A New Wine Bar and Brunch Spot Opens in Bangkok’s Chenin

Bangkok’s Chenin gets a new wine bar and brunch spot, with interiors by Berlin-based studio Affin

To the casual observer, Germany and Thailand may not seem to have an awful lot in common, but the founders of emerging Berlin-based interior design studio Affin beg to differ. German product designer Bettina Böhm and architect Stephanie Meine teamed up with Thai interior architect Win Teerapat Amnueypornsakul to found Affin in 2022, combining their experience studying and working in Copenhagen, London and Bangkok. After a string of projects in Berlin, the trio has completed their first project in the Thai capital: a cool little wine bar and cafe on the ground floor of the Chenin restaurant building in Bangkok’s Sukhumvit neighbourhood.

The five-storey building’s ground floor was originally divided into a small cocktail bar to the right and a corridor on the left, with the Chenin restaurant, bar and chef’s table on the floors above. Affin was brought in to transform the ground floor into Chenin Bar, a newly revamped street-level wine bar, with the restaurant’s owner deciding to add a brunch and coffee menu for daytime service — a smart move considering the appeal of the new store’s glass facade and vibrant branding. The result is a crisp fit-out of Affin-designed takian wood furniture, stainless steel and the original terrazzo flooring, uncovered anew, with pops of bold Yves Klein blue — a nod to the owner’s favourite wine bar, Planque in London — making an appearance in the custom door handle and in the banquettes upholstered in blue bouclé from Thai heritage brand Jim Thompson.

By day, the space is brightly lit thanks to the glass front, but the custom stainless steel wall sconces and wood and linen table lamps add a warm glow come sunset. The heart of the bar and the best seat in the house is the five-metre communal table, complete with an integrated wine cooler, where guests are encouraged to linger and chat as the evening progresses.

Text by Simone Schultz
Images by Chayanee Chomsaengchun and Numchok Sawangsri