The kitchen is piled high with boxes and tins of spices
and contains at its centre a sort of shrine: a huge vase
formed like a human head sprouts spectacular flowers,
and fruits and vegetables are set out beneath it in bounty,
as if waiting to be blessed. There is a cozy breakfast
area bordered by white wall panels.
The beauty of Bensley���s buildings is that they appear to
have been there for a hundred years, so attuned is he
to the vernacular of Thailand. Similarly, his landscaping
appears ancient, cultivated but not manicured, carved
conservatively out of the forest rather than imposed upon
HYLAND