A slow morning in Koh Lanta Old Town

Most people know Koh Lanta for its beaches on the west coast. The old town is on the other side, a single wooden street that follows the water, once a trading port, now mostly quiet. It is our favourite place on the island, and where Andaman Thread is made.

Mornings begin at low tide, when the sea pulls back to reveal wide silver flats and the limestone karsts sit low on the horizon. The light is soft and grey-gold, diffused by cloud, the kind of light that makes everything look considered. It is the light in all our photographs, because it is simply the light outside the door.

If you visit: come early, walk the old street, sit by the water with a coffee, and let the day stay slow. That pace, unhurried, made by the tide rather than the clock, is the closest thing we have to a design brief.