It is sophisticated, timeless and beautiful. Long appreciated by connoisseurs of fine living, Thai silk has gained a world wide reputation over the last few decades as an elegant and imaginative interior design fabric.

Long ago, both French and Persian visitors to the city of Ayutthaya remarked on the sumptuous furnishings that included decorative parasols covered in gold cloth and silk and brocade wall hangings. Although used in palaces throughout Thailand for centuries, Thai silk furnishings were, until recently, less common abroad.

After the Second World War, Jim Thompson promoted Thai silk around the world. As a result, in the late 1950s and early 1960s, orders were pouring into his Thai Silk Company. The Savoy Hotel of London chose Thai silk to furnish its suites; it was used in Windsor Castle for refurbishing the Canaletto Room and Woolworth heiress Barbara Hutton selected great quantities of the fabric for her Maxican retreat. Despite the great Chinese silk market on its very doorstep, the Hong Kong Hiltom selected Thai silk for its ballroom and its top'suites.

Naturally, many of Thailand's most famous hotels, including the Oriental, the Dusit Thani, the Regent and recently the Sukhothai, have chosen to adorn their best suites with the finest Thai silk. As its fame has spread, Thai silk has gained popularity amongst international hotel chains such as the Intercontinental group. They were so impressed by the use of this material in their Bangkok property that they utilised it in Intercontinental hotels in Korea, Oman and Indonesia.

Jackson Lenor Larsen, America's leading textile designer and one of Thai silk's greatest admirers, became the first international designer to use Thai silk purchased from Jim Thompson. Following Thompson's disappearance in 1967, Larsen was invited by the Thai Silk Company to create exclusive designs for silks to be used as furnishing fabrics. Many of his designs have become classics.
Thai silk owes part of its attraction as an interior design fabric to the fact those plain or neutral colours which would appear dull in other fabrics look stunning when woven in silk because of the rich texture and high quality of the weave.

In addition to beauty, praticality is a large part of the appeal of Thai silk as a decorative fabric. It is not only elegant but also hard wearing and durable; if treated with a fabric protector such as Scotchguard and well cared for, six-ply silk can last for up to 15 years. The material is also extremely versatile, and, as proven by great designers, suitable for an infinite rang of uses from wall panelling to furniture upholstery to simple pillow cases. Fashion-wise, it holds a timeless quality. While other fabrics go in and out of style, Thai silk remains a classic.

Before using Thai silk interior decor, the effects of natural and artificial light must be studied. Under different lights, the colours of the same piece of silk can vary greatly; a colour that may appear harsh under a natural light may be soft and rich beneath artificial light. As silk fades under long exposure to natural light, it is important to consider where it will be utilised when planning a silk-based decorative scheme. Unlined silk is fine for bed hangings that can be positioned away from a source of natural light, but uf used for curtains, heavy lining must be added.

Thai silk looks wonderful when contrasted with other natural materials. When combined with rich wooks such a mahogany, oak or native Thai teak and rosewood, the colours of silk blend perfectly. Alternatively, this versatile fabric can be used to obtain an ething look when earthy colours and designs are combined with rattan. Soft colours can create a warm and inviting ambience.

A four-poster bed can feel even more romantic when shrouded in luscious, smooth, silk bed-hangings with a matching bedspread. Plain or pelmeted curtains are grandly exquisite with the fabric slightly creased and richly spilling onto the floor. Thai silk is perfect for achieving understanded simplicity and elegance of stylish sophistication.

Thai Matmi silk is a light fabric brillant colours and patterns that create superb bed-hangings, bedspereads and wall-hangings. The pattern should be displayed flat to avoid losing any of its impact. Matmi is exhibited to its best advantage when combined with plain silk.
Sensuous, cheerful, exciting and dazzlingly different, Thai silk adds originality and style to any interior design scheme.

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