Jim Thompson House Revisited

I love going to places that are both well-designed and historical. 

During my recent trip to Bangkok, I decided to revisit the Jim Thompson House. I went to this place years ago during a trip with my brother and I remember being impressed with the rich history of the place and the owner.

The Jim Thompson House

This is the facade of the house  where most visitors take a photo

Going to the Jim Thompson house is easy. All you need to do is to take the BTS train, go to the National Stadium train station and take Exit 1. Once you step down from the train station and see the Mercure hotel on your right just continue to  walk to the first street located a few steps from the hotel. You will see a signboard that points to the Jim Thompson House on the corner of the street. At the end of the street you will see the Jim Thompson House. One has to pay Baht150(around USD3.00) to view the house which includes a 35- minute tour of the house with an English speaking guide.

The Legendary Jim Thompson

Jim Thompson


source: jimthompsonhouse.com

Jim Thompson is an American entrepreneur who studied in Princeton University in the United States and was an architect who practiced in New York City until the 1940s.  

He was also involved with the United States Army and was assigned in the OSS(Office of Strategic Service), which is also the forerunner of the CIA(Central Intelligence Agency). With his work in the US Army, he was able to travel to Italy, France and Asia.

He fell  in love with Thailand when he stayed there and decided to settle there and build a business which is now known as the Jim Thompson Thai Silk Company. His contribution to the development of the Thai Silk industry was significant. He was the one who paved the way for the the Thai Silk industry's boom. 

A colourful presentation of how Thai silk is made
is displayed outside the shop

Jim Thompson was also known for providing the costumes for "The King and I", the musical in New York City, and his continuous efforts to help local people through livelihood programs focused on Thai Silk production has provided a source of income to the communities in Thailand.

The Wooden Printing Block

The printing block design was the same design used for
 the  costumes for The King and I show in New York
City. The design was based on the designs on the
porcelain vase.

Jim Thompson was certainly artistic and had excellent taste in design. He was also involved in the reorganization of the Oriental Hotel in Thailand. 

Since Jim Thompson has contributed so much to Thailand, he became known as the "Legendary American of Thailand". 

In 1967, he traveled with his friends to the Cameron HIghlands in Malaysia. He set out to walk in the jungle  on his own and never returned. According to the tour guide at the house, it is believed that he may have been either attacked by tigers or kidnapped in the jungle since he was also involved in the US Army. Thus, his disappearance remains a mystery until today.

A House Built Without Nails

Jim Thompson's House is considered a grand home based on Thai standards since the whole property has 6 traditional Thai houses in one compound and the entire property covers around half a hectare of land. The house construction started on an auspicious date and time since Jim Thompson had taken the advise of a Buddhist monk for good luck, peace and harmony. Construction started on  September 15, 1958 at 9:00AM. It was completed in 1959.

The entire house is made from light, pre-fabricated sections of wood with each section forming a wall.  Each wall is fitted together and hung on the superstructure - a frame of wooden pillars that provides support without nails. 

One of the houses in the compound

 This used to be the rice storage area 
during the time Jim Thompson was
alive. Currently, artworks are 
displayed inside the house.

One will notice that most of the doors are slanted since it provides support for the structure. It was designed in such a way  that it is easy to take down the pieces of the wall and re-assemble the house since during those times it gives the family flexibility in case they decide to move their house.

One of the houses where Jim Thompson's painting
collection can be viewed

Asian inspired decors are displayed  under the house

There are also wooden steps that are placed in between doorways of the rooms in the house since the Thais believe that this helps prevent spirits from going into the house since spirits.

The house has a lot of windows which helps in the uninterrrupted flow of air and circulation of air in the entire house. In the dining area of the house, the windows has wood carvings on the bottom.  Apart from this, Jim Thompson made use of two mahjong tables as dining table that can accommodate a party of six for get together dinners.

Carved window 

source: jimthompsonhouse.com

The dining room at Jim Thompson's house has
carved windows with the carvings located inside
      the room for guests to see and appreciate.  This is
 uncommon as carvings are usually  shown on
 the outside area of the house to show that the
owner of the house is affluent.

The pantry area of the house is where Jim Thompson's porcelain collection is displayed. Some of his porcelain collection features Thai design in five colours consisting of  red, blue, green, yellow and black, which are also known as "Benjarong" , a Thai word that means five colours.

JIm Thompson's Benjarong porecelain collection

source: jimthompsonhouse.com

A Collection of Buddha Statues

Although Jim Thompson is not a Buddhist, he respected the religion and has collected various Asian Buddha statues that are displayed in his home. 

Meditating Buddha

This is part of Jim Thompson's collection which is
 displayed  in one of the rooms of his house.

source: jimpthompsonhouse.com

Some are made from wood sourced from Ayutthaya and some are Asian finds made from sandstone.

Standing buddha

This is part of Jim Thompson's Buddha statue
collection and is 1,800 years old

Jim Thompson Thai restaurant and shop

One must also try the Jim Thompson restaurant that serves authentic Thai dishes. The restaurant has both indoor and  an outdoor seating area that shows a view of the house. 

Interiors of the Jim Thompson restaurant are
predominantly lime green

The koi pond located at the outer area of the restaurant
provides a lovely view of the house

During my visit, I was a bit peckish after the tour and I ended up having lunch at the restaurant.

Prawn in green curry, fresh coconut juice and a
 Jim Thompson branded bottled water

If you like to get some souvenirs, postcards, bags, other silk items or a cook book, you can get it from the shop.

The facade of the Jim Thompson shop

Prints with Thai paintings, postcards and books can be
seen in the shop

At the Table of Jim Thompson book

This book contains recipes of Thai dishes featured
in the restaurant

A visit to Jim Thompson's House is truly one of the must do things when one is visiting Bangkok. It is a reflection of how expats live in Thailand in the 1950s and also shows how one foreigner can contribute to a country's development by founding a business that has provided a good livelihood to many Thai families until today.

To know more about the Jim Thompson House, just click on the link: Jim Thompson House website.