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think happy thoughts

it’s not so bad here…

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art swap

The past couple of months have been very busy that I almost forgot about the art swap!

Initially, I was planning to send two “interior designer” items: a watercolor drawing and a handmade coffee-stained pillowcase. The bad news is that the pillowcase is still sitting on my desk, waiting for the remaining 30% of the needlework to be finished. Because I don’t want my dear Ning to wait any longer, I’m just sending two watercolor renderings instead, which can readily fit in an 8″ x 10″ frame.

Long before I learned Sketchup and became accustomed to making photo montage perspectives in Photoshop, I made my illustrations manually using pen&ink for the line drawings, watercolor for rendering, and colored pencils for highlighting/shading. I learned this multimedia trick from my all-time mentor Lilli (yihee!) way back in college.

Above is a drawing of the Philippine Bahay na Bato for a class in Architecture when I was in 2nd year college, while the one below is an interior rendering for my third Space Starters article back in 2005.

Right now, my package is on its way to Ning who’s in Indonesia. I hope it will reach her very soon.

Lilli, Ana, hope you can mail your art swap packages too! -ardel

design trail: traveling without moving

I just took the Lakbayan quiz and I got a C-! I guess I haven’t really gotten to explore much of the Philippines yet. For those of us who lack the time and resources to travel the country, plus63.com (or +63 which is the area code of the Philippines) is a great alternative to see the sights. Plus63 Visuals + Vibes is a “site for Philippine Music and Travel discovery”.  You even get to hear original Filipino music while looking at the amazing photos (some of which I’ve posted here).

You can also share your photos from your travels to different parts of the country. Visit plus63.com for more info. - lilli

{photos courtesy of plus63.com; photos from the top: airplane by melody sy, shoegazing by charles buenconsejo, capiz by berns de leon, miniature vigan, sunset by small onglatco}

visuals with vision contest

Reposting via Ideals blog. (see also our feature on their happy, creative office HERE)

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YoCard’s Visuals with Vision. In Partnership with Oneline.

This project is an effort to create awareness on the concept of Social Design. Draw. Shoot. Illustrate. Advocate. V2. Amateur art and design enthusiasts / students are welcome to join. You can submit as many entries per category. Only one winner per advocacy will win PhP 20,000 worth of gifts and prizes and will be printed on the next advocacy campaign. 

1.  Sign up at http://oneline.ph/signup?form=creative
2.  Click on the Visuals with Vision badge
3.  Upload your entries @ 300 dpi and 6×4.25 at http://oneline.ph/organizations/139
4.  Describe your work and fill us in about your personal details 

Deadline of submission is July 31, 2010

style shopping: heima’s second home

As promised, here’s a sneak peek at Heima’s new home in LRI, Makati before they formally open their doors tomorrow!

Heima, which is at home in Icelandic, is a design and lifestyle store by young interior designer Rossy Yabut and her partner Bong Rojales. Just like their first store in Cubao X, their second home in LRI will also carry the same fun, youthful vibe through their signature colorful pieces, quirky art pieces, and dainty accents.

True to the meaning of Heima, the store is laid out and designed to simulate the areas within the home, where you have a foyer, a living area, a dining area, a kitchen (the store’s counter space), and a home office or study. Apart from the store, the space is also home to Rossy’s design office, Heim Interior Design Inc.

Apart from their 2010 collection, we are also excited about Heima’s collaborative pieces with Inksurge, Everywhere We Shoot, Team Manila and Folk Superlative, which will be showcased during tomorrow’s launch.

CLICK HERE for more details on “There’s No Place Like Heima” launch party. See the rest of our photos in the picture gallery below. {Thanks Rossy and Dy! }

[View with PicLens]

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cool sightings

Everyday feels like it’s the hottest day of the year in Manila.  Maybe some mental conditioning would help???

These refreshing photos of Tenryū-ji bamboo forest in Kyoto, Japan were taken by X.u.k.i.. These might help you, or at least your eyes, cool down over the weekend.

Which reminds me, I have to schedule our shoot on one of Arch. Ning Tan’s (my idol…) bamboo houses. We featured the house in MyHome magazine a few years ago and I was impressed with the design—a more contemporary approach in using the humble bamboo as a building material.

For now, have a fun (and, hopefully, cooler) weekend!

conscious living: louver windows

Photo by Anson Smart via Quantas

When it comes to design, I think I have a new advocacy–to promote louver windows as the best window type for our hot and humid tropical climate.

Like casements, louver glass windows allow for 100% airflow/ventilation (unlike sliding windows which offer 50% airflow). But unlike casements, louver types have an added feature of having small panes that allow you to block off rain by simply angling those panes. This means you still have air coming in and out of your space during heavy rainfall.

Most people are convinced about their appropriateness and efficiency. What they don’t like is the image of louver windows being baduy or unstylish. Need proof that it is, in fact, a fashionable window? In Australia, louver windows are widely used and they have managed to make them fit their contemporary designs. A nice example is the restaurant of Berowra Waters Inn in Sydney, Australia.

Photo via Berowra Waters Inn

Photo by Marco del Grande via SMH

Photo by Kate Ayrton via wandermelon

Photo by Kate Ayrton via wandermelon

The small panes of the louver windows make it possible to have the height extend to the floor without sacrificing on safety. The floor-to-ceiling glass louvers passively cool the restaurant and provide a great view of the Hawkesbury River.

I’ll continuously be on the lookout for more stylish interiors that use louver windows to convice more Filipinos to integrate them into their homes for cooler, energy efficient spaces.

we’re back!

 ”bird on the wing”

Happy Easter everyone!

Green Guide and I just got back from Sagada early this morning. It was a physically challenging trip to say the least (especially for someone like me who doesn’t do a lot of physical activity).

Sagada is beautiful! Plus, the Igorot culture is so interesting. I’ll be sharing pictures of the trip later this week. For now, I’d like to have a lingering moment with nature through these pretty photos from english apple‘s “the secret life of plants” set:

“gently enveloped”

“moss eye drops”

“hope”

“lollipops”

Check out the rest of the set here.

Have a happy week!

*All photos via english apple’s Flickr photostream

objects of design: pup’s aarniovation

One of the most influential furniture designers of the 1960s is Finnish interior designer Eero Aarnio. His innovative and playful designs such as the ball chair (top left), bubble chair (top center) and pastil chair (top right) feature simple geometric forms in plastic and fiberglass which becam iconic pieces of the period’s pop culture.

The works of Eero Aarnio were the inspiration of PUP’s furniture exhibit designed by the second year interior design students. Entitled Aarniovation: Filipino Versions of Mind-Bubbling Eggball-ution, their designs were reinterpretation of Aarnio’s popular pieces, giving them a Filipino flavor through material choices and production techniques.

 [Photos above: Trumpuan Chair + Sahanlai Rib Chair]

[Photos above: Maya Bubble chair + Luna chair]

The exhibit is located at the newly opened Interior Center at SM North EDSA. According to their posters, the exhibit is only until today, March 27, bu I was told that it will extend until April 15. Most of the furniture pieces are so for sale. So, if you’re interested, just ask the students for further details. See the rest of the designs in the picture gallery below or in df’s Flickr photostream here. Congratulations guys!

[View with PicLens]

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clean-up break

via rearranged.design’s photostream

My bedroom is in dire need of some serious cleaning. After being so busy for the past three months, my room has been totally neglected. My desk is covered with stacks of magazines and books, envelopes of clients’ files, rolls of bluprints, and paper bags from recent shopping trips. I can’t even see the bottom of my desk anymore!

via almostbunnies’ photostream

So, I’ll be taking a break today and tomorrow from blogging to put some order into my room before I leave for Cebu on Friday morning. I’ll just leave you with these two photos that inspired me to finally take the cleaning matter into my own hands. Good luck to me!