Ta Khai Na Chang: The Elephant Net, a Thai Khruang Kwaen for a Contemporary Home
▶ Pre-order only.
The Elephant Net "Ta Khai Na Chang Khruang Kwaen" is the oldest of all the Khruang Kwaen patterns, Beyond hanging in a doorway, it was laid across the forehead of a royal elephant for the ceremonies held in its honour.
With cotton fibres replacing jasmine flowers, this Thai chandelier recalls the qualities the elephant stands for in Thai life: strength, memory, dignity and protection.
Infuse the Khruang Kwaen with your favourite perfume to fill your home with fragrance and invite good fortune and protection into it.
Product details
- Pre-order only
- Handmade in Asha village, Chiang Rai, Thailand
- Materials: cotton
- Size: 80 cm
- Orange Champa Flowers: Made with cotton / For real flowers for an event, contact me
- For a large Ta Khai Na Chang Khruang Kwaen, a serie, or a custom colour, please contact me for a quote
Made by Akha women
- These pieces are handmade by Akha women under the AKHA MA-DE social programme
- Every time you buy from us, you directly support and create opportunity for these women
Bulk orders and workshops
- For bulk orders, please contact us.
Contact me
- You can reach us any time through Messenger, Instagram or the "Contact Us" page
Delivery:
- Our Khruang Kwaen are handmade to order. The estimated delivery time is around one month on average
- Because our products are handmade, delivery times can vary with the number of orders being processed
- For urgent orders, please reach us on Facebook, Instagram or by email here
- For international delivery, please contact us
Returns and exchanges:
We accept returns and exchanges:
- Please contact us within 7 days of delivery
- Send the item back within 14 days of delivery
Return conditions:
- The buyer covers return shipping when the reason for dissatisfaction is not caused by a third party. If the returned item does not arrive in its original condition, the buyer is responsible for the loss in value of the item.
* Product photographs are for presentation purposes and may differ from the actual product. Because screens vary, product colours may appear different from those shown on your display.
** Please allow a difference of 1 to 2 cm, as each piece is handmade and measured by hand.
How do you care for a Khruang Kwaen?
Caring for your Khruang Kwaen is what keeps it beautiful and keeps it looking new for years. Hung in a living room, an entrance or a bedroom, it deserves attention. Here is how to look after yours properly.
- Handle it gently. Always treat the piece with a light touch. Cotton is delicate and damages easily. Keep handling to a minimum.
- Keep it out of direct sunlight. Direct sun fades cotton. Hang it away from a window that catches the full afternoon sun.
- Keep it dry. Damp causes mould and mildew, which damages cotton. Avoid hanging it anywhere with high humidity.
- Dust it regularly. Dust settles on cotton and makes a piece look dull. Brush it lightly with a soft brush or a cloth to lift dust and cobwebs away.
Cared for properly, your Khruang Kwaen stays beautiful in its place for many years.
See our other Thai chandeliers
Meet our Crocodile Fragrance, the crocodile pattern in cotton, and The Scent of a Kingdom, our largest Khruang Kwaen chandelier.
Ta Khai Na Chang, the Elephant Net
Ta Khai Na Chang means the elephant net, and it is believed to be the earliest of all the Khruang Kwaen designs. Its structure is a single straight line rather than a complex frame, which is exactly what you would expect of the form everything else grew out of.
The name comes from what it was made for. Beyond hanging in a doorway or a window, the elephant net was laid over the forehead of an important elephant during the ceremonies held in its honour, the rites of presenting or celebrating a royal elephant. Strung on its frame, the flowers form a triangular net, the shape that sits across an elephant's brow.
Traditionally it is worked in jasmine, dok rak, rose and champaka. Our version keeps the pattern and changes the material: cotton fibres take the place of the flowers, so the piece holds its shape and its colour for years instead of a single day.
The elephant in Thai life
No animal carries more meaning in Thailand than the elephant. It carried kings, it carried armies, and it stood at the centre of the ceremonies a court could hold. To this day it signifies strength, long memory, dignity and protection, which is why it appears on temple walls, on amulets and above doorways.
A Ta Khai Na Chang brings that meaning into a room in the most literal way the craft allows: the ornament that once honoured the animal itself, hung where you live.
A contemporary piece for a contemporary Thai home
A flat, two-sided piece, the elephant net was traditionally hung at a window, so that the breeze passing through carried the scent of the flowers into the whole house. That is still the best place for it.
Hang it at a window, in an entrance, above a stairwell or in a bedroom. Made in cotton it asks nothing of you, and it reads as contemporary craft first while carrying its Thai heritage without needing an occasion. Add a few drops of your favourite perfume and it does what a Khruang Kwaen has always done: it reaches you before the room does.
The Ta Khai Na Chang is the oldest Thai hanging ornament, made to live in a modern home and to keep the elephant's strength and protection close.