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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!

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.

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!

condoliving’s design lectures

For those of you who will still be here in Manila tomorrow, two of our favorite interior designers, Wilmer Lopez of Space Encounters and Subspace Coffee House, and Jigs Adefuin of Adefuin Design Studio and Ador Interiors (watch out for our feature on his chic new office), will have a design lecture tomorrow, October 29, at PSID’s exhibit venue in SM North.

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psid’s jack ‘en poy (part 2)

(Above) Bamboozled (bamboo) by Teresa Bettina Gomez, Aivan Magno, Lourdes Reyes.

Finally, here’s the second installment of PSID’s Jack ‘en Poy exhibit! I hope the first part was enough to convince most of you to go and visit their mock-ups in SM North. But for those who haven’t been there yet, you still have a week! Jack ‘en Poy runs until the end of October at the former Super Sale Club, SM City North EDSA, Quezon City.

The second half of of the exhibit features designs that explored the unconventional use of bamboo/reeds, rubber, metal, wood, clay/earth, concrete, and stone:

Lastico (rubber) by Danelle Chan, Anne <arquez, Marie Sy, Edito Cauilan, and Brian Mendoza.

Wonder Grass (bamboo/reeds) by Leona Tan, Leah Marcelo, Normina Hicana, and Justine Villanueva.

Chiclette (rubber) by Karla Lora, Redz Dayot, Kimberly Fuentes, Shane Tomeldan, and Raizah Bangahan.

Pavo Real de Hierro (metal) by Juna Dianelo, Patricia Dizon, Camille Masiglat, Jesserie Enemoto, and Rico Urbano.

Boho Glam (metal) by Leandy Reyes, Katrina Recomite, Alvin Amansec, and Keshia Amuan.

Flight of Imagination (wood) by Meiji Castillo, Kathleen Go, Genevieve de Vera, and Zharmaine Leanzon.

Three to Tango (clay/earth) by Patricia Monfort, Abigail Sy, and Brian Zaldivar.

Glamorous and Green (clay/earth) by Pia Jimenez, Marie Antoinette Medina, Raleene Cabrera, Jennifer Cederstam, and Julienne Templonuevo.

Le Boudoir Rose (concrete/cement) by Jane Simon, Anton Castillo, Che Igdanes, David Mendoza, and Irene Chiong.

Tangible Dream (concrete/cement) by Sher Ho, John Daniel Garcia, Celiza Sim, Jinky Chan, and Charles Yulo.

Rockusina (stone) by Charisse Bantiling, Atheena Garcia, Marianne Panerio, Ivone Guda, and Pauline Tianazon.

Eat ‘To  Bato (stone) by Alethea Bautista, Ann Margaret Estoque, Jennifer Ocampo, Erika Canillas, and Maximo II Dy.

psid’s jack ‘en poy (part 1)

Glass with Class (glass) by Veronica Quesada, Katrina De leon, Kaye Guevarra, Christine Melivo, and Sunshine Samson

The spotlight is on green materials in the ongoing exhibit of the Philippine School of Interior Design’s (PSID) Jack ‘en Poy (the Filipino version of the game rock-paper-scissors). Twenty booths showcase the students’ playful and fantastic designs of home interior spaces developed around the use of natural and/or recyclable building and finishing materials. Jack ‘en Poy runs until the end of October at the former Super Sale Club, SM City North EDSA, Quezon City.

This first installment features the students’ fun and whimsical take on the use of glass, plastic, wood and paper. Enjoy!

Looking Glass by Mark Cardenas, Kendilyn Tan, Mary Jane Tan, and Pauline Teng

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Nouvelle Vie by May Voluntad, Helen Ricana, Pamela Tan, Claris Jornales, Marielen Galang

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Yin and Yang by Mary Rose Campos, Gelsey Cuaresma, Soledad Del Rosario, and Jasmine Baronia

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Out of the Box (paper) by Michael sy, Gayle Ocampo, Love Ocampo, Lissa Briones, Marianne Wamaleda

Paper View (paper) by Peaches de Guzman, Maruanne Monroy, Hannah Zuniga, and Eunice Vibal

peacock chair + manila fame international

I’ve been seeing a lot of this 70s Peacock Chair lately. I first spotted it in Rue’s July/August cover. I saw it again recently in French Elle’s April issue and in this blog.

Even Patricia Urquiola’s outdoor chair for B&B Italia is reminiscent of the peacock chair’s form. I guess it is safe to say that the popular 70s furniture is making a comeback.

I don’t know who originally designed this chair. I can’t find any information about it. I know, however, that many of these chairs were made in Cebu using buri. I confirmed it with Vito Selma. I was glad that I asked him because he also confirmed that their furniture company, Stonesets, is actually producing them again, using the same weavers who used to make them in Cebu around 35-40 years ago!

Above is Stonesets’s peacock chair which we saw in Kish late last month.

Speaking of ‘made in the philippines’, Manila FAME will be opening this Sunday, October 16, and will run until October 19 at the SMX Convention Center. The great thing about this year’s show is that it combines three exhibitions–Manila Now, CebuNext, and Bijoux Cebu (eco fashion accessories)–in one big event!

For more details, visit Manila FAME’s site here.