Ingfah Restaurant Ingfah Restaurant Ingfah Restaurant Ingfah Restaurant Ingfah Restaurant Ingfah Restaurant
See the sky, while lying down.
"Ingfah Restaurant is a local cuisine, outdoor seating restaurant located in Khaolak, Phangnga, Thailand. When we first arrived at the location, we found that the site was surrounded by buildings and had no sea view. The most effective potential left for the site was the lawn and the sky.
Therefore, IF proposed the concept of dining in a new way—sitting or lying down (adapted and redefined from traditional Thai dining behavior)—and ""framing"" the sky view to capture and make the beauty of the sky even more meaningful.
We also considered the constraints of the limited construction time and the owner’s requirement for the project to become a new destination for people, as well as to raise the standard of restaurants in the Khaolak area. This could be akin to lighting up the area with flying lanterns spread across the sky at night.
The conceptual idea became a restaurant made up of ""many small units"" that could be constructed in a shorter period than one large unit and could be easily rearranged in the future.
The main structure for each unit was designed to be a ""light geometric structure,"" a very slim steel skeleton.
This was meant to blend in with the sky, allowing only the fabric stretched on it to be visible to people. This fabric would act as ""the frame that captures the sky"" and ""the lantern that lights up the area.""
Material details:
- Steel structure: Well-polished with the best rust-protection color, as the site is next to the sea.
- Fabric: Outdoor-quality fabric, designed with easy installation and maintenance fitting details.
- Lighting: Adjustable LED lights that create a variety of atmospheres for the restaurant, depending on the time of day or special occasions.
The word ""INGFAH"" comes from two Thai words:
- ING (""อิง"" in Thai) means to ""lean on"" something, or ""lie down on"" something.
- FAH (""ฟ้า"" in Thai) means ""sky.""
Together, ""INGFAH"" means ""to see the sky while lying down"" or ""leaning on the sky.""
This name was inspired by two significant signatures of the restaurant combined:
1. The Thai traditional way of dining (lying down and leaning on a triangular pillow while dining or resting).
2. The sky view that was framed by the architecture and could be seen while dining."
Location
Khao Lak, Phang Nga, Thailand
ClientsHaco Group (1991), Casa de La Flora
Site Area2,040 Sq.m.
Gross Floor Area430 Sq.m.
Design Date2011
Completion Date2012
ArchitectIF (Integrated Field)
FF&E DesignerIF (Integrated Field)
Brand Identity DesignerChoochart Nitijessadawong
