Old And New Lao Designs For A Modern Home

Concealed in the hidden recesses of labyrinthine backstreets, behind ornate swinging gates and white-washed wall. stand many of Vientiane’s most beautiful homes. Certainly qualifying as one such home was that of Claudia and Geoffrey Hyles. an Australian couple who recently returned home after living in Vientiane for nearly four years. During their stay they captured the richness of Lao culture by filling their house with historical and contemporary art and crafts of the country.

In 1989. Geoffrey. an agriculture expert from the Canberra area, arrived in Laos to direct a crop-replacement programme with the Hmong hill tribes and Claudia, taking full advantage of the exciting opportunity to live in Laos, accompanied her husband.

The Hyleses were seasoned travellers and avid collectors even before they arrived in Vientiane. Since 1978 they had lived in Trinidad and Tobago, New Guinea, the United Kingdom. and Pakistan and had travelled extensively elsewhere. including India which they had visited eight times. Through the years Claudia had been a volunteer at the Art Gallery and Museum in Papua, New Guinea, the Museum in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, and the Australian Capital Territory’s Museum.

She had also completed a three-month stint as the Cultural Relations officer at the Australian Embassy in Bangkok. helping organise a large aboriginal art exhibition at Silakor University. In 1983 Claudia was selected to participate in the National Gallery of Australia’s Volunteer Guide’s course. "The museum housed a first-class collection of Asian textiles. I learned so much it really led to fascinating things in Laos.’" she said. Once in Vientiane. she combined her museum experience and training with her exceptional talent for interior design to create one of Vientiane’s most beautiful and interesting homes.

Upon their arrival in Vientiane. the Hyleses rented a house built by Mr Kongmala Phommaly. whose houses are highly esteemed by expatriates. It featured a front verandah and generous French doors and windows from which one viewed the lush, un-sculptured garden that surrounded the stylish, three-bedroom "ranch-style" residence.

Claudia’s first task was furnishing the year-old house, which she did by hiring Vientiane’s talented craftsmen to create pieces of her own design. Soon, an exquisite rattan sofa. companion chairs, end tables and ottomans filled the living room. In the dining area, arty Australian chairs, made originally from twigs to look like leaves, were copied to the finest detail and set around a painted, smoky. grey-blue Parsons table with matching sideboard and china closet, also crafted in Vientiane. A wooden grey-blue bench, copied from an early colonial piece - but with a fine disregard for all dimensions except one, length -provided more seating for the dining room table.

Curtains, cushion covers, and heaps of floor pillows were covered in vibrant, hand-loomed cotton from the Lao Cotton factory. "The patterns were modern updates of local traditional designs, the traditional keeping pace with the 20th century, something I love," explained Claudia. For added interest, ancient hand-loomed Lao silk, and revolutionary poster paintings, which Claudia had rescued from the streets of Vientiane, were hung against white walls to create a surprisingly contemporary look.

A large collection of old Hmong belts dangled on the wall behind the living room sofa from a Shaker-like coat-rack. The forty-odd belts, each one of different design and some over 25 years old, were made of indigo-dyed hemp cloth displaying lovely cross-and-chain stitch applique. From each end hung long twisted strings of fringe. Side tables displayed small silver animals and blue and white china of different patterns from Vientiane’s Morning Market. One favourite round china box was given to Claudia at the end of her term as first president and co-founder of the Women’s International Group of Vientiane.

Even bedrooms featured something special. Upon retiring, a guest discovered that his bedside reading lamp was created from a fish trap, four chopsticks and a basket, put together in a "light" moment. "There are so many stunning silk and cotton textiles and so many talented weavers and craftsmen to work with in Laos. I enjoyed every minute of my stay there," Claudia said.