Home Rejuvenation (by KNQ Associates): December 2009

Dec 28, 2009

MIRRORS IN INTERIOR DESIGN

Post under mirror at 4:56 PM

Using mirrors as an integral part of an interior design provides far more than merely the opportunity of making a room appear much larger. By selecting a wall which enables natural light to reflect back into a room via a mirror creates a whole host of different lighting effects and illusions.

Nowadays, mirror is often a design element in itself, making a statement in the home without having to try too hard. Hemlock Design's Funhouse mirror "evokes movement through its fragmented geometry". Afroditi Krassa's Pretty Big mirror is wall decal with a twist. Fiction, designed by Jean-Marie Massaud for Glas Italia looks like it's appearing out of nowhere. Joop Steenkamer jr's Oh How Beautiful (You Are) is perfect for those self-indulgent individuals.

Else, wow with size - a large mirror hanging on the wall is really effective in bringing attention to a space immediately. And if you have an insane mind, a cluster of mirrors enveloping the room brings about a zany depth of interest to the design.

Stan

CLOCK CONCEPT BY BOMI KIM

Post under clock, diy at 12:12 AM

We just discovered a very kooky customizable clock on our Facebook page!

KUS

Dec 27, 2009

FURNITURE REJUVENATED AT NIGHTWOOD

Post under furniture, recycling at 9:41 PM

When one is down and out and barely has money to furnish the home, it really pushes the mind to work harder. Myriah Scruggs and Nadia Yaron got creative and decided to repurpose castoff furniture rescued from the street curb when they relocated to New York City. Nowadays, the furniture pieces they deconstructed and reconstructed from other people’s trash became the makings of a thriving furniture business called Nightwood.

What do you think of the pieces? Do you even like them? And what about the business model? Is it a sustainable one?

KUS

SPIDER LAMP BY SEYHAN OZDEMIR AND SEFER CAGLAR

Post under lighting at 12:21 PM

People hate to see insects in their homes, but that's not stopping designers Seyhan Özdemir and Sefer Caglar from conceiving the Spider lamp - a sculptural form of convex rods circling a colored bulb. When switched on, the bulb emits the light backwards and the lamp casts giant shadows on the surface. Amazing spidey...

Stan

Dec 23, 2009

PLUS HOUSE BY MOUNT FUJI ARCHITECTS STUDIO

Post under architect, architecture, japan, minimalist at 3:06 PM

This minimalist house makes me think of the term cliffhanger.

Stan

Dec 22, 2009

HOME REJUVENATION ON FACEBOOK

Post under facebook, social media, tips at 8:34 PM

If you are into social networking, you know Facebook. We just want to let you folks know we have much more in store on our fan page. Do not forget to join our design community there!

Stan

Dec 21, 2009

BLEND BY MIEKE MEIJER

Post under bed, chair at 11:19 PM

Dutch designer Mieke Meijer has created Blend, a bed with bedside tables shaped like chairs.

KUS

Dec 20, 2009

PERFORATION IN HOME DESIGN

Post under architecture, chair, perforation, rug at 6:29 PM

Perforation is one very useful technique to be used in design. From architecture facades to wall partitions to even rugs, the puncturing of a series of small holes allows a play on geometric forms, shadow and light to pretty dramatic effect.

London practice ThreefoldArchitects completed the luxurious Ladderstile House, a courtyard house on Richmond Park in London featuring a beautiful veil of stainless steel panels perforated with an abstracted foliage design.

Nakayama Architects' ultra modern Boukyo House located in Sapporo, Japan, makes an artful use of perforated walls, which cast a spectacular pattern reminiscent of detailed delicate filigree work into the rooms during the day.

Vietnamese designer Martin Mostböck incorporated laser cut craters in the design for his rug called Dark Side of the Moon. The result is a little on the whimsical side, but it definitely makes for a great conversational piece. Oh, and did I mention this rug is a limited edition in celebration of the 40th anniversary of the moon landing (July 20, 1969)?

The project was conceived by Plataforma de Arquitectura from the will of building a space of multiple relationships between the interior and exterior, maintaining the intimacy of two design studios. Perforation gives a particular gesture to the warped surface made out of metal sheets, transforming it into a facade that lights up in several levels through day and night, according to the activities within.

With a beautiful facade like that, it's hard not to make heads turn. Austria-based Söhne & Partner Architekten designed the Hotel Caldor located in Münchendorf, Austria with the aim of featuring the perforated façade panels, which not only shade the spaces inside but also displays the hotel logo in an abstract manner.

Copenhagen studio WE Architecture has completed the interior of a tea shop in Copenhagen, Denmark, which features an image of a teapot picked out in back-lit perforations on the counter and shelves.

To concentrate on how Konstantin Grcic's industrial-looking Myto chair looks is to miss the point, but you can't help but feel its perforated seat just looks too similar to a car grille or the metal mesh at the end of an electric razor. Well, what would you expect, really? The chair even got its name from a motorcycle: Cagiva’s Mito, a sporty Italian bike released in 1989...

Stan

Dec 19, 2009

THE TOTE BY SERIE ARCHITECTS

Post under architecture at 11:00 PM

"A series of disused buildings from Mumbai’s colonial past set within the Mumbai Race Course are to be converted to form a series of restaurant and bars. The conservation guidelines call for the preservation of the roof profile for three-quarters of the buildings and full conservation for the remaining one-quarter..." Link

KUS

101 WOONIDEEEN STAND BY INGRID HEJINE

Post under diy, stand at 10:03 AM

Designer Ingrid Hejine's stand for Dutch magazine 101 woonideeën at the Woonbeurs Amsterdam using fabric, wood, paint and waterproof felt-tip pens is an inspiring find this past week.

KUS

Dec 18, 2009

5 YEARS OF HOME REJUVENATION: A CELEBRATION IN PICTURES (PART 1)

Post under design, home rejuvenation at 10:59 PM

This December, we mark five years of Home Rejuvenation! And what a great five years it has been! Back in 2004, we at KNQ Associates wanted to offer a different kind of home design service - one that would take away most, if not all, of the hassles involved in a typical renovation project for home owners. Right from the start, we have had skeptics pouring cold water on us, telling us this approach would never work (or rather, 'advising' us this is not the way to make good money). But we refused to believe that tearing down walls or throwing out all your existing furniture is the way to a beautiful and functional home. Kus and I sadistically' take pleasure in challenging conventions. Yes, we just want to prove those people wrong.

Today, we celebrate our fifth anniversary in pictures - a photo collage of homes we've rejuvenated (from 2005-2007). We hope our works touched hearts and that we helped all the people who ever engaged our service live life better!

Thanks for the business, clients!