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i saw design: mid-century wallpapers

I wanted to update my laptop with a new wallpaper. I used to have an illustration of a shoe with argyle socks from Fossil graphic artist Brent Couchman. But because I recently started using my laptop for presentations in serious board meetings, I thought I needed a more professional, serious-looking but very designer-ly wallpaper (yeah, my concerns in life, haha!). The Chucks with argyle socks wallpaper got compliments from the designers. I’m not sure though if the older clients/bosses find it “appropriate”.

Thankfully, I stumbled upon these free desktop wallpapers of mid-century chairs from French digital artist and designer David Vineis! I was choosing between the Panton Chair, the Ball Chair, and the Ghost Chair. To be consistent with the company’s colors, I went with the Ball Chair.

Hope you’ll find something that you like!

work, work, work and a tiny bit of leisure

I like travelling in general. But after two weeks of marathon business trips to Vietnam and China for a company that I’ve recently joined, I realized that it will take some time for me to learn how to like this kind of travelling. To be honest, I don’t like plane rides and long hours waiting in the airport. The two trips felt like extra long commutes going to a meeting, spending most of my time inside the airport and on the road.

On the bright side, the hotels where we stayed (Silkpath Hotel in Hanoi and Crowne Plaza Hotel in Shenzhen) were really nice! It’s also a bonus to be travelling with a “demanding” boss because he managed to get our rooms upgraded!

So there, that’s my excuse for the silence here in df. I’m still in the process of finding an efficient way to juggle my freelance practice, writing, and being a director in a retail design firm. If I decide to continue with this new career venture, I’ll be doing more of these marathon trips. I’ll take them as  opportunities to share with you the places I visit, even if it’s just a construction site in Vietnam, haha!

21st century musicians x mid-century artists

cool!
via Pacific Standard Time

sneak peek: the mind museum

In 2009, Lilli shared with us the launch of The Mind Museum, a project initiated by the  Bonifacio Art Foundation Inc. (BAFI). The objective was to put up the country’s first world-class science museum. Our very own Lilli, who was then a student in UP College of Fine Arts (for her second degree), was chosen as one of the designers for the exhibit displays under the Earth Gallery.

Last week, our friend Arch. Lesley Espiritu, project manager of Datem Inc., invited us for a preview of The Mind Museum before it formally opens its doors to the public this Friday, March 16, 2012. We came as one of the guests of Datem, which, aside from being the project’s general contractor, is also one of the major donors of the museum.

Designed by Arch. Ed Calma, the aluminum-clad architecture of The Mind Museum reflects his signature minimalist style. The gray color scheme of the exterior continues to the interiors of the museum and is combined with contrasting white walls and built-in interior features, providing a modern and sophisticated platform to display the exhibit galleries.

Aside from the five featured exhibit galleries, The Mind Museum also has a laboratory, lecture rooms, and an auditorium to accommodate other related group activities.

We love the futuristic design of the laboratory and lecture rooms with their slanted walls and windows, diagonal fixtures, and vibrant splashes of yellow and orange against the gray and white interiors. The same approach was also used for the design of the comfort rooms that have split-level counters, with the lower part for the kids and the higher one for the adults.

While we love the achromatic palette and the clean organic lines of the interiors, we thought that it might look a bit too serious for the kids who, by nature, respond better to bright colors. I also wish that, later on, the museum could add more play-/activity-based exhibits. Although the displays were visually appealing, many of them are still text-heavy that requires a lot of reading. Lilli and I had so much fun in Singapore’s Science Center three years ago that I expected The Mind Museum to have that same playful approach to learning science.

Overall, The Mind Museum is a must-see for everyone. It is the first in the Philippines that brings together science, art and design in one venue. The Mind Museum is located at J.Y. Campos Park, 3rd Ave., Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. You can buy your tickets online here.

tailored & chic: camerich furniture

While interior design has been flooded by all things ornate, kitschy, detailed and patterned in the past couple of years, it seems that I always fall for the simple, no-nonsense designs. In almost everything—from fashion, jewelry, and graphics, to art, architecture, and interior design—I naturally gravitate towards clean lines, tailored silhouettes, and well-made products that do not need to scream for attention. I know I can live with them for a long time without eventually becoming dated.

These are the kind of designs that I personally recommend to my clients when buying the main furnishings for the house. Think Tim Gunn’s 10 Essential Pieces, home edition. A streamlined, well-made sofa, bed frame or armchair can go well with almost any style and any accessory, just like your basic black dress, classic white shirt, and well-fitted jeans. They are like your investment pieces.

However, like your basic black dress, classic white shirt, and well-fitted pair of jeans, furniture pieces in perfect “basic” designs are quite difficult to find (unless you have enough budget to buy from those European furniture stores). Camerich, a high-end Asian furniture brand took advantage of this demand and created a line of quality contemporary furnishings that are more affordable than its European counterparts. Combining sleek, well-proportioned form with comfort and design flexibility, Camerich is increasingly becoming a designer’s go-to brand and a homeowner’s must-have furniture piece in over 40 countries worldwide including Australia, France, Spain, Japan, the UK, the US, and the Philippines.

While Camerich’s pieces seem very simple at first glance, the details of the furniture reveal a well-thought design. I love how each furniture show some form of contrast that makes it interesting, like pairing the massive yet plush body of a sofa with slim legs, and combining the traditional elegance of marble with the more modern industrial appeal of blackened steel frame.

Their sofa’s are also designed with removable fitted covers. Apart from making care and maintenance easier, this feature allows you to change the look of your sofa by opting to have additional sets of covers in another color or fabric. Camerich has a wide variety of fabric and leather options so you can choose a color, pattern, texture, or material that will suit your personality or your space’s changing style.

Here in the Philippines, Camerich is carried by PLC107 in Makati. To provide designers and homeowners with more display pieces and design settings, PLC107 recently moved to a new and bigger showroom. Visit them at Warehouse 1C (Gate 2), La Fuerza Compound, 2241 Chino Roces Ave., Makati City to view Camerich’s latest 2012 collection. You can also view their website www.plc107.com or call them at 840-2678.

andy & nina’s tagaytay wedding

Sharing with you our friends’ lovely Tagaytay wedding last weekend.

The whole ‘Geng’ including the four of us helped wedding planner par excellence Apple Consunji coordinate the whole event.  We met with the bride at Sonya’s Garden, proceeded to  Caleruega for the ceremony, and had a delicious feast at Antonio’s. Thanks to our group’s official photographer, Ian Santos, for the beautiful pictures!

One down, two more weddings to go. Hello December!

dutch design week 2011: reimagination

Two days after our Manila Fame 2011 show, the designers from the Netherlands celebrated creativity with their annual Dutch Design Week. Amsterdam-based writer Deepa Paul-Plato, Ana’s batchmate from college, is kind enough to share with us the highlights of one of the most awaited design exhibitions in Europe. {Thank you so much Deepa! )

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In the last week of October, all things Dutch and design converge in the town of Eindhoven for Dutch Design Week (DDW). With over 1,500 designers (from household names to individual shops to fresh graduates) exhibiting their work at more than 300 events spread out over 65 locations, DDW is a massive showcase of the simplicity, originality and quirk that Dutch design is renowned for.

A sense of playfulness and curiosity transforms the ordinary—the ephemera of our everyday lives, such as home furnishings and lighting—into the extraordinary. Dutch designers have a knack for questioning the usual to produce something unusual, and infusing whimsy while retaining function. Examples of this mindset abound at DDW.

While designs for the home are generally reserved in color and pattern, they are bold with shapes and materials. It’s all about asking questions. Does this always have to be a certain way? Can a spade also be a chair? Why shouldn’t a vase live and grow along with the flowers in it?

(Top photo) Organically shaped bookcase, Smool design by Robert Bronwasser, (above) Spade Seat by Nic Roex,  (below) Birchwood chest of drawers by Werner Neumann and Fungus vase.

Curiosity begins early. Graduate projects by students of the Design Academy Eindhoven already show the same sense of playfulness and curiosity. Can food be a work of art, or playtime an opportunity for learning?

Refrigerator 2.0, a small transparent refrigerator for individual pieces of food, by Eva Smeltekop

Material Teddy, a toy combining the different smells and textures of natural materials to trigger cognitive development, by Makiko Shinoda (www.makikoshinoda.com)

House Wine, a winemaking system for the home by Sabine Marcelis

Tap Water Carafe, design that points to the origins of drinking water, by Lotte de Raadt

Oturakast, shelving that can be taken apart into individual units (for storage or seating) by Rianne Koens

Reverie, a table that revives embroidery in a modern and stylish way, by Anne Vader

For lighting, the sense of playfulness takes on the harder edge (and visual impact) of the industrial.

“Magnetic” describes the Nail Cloud (below) by Ilian Ernst, in more ways than one. This visually arresting lamp uses a strong magnet to suspend a “cloud” of metal nails around a central bulb. You can add more nails and change the shape of your lamp simply by holding each nail to the central cloud for a few seconds. Don’t worry, it’s not strong enough to pick up metal cutlery on the dining table.

The Refinery lamp, also by Ilian Ernst, is inspired by the gas pipes of a refinery.

What is color?” is the question that student Dennis Parren of the Design Academy Eindhoven seems to be asking with his graduation project. The CMYK Lamp (below) plays with the relationship of color and light. Casting cyan, magenta, yellow shadows, the lamp enlarges and recreates its own lines, drawing one into a network of color.

When we look at everyday objects, do we still ask questions or take things at face value? What kinds of questions are we asking? Ask, and ye shall transform. Seek, and ye shall design. -Deepa

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manila fame 2011: handmade with love

Probably one of the highlights of the recent Manila Fame show is the addition of live vignettes featuring craftsmen (and women) in action—weaving fabrics, carving wood products, and weaving rattan and buri furnishings. Whoever thought of this is a genius! It gives a human face to the featured products. At the same time, seeing how the furnishings and decors are tediously made somehow adds to their value.

On top of the usual furniture and decors, there was also a section for Philippine textiles. Twinkle Ferraren’s collection made from paper fabric (fabric made from plant fiber pulp) caught our attention. They look very similar to linen but they are actually made from pineapple fiber pulp. Twinkle is a young fashion designer who designs paper-art clothing since 2005. See her collection here.

Another interesting collection is the recycled crafts from Bayan ni Juan. I think most of them are made from shredded magazine pages, rolled, and made into small beads and cones.

This just proves how much talent we have in this country. I’m not just talking about the designers behind the furnishings, but also the men and women who make it possible for the drawings to become actual objects. We’re definitely a handmade nation!

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manila fame 2011: stripped, bleached, natural

I was in Shangri-la Mall yesterday and saw for the first time the newly renovated 2^nd and 3^rd levels of Rustan’s Department Store. The clean and sophisticated design of the store made everything look even more expensive! It was a huge transformation from the store’s very dated appearance (circa 1991). I especially love the look of the home furnishings department—floor in bleached wood vinyl planks with accents of woven abaca matting, white walls with shiny stainless steel trims, and streams of bright light from metal halide directional lamps.

The design, especially the color palette and textures used, actually reminds me of the predominant look of the furnishings and accessories featured in last month’s Manila Fame 2011 exhibit. Many of the products look raw, bleached, lime-washed or unstained. Does this mean we’ll be saying goodbye to wengue, and hello to white and “bleached” finishes? Here are some of the pieces that we saw:

1) Coast Pacific (above & below):

2) Detalia Aurora & Accessoria:

3) Las Palmas:

4) Masaeco:

5) Tadeco:

6) Mood Indigo:

7) Naturalist Pavillion:

manila fame 2011: the chairs on parade

Before we take a break for another long weekend (yay!), we’ll leave you with a preview of the recent Manila FAME 2011 show last October 16-19. The show featured a lot of designerly goodness, from furniture and decor to new applications of natural materials and finishes.

Let’s start with the chairs.

Aside from the variety of shapes, sizes and textures, many of the chairs were noticeably inspired by something “borrowed” and something “old”–period style silhouettes, indigenous materials, and traditional weaving techniques. It’s a classic case of the-past-meets-the-present.

Watch out for more pictures from the show next week. Happy weekend!