Art and design lovers, and anyone wanting a quiet break from the temples
Theam's House, also called Theam's Gallery, is the home, studio and gallery of Cambodian artist Lim Muy Theam on the edge of Siem Reap. Set in a tropical garden with Khmer wooden pavilions, it shows his paintings and sculpture, a collection of Khmer art and traditional instruments, and artisans at work on lacquer, painting and carving.
September 2026
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Theam’s House, also known as Theam’s Gallery, is the home, studio and gallery of Cambodian artist Lim Muy Theam, set in a tropical garden on the edge of Siem Reap. Traditional wooden pavilions hold his paintings and sculptures, a private collection of Khmer art and everyday objects, and a fine exhibition of traditional musical instruments. Young artisans work in the open-air studios, and you can watch lacquer, painting and carving take shape.
It is one of Siem Reap’s lovely surprises: a quiet, green compound where contemporary Khmer design meets old traditions, a world away from the busy temple circuit. Many visitors come for half an hour and stay much longer, wandering the pavilions, watching the artisans and stopping for a drink in the garden.
Lim Muy Theam was born in southern Cambodia in 1971. He trained in fine art in France, including at the École Boulle in Paris, before returning to Cambodia. From 1999 he worked as a designer and creative director with Artisans Angkor, the social enterprise that has helped revive traditional Khmer crafts such as stone and wood carving, lacquer and silk.
His own work blends Khmer religious imagery and scenes of daily life with a modern eye, in paintings, sculpture and lacquer. His house and gallery are both a showcase for that work and a place to train young Cambodian artisans.
A shaded tropical garden with traditional Khmer wooden pavilions, ponds and courtyards, designed by Theam himself.
Paintings, sculptures and mixed-media pieces drawing on Buddhist imagery, Angkorian forms and Cambodian daily life.
Young apprentices paint, carve, gild and lacquer in open workshops. You can watch the stages of a lacquer piece come together.
A private collection of Buddha images, antiques and everyday objects, including a recreated traditional Khmer kitchen.
A display of traditional Khmer musical instruments, from harps modelled on temple carvings to drums, gongs, the roneat xylophone and the tro fiddle.
The showroom sells paintings, sculpture and lacquerware. The colourful lacquered elephant is the gallery’s best-known piece and a favourite gift.
| Opening hours | Daily, reported as 8:00 am to 5:00 pm; confirm locally |
|---|---|
| Entry | Reported at $5 for foreign visitors, free for children under 12; confirm when you visit |
| Time needed | 1 to 2 hours |
| Best time | Morning or late afternoon, when the garden is cooler and the artisans are working |
| Facilities | A small coffee stand in the garden and a gallery shop |
| Website | theamsgallery.com |
Theam’s House is in Sala Kamreuk commune, on the edge of Siem Reap town and about ten minutes by tuk-tuk from the road to the Angkor temples. It sits down a quiet lane and can be tricky to find, so show your driver the location on a map, or call ahead.
It is an easy stop to combine with a morning at Artisans Angkor, a visit to the Angkor National Museum, or an evening at the Phare circus.
We weave art, craft and culture into our Siem Reap stays, from artisans’ studios to Khmer cooking and village life. Theam’s House fits beautifully into our Siem Reap slow travel journey, and we can add it to any trip. See also our heritage experiences.
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