Design Folder: Your Online Design and Decorating Resource

conscious living: spring greening

In other countries, spring is about decluttering and cleaning up their spaces. In line with this practice, inhabitat.com held its second annual Spring Greening DIY Design Competition to give a new meaning to spring cleaning. The competition aimed to showcase designs that find creative use for items that are considered trash.

Here are four designs that made it to the final list:

Loto Chandelier made from plastic bottles by Eugenio Menjivar (above).

Pop pendant lamp made from soda tabs by Mauricio Affonso (below).

Potus pot made from recycled incandescent bulb by Natalia Hojman and Angeles Estrada Vigil.

And a shelf made from compressed National Geographic Magazines by Sean Miller

These innovative designs inspire us to look at trash in a whole new way. See the rest of Spring Greening’s final entries HERE.

diy crafts: flower power

Every May, Filipinos hold a Catholic tradition called Flores de Mayo (“Flowers of May”) in honor of the Virgin Mary. During the month-long celebration, young girls would offer flowers in their respective parishes.

So before we end this month of summer blooms, here’s a parade of flower crafts and projects which you might find interesting:

Flower wreaths (top and above) made of assorted paper by Dana Barbieri.

Hand carved woodland block print set and amapola print via Geninne’s Etsy Shop here and here. (Maybe I’ll ask my dad to teach me how to make the block prints. He’s a better sculptor than me! I just hope his carving tools are still in good condition. Haven’t seen them since elementary.)

Simple flower arrangements using empty glass jars and bottles via penwren.

Have a blooming weekend!

spacelift: searca residence, los banos

Who says that renovations need to be costly and complicated?

In this case, a fresh coat of paint (in the right shade), a better spatial layout, an updated set of furniture and lighting fixtures, and some editing made a huge improvement for the spaces of SEARCA Residence Hotel (SRH) in UP Los Banos, Laguna.

SRH primarily serves as the dormitory housing for SEARCA’s scholars. However, to provide the institution with financial support, SRH also offers hotel accommodations through their 16 executive rooms and 8 economy rooms that were also renovated. Browse through the gallery below to see all the before-and-after photos of the hotel rooms.

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design speak: campaign furniture + prizmic & brill

I’ve never heard of the term campaign furniture until last year when I came to know about the brand Prizmic & Brill. I don’t think we’ve covered that furniture style in any of our history classes (unless I wasn’t paying attention in class and missed the discussion altogether, tsk tsk).

If you’re familiar with the movie Out of Africa (below), starring Meryl Streep and Robert Redford, the film features typical campaign furniture since the story depicted the African Colonial life during the British Empire.

Campaign furniture refers to those knock-down (whose parts could be disassembled for packing) and foldable furniture pieces designed for travel, especially during the eigteenth and early nineteenth centuries. The term “campaign” refers to military campaigns, even those as early as the time of Julius Caesar, whose traveling armies required furnishings that can be easily folded or dismantled, packed, and carried off on the march.

However, it was only during the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries of the Georgian and Victorian periods that campaign furniture became popular and stylish. These periods saw the rise and expansion of the British Empire especially in Africa and India. As high-ranking British officers were sent off to military campaigns, they demanded to have the comfortable lifestyle that they have been accustomed to at home even if they were living “under the canvas” (in a camp). This demand encouraged British furniture makers to produce a kind of furniture fit for this new class of traveler. (info based on Wikipedia)

Campaign furnishings are still being manufactured today as a type of period style furniture. I know that Prizmic & Brill is a brand that specializes in such pieces. But it was only last month, during MyHome’s photo shoot in their store in Greenbelt, when I learned that Prizmic & Brill is a local brand after all. This Pampanga-based furniture manufacturer has been around since 1986. Initially, they were just producing campaign style trunks and accessories. Later on, the brand eventually ventured in the production furniture pieces and interior accessories.

Prizmic & Brill is located at the 3/F of Greenbelt 5 in Makati. Visit their site HERE for more details.

Watch out for MyHome’s July 2010 issue where I’ll be featuring Prizmic & Brill’s pieces for a home-office-under-the-stairs in the Space Starter’s section.

in good taste: recipes

The familiar white and concrete interior of Recipes restaurant is now in SM The Block!

The minimalist design has been their signature look even with their first restaurant in SM Megamall (then known as Cafe Metro) which was done in wood and polished concrete. The stark simplicity of their interior creates a sharp contrast against the rich color of their modern Filipino dishes. 

For their other locations, visit their facebook fan page HERE.

diy tips: decorating your walls

A df reader emailed us a question last week asking for tips on how to deal with her bare walls:

I am looking for inspiration on how to adorn our bare walls. Do I leave it as is or go ahead with putting up some photos?  I’m afraid it would look like your run of the mill photo showcase. We’re still recovering from the expenses of the construction and I’m hoping to work within a reasonable budget but attain a tasteful look.

A little help please…

As I mentioned in my reply, it’s ok to have some form of wall treatment on one or two surfaces. The trick is to balance your wall decor with the dimensions of the wall, the size of the room as well as the amount of furnishings and accessories in the space.

Here are five basic tips on how to decorate your walls:

1) IDENTIFY YOUR FOCAL POINT

You don’t need to treat every single wall. In a room with four or more wall, identifying your focal point helps you pinpoint the wall that has to be treated or decorated. The focal point is like your showcase corner or the best spot in the room. The idea is to draw the eye towards that corner upon entering the space and treating the wall of that area helps.

2) THINK BIG

The simplest way to decorate a wall is to fill the space with one large piece: a bold accent color, a different wall material or finish, a large framed mirror, a large wall clock, or a large painting.

3) CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN

Ok, a large painting or mirror is quite costly. For a budget friendly, fuss-free wall treatment, hang a set of framed photos, prints, swatches of vintage wallpaper and even fabric showing off a similar theme or color scheme. If you want a bold statement, hang two, three, or four large frames, depending on the size of the wall. If you want to introduce pattern and interest to your space, put up a set of six or nine smaller frames.

4) ADD A PERSONAL TOUCH

Instead of putting up paintings and framed prints, why not display your own photos? Look through your picture files for interesting or sentimental photos. You can also set a time with your family for a diy photo shoot. To make the pictures appear more dramatic and artsy, have them in black & white or sepia. Another inexpensive trick is to print them in a 5 x 7 size and mount them in large frames with matte board (available in all your leading department stores like SM Homeworld, Market! Market!, and Landmark). (Photo above via Baker)

5) THINK OUT OF THE BOX

Do not limit yourself to paintings, wall frames, and mirrors. You can also use unconventional items to decorate your walls such as carved antique wood panels, tapestry, decorative plates, stretched fabric (see Practical Princess’s tutorial HERE), and wall-mounted flower vases. (Photo above by William Ong via MyHome 2007  issue)

I hope these are helpful.

space matters: mid-century chic

For some people, it is already a challenge to juggle their work and their family life. What more if your professional life is a network of different roles and activities? This is true for Dr. Gerard Lico who is an architect and art historian.

Gerard teaches at the College of Architecture in the University of the Philippines (UP) at Diliman and practices architecture as the Campus Architect of the same institution. He is the author of Edifice Complex: Power, Myth, and Marcos State Architecture (2003), the video series Audio-Visual Textbook of Philippine Architecture (2007), Arkitekturang Filipino: A History of Architecture and Urbanism in the Philippines (2008) and a series of interactive cd-roms such as  “Arkitekturang Filipino: Spaces and Places in History” (2003), “Through the Lens of an American Soldier” (2004), and “Building Modernity: A Century of Philippine Architecture and Allied Arts” (2008).

For his research work in architectural history and cultural studies, he was conferred the UP Gawad Chanselor Para sa Pinakamahusay na Mananaliksik (Arts and Humanities) in the years 2002, 2004 and 2005, installing him to its Hall of Fame. He was one of the recipients of the Ten Outstanding Young Men (TOYM) in 2004. In 2010, was awarded the title University Artist by the University of the Philippines and Gawad Chanselor’s Natatanging Guro, attesting to his excellence as an artist-academic.  Apart from his academic and professional practice, he currently holds office as the Vice Head of the National Committee on Architecture and Allied of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), the Research Program Director of UP College of Architecture, the Curator of the Museum of Filipino Architecture in UP, and the Executive Director of the Professional Development Commission of the UAP. Simply put it, Gerard is a rare kind of contemporary Renaissance man.

How does a person like him keep his sanity? Apart from his natural talent for multi-tasking and pursuing several endeavors, I think having a relaxed environment in his home helps him take a break from his packed professional life and enjoy some quality time with his wife and two kids. Today, Gerard gives us a sneak peek of his 1950s-inspired home inside the UP campus. {Thank you very much Sir Lico!}

[The house was built in the 1950s as housing for the faculty of the University. Prior to my occupancy, the house was due for the wrecking ball given its dilapidated state. It was also a health hazard because of its asbestos roofing and tiles.]

[The house went through an overhaul to make it habitable. I retained the 1950s bungalow exterior but changed the internal configuration of the rooms to fit my 21st century lifestyle. As much as possible, the external skin is made of the original wooden material and stone works to stay true to the house’s architecture.

The idea was to recapture the mid-century nostalgia of the 1950s bungalow, somehow, staying true to the house’s history. For the interiors, our furnishings include reproductions of some of the period's popular upholstered chairs, such as Le Corbusier’s LC2 chairs and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe’s Barcelona Chair, together with a collections of no-nonsense ornamentation.]

[These are supplemented by framed archival clippings and photographs from the 1950s to reiterate a sense of longing for this glorious period which I became fascinated when I was child through my daily exposure to afternoon screenings of vintage Filipino movies on TV in the late 1970s. These photos and clippings are part of my personal collection which I accumulated since I was in grade school.]

Above & below: Gerard’s cozy entertainment room featuring his wide collection of CDs and DVDs.

[I have a personal affinity to the 1950s Filipino-Retro. Psychologically, Filipinos are uncomfortable to live in a modern minimalist environment that’s void of any form of history. This is because Filipinos are naturally sentimental who love to celebrate abundance. We collect objects and artifacts that attest watershed events in our lives and display these in our homes. That is why minimalism will not work with the Filipino because of the horror vacui, or the fear of empty spaces, embedded in our culture. I know this for a fact because my first house was a sterile minimalist which eventually became filled with objects I collected.]

design speak: coraline’s queen anne style

Coraline is a fantasy/horror novel by Green Guide’s favorite author, Neil Gaiman. Last year, it was adapted into a stop-motion film directed by Henry Selick.

I got to watch the movie, but the weird plot, which somehow reminded me of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, left me a bit confused. What I particularly enjoyed, however, was the quirky, sketchy style of the animation. This is courtesy of Jon Klassen, who did the design and illustrations for the sets and the props.

One of the settings is an old Queen Anne style (English Baroque) house, where Coraline and her parents moved into at the beginning of the story. I love how Jon Klassen made the perspectives of the interiors of the house. They were very detailed with characteristic features of the Queen Anne style—dormer and bay windows, decorative casings/mouldings for the walls and ceilings, use of patterned wallpaper, and furniture pieces with cabriole legs and vase splat back for the Queen Anne chair (chair of bottom image below).

 He even had illustrations for the furnishings and accessories of the home:

The colors used are also consistent with the period style: sienna red, hunter green, burnt yellow, and muddy brown.

Jon Klassen has several other fascinating works including this year’s animated winter olymipcs commercial. CLICK HERE to view the rest of his illustrations.

*images via Jon Klassen’s website

diy crafts: clay idol

Yesterday I posted an invite on a Clayfest happening this weekend. But, honestly, i don’t know anything about polymer clay (a sculptable material based on the polymer polyvinyl chloride). What got me really interested are the works of Arzu Musa, a polymer clay artists from Turkey. Her designs feature interesting patterns and yummy colors.

I would love to learn how to make these

and turn them into these

I would also like to make large custom buttons like these

and beautiful candle votives like these

Ok, one step at a time, haha! I wonder if i can self-study this craft… Will share a basic tutorial once i learn how this thing works.

To see more of Arzu Musa’s beautiful creations, CLICK HERE.

*all photos via Arzu Musa’s Flickr photostream

diy crafts: clayfest 2010

For all crafting dudes and dudettes, you might want to visit the Clayfest 2010 happening this weekend, May 15-16, at the Cubao X, Quezon City. This is primarily organized by Angeli Sobrepena of The Beadlady Craft Cafe, her craft store at Cubao X which we have featured here last year. Here’s the schedule of the event:

Day 1 – May 15 (Saturday)

• 10am – 12nn  Workshop 1 (Venue: The Beadlady Craft Studio, 2F Shop 54)
• 1pm – 3pm     Workshop 2 (Venue: The Beadlady Craft Studio, 2F Shop 54)
• 4pm – 6pm     Sculpting Competition Level 1 (Venue: The Beadlady Craft Studio)

Day 2 – May 16 (Sunday)

• 10am onwards   Handmade Exhibit (Venue: The tents, Cubao Expo)
• 10am – 12nn      Workshop 3 (Venue: The Beadlady Craft Studio)
• 1pm – 3pm         Sculpting Competition Level 2 (Venue: The Beadlady Craft Studio)
• 4pm – 6pm         Craft Along (Venue: The Beadlady Craft Studio, 2F Shop 54)
• 7pm onwards     Fellowship night  (Venue: The tents, Cubao Expo)

Too bad, I just stumbled upon this today when all the workshops are already fully booked! Oh well, maybe i’ll just “window shop” for ideas and get myself a couple of clay bars.