VELA SUB-COLLECTION
DESIGNED BY DOTS DESIGN STUDIO
The Brief
VELA began not as a product-first idea, but as a response to a specific home and a very personal vision. Originally developed for Toon Artiwara and Koy Ratchawin Kongmalai’s modern luxury beach house in Phuket, this dining furniture sub-collection was shaped by the themes of the sea and time, or Talay and Vela in Thai.
From the beginning, the intention was to create a special dining set, including a table and chairs, that could feel right within a beach house, while still carrying the refinement needed for a more contemporary interior mood. It was not meant to be purely decorative, nor simply relaxed in the usual coastal sense. The goal was to create something that could hold a sense of quality craftsmanship, something perfectly and easy to live with, yet resolved enough to sit aesthetically within a modern luxury home.
What made the brief especially meaningful was its specificity. This was not an abstract market exercise, but a design response to the needs, atmosphere, and way of living imagined for one particular home. That personal starting point gave VELA its emotional depth from the beginning.
Why PODIUM
“For Dots Design Studio, PODIUM is one of the few local manufacturers capable of delivering a level of quality comparable to leading international brands. If we were to look for this kind of quality elsewhere, we would likely have to look outside the country. PODIUM stands out for its ability to translate design imagination into physical products with precision, sensitivity, and a strong understanding of materials.” — Krit Phutpim, Dots Design Studio
For a project like this, the furniture could easily have been developed as a one-off custom solution. Yet from the designer’s point of view, the home deserved something more than a conventional made-to-order approach. It called for a furniture brand with the capability to turn a personal vision into a lasting design with real production quality behind it. That was why PODIUM became part of the process.
Dots Design Studio saw in PODIUM a rare ability to bring together quality, material sensibility, craftsmanship in a way that suited the character of this Phuket house.
PODIUM’s experience with fine woodwork and original design made it the right partner for a project that needed both design understanding and production capability.
From Sea and Time to Form
The conceptual foundation of VELA is rooted in two ideas: the sea and time.
The influence of the sea appears through the overall mood of the sub-collection, in the woven elements, the crafted character created through the interplay of wood and cord. These details carry a clear beach house sensibility, yet they are expressed through a more refined point of view. Rather than relying on obvious coastal references, the design draws from Mediterranean furniture in a subtler way, especially in how the woven character is brought into a dining setting intended for relaxed living.
Time enters in a different way. It is present in the dialogue between traditional and contemporary expressions, in the pairing of woven material with upholstered comfort, and in the way the table was imagined not only for adults, but also with an awareness of how children might move around it, play beneath it, and experience it in their own way.
In this way, the sub-collection became more than a dining set with a strongly crafted mood. It became a dining furniture set that connects generations, daily rituals, and memory. For adults, it serves one function. For children, it opens another layer of imagination. The result is a design shaped not only by style, but by the way life unfolds around it.
VELA also finds its place within the DESIGNER COLLABORATIONS collection, where
ideas inspired by a specific context are carefully developed into furniture that others can con-
tinue to live with and make their own.
Material Decisions
The material palette of VELA was chosen with equal attention to atmosphere and performance. At the core of the sub-collection is solid American white oak, valued not only for its well-known strength and durability, but also for the beauty and sense of worth it brings to each piece. Its naturally light tone made it especially suitable for the home’s calm and contemporary mood, allowing a softer finish that feels in harmony with the surrounding interior.
Beyond performance, the material also adds a more special quality to the pieces, inviting users to enjoy the presence, texture, and craftsmanship of fine wood in their living.
This sensitivity continues through the woven details. While the visual language of the pieces draws from traditional woven materials, the material selection was adapted to suit the mood and function of the project. Each woven detail is crafted by hand, bringing a greater sense of care, craftsmanship, and value to the design. Paper cord introduces a tactile quality that feels soft, clean, and visually light, while Textilene adds another layer of practicality with a more contemporary expression.
Another important decision was the use of upholstered seats in selected versions, available in both fabric and leather, rather than relying entirely on a fully woven seating surface. This choice allowed the chairs to retain
their traditional material references while offering a greater sense of comfort for modern users.
The Pieces
VELA is where a unique design language becomes fully experienced. More than a group of individual pieces, it was conceived as a complete dining setting in which each element contributes a different quality to the space, from beach house character and craftsmanship to family interactions.
VELA Table gives the sub-collection its architectural center. With its calm proportions, it anchors the setting and creates a natural point for gathering. More than simply supporting dining, the table establishes the tone of the space through a crafted presence that feels both composed and welcoming.
VELA Chair-01 brings a more embracing dimension to that experience. As the armchair of the sub-collection, it introduces a stronger sense of comfort and inviting look, helping the dining setting feel softer, more relaxed, and more settled. Its woven back and upholstered seat reinforce the design’s balance between craftsmanship and contemporary ease.
In contrast, VELA Chair-02 offers a lighter and more open expression. As the side chair, it helps create visual openness around the table, allowing the setting to feel more balanced without losing the and coherence of the sub-collection. Its form plays an important role in making the overall composition feel natural and easy to live with.
Together, these three pieces give VELA its full identity. The result is not only a dining set, but a considered atmosphere, one shaped by fine woodwork, woven detail, and a relaxed sense of togetherness that feels especially suited to shared living in a beach house.
SHOP
READ MORE ON OUR BLOG
CATALOGUE
