A local enterprise that started out manufacturing commercial plastics has evolved into Qualy Design, a firm that has embraced tree-hugging principles to make a range of imaginative products for the home, from a shoe-horn that resembles a sexy, high-heeled vinyl boot and an umbrella rack that was clearly inspired by the spatial arrangement of the roots of a water lotus to attractive chopping boards, one decorated with a lettuce print, another with an image suggesting the marbling — layers of fat — found in cuts of raw meat.
Functional and sleek, simple yet playful, these items were all designed and produced with the well-being of Mother Earth in mind. The material used— a polycarbonate plastic — is durable and recyclable and the clever designs bring a little bit of nature into the home. The cherry lavatory brush and squirrel wall hooks, for example, and thumb-tacks shaped like acorns.
“We based our concept on the acronym QUALY: Quality, Uniqueness, Aesthetics (but we also believe our products must be useful, a la ‘form must follow function’), Long-lasting, and the Y is for ‘you’, the customers,” explains owner Thosaphol Suppametheekulwat.
Since its inception in 2005, Qualy has won many international design prizes, including the Form Award from Germany and Japan’s G Mark Good Design Award. Its products are sold around the world and the firm’s revenue comes predominantly from exports.
But Qualy Design is now working hard to increase its market share in Thailand. “We have opened a flagship store at Asiatique; it will be two years old this May,” Thosaphol observes. “And, as of last year, local sales made up 8% of our total sales, up from only 2% initially.”
Qualy products are available at their store in Asiatique, the riverside theme park on Charoen Krung Road, as well as Loft (Siam Discovery and Paradise Park branches) and at the TCDC above Emporium. Visit www.qualydesign.com for more information.
