Team Raintree is obsessed with furniture and design. We truly believe that the chairs we sit on, the sofas we relax on, and the tables we work on, hold the power to shape our mood and how we experience the world. However, in our search to source functional and beautiful furniture for our project, we’ve noticed that it’s not so easy to find in Phnom Penh. True quality in original design is still very much emerging here, amidst an influx of poor Chinese replicas and cheap disposable fabrics. In our aspiration to contribute to the country’s creative industries, Team Raintree partnered with one of our favourite internationally acclaimed design studios, Sancal, earlier this month for a virtual Design Dialogue on interior inspirations.

Founded in 1973, Sancal is a furniture design studio that aspires to design pieces that are both eclectic and timeless. Much like Raintree, Sancal believes that play is a critical part of their design process that enables them to do their best work. This is how they have brought to life projects for design-conscious companies such as Coca-Cola, Google, and Campari with their lively pieces. Believing in the power of collaboration, the studio has also partnered with globally respected designers like Red Dot award winner Karim Rashid, Pritzker Prize winning architect Toyo-Ito, and Note Design Studio on stunning interiors for hotels, homes, and offices.

*Photos: Sancal. Karaoke’80, Maspalomas*

The team from Sancal sat down with a select group of architects, designers and developers in Cambodia last week to give us some much needed colourful inspiration straight from their studio in Spain. In the Design Dialogue, they presented the studio’s approach to design, how this is manifested in their extensive product range and just a selection of the hundreds of award-winning interiors they have contributed to.

*Photos: Sancal. Roll Chair by Mut Studio*

Some of our favourites included the playful Elephant series, featuring endless modular options for common workspaces, and the retro TONELLA by Note series, that either brings a comfy splash of colour to an industrial space, or equally a timeless feature to a classical home. We were also inspired by so many of the ‘horeca’ projects showcased like the classic concourse of the Generator hostel in Amsterdam and the WeWork Champs-Élysées coworking space in Paris.

*Photos: The Generator Hostel, Amsterdam*

Thank you to the brilliant team from Sancal for generously sharing their beautiful projects and approach to furniture with us. For more design inspiration, check out their portfolio at www.sancal.com or follow them on social media @sancal. In the meantime, subscribe to our newsletter for a chance to be invited to exclusive events like this. Team Raintree is always looking for more ways to bring energy to our creative community, so message us on social @raintreecambodia or at hello@raintreecambodia.com to let us know what you’d like to see next, or who your dream designer you’d like to see chat to us here in Cambodia.