1990s
I · Yangon
Inya Lake Hotel
Renovation and joinery for the 1962 lakeside hotel. The first landmark in hospitality.
Our role: renovation & joinery
Yangon · Est. 1993
Yangon, Myanmar
Welcome to the world of
A History of the House
Since 1993,
one way of working.
Houses for family friends first. Then the hotels, the restorations, and the furniture. Today the work carries the Kyaw Sein name, as a brand of Southern Silk Road: the same hands, the same workshop, and the founder on site every morning.
How it began
The practice began in 1993, building homes for family friends under the name Kappa International. Each house led to the next through the trust earned in the work.
Hotels followed, then restorations and furniture from the workshop. Much of the work carries another name on the gate. The approach remains the same: attention on site, a garden considered with the building, and details made to serve everyday life.
U Kyaw Sein · The collector
An eye formed
over a lifetime.
Since he was young, U Kyaw Sein has travelled across Myanmar in search of antiques, visiting monasteries and fellow collectors. His collection now includes more than 100 paintings. Among the artists he returns to are U Win Pe and U Khin Maung Yin, who was also a close friend.
He rises at four each morning to read about houses and hotels. His travels have taken him through some of the world's most considered places to stay. He studies how they feel, how they work, and what survives repeated use, then brings those lessons home to his clients.
Collecting taught him to recognise what is worth keeping. Building gives him the chance to make it.
The Record
Landmark commissions,
1993 to the present
More than fifty bespoke homes and over twenty hotels across Myanmar since 1993. Six of them follow.
1996
II · Sule Pagoda Road, Yangon
Traders Hotel
Opened November 1996; today the Sule Shangri-La.
Our role: Hospitality commission
1998
III · Kandawgyi, Yangon
Hotel Nikko Royal Lake
The lakeside hotel beside Kandawgyi, today the Chatrium Hotel Royal Lake.
Our role: construction
2001
IV · Old Bagan
Tharabar Gate
The hotel at the eastern gate of the old city, built and furnished by the house.
Our role: construction & furniture
2010
V · Bay of Bengal
Ngapali Bay Villas & Spa
Beachfront villas at Ngapali, designed and built by the house.
Our role: design & build
Now
VI · Pyin Oo Lwin
Candacraig
Restoration of the 1904 hill-station estate as a hotel.
Our role: restoration, as builder
Also for Aureum Palace in Bagan, Ngapali and Inle; Villa Inle; and many houses we do not name.
Where the work stands
A Gazetteer
Yangon
16°50′ N · 96°10′ E
Three hotels; the workshop; the houses
Bagan
21°10′ N · 94°52′ E
Tharabar Gate; Aureum Palace
Inle Lake
20°33′ N · 96°55′ E
Villa Inle; Aureum Palace
Ngapali
18°24′ N · 94°18′ E
Ngapali Bay Villas; Aureum Palace
Pyin Oo Lwin
22°02′ N · 96°28′ E
Candacraig
The Lineage
Three chapters, one pair of hands.
MCMXCIII
Kappa International
Founded with partners: private homes for family friends in Yangon, and the first hotels.
MMX
Southern Silk Road
When Kappa was dissolved, the family founded its own company, Southern Silk Road: construction, restoration and hospitality across the country.
MMXXVI
Kyaw Sein
A brand of Southern Silk Road: private residences, construction, and furniture and cabinetry.
The Household
Who you will deal with
Thondra Kyaw Sein
Studied business development at Northeastern University. Works with clients and architects to shape new projects.
Green + Partners draws.
Kyaw Sein builds, plants and furnishes.
By Appointment
Every house begins with a conversation.
Visit a finished residence, or the workshop, with U Kyaw Sein.
Request a private visit +95 9 402 887 041or write to us