Old caveaus, obscure enchanted rooms, tortuous spiral staircases leading to nowhere, mirrors, giant suspended books, fairies and magic dusts, extravagant decors. No, you didn’t land on the set some fantasy film or in Alice in Wonderland. Chances are that you have ended up in one of Asia’s top spots. More likely, you have slipped into a magic parallel world designed by creative bar and club design genius Ashley Sutton, gifted with extraordinary visions and unique concepts.

I was travelling back to Bangkok from Koh Phangan in Thailand, when an expat I was chatting with suggested I’d go to Maggie Choo’s, in the heart of Silom Road.

Once I reached my destinantion, I walked back and forth a couple of times, but I couldn’t see any pub. Or at least not what I was expecting: a hidden small Chinese wooden house, close to a luxury hotel.

Beyond the carved wooden door, a tiny Cantonese restaurant, adorned by paper umbrellas on the ceiling reminds me of Shanghainese prohibition in the 1930s. 

 

I proceed towards a black curtain, and as I move it aside, a speakeasy atmosphere with exotic features opens in front of me. Dim lights, velvet armchairs, leather couches. On the wall I see “1847, East India Company Siam“, and several bank vaults turned into parlors. At the center of the floor, nestled behind bars, a Casino counter contains the bar. The cocktail classics are all present and music varies from jazz to electronic music depending on the day.

 

Intrigued by this odd place that penetrates the mind’s realms, I do some research to know more. I discover this work of wonders belongs to a fervid visionary by the name of Ashley Sutton. Unaware, my unconscious mission becomes to explore more places created by him. And in fact, almost by accident, I stumble into The Iron Fairies, an absolutely thrilling place.

 

From the outside, hundreds of glass bottles containing magic fairy dust, cover the astonishing beauty of its interiors. It seems like stepping into the dark undergrounds of a minery, or a gloomy blacksmith lab in the 1900s.

 

Iron wrought stairs in the midst of the room, tubes and bricks covered in pipes and winged creatures everywhere I look (sipping an excellent mixology cocktail). Secret doors bringing to upper levels which seem to be inaccessible from below… The Iron Fairies has graced Tokyo and Hong Kong too.

 

What I found even more fascinating, is the story of this place. The bar’s name is inspired to tales Ashley wrote whilst working as a miner in West Australia. To escape boredom and routine, he’d imagine stories where a group of miners forged iron fairies that would come to life when exposed to sun rays… To avoid becoming rusty, the fairies had to be sprinkled with magic fairy dust. A production manager found his writings and drawings and encouraged Ashley to publish them.

A few years later in Thailand, Ashley had started his own production of iron objects. He had made the place wonderful so as to inspire his collaborators, but an increasing number of interested people would stop by to watch, asking if it was possible to have a drink and eat something while watching the men at work. That’s how the story of an infinitely daring imagination begins. 

With wrought iron patterns and dragon images, Sing Sing Theater (Bangkok), exerts a fascinating Eastern allure, with vague references to 1930s Chinese brothels. Hundreds of lanterns illuminate Muses dressed up in elegant Chinese Qipaos.

 

The Bookshop is another classic where folly, creativity and surprise make for a pitch-perfect dreamlike experience. Contorted giant metallic tendrils meet books suspended in the air between marble and luxury design furnishings. Mr. Jones’ Orphanage focuses on toy soldiers, Lego and sweet treats whilst fruit carousels and wooden horses distract you from paper aeroplanes hanging from the ceiling. 

 

 

J. Boroski, takes its name from the mixologist who frequently works with Ashley. Halfway between Boroski’s fascination for entomology and Sutton’s mine memories, infinite beetles deck out the ceiling in an elegant New York-style bar with intimate suffused lighting, bronze tones, leather and wood. Accessible only via previous booking, it makes up for an exclusive, unique and entirely personalized experience.

 

 

A new launch in Bangkok is Dreadnought (which literally means “fear nothing”); 400 square metres of bar and restaurant fully covered in Indonesian terracotta. The concept is utterly futuristic as if it were the hall of an intergalactic spaceship used by the mining industry in distant planets. Giant pistons at the center of the table prepare the food directly.

 

Another typically Sutton-style place is Iron Balls Bar; a micro distillery with a limited production of gin and botanical plants. The payoff can’t but draw a smile on your face: “you always have options if you have balls”. Bangkok Betty instead, showcases cabaret by vintage pin-ups and is inspired to a 1940s USA bomb factory.

 

 

 

Sophisticated Ophelia in Hong Kong represents another masterpiece. Narrating the story of Mr. Wong, a bird collector who was given a spectacular Javanese peacock. Endless real peacock feathers (arranged by Ashley in person) and 600 thousand handmade tiles are ready to greet you behind the beaded curtains and bird cages. 

 

 

.  .  .

WHY
why and how did you end up in your career path?
By accident. I hand built a factory making fairies and customers walking by looked in and wanted to watch, drink and eat in the environment I had designed to make fairies.

WHO
how would you describe yourself in a few words?
Grumpy, complaining, unhappy, perfectionist, fussy.

WHAT
what is your source of inspiration?
Boredom and depression.

WHERE
where do you go to when you need a break?
Away from people, in the ocean.

WHEN
when and what will your next steps be?
New businesses.

**WILDCARD
what is the dream design that you haven’t created yet?
A spaceship to go to space and never come back.