objects of design: cheap & chic lamps
Written by designfolder on July 22, 2010 – 9:42 am -
You would always hear designers say that lighting is everything. And it’s true. Light influences how we perceive a space. In fact, the easiest way to improve a room is to improve the lighting by introducing a mix of lighting fixtures: general, directional, task, and accent lighting.
We have been accustomed to bright, white, overhead (ceiling mounted) general lighting even if it’s sometimes unnecessary. Plus, overhead general lighting is so unflattering to the space and to the people in it by making all the imperfections visible, creating ugly shadows, and highlighting blue undertones (for daylight fluorescent lamps) like blemishes and dirt marks.
To save on electricity and to make your space look and feel better, add a light where it is needed by incorporating table and floor lamps. They are much more efficient for task lighting because the light source is near the work space and would, therefore, require a bulb with a lower wattage (I prefer a 5 to 7-watt warm or cool white cfl). For aesthetic purposes, table and floor lamps are great accent lights that cast light patterns in the room that introduce depth and drama.
For those in a tight budget, here are some contemporary lamps that are super affordable:
1) Aluminum lamp (top photo, foreground), P6,000 from Chan C Bros., SM Megamall
2) Aluminum lamp with rippled shade (top photo, background) P3,000 from Chan C Bros., SM Megamall.
3) Tao Margot table lamp (above), P3,195 from Our Home
4) Tao Polaris table lamp (below) P1,995 from Our Home
Tags: decorating, lamps, lighting, objects of design
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july daily reads
Written by designfolder on July 12, 2010 – 7:24 pm -
Whenever I’m hit by the Procrastinating Bug, I go find something inspiring to bring me back to my working, thinking, designing mode. For this purpose, my flickr contacts have been very helpful.
This July, instead of design blogs, we are featuring six Flickr Photostreams for df’s Daily Reads. These are from my flickr contact list that are packed with photos which will surely encourage you to create, decorate, and make something beautiful for your space.
Here’s a quick preview of our July list:
day in the studio from artpropelled,
tilly & tommy elephants from retro_mama,
one of those moments from penwren,
my helper from fallon akers,
my studio from dottie angel,
and black wall from the happy home
Enjoy! -ardel
*top photo via dottie angel
Tags: crafts, Daily Reads, decorating, flickr, interior design
Posted in idea bible | No Comments »
space matters: black walls
Written by designfolder on July 12, 2010 – 12:06 pm -
I find it funny that most of us are scared of using two particular colors (or technically, non-colors) liberally: white and black. With regards to white, I understand that maintenance issues keep us from using it all the way, with the dust and pollution that may turn our white rooms into gray. Apart from that, there’s the Filipino’s horror vacui, fearing that an all white room may just look too empty, boring and clinical. I guess Ana’s post of on white rooms sort of debunked that claim.
How about black?
In my five years of writing for three of mega’s design/decorating magazines, I have never encountered an interior where black was used generously, especially for the walls. Maybe it’s a cultural thing–that black for us is just too depressing, negative, and even devilish.
I find black to be an interesting color for interior spaces. Like white, it’s versatile. It can be ultra modern, contemporary, and even traditional. Plus, it adds a certain mysterious character to the room.
Just make sure that when you use black for your walls, you use a paint with a satin or eggshell finish. Semi-gloss paint still has some sheen that will make your black wall look dirty instead of the bold, solid appearance that you’re aiming for.
So, how about we give black a chance? -ardel
*images via little.green (top & bottom) and xJavierx
Tags: decorating, home, interior design, space matters. black wall
Posted in space matters | 1 Comment »
spacelift: from stockroom to home office
Written by designfolder on June 8, 2010 – 8:00 am -
I can’t believe that it’s already my 6th year in my graduate course. I breezed through my subjects, finishing all the required units in just three semesters. Why haven’t I graduated??? I haven’t finished my thesis! I already have a topic and have begun doing library work. But all these years, between projects and writing assignments, I didn’t have enough time, energy, and free brain cells to start writing the study.
Now that everything is going very well with my family, I have the option of taking a “partial leave” this semester from design work (of course, I won’t be abandoning existing projects) and limiting writing assignments to maybe two articles per month. This way, I think I can already focus on my research.
To further help me concentrate, I decided to make myself an office/study at the stockroom behind our house. For the longest time, I have been working in the dining area. I have a desk in my bedroom but I feel claustrophobic and sleepy (because of the presence of the bed) working there. Unfortunately, working in the dining area means having to deal with constant distractions and interruptions.
Last Sunday afternoon, I cleaned the stockroom and converted a corner of the room into my office/study. Here’s a list of what I did:
1) ACCENT WALL – I wanted to paint a part of the existing white wall to define my space without using any dividers. Apart from cleaning the room, this was probably the only time-consuming part of the makeover. I initially wanted a bright color like lime green or yellow for the accent wall but decided against it because the color might just cause migraines. Instead, I mixed a dark khaki paint color using white base + burnt umber + black. To make the wall less sleepy, I made a series of slim branches by sticking ½” masking tape before painting the wall.
2) COLOR - After removing the tape, I realized that the white-and-dark khaki combination was too strong for me. To soften the white, I lightly brushed over the patterns with a pale blue-gray paint.
3) OLD FURNITURE + NEW ACCESSORIES – When the paint was completely dry, I positioned my old drafting table, mounted two cork boards on the wall (P88 each from The 88 Store), and brought in the new table lamp which I got for only P795 (from Robinson’s Department Store). I also added a small potted plant where I can stick reminders and to-do lists.
4) CHAIR SLIPCOVER – I didn’t want to spend on a new desk chair. To complete my one-day makeover, I just made a slipcover for an existing monoblock chair using a large scrap fabric.
For this makeover, I only spent around P1,160 for the paint colors (i used my dad’s leftover white latex paint for the base), paint roller, cork boards, and table lamp (the only expensive item).
I already started working in my new workspace yesterday! I just hope that all my efforts will finally lead me to a research proposal by the end of August and to a finished thesis by March. Wish me luck! -ardel
Tags: decorating, home, home office, interior design, makeover, study
Posted in how do i live, spacelift | 10 Comments »
diy tips: decorating your walls
Written by designfolder on May 19, 2010 – 9:57 am -
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. 
Tags: decorating, decoration tips, diy, interior design, wall art
Posted in diy: design-it-yourself | No Comments »
space matters: love at the [white] penthouse
Written by designfolder on February 12, 2010 – 12:39 pm -
Wouldn’t it be nice to be surrounded by love everyday? I think having “love” around you doesn’t just happen. Most of the time, it’s a personal choice—to love, to be loved, and to be constantly inspired.
Love defines Iro-Ivy’s very white abode in Germany. Like Sarah (of abeachcottage), I saw Ivy’s Penthouse through flickr when I was searching for charming Christmas homes last December 2009. By just looking at the photos of her home, one could tell that Ivy has a kind of style that goes beyond creating pretty spaces. A style that seems to radiate warmth and sincerity. She calls it “love”.
Ivy is probably one of the most passionate people I’ve encountered. She finds joy and inspiration in simple things. You can tell by the way she arranges and decorates her space, and by the way she takes pictures of the Penthouse.
Today, as the third and last feature for our “romantic white homes week”, we take a tour of Ivy’s Penthouse as she shares with us her decorating style, her passions, and bits of her life.
[Image above: "These (garland of paper flaglets) are made from 1960's vintage, Albert Van Luit wallpaper and pages of the German vintage book 'Die Kleine Hexe' ".]
“I practice ‘living big is an attitude’, depending on making the best use of what we have. A few square meters can be very functional and quite ‘large’, with the right use. The Penthouse measures 65 square meters, with 22 square meters being the second open floor, where the bedroom and dressing areas are. The rest is the main floor including the entrance, bathroom, dining area, reading corner, kitchen, living area, and office corner.”
“I give my living space its time to evolve with me, as much as I evolve living in the space. Even though, I did make plans, as soon as we chose this apartment and knew which existing furniture would be used and what needed/wished to be bought, I took small steps into actualizing them. After 2 years of living in the Penthouse, I can finally say that it’s very close to how I’d like it to be. According to my partner’s view though, it was already perfect after a few days! Oh well…. Of course, it’s different when I plan for a client.”
“I love clean lines and interesting architecture. However, as much as I appreciate and love beautiful objects, I try not to overburden a space with too many of them. I try to be surrounded only by things I like. If I’ve made an impulsive buy (which happens rarely, after long years of effort!), I donate it or sell it.”
[Image above: Ivy's LOVE mirror by the dining area.]
“I always get inspired by my love for decorating & making beautiful, functional living spaces, and turning them into homes.
Loving more than words and my appreciation for life make this place look happy and clean! I’m happy to be here and sharing this space with the true, internal sunshine of my life, who has made all these possible for me. In a way, I gave up daily sunshiny life in Greece, but now sunshine lives inside me! And I get to travel a lot, so it’s more than fine!”
[Image above: Framed wallpaper samples make fun, colorful and inexpensive wall displays. Know more about this project here.]
“I refresh the look of my living space by rearranging things now and then. I also upcycle and re-purpose things, which means that a new addition can be made, without having to spend anything.”
“I love light and therefore choose bright spaces to live in. Nothing decorates a space better than natural light! I love white and natural tones (obviously!), as much as natural textures. It is the perfect canvas for being creative and playing with accessories and pops of colour according to moods and seasons.”
[Image above:" Heart collection on the white, wooden pole under the stairs and a glimpse to the reading corner."]
“I keep the biggest part of surfaces clutter free, so that they can be easily used daily according to needs. I keep things organized and make use of cupboards, drawers and boxes to their fullest extent.”
“I find that my studies in Psychology are of great help when talking to people (most often friends, friends of
friends & acquaintances so far) about organizing & beautifying their living spaces. Finding out their true needs and overcoming their drawbacks can begin from their living spaces. Just like when someone can organize a closet as a parallel need to organizing his/her thoughts.
I believe that living spaces do and should reflect who we are. They are like eyes being the mirrors of our hearts. And this is why I have my objections about styling based on trends and not on people’s likes and choices.”
Again, thank you Ivy for taking the time from your busybee schedule to do this! You’re one very kind and inspiring spirit. Hope you get to touch more people with your photos and your designs. 
To know more about Ivy’s style, her Penthouse and her crafts, visit here flickr photostream here, her etsy shop here and her blog here.
*Photos from Ivy’s flickr photostream.
Tags: decorating, decoration, diy, flickr, interior design, romantic spaces, space matters. crafts, white, white homes
Posted in space matters | 3 Comments »
space matters: a [white] beach cottage
Written by designfolder on February 10, 2010 – 11:24 am -
I feel that no one can beat the romantic attitude of those individuals who live and breathe everything that’s shabby chic—seeing the beauty in everything even in those things that are commonly considered “trash”, embarking on an adventure of going through flea markets and thrift shops, and transforming their finds, turning them into something really charming.
Sarah from Sydney, Australia is a living proof that there are real people (aside from Rachel Ashwell) who embrace a shabby chic life. I first saw her beach cottage over at flickr last December when I was looking for unique Christmas homes from other countries. I got interested in her home and her decorating style when I saw that she used driftwoods from the beach as Christmas ornaments!
Today, we’ll take a peek at her lovely beach cottage as Sarah shares with us how she and her family moved from England to Australia, settled in “a bustly little seaside town” in Sydney, and transformed the once “tatty old cottage” into a charming beach cottage they now call home.
“We found our fixer-upper cottage in a very sad state about two years ago [when we moved to Sydney]. It was a tatty old cottage near the sea, sadly neglected, bathed in sunshine and heaving with potential (wood floors, sash windows, old fig trees, a summer house and a battered old deck). My mission is to create my home by using my skills as a thrift-junkie so I’m thrifting & using what I have like crazy!“
“I started blogging to document the journey of our fixer-upper cottage. But it has become so much more than a blog for me. It has provided me with a place to fulfill my passion for casual, laid-back decor, vintage coastal style. It has become a cathartic outlet for me at the end of the day.”
“I love all things vintage especially old pieces of neglected furniture with that faded patina only time can bring. I scour the beach-side suburbs for one-off vintage pieces and make it over with a distinctive whitewash that unites that old beach house ambiance with a fresh new feel.”
“I love vintage quilts, seashells, old outdoor furniture, white cotton, Adirondack chairs, Peroni, nautical stripes, vanilla, bare floorboards, lavender, home-cooked food, wicker baskets and pots of Australian tea.”
“A bike ride to the beach means we get all the benefits of living by the sea, the kids spend a lotta time in the water and in the summer our social life revolves around being outdoors and hanging out down the beach – there are wetsuits hanging from the deck, surfboards leaning against the shed, wet bathers and sandy feet around.”
I don’t know about you, but it’s difficult to imagine that the spaces in these photos were once in a rundown state. Apart from her natural style, I just admire Sarah’s passion in finding something unconventional and pretty, and constantly coming up with great ideas for her home. See her latest panelling project for her dining area here.
*Quoted texts were lifted from Sarah’s blog, abeachcottage and her flickr
**Photos by Sarah from her blog and her flickr
[got a cool space? share it with us! email us about it with pictures of your place at mydesignfolder@yahoo.com. ]
Tags: beach cottage, budget decorating, decorating, interior design, shabby chic, space matters. abeachcottage, vintage
Posted in space matters | 3 Comments »
spacelift: from masculine to feminine
Written by designfolder on February 7, 2010 – 8:09 pm -
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.
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[Have you given your space (or furniture) a makeover? Share it with us! Email us about it with before and after pictures at mydesignfolder@yahoo.com. ]
Tags: decorating, interior decorating, interior design, makeover
Posted in spacelift | No Comments »
diy project: make a clock out of old cds
Written by designfolder on January 17, 2010 – 12:20 pm -
As per orange’s request, here’s a great idea on how to re-use your old CDs–make them into mini-clocks!
I found this cd clock tutorial over at youcanmakethis.com. The project is so easy, even kids can make it! Maybe with a little help from the adults on installaing the clock parts.
youcanmakethis’ design (images above) is more on the pretty side, using colorful scrapbook paper to decorate the face. But I’m so sure you can come up with other designs.
To get you started, here are some more ideas for inspiration:
a scratched/crackled surface from geek-ware ,
… an industrial concept combining the shiny side of the CD + a cut circuit board from greensmartgifts,
… and a more challenging version from blisstree using clock parts with a pendulum and a painted CD clock face.
If you have a lot of old CDs, tons of creativity, and enough free time, you can make several clocks as gifts for family and friends. You can even turn this into a business, making customized designs for sale as giveaways, souvenirs, or personalized gifts.
Tags: crafts, decorating, diy, recycled materials
Posted in conscious living, diy: design-it-yourself | 2 Comments »
objects of design: philippine antiques
Written by designfolder on January 14, 2010 – 12:32 pm -
As proven by yesterday’s post, preserving things from the past can be very rewarding. The term “antique” used to be associated with “old” or “outdated”. Today, it’s synonymous with “priceless.” Depending on the item and how you display it, an antique piece can add great value to your home.
Last month, we took you to a uniquely Filipino home – a recreation of a 19th century Vigan-style bahay na bato. The home had so many interesting antique pieces that we couldn’t fit them all in last month’s post.
The homeowner has been an antique collector for years. His collections range from big pieces of antique furniture to small accessories like candleholders and oil lamps. He says that anybody can be a collector but advises there are certain guidelines in collecting antiques:
- First, you have to have the passion to collect.
- Be guided by books and friends who have an eye for design.
- Look beyond what is there – see the potential in everything.
- Map it out and plan ahead. You should know how to use the item and where to place it.
- Collect one piece at a time. Save up for the great pieces – the pieces you really want.
- In a modern home, antiques work best as focal points or accent pieces.
- Proper maintenance is key. Wax or wipe every so often.
There are a lot of places where you can buy quality Philippine antiques. You just have to have the patience to dig and hunt. Go to garage sales and junk shops (especially those at Laong Laan, Manila). Bohol, Bulacan and Pampanga are also great places to find one-of-a-kind collectibles.
Tags: antiques, decorating, furniture
Posted in objects of design | No Comments »
