Baan Manee, or what our family has always called “the Riverside House,” is a traditional wooden home located along the Chao Phraya River in the Wat Daowaduengsaram neighborhood of Bangkok.

This house has been in our family for generations, dating all the way back to my great-great grandparents.

 

The land itself was originally a royal grant during the reign of King Rama V (in 1906), and the house was built entirely from wood in the traditional riverside style of that era. In my great-great-grandfather’s time, the house served as a boatbuilding yard. Some of the old tools are still here today.

 

Later, during my great-grandmother’s time—her name was Morakot—she chose to stay and take care of the house, while her two sisters, Ploy and Tubtim went to serve in the royal court.

 

In the next generation, my grandmother, Chompoonut, was a nurse, and she met my grandfather, a doctor at Siriraj Hospital. Together, they turned the house into a small community clinic called

Udom Paet, serving the local residents around Wat Daowaduengsaram.

This house wasn’t just a home—it was a place of healing, of love, and of growing up. It’s where my mother, our cousins and I spent our early years.

 

Eventually, when I started kindergarten, our family had to move out because the house was difficult to access by car. Over time, it became neglected and weathered. But we never stopped loving it. In 2020, nearly two decades later, we decided to bring it back to life. The renovation wasn’t easy. There were delays with contractors, the challenges of COVID-19, and the difficulty of transporting building materials to a riverside property. But after nearly four years of effort, the house is finally ready.

 

You may wonder what “Baan Manee” means. Baan is Thai for “home,” and Manee means “gem.”

In our family, the women have long carried gem-inspired names: As I mentioned before, my great-grandmother lovingly took care of this house throughout her life. Her name was “Morakot” (Emerald), and her siblings who went to serve in the royal court were named “Ploy” (Sapphire) and “Tubtim” (Ruby). My grandmother’s name is “Chompoonut”, which means “pure gold”, and my own name, “Radamanee”, was given to me by my grandmother. It means “red coral gem,” an exquisite jewel formed deep beneath the ocean.

 

As you can see, each of our names is linked to a precious gem, or “Manee.”

This house, therefore, represents a true “House of Gems,” a place of deep significance, filled with the cherished memories of our family.

 

To honor the memory of my great-grandmothers and to pay tribute to my beloved grandmother,

the true heart of this home, we have named the four guest rooms and our signature drinks at Baan Manee after their names.