STATE OF THINGS AT HORIZON HILLS PROJECT: PART 2

In the last couple of weeks, works were moving a little slower than I had expected. Blame it on the suppliers, who promised the delivery of the marbles and stones we had ordered by mid July but then took forever to deliver, citing hiccups with the importation of the materials.

Front facade and gate

Foyer

The travertine stone I've picked for the front facades look wonderful when put up. Somehow, it exudes a majestic feel to it and the image of a well-guarded fortress never fails to pop up in my mind, ha!

Back garden

Living/ dining areas

Meanwhile, we have leveled off the back garden in preparation for a timber floor deck. The kitchen tiling is in progress, and I'm certainly liking the amount of space we've carved out here by the removal and extension of several walls. It was a choice well made.

Upstairs, the groundwork has been done and we are awaiting the installation of the timber strip flooring within the next few weeks.

2nd storey family + gym room

2nd storey master bedroom

2nd storey bedroom 1

2nd storey bedroom 2

2nd storey bedroom 2 balcony extension

We also had all the internal walls plastered and the false ceilings for the whole house done up. There's a mistake made in a bedroom, with a ceiling feature constructed much further into the room. So much for on-site discussions! But that should be easily rectified by the plasterers.

We are halfway through this project as of now, and things seem to be moving along fine except for some slight delays here and there. But we'll get over these issues. The whole office is currently working non-stop to churn out the construction drawings in the meantime.

I'll share more details as we proceed.


Stan

read more...

MAKE A FLOR CARPET USING TILES

Forget all the conceptions you have of a rug. This 'rug' is neither soft nor cushy, but the ingenuity of it wins me over. We at Home Rejuvenation would surely like to try this out sometime! Link

KUS

read more...

WALL MURALS BY MALCOLM HILL

Lately, a client's obsession with wall murals seem to have rubbed off on me. I'm starting to see murals everywhere I go. Well, I guess that's what happens when the mind is focused on a particular thing.

During this period, works by NYC-based artist Malcolm Hill just popped up one after another. Hill's work is easy to love for numerous reasons. It's big and bold, yet somehow still conveys a subtle softness. Who needs wallpaper when we have people like Hill around?

NY Times

Malcolm Hill

Elle Decor

Interior Design

Stan

read more...

SUPERSIZE MY HOME!

Bell Lamp

I know. You probably think I'm insane to suggest that placing large, over-sized furniture or objects in your home makes it appear larger. But I'm not kidding.

Gaetano Pesce

Light Up chair

Tom Scheerer

It's all in the mind. Having one or two over-sized pieces can really trick our eyes into believing the space is a lot larger or taller than it is since the rest of the furniture seem smaller in comparison. Still confused? Let's put it this way: if your friends are noticing what catches their attention (with its size), they are less likely to focus on the size of the space.

Ingle Talk

And on that note, you can be sure we aren't short of furnishing options to achieve that 'see big in a small room' look, although some can be ridiculously huge to warrant any serious purchasing decision...

Sue Rohrer

Stan

read more...

POSTCARD WALL QUILT

There are things which are so mundane in our daily lives that we often forget their existence until we need them. Come on, who remembers postcards in an age where emails can be fired off to the other party in mere seconds?

But as always, all is not lost. With some creativity, we can always take those good ol' cards and turn them into stylish - not to mention affordable - decoration for the home. Surely nobody in your family will be complaining once they see what Susanne and her little boy have created? I'm not. Link

Stan

read more...

TIME FOR SOME SELF-GRATIFICATION : MAKE YOURSELF A BOOK LAMP

Every once in a while, I like visiting instructables to check out their DIY projects. The folks there have amassed a collection of great how-to's, and this kind act has certainly made many people's Sundays much more enjoyable (not to mention saving a few bucks for them along the way.) Isn't that so? Where else can you get a clever lamp design which sets you back by only $5 and takes less than half an hour to put together? Link


Stan

read more...

CUSHIONIZED SOFA BY CHRISTIANE HOEGNER

The Cushionized sofa takes the throw pillows and makes a settee out of them, allowing one to customize and change the setup for comfort.

KUS

read more...

RUGS OUT TO SHOCK

Nowadays, a good piece of rug doesn't only provide warmth and comfort for the feet - it also displays an element of shock.

Circus (designed by Fernando & Humberto Campana) looks freaky on first glance, but yeah, it does grow on me. Ha, I don't mean the dolls...

This is out to terrify. The Roadkill rug is "a continues struggle between attraction and repulsion". The repulsive image of a car-flattened, bloody fox is anything but eye candy for the eyes, yet the soft and cuddly wool doesn't fail to invite you to take a nap on it.

I'm a firm believer that rugs can work pretty much the same way as paintings do. Conveying a thorny problem in the design of the Global Warming rug - like some great artists do with their canvases - NEL reminds us of the averse impact mankind is making on the environment.

The Pebble rug is supposed to make you go wow, but it gives me the impression one might shout ouch instead!

I still can't really get the message behind the design of this kooky rug. There's two paths: one that leads to the Same Old S*%t, and another which leads to Crazy New S#*t. But at $3000, I believe most people are going nowhere.


Stan

read more...

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF AN INTERIOR DESIGNER

9:00 am: Phone starts ringing and text messages start pouring in. Make a few calls to the staff, workers and suppliers to give instructions for the day. Take breakfast, a quick shower and a glimpse of CNBC on TV.

10:00am: Arrive at Fontaine Parry condominium at Poh Huat Road to instruct the workers on dimensions and details of a floor deck to be constructed at the dining hall.

10:30am: Zip over to Tropica condominium at Tampines Avenue 1 to oversee the start of carpentry works and make sure everything is in order.

11:15am: Make a trip down to Jalan Sultan to source for some lamps for a few projects which are about to commence work.

12:30am: Lunch? What lunch? It's just a burger on the move.

1:00pm: Slip back into office and start clearing emails. Get on the phone with vendors to enquire about some outstanding orders for fabrics and wallpaper. Go through the pile of paperwork. Am supposed to meet the carpenter for a lengthy discussion on the works at Fontaine Parry but he can't make it at the last minute.

2:00pm: Sketch details and have a discussion with the staff regarding some design revisions for an ongoing bungalow project at Horizon Hills in Johor, Malaysia.

2:30pm: A client calls in. Spend 15 minutes on the phone with her trying to sort out some minor glitches at her Punggol flat. Make a few calls subsequently to arrange workers to check on these issues as soon as possible.

3:00pm: Finally find some peaceful time to sit around and do nothing. Well, as if...

3:30pm: Spend the next 20 minutes online for inspiration. Make arrangement with a prospective client to meet up next week at my office to find out more about her requirements for her Bishan flat.

4:00pm: Run by The Aquarius By The Park at Bedok Reservoir View to supervise the installation of a mirror and some photo frames which I had ordered from my regular framer a few days earlier. Painter also comes by to perform touch-up works but the new can of paint turns out differently when painted onto the walls, even when the paint code number is correct!

5:30pm: Rush over to Fontaine Parry again to meet up with the home owners on some changes they requested for the lighting works. Meet the acoustical specialist at the apartment to discuss and facilitate the installation of home theater speakers and automated window blinds.

7:00pm: Back in office to check on the 3D presentation churned out by the staff. Get ready for a meeting with a young couple to discuss about the design of their apartment at Dakota Residences .

7:30pm: Clients arrive. Run through some design revision which were discussed 2 weeks earlier. Everything is finally in order for works to be scheduled and to start in late July.

9:15pm: Meeting ends. Check mailbox again, pack up and head back home.


Stan

read more...

PORCELAIN PLATES WALLPAPER

For those who loves hanging plates on walls as decoration, this must be good news. Dutch designers Studio Ditte designed this stunning Porcelain wallpaper as an alternative to the real deal. Even I, who am never into hanging plates, am impressed.

Stan

read more...

VOTE FOR THE 10 MOST INFLUENTIAL DESIGN BLOGGERS 2010

The list is out! We have a list of the 20 nominees for the Most Influential Design Bloggers 2010!

The response to the call for nominations is a little over our expectations. In all honesty, had we received even half of the 800 over nomination emails sent in by you lovely folks, we would be pleased enough.

That aside, below is the list of blogs (in no particular order) which garnered the most number of nominations over the past month. Will this list please everyone? We think not. But since this will be the last time we'll be organizing this event, we hope everybody chips in with your vote in the name of good clean fun.

Desire To Inspire
Poppy Talk
Oh Joy!
Dezeen
Inhabitat
Design*Sponge
Swiss Miss
The Selby
Apartment Therapy
Bloesem
Moco Loco
NOTCOT
The Design Files
Decor8
Creature Comforts
Emma's Design Blog
Print & Pattern
The Cool Hunter
SF Girl By Bay
Contemporist

Voting starts now till 4th August, and the 10 Most Influential Design Bloggers 2010 will be announced on Home Rejuvenation no later than 10th August. 3 picked voters (including those who nominated earlier on) will each receive a 12 months free subscription to the splendid design magazine Wallpaper*! So start moving those fingers and click the voting link now!

Send us your vote

read more...

ART INSTALLATION BY ERNESTO NETO

Let's just place this in the room and forget about everything else... Link

Stan

read more...

THE RHYTHM OF SPACE

Let's talk about a trade secret today: rhythm.

Rhythm works almost in the same way in interiors as music. Basically you stage a 'visual movement', taking a color, texture, pattern or form and repeating it across a space - just like how songs are formed by the regulated succession of stronger and weaker notes. Of all these unifying elements, color is most commonly used to create rhythm.

In the example as shown, a red tone is repeated in the canvas art, the lamp on the ceiling, the lamp by the side of the sofa and the lounger. A sense of movement is instantly created when this unifying element is repeated throughout the space, guiding our eyes to alight here and there on pieces of the unifier, and hence experiencing every part of the design in the process.

Stan

read more...