dedicate their time exclusively to you. The first phase consists of an interview during which the most important aspects will be discussed: style and colors. In the second phase, you will receive a mood-board elaborated according to the ideas previously discussed. Once the mood-board has been approved, we will prepare the final project including a detailed list of the pieces selected and renders of the finished space.
Knowing when to engage the client in the project and when to offer our expertise, Art Lab takes pride in serving as a conduit to the client’s stated desires and needs.
Art Lab Gallery - Taling Ngam, Ko Samui, Thailand
