Weekend picks

To celebrate the 10th anniversary of launching its store in Bangkok, the UK-based Habitat chain has renovated and expanded its outlet at Siam Discovery Centre. Starting in the living zone, there is a showcase of comfy sofas, armchairs, chairs, stools and tables. Keep stepping inside and you'll find the dinner zone, which is stocked with glassware, ceramics and wooden tableware. Bowls, plates, cups, mugs, glasses, jugs, trays and breadboards are stacked here, along with stainless-steel pots and pans, as well as coffee machines and other appliances.

Next door is the art centre, which displays around 6,000 prints by famous photographers, illustrators, painters and graphic artists. The collection includes Toni Frissell's iconic "Weeki Wachee, Florida" and Ansel Adams's 1925 "Roaring River Falls, King's River Canyon", both from the US Library of Congress collection. A small corner is devoted to Sakul Flowers, where Thai floral designer Sakul Intakul has used his simple floral arrangement techniques to create bouquets of fresh flowers. There is also a colourful collection of gardening tools like steel shovels, forks and rakes, created by Dogo.

On the second floor, shoppers will come across a combination of natural-shade furniture and accessories in the bathroom and bedroom departments. There are cabinets, beds, wardrobes, towels, bathmats, shower curtains, containers and handmade baskets, as well as bed sheets and pillowcases. If you have your children in tow, head over to the Habitat kids' zone, where there's an eye-catching selection of designer goods for children.

The line of celebrity designs include fashion monster dolls of Christian Lacroix, actress Kate Winslet's wooden secret boxes, Daniel "Harry Potter" Radcliffe's Cu-beds and author Jacqueline Wilson's Storyland shelves.

Habitat is holding a charity auction of the Mona doll collection, created by 10 Thai celebrities. The auctio runs August 30, with proceeds being donated to Sarnelli House Children's Home in Nong Khai. 

Stoneware

The Rex and Flynn collections for the dining room and kitchen include a pair of salt-and-pepper pinch bowls (Bt250) a larger pinch bowl (Bt690) and a set of lemon-green stoneware, including a plate (Bt165), a bowl (Bt125) and a mug (Bt95).

Basket case

The Kursi collection offers a set of three round rattan baskets imported from Indonesia (Bt4,750), while Pazzo has square bamboo baskets in brown-red and dark brown, imported from Vietnam (Bt5,500).

No plastic

Make a statement about the environment with reusable cotton shopping bags (Bt950). The collection features bold, graphic designs in green, bright blue, orange and white.

Comfy couch

Enjoy relaxing on an eye-catching, Moray-designed sofa. The frame is made of black oak and comes with a large cushion, two pillows and a long back cushion, all made from linen and filled with goose feathers and polyester fibres. Price is Bt79,500.

Picture this

The Habitat Art Centre has a large collection of prints by celebrated photographers like Ansel Adams,  Toni Frissell and Carl Van Vechten. Prices range from Bt3,500 to Bt21,500, depending on sizes and materials for printing.

Monsters Inc

There will be sweet dreams for your children with a designer bed by Bethan Gray (Bt19,500), along with a pack of a white cotton bed sheets, a comforter cover and a pillowcase (Bt3,950). Before bedtime, the kids can clean up with orange and blue towels with hats (Bt995) and play with "Belly" the purple monster or "Sweet" the blue monster, both designed by Christian Lacroix (Bt1,950 each).

Pattarawadee Saengmanee