Tham Kannalikham: The Designer

Tham Kannalikham: The Designer, part memoir, part design journey, explores the experiences, influences, and achievements that have defined Tham’s life and work. Offering an intimate insight into an extraordinary career in design, this book follows the journey of a refugee girl from Laos who triumphs in the fulfillment of her American Dream. 

Working for some of the most successful – but intensely private – individuals in the United States, she has not been able to publish many of her projects until now. Fabulously illustrated, Tham Kannalikham: The Designer opens the door to a previously secret world of luxury and romance.

Tham’s own reflections are augmented by the voices of the patrons, architects, artisans, craftspeople, colleagues, and students with whom she works. Clients have been prepared to break cover to reveal not only their respect for Tham as a designer but the warmth and admiration they feel for this vibrant and ever-giving individual.

Driven by a belief in opportunity, education, classical training, and craftsmanship, Tham’s calling has taken her from Ralph Lauren to the homes of some of the most dynamic people in the United States, notably in New York, Washington, Texas, and North Carolina. An avid traveler and student of history, she works from the basis of wide cultural knowledge. Everywhere we sense her commitment to design traditions across the world. 

A portrait emerges of a designer whose often dazzling projects are shaped by collaboration, mentorship, and a profound respect for craft skills. Guided by the principles of her upbringing, Tham as a person remains unchanged by the pinnacle of success she has climbed. 

Could the young Tham have imagined where she would be now? Perhaps not. Tham Kannalikham: The Designer is nothing less than a fairy tale come true.

Hardcover: 256 pages
Publication Date: Spring 2028
Product Dimensions: 24.5 x 2.6 x 29.7 cm
ISBN: 978-1-0666347-2-9