Portable Warmth

A more traditional coffee table with smokeless biofire designed by Planika Studio. The square shape and brown colour make it ideal for modern yet traditional interiors. Arranging Square in the front room, you will add the luxury of design and the richness of real smokeless fire to your living space. Employing the patented Glassfire® Technology, Square allows you to enjoy real flames without worrying about installation, smoke or ashes.

It’s a “lighthouse” in every sense of the work – a beacon in outdoor entertaining, a portable outdoor fireplace that runs on ethanol. According to its maker, Planika, the main idea behind the Lighthouse fireplace was “to adorn spaces and to navigate people to wander inside a fire lit dwelling. People are naturally attracted to beauty and have been naturally attracted to fire ever since the first spark.” A simple stone base is capped by an artistic web which encloses the fire itself – the real star of the show that burns a clean-burning fuel. These portable fireplaces help make your outdoors warm, alive with dancing light and buzzing with conversation. For more info on the Lighthouse ethanol fireplace, visit Planika.

Futuristic Faucet

Making bathroom tasks less of a chore, these amazing futuristic faucet designs by Hego WaterDesign are the latest and greatest must-have. I.WO and I.WO.e are the newest series of smart faucets designed by Davide Vercelli, featuring two interfaces – a mechanical design that lets you control the water temperature and the flow separately, and an electronic design which puts the controls at your fingertips with touch buttons. The stylish one-touch bathroom faucets look cool too, boasting a sleek stainless steel style suited to any contemporary bathroom. And adding ergonomics into the fix, this modern faucet comes with a spout which can be angled to your needs, bringing customizable comfort to your bathroom. Check out these amazing one touch and mechanical touch bathroom faucets at Hego WaterDesign.

Inspirational ideas for real Living Rooms

Cool and calm living room

Mix light tones of ivory, lemon and green with borders and accents of rich, dark chocolate for a smart edge. The nest of tables are from Dunelm Mill and the leather box used as a side table is from John Lewis.

Fresh and elegant room

Use crisp tones of lemon and apple-green with off-white for a clean grown-up look. The walls are painted in Hound Lemon from Farrow & Ball and the curtains are from the Nina Campbell range for Osborne & Little.

Smart and opulent

Add some flair to your living room by mixing hot pink, cool grey and zingy green accents with lots of pattern. Marvao W5645/03 wallpare from Osbourne & Little.

Sleek and chic

Be lavish with swathes of intense chocolate contrasted with scarlet red and warm ivory. Sofas from Sofa.com and nest of tables from Dunelm Mill.

Cool and contemporary

Navy blue, crisp ivory, a hint of chocolate and a smattering of stripes are perfect for the modern, tailored look. The curtains are made in Albert Blue stripe from Thomas Dare.

Calm and tranquil living

Start with a smoky blue background and add soft pink, cream and brown accents for an uplifting and soothing feel to a room. The curtain fabric is in Eranthe from Osbourne & Little and the walls are painted in Blue Ashes from Fired Earth

Bold and beautiful

Don't be daunted by deep blues and hot pinks for a living room - combined with blocks of ivory, they're a striking mix. The Glendalough wallpaper is from Osbourne & Little and the Blossom rug is from Dunelm Mill.

Soft and elegant

Creamy linen shades and rich pinks combine for a scheme that proves pink can be grown-up, not girly. Pilleoment Toile wallpaper from Sandersons. The curtains are made from Leoni natural fabric from Romo, edged with shocking pink velvet ribbon from Berisford Ribbons.

Spark Fire

(Bethel, CT, November 2009) Spark Modern Fires, award winning manufacturer of modern, clean, and elegant gas fireplaces announces a totally new direct vent “slim” fireplace designed to hang on the wall. With a viewing area of 46” X 12”, this striking new fireplace provides substantial visual impact; while its depth of only 8” presents an exceptionally lean profile. Called the Direct Vent Slim 46”, this new fireplace saves space as well as time and cost of installation. Just vent through an outside wall or the roof, hang it—and enjoy. SPARK’s signature Fire Ribbon look has never been easier.

The Direct Vent Slim 46” is the perfect width for those looking for something between SPARK’s three foot and six foot wide direct vent fireplaces. And as a hanging unit, it does not require extensive cut outs or framing. In addition to its attractive size, this innovative fireplace features a porcelain enamel interior to reflect and enhance the beauty of the flame, as well as sleek surrounds in stainless steel or black satin. Also included is a fully programmable, thermostatic remote to allow lighting and control from anywhere in the room.

About Spark Modern Fires


Spark Modern Fires was co-founded in 2005 by Tom Healy, a former custom home builder who for two decades successfully built custom homes in VA and Washington, D.C. As a custom builder, Tom found that commercially available fireplaces most often did not match the distinct décor required by the designs of the homes he was building. As a result Tom was forced to fabricate special parts for each fireplace; a process that was costly and time consuming. Seeing a need in the market, Tom set out in 2003 to develop a product line and a company that made it easier for designers and builders to use a gas fireplace as a design element in custom and unique environments. In 2005 Spark Modern Fires introduced its first Fire Ribbons which were shipped in early 2006. The market enthusiastically accepted the new products, with many being installed in high end locations such as the Ritz Carlton, Mandarin Hotels, and “W” Hotels. The new products were so well received that in 2007 and 2008 Spark Modern Fires was nominated to participate in the prestigious Interior Design Award for Best Architectural Product of the Year, winning the award in 2007 for the Fire Ribbon and finishing among the top four in 2008 for The Linear Burner.

Design for Kota Damansara

After working on so many glossy kitchens, this set of contemporary country look kitchen is a welcome change with its beautiful textured door facade.

Open Kitchen

We reclaimed the yard's toilet and converted it to an extension of the kitchen, hence it's become larger. A brick wall was put up and whitewashed for that rustic look. To create a rustic look, I would recommend buying lower grade bricks rather than premium grade bricks as these are "too perfect". Lower grade bricks ( or what our worker calls the longkang bricks! ) come with chippings and crack lines and these are what give them character.

White is a beautiful colour, the favourite colour of the lady owner. The husband's favourite colour is orange, the colour of energy and adventure - which really reveals his personality as someone who loves the outdoors with backpacking and diving as his passion. I spent quite some time admiring the unusual collection items from his off-the-beaten-track travels!

This island unit has slightly higher than normal skirting, with light illumination below to give it a "floating" illusion.

The Baby's Room

The condominium management did not allow any hacking through walls and did not provide any air-cond ducting for all other rooms other than the master bedroom. It's not a very friendly arrangement, so we created fake walls and ceiling to hide all the unsightly air-cond ducting.

The baby's room was totally in pale blue and pure white, giving the environment a cool and light look.

The Living Room

The living area was done in earthy colours for a warm and cozy look. No renovation was done here except for painting.

The Master Bedroom
I came at baby's feeding time, so it wasn't convenient to take pics of the room and the connecting bath. We don't want to disturb the little angel, do we?

The total renovation costs for this home is as follows :


Foyer shoe cabinet with umbrella compartment - RM1,335

Convert yard toilet to extended kitchen

and kitchen cabinets - RM28,790

Kitchen accessories - RM3,310

Master bedroom wardrobe and dresser - RM9,890

MBR bath renovation - RM11,310

Painting to ceiling and wall only - RM2,800

MS grille - RM4,600

Create additional room for study - RM2,370

Electrical, plaster board, misc. - RM9,899

Total renovation cost - RM74,304

* This time, I did not break down my costs into too much detail but just a general description of the work done in this home. This should be helpful enough to help you plan your renovation budget. - Lola

Color Trends for 2010

Hot off the press!! As interior designers we have access to the HOME INDUSTRY COLOR FORECAST months before being released to the general public. (Choosing paint colors made easy) provided us with the colors announcement.

The popular paint colors of nature continue to dominate the color trends for 2010. However the uncertainty about the future, leads to a new direction of personal discovery and alternative thinking. Gone is the harshness of Black Satin from the 2009 palette but the carbon grays and earthen browns are again present in the 2010 three color trend collections. Gold and bronze metallics are still trendy paint colors, adding optimism in our chaotic world. The infrequent presence of blue in the three collections implies a reminder to conserve water. Vision of hope for the future is seen in yellow rays of sunshine that are sprinkled in each collection.


May the 2010 Color Schemes for Home Decorating Inspire You...

EARTHEN GODDESS


Hybrids, sustainability and concern for the earth’s vulnerability are the core of this collection. Reducing one’s carbon footprint, buying natural materials and organic food permeates our lives. When deciding what colors to paint a room, nature provides the solution.
The colors of Earthen Goddess range from moss of the forest floor to the tan and gray stones of the riverbed. Blasts of color are extracted from fruits and vegetables. These earthen organic paint colors seem to make the home feel healthier.

INNER OPULENCE


Richness in life is personally defined. Discovery of one’s uniqueness, harmony of life, and well being gains new importance. Adventure has no global boundaries. Inner opulence is complete with romance and passion.
The Inner Opulence collection has rich shades of passion purple interspersed with mulberry and fades to a pale pink. Gold metallic provides the confident luxury while soothing hues creates the harmony. Unexpected bold shades provide the adventure of the Inner Opulence.

PLAYFUL PANACHE


Playful Panache is composed of artistic, technical, and intellectual inventiveness. A new culture emerges that is daring, entertaining and flamboyant. Multitasking creates a universal need for multifunctional products. Vitality and youthful spirit crosses all generational groups.

Brilliant colors add zest to the Playful Panache collection, and dazzling bronze provides the intellectual energy. The techno green and mysterious blue are never to be seen without a color in between. Medium shades associated with the earth’s natural habitat complete this collection and provide the neutral paint colors.

Showroom Activities Jan 2010

Chee Hoong and I are excited to welcome Melinda here again for the second and third classes! Goodness! However are we to concentrate on our work with heavenly baking smells all around? Laparnye...





Pizza Making Class

Date: 24 Jan 2010 (Sunday)
Time: 10.30am - 3pm
Type: Semi Hands-on
Fee: RM180.00 ( 50% discount for confirmed Meridian customers)

1) Phyllo Pizza
2) Pizza Dough
3) Fresh Herbs Pizza Sauce
4) Rosemary Chicken Pizza
5) Margarita Pizza
6) Trio Mushroom Pizza
7) Fresh Herbs and Chili Bread




Cupcake Decoration Class

Date: 31 Jan 2010 (Sunday)
Time: 10.30am - 2.30pm
Type: Semi Hands-on
Fee: RM140.00 ( 50% discount for confirmed Meridian customers )


1) Chocolate Chips Cupcakes
2) Buttercream
3) Fondant
4) Decoration


To register, please email to applekitchen@gmail.com or contact/sms Melinda at 012 640 9809.

For details of Melinda Soon's other classes, click http://myapplekitchen.blogspot.com


We appreciate if you could bring along your own food container for takeaways.


Cancellation Policy: Payment must accompany all reservations. Class cancellations are accepted and a credit for other replacement classes will be given if notification is received 7 days prior to scheduled class. If you cannot attend, you may send a substitute in your place. No refund will be given in cash. Cancellations made fewer than 7 days before the class date are non-refundable. All classes are subject to minimum and maximum enrollments. In the event that Apple Kitchen cancels the class due to instructor illness or minimal enrollment, students will be notified by phone and e-mail. In that event, you may choose to transfer credit to another class or to accept a full refund.