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space matters: mau’s eco-elegant design

“Design to inspire” is the prevailing theme of Maureen Grace De Jesus’s winning entry for MADE 2010, Interior Design category. Entitled “Eco-elegant Sustainable Future”, Mau tapped on the recent Ondoy catastrophe to create an interior space that could motivate people to rethink their lifestyle towards becoming more environment-friendly.

One thing noticeable is the recurring use of trees as the inspiration for her design elements. “One reason why we suffer from the adverse effects of global warming is the continuous depletion of our rainforests. My design intends to inspire people to take action against global warming by protecting our trees and our forests,” Mau explains.

The caption “Only God can make a tree” from a poem by Joyce Kilmer and the painted silhouette of a tree by the living area are two strong images that one would see upon entering the space. Apart from tree-related symbols, Mau also integrated the use of recycled wood in her design as a greener alternative. The wall behind the statement is clad in old wood that were salvaged from a junk shop. The tracery panels partially covering the lighting fixtures at the ceiling are discarded old callado panels from Mau’s home. To decorate the interiors, Mau made paintings that feature trees as the subject. Bringing everything together is the use of the color green for the walls to further emphasize the idea.

Apart from taking home the grand prize, Mau says that she also learned more about environmental design through her participation in the contest. “MADE gave me an opportunity to reflect on the issue and translate it into an elegant and comfortable interior space,” Mau shares. This resulting space is her expression of how it is to design and live with nature. {Thanks Mau!}

*photos courtesy of Federal Land

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space matters: heidrun MADE it

As I’ve mentioned yesterday, another good friend made it as a winner of this year’s Metrobank Art and Design Excellence (MADE). Heidrun Milan, our classmate during our review classes for the board exam, got the Special Prize for MADE’s Interior Design category.

Heidrun’s “Ecolectic Reflections” focused on three things: 1) natural ventilation and lighting, 2) use of handmade and indigenous materials and 3) creative use of scrap and recycled materials to minimize waste.

Because the windows are set on one side of the space, he made an effort to create cross ventilation through the door. A narrow louvered panel was hinged on the side of the opening which can hold the door partially open while maintaining the privacy inside. To maximize the natural light coming in, Heidrun painted most of the walls and the ceiling in white. The white surfaces also assisted in maximizing artificial lighting at night.

Apart from using indigenous and handmade materials like bamboo mosaic tiles on the living room wall, jusi fabric (made from abaca or banana fibers) for the curtains, hand-woven tinalak fabric at the bedroom wall, stacked terracotta pots by the kitchen, and recycled metal furnishings and décor, Heidrun also considered using fabric scraps for his soft furnishings. Black and white scrap fabrics were put together in a patchwork style to re-upholster a damaged sofa. Scrap fabrics were also put together through ruching to make the pillowcases.

Because the design was supposed to be for a young, well-traveled couple, Heidrun opted for a warm, bright palette. While giving the interiors a youthful vibe, the orange, red, and blue colors paired well with Heidrun’s choices of indigenous materials. Altogether, the design elements created a composition that’s high in culture and style but low in embodied energy. (see the rest of the images in the gallery below) {Thanks again Heidrun!}

*images courtesy of Federal Land and Heidrun Milan

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conscious living: this month’s produce

Last April, I made a post on the benefits of edible gardening in relation to our household’s summer produce (indian mangoes and cashew). And as I’ve mentioned in that post,  our avocados are supposed to be ready for harvesting this month. Above is a photo of the first batch!

Too bad, because of the recent el nino, only one of the two trees had fruits. But it’s ok. I guess these are enough for the “fans” to get a taste of them. -ardel

conscious living: the power of the hand

Making things by hand is probably one of the greenest yet most under-estimated efforts that we can do to help our environment. One, we save on energy. Two, we get a sense of fulfillment and self-worth after completing a project. Three, because handmade stuff are invested with a kind of sentimental value, we are encouraged to use them over and over again (unlike those disposable, mass-produced items that add to the growing amount of solid waste).

Start relearning those home economics skills in sewing, paper crafts, and carpentry one project at a time. Check our diy category for possible projects and ideas. For the guys, you can also browse through Dude Craft for some “manly” projects. For the girls, Martha Stewart and Design Sponge are two other great sources for tutorials on handmade gifts and home essentials.

*paul overton posters via design bees

space matters: bamboo goes modern

Bamboo (the unprocessed poles) for me was traditional, low-cost structures usually found in rural areas. It is anything but modern and sophisticated. That’s how I perceived the humble indigenous material until I saw this design in one of Green Guide’s  architectural magazines four years ago.

This is the Great ‘Bamboo’ Wall, designed by Japanese architect, Kengo Kuma, as one of the 11 private houses in an ecologically aware complex near The Great Wall of China.

Originally, Kuma’s idea of a house is “a sheet of floor floating in nature”, his philosophical reaction against the 20^th century architecture that is dominated by a strong sense of enclosure defined by steel and concrete (Architectural Design 2003). However, his perspective shifted from the horizontal to a vertical emphasis when he designed this modern bamboo house.

Inspired by the Great Wall of China, Kuma highlighted the presence of the walls while staying true to his “anti-enclosure” philosophy. He did this by making the walls permeable and transparent, much like a skin, using bamboo poles as the main material.

Apart from the design’s profound concept, I especially appreciate the “revamped image” given to bamboo by featuring it as a part of a modern architectural composition. Consequently, the organic appeal of bamboo gave this modern, minimalist structure a softer, more natural face. -ardel

*photos via Kengo Kuma‘s site and Architectural Design (September/October 2003)

conscious living: how big is your ecological footprint?

I just completed an Ecological Footprint Quiz which is part of an assignment for my Designing with Nature class. I faired pretty well in the categories of food, housing, and goods and services with a lower than average Filipino footprint. Unfortunately, my carbon footprint (home energy & transport) was way higher than normal because I usually drive alone. Good thing I drive a small car, and have limited trips, averaging at 750 km/month only, mainly because I work from home.

Go take the quiz here. Don’t forget to click on and read the additional tips within the quiz on how you can reduce your ecological footprint. -ardel

conscious living: [fire] trees aplenty

Have you seen UP Diliman lately?

I was there yesterday to enroll for my penalty course (booo!) and I saw how a few days of rain transformed the school grounds from being dry and brown (because of El Nino) to becoming fresh and green once again. Plus, thanks to the many fire trees in the campus, this is also the time of the year when UP is colored in a vibrant shade of orange! I remember reading a blog which likened the orange fire trees of UP to the pink cherry blossoms of Japan. Interesting comparison… I don’t mean to exaggerate, but driving and walking around the school yesterday was such a joy.

If there’s anything I love the most about my school, it would b the abundance of trees–the canopy of acacia trees around the academic oval, the narra trees and their fragrant flowers during summer, and the bright and colorful fire trees.

Apart from making a place fresh, cool and pretty, trees, especially in the urban setting, provide more important benefits. Studies show that the presence of green spaces provide restorative experiences, stress reduction, better worker attitude and well-being, reduced domestic conflict, less school aggression and conflict, and better learning abilities. These are the reasons why parks, gardens and other green spaces should be included in any community. Click HERE to read more on the benefits of urban nature.

diy project: recycle those bottle caps

One way of  reducing our trash is to turn them into useful items. Our post on inhabitat’s Spring Greening yesterday featured sophisticated design projects that made use of common household trash like plastic bottles and soda tabs.

If that post inspired you to dig into your trash bin for possible craft materials, you can start with something small like bottle caps. Graphic designer Jessica Jones turned these humble caps into stylish mid-century clock magnets using the downloadable clock graphics she made. Click HERE for the full tutorial.

You can use these as party giveaways or loot bag fillers!

For the moms out there, another great idea is to make a ref magnet for each member in your household to hold their respective reminders and to-do lists. Instead of using Jessica’s clock graphics, you can print individual face photos of your family and stick them onto the painted caps. This way, nobody will miss any reminder!

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. 

conscious living: this month’s produce

We all appreciate gardening in the light of beautifying our “domestic landscape”, purifying our air, and cooling our surroundings (through trees). How about gardening for food?

In the concept of sustainable living, we are encouraged to provide ourselves with some of the basic necessities: water through rainwater collection, electricity through solar power, and food through edible gardening.

My parents are both probinsyanos (from the province). In the province, most households do not just plant for aesthetic reasons. They also plant for food. Think of it as having a multi-functional garden. That’s why here at home, we have some trees that are fruit-bearing—avocado, langka (jackfruit), mango, and cashew. All of them were grown by my parents from seed! We had to wait for around five years before the trees started bearing fruits.

For the past two months, our family (plus neighbors and friends) are enjoying this season’s Indian mangoes (top photo) and cashew (photo above). A lot of people don’t know (including me) that apart from the nuts, the cashew fruit can also be eaten. It has a sweet taste that is partially mapakla (acrid), so not everyone would appreciate it.

By June/July, we’re expecting to harvest everyone’s all time favorite—avocados! Guacamole, anyone?