OP Place, Bangkok

OP Place is a great place to buy antiques in Bangkok. If you want to know where to buy antiques in Bangkok, you can't go wrong by starting here.
With two floors of independently owned shops, shoppers can walk around the wood panelled corridors and isles and peruse the various types of shops which are dedicated to selling the following:

• Antiques
• Boutiques
• Chitralada Shops
• Carpets
• Decorations
• Handicrafts
• Jewelry
• Leather Goods
• Paintings / Art
• Souvenirs
• Tailors
• Thai Silk

Situated next to The Oriental Hotel, OP Place also has a third floor which is a floor dedicated to The Ashwood Gallery which is a beautifully laid out gallery of antique arts, craft and furniture. It is very well laid out and is a must for antique collectors or just people who would like to own a piece of some excellent Asian heritage.

The Entrance To OP Place

There are three entrances to OP Place. One at either end of the building and a main, central entrance which takes you into the main lobby area where the shining wood exudes the appearance of wealth and expense. You can also find an information counter with a polite English speaking lady who is more than happy to provide assistance and show you the shop directory.
At the back of the lobby, in clear view, is an old style lift which is semi-manually operated. If you make to use the lift, the door man will come over and operate the lift for you even though there are stairs on either side should you prefer to walk the 10 or so steps to the next level.

Parking

There is car parking available but there aren't that many spaces available. Parking is free for the first hour and then a fee is incurred. This is to stop people from parking there and then wandering off to do some shopping elsewhere. Alternatively, you can park in the Oriental Hotel's car park which will cost you 40 Baht an hour. Alternatively, park at the Oriental, visit OP Place and then go to the Oriental Hotel for afternoon tea by the river which will allow you to get your parking ticket stamped and then the parking becomes free...

Coffee Shop

On the second floor, there is a small coffee shop where you can grab a hot or cold drink and a light snack. Seating is in comfortable arm chairs placed around the balcony area over looking the lobby and around the antique shops, allowing you to look at the window displays whilst relaxing over a drink. Prices are reasonable and seating is generally readily available, but don't forget that The Oriental Hotel is just around the corner and you might prefer to take tea or coffee break by there where you can watch life on the river and take a few pictures too.

Prices

We're no experts on antiques or antiquities and so we wouldn't know if an antique was staring us in the face, but we can assume that you need to be very wary of what it is you are buying.

The O.P Place Asian Heritage Centre has been very well designed and oozes the feeling that everything must be expensive which could be the case.
On walking around the Ashwood Gallery on the 3rd floor, we came across a very nice cupboard and just enquired about the type of wood ( Chinese Elm )and were then told that the item was "circa 19th century" which to us could mean anything from 1801 to 2008. In other words, what does "circa" mean? especially when the item looked exceptionally well made and in amazingly good condition for something that was potentially over 200 years old.

In our humble opinion, anything with any true value would have been snapped up a long time ago and shipped off to London, Paris or New York. Having said that, there are many very nice items on display and for sale and if you like Oriental furniture and items of art, OP Place will certainly make your mouth water.

Opens: 10:30am - 6:30pm
Contact: +66 (0)2 266 0186