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spacelift: from masculine to feminine

Today, I’m working on an article about “gendered designs”. The premise is that there is a noticeable difference between the design of a male architect/interior designer and the design of a female architect/interior designer. Many times (but not always), spaces done by female designers have a certain “softness” in them, while the designs made by male designers appear quite “structured”. Probably, these are natural and unconscious inclinations of both genders. I am not sure, but there must be some scientific explanation to this.

Here’s an example to demonstrate my point. My female friend re-styled this condominium unit originally designed by a male interior designer. The only requirement of the client was to give it an updated, clean look.

Originally, the interiors have a masculine character dominated by dark colors and rigid lines.

When the unit was re-styled, it was a given a brighter look by just adding lots of whites and creams, plus some fresh and personal details.

Together with fine textures and a few streaks of subtle colors, the spaces were given a softer new look without looking too girly or too dainty.

how do i live: at home with sitti

We all know her as the Philippines’ bossa girl, making bossa nova a part of Filipino pop music. But at home, she’s a simple, laidback person who enjoys watching DVDs and playing with her two dogs. Meet Sitti Navarro and her new home!

Last month, the team got a peek at the singer’s crib and saw her world outside showbiz.

Sitti and her family moved into this three-storey house just a few months ago. The actual value of the property, the size of the interiors, plus its strategic location made her choose the house over a condominium space. “By far, it’s a bigger space to accommodate the family and a better investment for me,” she explained.

The house was already fully finished when they moved in, inclusive of the basic built-ins and lighting fixtures. All she had to do was to bring in the furnishings to complete the interiors. For this, she got some help from an interior designer friend who accompanied her when she shopped around.

Sitti’s style leans more towards the clean minimalist kind. For this reason, she appreciated the dark wengue finish and rectilinear details of the house and initially wanted to maintain the “bare” look of the space. However, the minimalist style seemed quite impersonal to her mom. Being the one who is more inclined to decorating, Sitti’s mom added some personal details to give the interiors a warm, intimate character.

It was also her mom’s idea to turn the stairway into a display area for her album sales awards. Together with the recessed halogen step lights, the potentially boring transitional space became one of the interesting places of the house.

Among all the areas in the house, Sitti particularly loves two spots. One is the balcony by her bedroom where she spends most of her quiet “alone” time over a cup of coffee. The other one is the entertainment area where the whole family bonds together, watching movies.

To see more of Sitti, visit her Facebook here, her official website here and her multiply site here.

As an early Valentine’s treat for our readers, we are raffling off an autographed cd of Sitti’s latest album Contagious! To join the draw, just leave a comment on this post together with your email address. This giveaway will end on Valentine’s day, February 14, 9am (Manila time). One winner will be drawn via a random number generator, announced on this post, and will be contacted by email.

Have a great weekend everyone!

*spacial thanks to MJ and TangerineSkies Artst PR

space matters: a modern, animal-friendly house

Form follows function is like the one of the most popular tenets that many modernist designers try to live by. The idea behind it is to come up with a designed form and a kind of aesthetics that are based on functional needs rather than just products of an artistic expression.

This modern house, designed by Frenjick Quesada and Hisako Hirayama of Design HQ, is a classic example of how form could actually follow function. Owned by a veterinarian who constantly adopts stray cats and dogs from the streets of Metro Manila, the design primarily called for minimalist, low-maintenance, and animal-friendly design features. Apart from the house, there is also an additional requirement for a kennel housing for six dogs and a cattery for 40 cats.

The client wanted a modern minimalist house of clean geometric lines and a basic palette of gray, black and white. Later on, he agreed to add one accent color to the original achromatic scheme. So, the designers added three red vertical elements to provide a splash of color from the entrance of the house (photo above). Apart from being a focal point, the columns actually function as cabinets for the kitchen behind it.

The ground floor areas are laid out in an open plan. Both the dining area and the kitchen face the garden to allow the owners to cook and dine while enjoying the verdant view of the garden, and, at the same time, to keep an eye on the animals outside. With its open plant layout, multiple large window openings, and plain off-white walls, the house receives a generous amount of natural light during the day and is passively cooled through cross ventilation.

The flooring is finished in polished cement with stainless steel strip inlays to keep the ground floor area animal friendly and low maintenance. Aside from the three red columns, the industrial-looking skeletal stairway dividing the living area from the dining area serves as another focal point.

The dining table, like the flooring, is made of a concrete base in polished cement finish plus a clear glass top. It was the client’s idea, initially intended as a way to cut cost. In spite of being a “cheaper alternative”, the unconventional table became one of the most interesting features of the modern house.

Photos by Erik Liongoren courtesy of Design HQ

retail detail: space encounters

For the past two to three years, we saw how the luxe style, characterized by glamorous hotel-like designs, dominated the design scene. Starting last year, I noticed that a new style is emerging—a kind of aesthetics that revives eclecticism and combines it with a youthful fun, pop attitude. This is what we saw when we visited Space Encounters, a home and lifestyle store by noted interior designer Wilmer Lopez.

The concept of the store is simple—to offer chic, fun and comfortable pieces that make a statement in any space. Their collection of furniture, decors, and lifestyle accessories is primarily inspired by Wilmer and his partner Thor’s travels. Their items are mostly Asian pop and Scandinavian retro, including several iconic pieces.

When they travel abroad, Wilmer and Thor love to go to flea markets and hole-in-the-wall stores for unique finds. For the store, they wanted to re-create that same experience of going to those places.

The design of Space Encounters has a distinctly fun and energetic vibe. There are no dull corners in the store. Vibrant colors fill the space. The walls are painted in a bold color, clad in bricks, or covered in a decoupage of interesting Asian movie posters (photo below). Their disco-like counter (first photo), inspired by the movie Saturday Night Fever, is made of colored glass blocks. A set of metallic Bauhaus pendant lamps hangs at one end to balance off the look.

To complete the design, they also made the arrangement of their merchandise to follow the same casual “flea market” concept. The pieces are all laid out in a dynamic composition.

Many of their furniture are reproductions of mid-century Scandinavian pieces using either Teak or Mahogany. Their chairs can also be upholstered in vintage European fabrics. What we especially like about their furniture, apart from being conversational pieces themselves, is their compact size which can perfectly fit the small space of a condominium interior.

Their home and lifestyle accessories are sourced from different countries, mostly from Asia. There are colored Buddha figurines and heads, framed prints, vintage home items, original movie posters and even fashion items like colorful watches and wallets.

If you want a personal encounter with Space Encounters, visit them at Unit B, Mezzanine, Padilla Bldg., F. Ortigas Jr., Ortigas Center, Pasig City. You can also check theirFacebook  here for more information.

objects of design: printable goodies for valentine’s day

Some of the most interesting and creative blogs that I have encountered so far are those by fabric and card designers, mostly from the US. Apart from the products that they promote at their site, they also have these downloadable & printable paper crafts to let you “sample” their designs.

To give you a head start for valentine’s day, here are some printable goodies from designer Natalie Jost which I just discovered through How About Orange.

Above are printable cardvelopes–a card that folds in thirds and tucks inside itself to form a semi-closed envelope. The patterns on the cards were designed by Natalie for her Love Collection. For the free download, you’ll get these three card designs. But if these three are not enough for you, there’s a full version of 12 cards [image below] available at her shop here.

If you want to give a gift together with your card, Natalie also has a sampler of pretty printable gift labels here.

Happy printing!

space matters: a swanky bachelor’s pad

For our male readers, here’s a modern design for a bachelor’s pad created by Frenjick Quesada and Hisako Hirayama of Design HQ. What makes this condominium space unique is the unexpected Filipino twist added into its design. This space shows how modern design can be both high in style and big in personality. Read on to know more.

This bachelor’s pad features a clean modern design. Although the condominium space is undeniably masculine, elements of warmth and comfort were consciously integrated by reflecting the owner’s personality and interests onto the design.

A dramatic palette of chocolate brown and warm grays renders the space. Complementing textures of wood and leather were contrasted with stainless steel and other metallic accents, creating a cozy environment for relaxing while, at the same time, being a chic space for entertaining friends.

The client is an avid reader and has a wide collection of books. So, instead of storing the books inside closed cabinets, we decided to showcase them as an integral part of the interior design. Different types of built-in open shelves were carefully added throughout the unit to keep the books organized while making them a part of the interesting composition of the interiors. 

There were shelves fitted above the windows, together with a customized step ladder, to maximize the space.

In both the entertainment area and the bedroom, there were drawers built under the ledges to further improve the functionality of the space.

An interesting feature of the design is the Filipino bone-and-wood inlay applied throughout the interiors. This detail was made modern by using customized linear patterns inspired by the client’s Arturo Luz painting displayed in the dining wall. The patterns, reminiscent of the art deco style, were applied to drawer faces, the coffee table top and key furniture pieces. 

Another unique use of the bone-and-wood inlay is its application as a monogram on select chairs, spelling the client’s initials in Braille. The same approach was used for the main bookshelves, whose decorative wood panels have inlays that spell “books”.  A star pattern was also developed for some drawer faces, since the client’s name literally translates into the word “star”.

*photos by Erik Liongoren courtesy of Design HQ

objects of design: granny chic

Last week, I mentioned how I got started with my interest in crafting.  At an early age, I picked up on my mom’s interest in crocheting. She taught me the basic stitiches and I just worked around them to come up with patterns. I made a table runner and a throwpillow for the house. In college, I also made myself a thick cream school bag and a mini red-white-and-blue hand bag.

But let’s face it, most people don’t consider crochet as cool or fun. In fact, ithe craft is often associated with mommies and grannies and with old Filipino interiors. That’s why I was so thrilled to stumble upon yvestown’s photostream over at flickr. Yvonne, from Lommel, Belgium, is one of those people who are changing the image of crocheted goods, giving them a fresh new look–granny chic!

What i love about her crafting style is the way she combines colors. Here palettes are light, bright, and pretty. Every piece looks young, fun and updated to suit our current aesthetic taste. Here are my favorite items from Yvonne:

Fresh and inspiring images to start the week!

For more about Yvonne’s works and musings visit her blog here.

* all photos by by Yvonne from yvestown via flickr

d.i.y.: pillows abloom

When i was young (like grade 3 young), instead of playing with my neighbors, i spent summer afternoons watching filipino DIY shows–channel 4’s TELEARALAN NG KAKAYAHAN and channel 7’s NEGOSYETE. Haha!

I know, my interests are so “granny”. But take note, because of these shows, I learned how to crochet like a pro at grade 5, making my first table runner (which i cannot find anymore). I also learned how to knit by following the tutorials of Negosyete using a pair of barbecue sticks in place of the real metal knitting needles.

I have to admit, now that i’m an interior designer, my unconventional childhood interests and skills come very handy. I actually miss those days when I have a lot of time (and energy) to make my craft projects. If only I have the luxury of time, I would love to make these pretty felt flower pillows.

This red-and-black chrysanthemum pillow is made by Amy of H is for Handmade. Follow her step-by-step tutorial for this project here.

Another version for this project is Molly’s felt flower pillow which has a more tailored design. Follow her detailed instructions over at The Purl Bee here.

Both projects use felt fabrics because the material doesn’t require you to sew and finish the edges anymore. Simply cut and assemble! You can also use other thick fabrics in making these pillows. You just have the additional step of sewing the edges for a neat finish.

d.i.y.: 10 ways to use the color of 2010

images from Pantone

Goodbye Mimosa yellow, hello Turquoise!

Pantone, the global authority in color (ok, this is debatable), announced last December that Turquoise is the big hue for 2010. From what I’ve read so far, people have mixed reviews over the new color-of-the-year. Some, especially those who love Turquoise, are raving about it. Others, who are probably unsure about the trendy-ness of the color, are not so enthusiastic about the announcement.

“Now, what is a little odd is that Turquoise was a big color for fashion LAST year and many lines have discontinued items in that color for this 2010 year (like Apple, Gucci, Beirn and HeysUSA). Perhaps Pantone was picking up on last year’s trends? “  [via ifitshipitshere]

While last year’s Mimosa carried vibes of optimism and positivity, this year’s Turquoise is all about the message of hope and better beginnings. 

“There was no runner-up to turquoise in my mind because people crave escapism and freshness after a tough year. The shade is on the cusp of blue and green, which makes it both inviting and serene — characteristics associated with blues — and invigorating and luminous, which come from green. The public is shifting gears as the economy shows some improvement: They are ready to fantasize a bit about the beach resort,” Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute, explains. [via PSFK]

Whether you think it’s hot or not, expect to see a lot of this color in fashion runways, furniture stores, and designer shops. I guess, the more important question is this: how do you use this color in design and decoration? The great thing about Turquoise is that it can be paired with a whole lot of colors because of its blue+green mix.

To help you out, here are my T E N   T U R Q U O I S E   P A L E T T E S   F O R   2 0 1 0.

1) Evoke the freshness of spring with BLUE + GREEN. 

image from decorpad.com

2) Go vintage with RED + ORANGE.

images from freshnestdesign.com

3) Get glammed up with BLACK. 

image via houseofturquoise.com

4) Create visions of restful getaways with bold turquoise against ORGANIC NEUTRALS.

image via houseofturquoise.com

5) Embrace summer fun at the beach with WHITES + DISTRESSED COLORS.

image via houseofturquoise.com

6) Childlike innocence is unmistakable with PINK+YELLOW.

image via houseofturquoise.com

7) Establish sophistication with CHOCOLATE BROWN.

image via design-ties.blogspot.com

8 ) Clean modernism is evident with SILVER + GRAYS.

image via decorpad.com

9) Revisit the interiors of Western period styles with CREAMS + RED + BROWNS.

image from atlanatahomesmag.com

10) Render your space in vibrant tropical colors with ORANGES + MAGENTA.

image from willowpoppy via flickr

Can’t get enough of this vibrant color? Visit houseofturquoise.com and everythingturquoise.com for more inspiration. 

space matters: southbay home

A couple of weeks ago, my googling directed me to the website of Frenjick Quesada and Hisako Hirayama, principal interior designers of Design HQ. Their portfolio is impressive! I particularly appreciate the fact that their works feature a range of design perspectives—from traditional Filipino interiors to modern minimalist spaces—demonstrating their ability to come up with interesting design concepts instead of simply altering popular styles.

Their approach could be attributed to their design philosophy that acknowledges the important role of the client in the whole design process. “We believe in listening to the client. We recognize that each project has its own unique design and functional requirements. Our emphasis on communication results in a true collaboration between the designer and the client. We make every effort to design with a fresh look reflecting the client’s taste and individuality.”

For our next Space Matters features, Frenjick and Hisako will share with us three of their residential projects here in Manila. First up is their east-meets-west design for a home in Southbay, Paranaque. Enjoy!

[Because the family enjoys spending as much time outdoors as they do indoors, the interior was laid out in an open plan, minimizing room divisions to maximize the verdant views outdoors. Even the main entrance is  partially screened off by a set of 6x6-inch posts functioning as a see-through partition which sets the foyer from the rest of the interior space.]

[The interior space at the ground floor includes the living area, dining area, and the kitchen, all offering views of the garden.]

[The house’s 260-square meter floor area feels much bigger because of design’s use of an open plan layout, a continuous visual flow from the interior space to the outdoor garden, and the double-height ceiling at the living area.]

[The den/guest room behind the living area also has sliding doors that are kept open when no guests are occupying it, therefore allowing for additional cross ventilation.]

[The furnishings are an eclectic mix of modern western pieces with contemporary and traditional Asian furniture. Antique pieces, such as the mid-century lounge chair and the traditional Chinese cabinet, make great conversational pieces in the living area. Their similar colors allow them to exist harmoniously in spite of their contrasting styles.]

[The design incorporated a lot of wood components throughout the house, such as the custom made front door with kamagong wood inlay, the wooden staircase, and the solid wood furniture pieces, all of which help tie the different design elements together.]

[The large masters’ bedroom consists of an ante room with a lounging area and an entertainment system, and the sleeping area which has a view of the garden below.]

*photos by Erik Liongoren courtesy of Design HQ