Saturday, January 30, 2010

Tapestries For Your Floors


Tapestries for your floors with many styles to choose from, Oriental, Contemporary, Trasitional, Shag and Flokati, Children's Rugs, Southwestern, Animal Prints, Solid, Novelty, Striped, Check and Plaid, Country and Floral, Holiday, Lodge, Natural Fiber, Sports and Colleges + More Options


Draperies




When looking at modern houses lately, you may not notice that curtains or draperies are no longer a point of interest. Their place was taken by the contemporary blinds, which are a lot easier to take care of and manage. If fabric is used it is for accent/color/ or privacy only with smaller amounts of material. However, you have to agree draperies give a special feel to certain rooms and in those homes they do exist, they bring wonders in matters of overall interior design. I love blending window treatments with coordinated fabrics for pillows and other accessories, which completely changes the feel, for that total custom look of elegance.

I hope you were inspired and remember the old days when curtains and draperies ruled the world of indoor arrangements.via fresh home





Friday, January 29, 2010

TV Tub




Whether you are a guy, live with one or are designing for one, chances are that deep down, they care much more about the appearance of their bathroom than the dirt-factor might let on. Know a guy in need of an upgrade? This week we've fallen for OMC Design's uber-compact "manity", Karim Rashid's TV Tub combo for Saturn and Fap Ceramiche's Futura Collection tiles.


Karim Rashid’s tub is, of course, a handsome number. Made of Liquid Acrylic Resin in starkest white, it boasts a high-sided profile with a subtly sloping prow, giving it a distinctly nautical feel. The waterproof screen is artfully incorporated into the foot end, providing the perfect punctuation mark to your ritual of cleansing and relaxation.




Time will tell if the TV Tub gains entry into the residential market. I suspect this will have much to do with the price tag—and the state of our state, since such high luxury items tend to fall by the wayside during financial slowdowns. For the present, however, I predict the Saturn TV Tub will appear in high-end hotels and condos of every stripe. And you know what they say… as the Ritz goes, so goes the U.S.A…via 3 Rings



Thursday, January 28, 2010

High Street Style










HighStreet was created for people who are wild about design. Co-founded by Matt Knotts and Leah Spurrier, the eight-thousand square foot downtown Cincinnati facility offers an award-winning Design studio and Urban Lifestyle Store.

Based on the boundary-free blending principles of modern London style, HighStreet exists to encourage American consumers and lifestyle enthusiasts to think for themselves when it comes to buying and collecting ... to hunt for fierce objects they can relate to ... and expect intelligent design to follow.

Other than the products of their own design, products at HighStreet come from literally everywhere, offering what they refer to as the greatest shopping of the world, abridged.

HighStreet offers enduring design products that mix well into any lifestyle - items that can be placed into any context (modern or otherwise) and elevate the outcome.
If you are on a mission of well-articulated personal expression, about collecting enduring living objects, and about not taking it all so seriously, HighStreet offers a design-conscious lifestyle that is personal and meaningful.
The Design Studio at HighStreet offers design services in many forms: Art Direction, Interior Design, Trend Forecasting, Consulting on Design Culture, Philosophy and Consumer Goods, Exterior Planning, Product Design, Corporate/Commercial Space Planning and Design, Restaurant, Hospitality, Total Brand Consideration, and Design of Outdoor and Public Space.

Whatever your visual intelligence, HighStreet is a vehicle to learn and to push yourself forward… a hotbed of activity, information, and the source of great inspiration.


Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Design Proposals

I am very happy with the new software I'm using. Because at just one click ...8 Price Groups will be generated! It just makes it so much easier to help our clients make their budgeting decisions because the materials that we carry are divided into 8 Price Groups - Group 1 being the most economical and the price goes up to Group 8, the highest. Customers just have to choose the price range that suits their budget!







This set costs RM21,659 and uses a combination of Group4 High Gloss Venato Season White+Group6 Crystal Gloss Finoline Imora Red +Group2 Pigment Matt Season White materials, and includes LG HiMacs Arctic White Solid Surface.

If using other price group materials, the price will change as follows..

CHOICE OF MATERIAL

Group1-LAMINATE $14,482
Group2-PIGMENT MATT $16,550
Group3-LAMINATE FINOLINE $19,094
Group4-HIGH GLOSS PIGMENT $20,902
Group5-ASH,OAK,TEAK,WALNUT,MAPLE $22,834
Group6-BEECH,OAK,MAPLE,CRYSTAL GLOSS $23,703
Group7-MAPLE,TEAK,WALNUT $26,633
Group8-ZEBRANO,WENGE $30,176


This set costs RM22,401 using materials from Group 1 Rosa 338 and Group 4 High Gloss Severo Season White and includes solid surface LG HiMacs Arctic White.

If using other materials, the price will change accordingly.

CHOICE OF MATERIAL

Group1-LAMINATE $18,439
Group2-PIGMENT MATT $20,874
Group3-LAMINATE,PINE $24,229
Group4-HIGH GLOSS,PIGMENT MATT $25,919
Group5-ASH,OAK,TEAK,WALNUT,MAPLE $27,691
Group6-BEECH,OAK,MAPLE,CRYSTAL GLOSS $27,348
Group7-MAPLE,TEAK,WALNUT $30,177
Group8-ZEBRANO,WENGE $34,809










This set costs RM 36,802 using Group 4 materials consisting of High Gloss Venato Mocca colour combined with High Gloss Venato Snow White and LG Hi-Macs Arctic White.

The pricing changes according to materials chosen :

CHOICE OF MATERIAL

Group1 - LAMINATE $26,523
Group2 - PIGMENT MATT $30,077
Group3 - FINOLINE LAMINATE $34,456
Group4 - HIGH GLOSS PIGMENT $36,802
Group5 - ASH,OAK,TEAK,WALNUT,MAPLE $39,167
Group6 - BEECH,OAK,MAPLE,CRYSTAL GLOSS $39,116
Group7 - MAPLE,TEAK,WALNUT $42,853
Group8 - ZEBRANO,WENGE $49,112



Portable Kitchens of the Future



The Gorenie Ora-Ito kitchen by Morabito blends advanced technology with simple functionality and allows you to put your kitchen wherever you want it. This freestanding, transportable kitchen can be placed inside or outside, upstairs or downstairs, and if you move, you can bring it with you. Made from a single block of composite material, the four-ton prototype offers a sturdy yet elegantly designed haven for cooking, dining, or relaxing. And, the material is resistant to the various weather conditions, so cooking outdoors is a daily option. It also comes fully loaded with appliances that make your kitchen experience convenient and pleasurable. The collection includes ovens, refrigerators, extractor hoods, ceramic hobs, microwaves and dishwashers. The kitchen has a unique, iPod-white structure and exquisite appliances made of black glass, brushed aluminum surfaces and aluminum handles; truly a beauty to behold. This is the kitchen of the 21st century. Via Apartment Therapy.





Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Embedded Alarm



The Melted Clock in bed sheet alarm clock by Florian Schaerfer offers a new and innovative way to wake up on time. Etched into the fabric of the bed sheet, the touch-sensitive alarm clock allows you to set or shut off the alarm without ever opening your eyes. Built-in speakers project the sound of music from the embedded radio so you can wake up to the news report or your favorite music station. Three control icons are embroidered on the sheet, enabling you to use each function as desired. The whole idea is to move your hand across the sheet’s surface to adjust the functions or feel the time. The clock components are made of silicone and impressed onto the sheet through a slat of EPS (electroactive polymer), which is activated by electricity. Once activated, the slat stretches and raises the silicone component, providing the imprinted numbers that can be felt on the clock. Now you can feel the time and decide whether or not to sleep longer. And, the silicone segment can be removed when you need to wash the sheets. Designer: Florian Schaerfer. via Yanko Design





Sunday, January 24, 2010

Design for Kelana Jaya

Today, I'm putting up makeover pictures of a sub-sale unit. There are 2 major areas to renovate for any sub-sale property - the kitchen and the bathroom. However good condition the property is in, the kitchen and bathroom tiles will definitely be out of trend if the property is a few years old - yes, colours have trends and trends change every few years.



Again I must emphasize that to make the home beautiful takes much more than just the amount of money spent on the renovation work. The result of every work delivered depends a lot on the effort that the home owner contributes too. In this case, he has done a superb job in shopping for the MATCHING SOFT FURNISHINGS and keeping the home NEAT. I had written earlier on what makes a good renovation result at http://meridiandesign.blogspot.com/2009/05/you-are-wasting-your-time-and-money-if.html

The Living Room
This unit is quite a large and long one. Frequently this type of layout will be rather dark in the centre where the sun doesn't come in. Furthermore this balcony opening faces North, so there is no direct sunlight. To bring in the natural sun, avoid putting up heavy drapes but use sheer ones instead. The owner has indicated his preference for earthy and cozy colours - colours that relaxes you at the end of a busy workday. I used a mixture of Nippon Terrace Stone and Bramble Beige on smaller walls - greyish organic greens, earthy enough without too much brown and a little green because green is a calming and relaxing colour. The rest of the house is in Daisy White.
Tips :
There are many new shades of white available nowadays, just make sure not to choose lily white, apple white, lilac white, barley white, etc if you what something different. I normally do not use Pearl Glo paints unless the customer specially requests for it because
1) glossy walls are not trendy
2) glossy surfaces brings out all the flaws in the wall - never choose this unless your walls are fully skim-coated.




















The Open Kitchen

The original kitchen was a closed up one with a hole opening, as was the trend a few years ago. We updated the look be opening it up and covering all the walls in glass, hence removing the need to change all the tiles. I proposed a combination of glossy black and wood grains. Black is a strong and sombre colour, to add brown wood grains would make it friendlier to live with. Unless the set is very small, it's always better to have a combination of 2 materials and colours.












The Guest Bathroom

The common bathroom was completely made over. The very outdated blue tiles were removed, new cream ones plus some very large mock stone pieces put up.
TIPS :
A point to note here, when buying tiles be careful of not getting lower grade tiles which are cheaper but the sizes will not be equally same. Also, buy tiles from the same batch so that all the colours are even. Always buy around 3-5% extra so that in cases of miscalculation or breakage, the workflow is not interrupted. Do not immediately buy the toilet bowl until the plumber can confirm the outlet piping size, otherwise you'll end up with a toilet bowl that cannot be fitted in.





The plaster ceiling of the master bedroom is in 2 levels, providing some depth. We did a fake wall on the left side of the wardrobe to give it a built-in impression. This method may waste a little space and cost a little higher but the result is always much nicer than using an end panel.







This view from the balcony captivated my colleagues from Sibu, Sarawak when they accompanied me to this unit during the renovation work. They do not have such a high look-out point back home.





The total renovation costs for this home is as follows :

Convert closed-up to open concept kitchen
and kitchen cabinets - RM17,500
Master bedroom wardrobe - RM6,600
MBR bath renovation - RM3,500
Common bath renovation - RM7,600
Skim coat and Painting to ceiling, wall and doors - RM6,800
MS grille - RM1,200
Electrical, plaster board, misc. - RM9,600
Curtains - RM4,900

Total renovation costs RM57,700