Spin Memories

A Spinning-Top Armchair That Brings Us Back to Childhood

Category: Exhibition / Product Design Submission

Submitted to: EMERGE @ FIND 2025 (Singapore)

Dimension: W 1200 mm x H 1600 mm

Weight: Approx. 10–12 kg

Spin Memories

Bringing a Design Voice from Thailand to the EMERGE Stage

The inspiration behind Spin Memories began with a journey. In 2024, The Collective Studio visited EMERGE @ FIND, part of FIND – Design Fair Asia, a platform that opens space for designers from Southeast Asia to present their voices on an international stage.

That experience prompted a clear and essential question: 

If we were to contribute a design from Thailand to this global dialogue, where should the story begin?

Our answer was to start with something universal yet deeply personal — a shared memory that needs no translation.

Design as Dialogue — When Design Becomes a Language

Developed under the theme Dialogue Through Design, Spin Memories approaches design not merely as an aesthetic object, but as a medium for connection — one that links people, memories, and cultures through experience.

The spinning top is one of humanity’s oldest toys, appearing across civilizations from Egypt, China, and Greece to Southeast Asia. In Thailand, the luk khang (spinning top) is closely tied to communal play and childhood rituals in open spaces.

While universally recognizable, spinning tops carry distinct local expressions in form, pattern, and the way they are played. This duality allows Spin Memories to speak both locally and globally: grounded in cultural specificity, yet instantly familiar.

Its rounded forms, vibrant colors, and approachable character invite immediate engagement, gently leading viewers toward deeper layers of memory and meaning.

Form & Experience — รูปทรงที่โอบรับการพัก และชวนให้ “หมุน”

Spin Memories ถูกออกแบบด้วย Silhouette ทรงกรวยเตี้ย ที่สะท้อนรูปทรงลูกข่างไม้แบบดั้งเดิม ฐานโค้งมนให้ความรู้สึกมั่นคง ก่อนจะไล่ระดับขึ้นสู่พื้นที่นั่งที่กว้างและโอบรับสรีระ

จุดเด่นสำคัญคือ “แกนบน” ที่ทำหน้าที่คล้ายหัวจับของลูกข่าง ถูกตีความใหม่ให้เป็นทั้ง พนักพิง และ รายละเอียดเชิงประติมากรรม ที่ทำให้ชิ้นงานมีคาแรกเตอร์ในพื้นที่จัดแสดง และเพื่อให้ “ความทรงจำ” ไม่ได้อยู่แค่ในรูปทรง Spin Memories ยังเปิดทางเลือกเป็น Optional Swivel Base เพื่อให้เกิดการเคลื่อนไหวแบบแผ่วเบา ไม่ใช่ความตื่นเต้น แต่เป็นการเคลื่อนไหวที่ทำให้ร่างกายผ่อนคลายและใจค่อย ๆ ย้อนกลับไปยังช่วงเวลาหนึ่งในอดีต

Form & Experience — A Shape That Embraces Rest and Invites Gentle Motion

Spin Memories is defined by a low, conical silhouette inspired by the traditional wooden spinning top. 

A softly curved base establishes stability, rising toward a wide, embracing seat designed to support the body at rest.

The upper element —reminiscent of the spinning top’s pin — is reinterpreted as both a backrest and a sculptural feature, giving the object a strong presence within exhibition contexts.

To extend the experience beyond form alone, Spin Memories offers an optional swivel base.

This introduces a slow, subtle rotation — not a dynamic spin, but a calming movement that allows the body to relax while the mind drifts back to a moment suspended in time.

Materials & Color — Warmth in Wood, Playfulness in Color

Material selection balances warmth, tactility, and structural clarity:

• Base: Natural wood combined with steel pipe for strength and stability.

• Core Structure: HMR MDF / plywood, supporting precision fabrication and form.

• Seat: Fabric upholstery in bright, playful tones with striped or multi-color patterns inspired by childhood spinning tops.

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The result is a retro-modern sensibility — expressive yet refined — allowing Spin Memories to belong equally within domestic interiors, cafés, or curated design exhibitions.

Memory as a Starting Point for Design

For The Collective Studio, Spin Memories is a conversation expressed through design — not an explanation of the past, but an invitation to feel a moment once lived.

By reinterpreting the spinning top, the project does not simply borrow a cultural form. It recognizes the value of shared memory — one that transcends borders, languages, and generations through form, material, color, and gentle motion.

Spin Memories reflects a belief that design can function as a universal language — one that does not need to be fully explained, but can be sensed, experienced, and remembered.

REVIVES THE JOY OF SPINNING THROUGH TIME

Project Credits

Category: Exhibition / Product Design SubmissionSubmitted to: EMERGE @ FIND 2025 (Singapore)Theme Alignment: Dialogue Through Design

Dimensions: W 1200 mm × H 1600 mm

Weight: Approx. 10–12 kg

Materials: Natural wood, steel pipe (base structure), HMR MDF / plywood , fabric upholstery

Function: Armchair 

Design Director: Mr.Kopchai Limpanataywin

Designer: 

Ms.Suranchana Polnakorndej

Ms.Muchchin Liewtrakoon

Mr.Methus Kiattanomkul

Mr.Kittapong Malangpueng