Inside Look_ Touring the Legendary Jim Thompson Tropical Home & Garden _ 10 Design Tips

Looking for good design ideas and inspiration for your garden? This video takes you to one of the most famous tropical gardens in Asia where you can pick up many cool tips to make your own cozy retreat. But underlying this beautiful place lurks a murder mystery. Let me take you back to 1967. He went out for a walk in the jungles of Cameron Highlands and was never seen again. Some say he was lost and eaten by a tiger, some say he was murdered by the communists hiding in the jungles. We are talking about Jim Thompson, an American born in Delaware and if you had been to Thailand you might recall seeing boutiques bearing his name. While his disappearance had been really intriguing, he had also led a fascinating life. So Jim Thompson is a bit of an enigma. He is an architect and a spy during World War II and turned into a silk merchant. And most importantly for us, he had left behind a really legendary tropical home and garden. An oasis of serenity amidst the vibrant chaos of Bangkok. It's open to public so you can visit for a fee. Jim meticulously designed every aspect of this house drawing inspiration from traditional Thai architecture and incorporating his own modern flair. But what truly brings me here is the garden. The first thing that caught my eye as I walk in is this tree. Well not so much the tree itself but look at the many plants that the tree is hosting. And now pay close attention. The effect of having these plants above you and yet not too high up and completely out of sight gives you a sense of being welcome and being enveloped. This massive hanging fern here is much like the effect of having pendant lights or chandeliers indoor. Tricks that interior designers use to make rooms feel cozier. And notice the contrast in structure. Some people might think that foliage garden with no flowers is absolutely boring but you can create interest with different forms. The bird nest ferns with their fronds reaching up to the skies is in stark contrast with the lush and graceful plants that is hanging down. And this cute little plant here. This is the dysgedia. They're kind of like a succulent so the leaves are a little chubby. They are also epiphytes and can latch on trees. And just like many plants we've come across these babies thrive in filtered light, high humidity and good ventilation. And now let's get a bit more nosy here. Check out the support system. Cleverly tucked away is this metal structure painted in black. Okay, very good. Because anything that we want to hide or make more subtle should have receding colors. Imagine if it was painted in bright red or orange. It would be so distracting and spoil this lovely natural looking tree. Now let's look down. We have arrows, scimitars, basically pick any plant that you think need a moss pole and just chuck it to the base of a tree. In nature, there are no moss poles. Trees are nature's moss poles. So if you have trees in your garden, do use them. And here we are rewarded by a pretty mature philodendron. It's hugging the tree nicely and gives a nice volume to the mid section of the tree. So ladies and gentlemen, that's what made this tree such a masterpiece. There are plants below giving it a lush foundation, plants in the middle for visual interest, and then in abundance hanging from above to give a cozy vibe. Oh, look at these fiery red crotons. Crotons, not to be mistaken as to croutons in your salad or soup, are a supremely underrated plant. Nobody loves them because they are cheap and easy. People these days tend to lust after expensive and difficult plants. But if you are wise and lazy, this plant is for you. It's low maintenance and gives you happy colors. There are also other types of crotons around. The more sun you give, the brighter its color will be. And oh, this bit of the garden is calling me. These explosive red beans leading to a fish pond. Having water features in the garden really makes the place come alive. And living happily with the fishes is this giant swamp taro. I think this is the Certosperma mercucii. If it is, this is the largest of all root crop. All parts of the plants, the roots, the stems, the leaves can be eaten. But I would never eat it. It's just too beautiful. Now let's see what else calls out to me. Oh, a beautiful hanging basket. Mainly epiphyllum. They are a bit succulent and light. And so they also need very well draining media. Then there are pothos, curly lipstick, or the Iconanthus radicans. And crown with a bird nest and durian on top. Key takeaway is, find opportunities to hang your plants. They make the garden a whole lot more interesting. And you can really get creative to mix and match your living salad to achieve the visual effect you like. Just make sure to have more or less the same need and can live happily together in a pot. So many of us don't have the luxury of a big piece of land to have a big pond. But don't despair. There are simple yet beautiful water features you can consider. Like this huge pot filled with water lettuce. They do grow and multiply very quickly. And water canna that springs up to greet you. The selection of plants here to be its neighbor is perfect. Why? Because these homa luminas are very easy and you see them used extensively throughout this garden. The leaves are chubby. They look so lush. They're packed tightly with other easygoing plants like these aglonimas and philodendron burley marks. Let's take a second to step back and admire this pretty spot. Now raise your gaze up. We have here some mid-sized trees. The leaves are dancing in the wind. So relaxing to look at. Right here we have a bunch of heliconias. This is the heliconia longissima. As the name suggests, the breadth is the longest. And when fully grown, it is easily more than three feet long. This is what I have in my own garden. Oh wait, let's try it back. I want to point out another easygoing and beautiful plant. This is the schismatoglottis wallichii. It has beautiful texture, form and pattern. A must-have in your tropical garden. So the trees, the heliconias all work together to provide some shades to the plants below and also to the humans that's walking along here. In the tropics, it's just getting hotter and hotter these days. And a shaded area is just far more inviting to walk in. This garden, like many tropical gardens, is foliage heavy. Mainly leaves, so to speak. Not many flowers. Some people find it just plain boring. And the trickier to make a foliage garden more interesting is to play with form, structure and well, different shades of green. We have leaves that are pomade, heart-shaped, pendant-looking ones draping down. And different shades of green or not necessarily those fussy overpriced variegated plants but pick plants that are naturally variegated. That means they will never lose their variegation because it's in their genes and you don't have to fork out a kidney to buy them. Most people, when they build their dream home, spend a whole lot of money on the house itself and very little thought goes into landscaping or the garden. And it's such a shame because I've seen so many spectacular homes with such disappointing gardens. People forget that the garden is an extension of their home and are really outdoor rooms where you bridge your indoor cave with nature. As a rule of thumb, you should spend about 10% of your home value on landscaping or creating your garden. I really should tie up with landscaping companies and get a commission when I say this but I truly believe in the value of creating your own paradise at home. We can even go as far as to say it can help us save money because we don't feel like going out anymore. If at this stage you feel like crawling under the blanket under the burden of such a monumental task, let me comfort you. Building a garden is a journey, a process and any gardener will tell you that it is never quite done. You might think I'll work on the garden later but I say get started first and then you can do it in phases. Big trees and plants don't grow overnight. Put in some nice trees and taller plants in place first if you have the space for them. Then it's time to grow and to provide shade to your many other tropical plants down below later. Like these gorgeous palms with the outstretched fingers, possibly the Liquala spinosa or could that be the Liquala ramsayii? The ramsayii could get taller and it originates from Australia. Another easy trick for the tropical garden look is any big broad leaves. It gives you the instant tropical look and the list of plants to get this look? Well, the banana tree or the variegated version if you want to get fancy and an overwhelming selection of heliconias, bit of paradise and lastly the traveler's palm. This is the Ravenella madagascariensis. It opens up like a fan and it's truly majestic and this one is from my own backyard. Okay, let's walk along a hidden pond. Always nice to have that soothing water sound gives it a nice tranquility. Okay, side story. I love to have water feature and a nice soothing water sounds in my garden but my husband said a firm no for the fear of maintenance, for the fear of inviting frogs and snakes which I don't quite understand because we already have frogs and snakes in the garden. He suggested I should just play sounds of water to amuse myself and for some spectacular water features, check out the videos here. I'm putting the link above. This one is in Chiang Mai. All misty and fairytale-like and this one is Patchandra's home in Jakarta. It is a unique two-in-one water feature, a pond and a swimming pool amidst a man-made forest. It is simply breathtaking. You have to watch this video. Anyway, let's continue our walk in our garden. Oh, hello! The single leaf that is pointing at real erect. This is unlike most plants which points downwards like the alocasia. We've met this cousin earlier in a fish pond that was the Certosperma mercucii. I think this one is the Certosperma johnsonii. It looks a bit more exotic, quite dinosaur-looking, has incredible veining. Okay, let's now go on to this little hut. We have some of his antique collection here. By the way, this place is also a museum housing his collection of art and antiques. And let's continue to the backyard. Love, love this huge elephant fern or Angiotteris evicta. It's a short and stout fern native to Asia and have massive fronds, one of the largest in the world and it is gorgeous. Suitable if you have a large piece of land and it would love to be under a little shade. And so having it under some trees like here to emulate its habitat in the rainforest is perfect. Then we have this beautiful hanging fern above us and as we walk along the garden we see many happy plants below enjoying their residence at this patch of bright filtered light that seems to be the prescription for many tropical plants. The red hen rail then beckons you to explore further. But oh, before that, let's check out this cute little leaf. This is a shingling aroid. It lays flat against the wall. Love it. I believe this is the Raffirodora cotaceae. Lots more garden to explore but now let's pop in to look at the house. Jim's dream house, unlike a typical house, is not one giant mansion. Rather it is a collection of six houses scattered and connected by the gardens. And this is quite typical of traditional classical house developed in the Thai kingdom. Each room is a building on its own. So there is a building for the bedroom, the dining room, living room and all connected by the garden. And it makes plenty sense too for a house in the tropics. It allows for maximum airflow and natural light into each room. We now go from one house to another. Love this cluster of red umbrella here. Gives a really nice pop to the sea of greens around. And Jim, he didn't build the houses from scratch. He saw some really nice traditional houses made of teak in another village in Ayutthaya, about one or two hours drive away. Dismantled them and got them shipped over the Chao Phraya river and reassembled them. The house is also one story above the ground well because this place is right next to the river or canal. And he didn't want to take any chances with the floodings that can happen during rainy seasons. It is quite common for traditional houses in Malaysia, Thailand to be elevated on stilts. This allow for further air flows coming in from the ground too. We now step into the main living area. Really nice open space with large windows, high roofs and exquisitely furnished. Transporting you back into the 1950s-1960s where Jim would have entertained a lot of VIP guests here. The chandelier is a nice modern touch from the west that works surprisingly well with the rest of the interior. I love the pops of orange and red in the room too. And there are no paintings in this room you realize and there is no need for it really because the windows really opens up to the living work of art outside. Then there is a dining room with a balcony at the side opening up to the garden so there are more ways for you to appreciate the garden. This is a very good idea if you have spent so much effort on making a garden you need to maximize the number of ways and angles that you can enjoy and view it. Especially on hot days where you can't actually stand to be in the garden you can think about making it easy to look out into the garden from your ground floor or from the floors above. Mute the amazing views that you have created. And let's check out the bedroom. This one is the guest room so it's quite tiny and there is a cute potty here in the shape of a cat. And then this is the master bedroom that has an attached balcony also plenty of windows all around inviting nature into your most intimate space. And now we walk into the gallery or a museum. Remember Jim Thompson was a silk merchant and here these threads represent all the happy cheerful color he used in his textile designs. The patterns are really exquisite using a lot of inspiration from nature. And this here is a strange one. This is an org chart I think representing a lot of important people and the organization. And this wall here gives a highlight of all his signature fabrics. And now we come to the gift shop. Here we see this beautiful table mats and then a lot of nice beautiful cushions. And this one here right at the end I really love it. Look at the gorgeous embroidery and the green one at the back especially I think this is the calathea or bifolia. So gorgeous. I checked out the price it's not cheap so I didn't get it. I was very good. I didn't buy anything or cause any distress to my bank account. And then there's more here. All sorts of beautiful arrows, palms. And now I'm feeling a little peckish. Let's head out there. This is Jim's terrace so they serve like snacks. I'm having this lovely iced Thai milk tea. Too cold? Too sweet? I'm not sure. The food portion is okay. Smallish and pricey. The video is not sponsored so I can say whatever I want. Sawadee ka. So I sure hope you've enjoyed it. If you do, please click subscribe and share it with others. Till my next episode. Bye.