Known among Thai high society for its bold, organic jewelry, Lotus Arts de Vivre introduces a line of furniture and objets d’art sure to enthrall collectors

Lotus Arts de Vivre, pearl bead necklace

“Where can you find a single seven-meter piece of mahogany?” asks Rolf von Bueren, chairman of Lotus Arts de Vivre, a family-run jewelry company in Bangkok, as he points to a 23-foot-long mahogany root sculpture carved in the likeness of a fierce, mythical eagle. “Where?” he repeats.

Indonesia, as it turns out. What’s more, the massive mahogany bird, perched on a base of black granite, looks powerful enough to have flown here itself — here being the courtyard of the Lotus Arts de Vivre workshop, located on the outskirts of Bangkok near the southern loop of the Chao Phraya River. It’s arrived just in time for the occasion of its grand unveiling: a mid-September open house marking the launch of the company’s first major collection of furniture, tableware and large-scale objets d’art.

Lotus Arts de Vivre,7-meter-long mahogany eagle	Lotus Arts de Vivre,fearsome crocodile

That the $605,090 eagle, with its oxidized silver claws, engraved silver beak and resplendent silver tail feathers, required 17 people working continuously for 14 months to produce is just one indication of how seriously Lotus Arts de Vivre takes its mandate. The firm, beloved by collectors the world over, produces a range of Asian-inspired jewels, handbags and lifestyle accessories that celebrate the raw and organic beauty of Mother Nature, while simultaneously adhering to standards of such fine craftsmanship that they’ve earned a reputation as “the Cartier of Asia.”

“Everything we do starts with the raw materials,” Rolf says, as he leads a group of visitors into a room laden with stacks of stingray skins, bins of nautilus shells and other organic materials sourced from the region. “We sit on huge stocks and have a fingerprint system to track inventory. The fun is in the production; selling is actually a bore.”

But sell they do — to connoisseurs and captains of industry, heads of state and royalty — at stand-alone boutiques located in some of the finest hotels in the world. Chief among them are Raffles in Singapore, the Oriental Hotel in Bangkok and the Setai in Miami, not to mention a scattering of select retailers, including Bergdorf Goodman in New York and Cindy Griem Fine Jewels in Aspen, Colo.

The von Buerens, a close-knit foursome composed of Rolf, his wife, Helen, and their sons, Sri and Nicki, have invited interior designers, property developers and longtime friends of the company to the weekend-long open house, in an initial attempt to attract interest in the interiors category.

“We’ve always been asked to help decorate houses, so we’ve always done household items,” says Rolf as he walks a visitor through a veritable garden of silvery crocodiles featuring real-life skulls carved by Indonesian artisans. “They’re easier to sell than jewelry; they’re easier to understand.”

Although Lotus Arts de Vivre had its beginnings in jewelry 25 years ago, when Helen began designing pieces for friends after Sri and Nicki went away to boarding school, the von Buerens have parlayed their significant expertise in using traditional Thai techniques into creating hundreds of large-scale objects, ranging from fantasy furniture covered in fine layers of gold leaf to diamond-encrusted walking sticks shaped like birds’ heads, their ruby eyes glistening in the tropical sun. What lends the diverse assortment a startling degree of artistic unity is the attention to detail that imbues even the most fantastical octopus carving or fearsome dragon’s head with a sense of authenticity. A five-headed snake, for example, carved from dark brown iron wood, has a split tongue, fangs and coils made of oxidized silver, like a mutant reptile that’s been dipped in a metallic bath and preserved for science.

In this way, Lotus Arts de Vivre takes its inspiration from the rich tradition of Thai folk art nurtured by Her Majesty Queen Sirikit, whose Foundation for the Promotion of Supplementary Occupations and Related Techniques, or SUPPORT Foundation, teaches villagers uniquely Thai versions of techniques like silverware, embroidery, basketry and damascene so that they may always live on in Thai culture. The products of her royal patronage, on display at the “Arts of the Kingdom” exhibition currently being held at Bangkok’s Dusit Palace, include an elaborate diamond-studded pavilion throne that required 285 artisans one year to complete and a wood-carved screen that tells the “Legend of Bejaratana,” a tale of deities and celestial beings in audience with Lord Shiva, querying him on the origin of the nine auspicious gems. “We are only a shadow of what she does,” Rolf says.

The king and queen of Thailand don’t, of course, have to contend with budgets. From a business perspective, Lotus Arts de Vivre’s decision to extend the brand into furniture and interiors is both a creative and financial logical next step.

Elephant candle holders	Dining table covered in fine gold leaf

“Post 9/11, people didn’t want to travel and started buying more for their homes. We focused in on two collections — jewelry and home décor — and this is the evolution of that,” says Nicki von Bueren, glancing at the vast array of objects that have emerged from the workshop in record time.

The next, next step, of course, is global expansion. Rolf says Lotus Arts de Vivre is on the brink of finalizing franchise agreements with partners in Dubai, India and Russia. He hopes to ink a maximum of six to eight such deals in the near future. “We’re looking for people with a passion for the business, people who have buying power, self-confidence and taste,” Rolf says. “The focus is on markets where minimalism is not the accepted norm. You’ve got to afford to be exuberant in life.”