Ban Wong Buri

Ban Wong Buri is the pink teak mansion that shows up in most photographs of Phrae’s old town, and locals call it Baan Si Chomphu — the Pink House — as often as its formal name. Construction began around 1897, commissioned by Luang Phong Phibun and Chao Sunantha Wong Buri, whose family had grown wealthy trading Phrae’s teak during the province’s logging boom. Chinese craftsmen brought in from Guangdong worked alongside local builders and took roughly three years to finish the two-storey structure.

The result blends traditions rather than picking one: carved wooden “gingerbread” trim in the Victorian style popular with European timber merchants runs across the eaves and balconies, set against traditional Lanna woodwork underneath. Inside, around 20 rooms across roughly 1,000 square metres hold period furniture, family photographs, and household antiques from the teak-boom decades, giving a sense of how one of Phrae’s wealthiest trading families actually lived rather than a generic period-house display. The building’s preservation earned it the Association of Siamese Architects’ Outstanding Historic House Preservation Award in 1993.

Phrae has more than one teak mansion open to the public — Khum Chao Luang Mueang Phrae and Khum Wichai Racha sit nearby with their own separate histories, and The Teak Museum fills in the wider industry story — but Ban Wong Buri’s colour and craftsmanship make it the one most visitors stop at first.

Insider Tip: Arrive soon after opening — the pink façade photographs best in soft morning light, before tour groups start moving through.

Watch out: The original teak floors are the genuine article, not a reproduction — expect to remove your shoes and walk carefully in socks in some rooms.