missing architecture

I watched this youtube video on an architect's house in Edinburgh and it evoked a feeling I haven't felt for a very long time that is missing designing architecture. I rewatched it repeatedly and every time I have this feeling like I want to design an architectural space. It brought back nostalgia and the desire to create. The feeling came because his house is very playful, very personal, full of personality with a lot of interesting details. I always imagine if I were an architect I would want to create something strange, something whimsical, something asymmetrical, something playful.

I think this particular video speaks to me because most of architectural projects I see these days in Indonesia are just so boring, especially the houses. Most of them are those boring minimalist types with no interesting details. Almost all of them with very boring neutral colours. Especially in interior I think there is this notion that came from western influence how neutral and soft colours are seen as "quiet luxury" while bold colours are often on the opposite side of the spectrum. Either that or people worship Japanese minimalist design while not understanding the spirit, not having the sensitivity to details, not having the suitable materials, while also not having capable hands to achieve the proper workmanship.

I don't know. Maybe one day if the universe allows and fate decides to finally be nice to me I could have the opportunity to design and build my own space instead of just critisizing.

of living spaces

one thing that i keep forgetting is how the things i have now were once the things that i had been dreaming of not so long ago. little by little new things i feel like i need to add to my mundane life starting to show up. the good thing is i never really is someone who's in a rush of everything. let life comes slowly. one small step at a time. moving on to the next step of dream living space is of course to have a better place. and certainly not in this city i currently live in. 

several key items to an ideal living space: 

1. flooring. to this day i still regret not changing my current floor. had i known i'd live here for at least three years, i would have insisted to change the flooring before i moved in. flooring is important. 

2. views. and openings as big as possible. i still don't know to this day how people could manage to live without looking out of the window. even in my current place that is middle class subsidized housing, views from the windows and balcony doors are the very first thing i consider. find as much as city lights and greeneries as i could get. and the windows are the front of the house. most of my neighbors treat their openings/balconies as their back area, as storage / trash place. i just don't get it. 

3. lighting. both natural and artificial. this one needs a way longer explanation. but good lighting sets the mood in a significant way.

4. proximity to amenities needed goes without saying. 

that being said, when i came across the videos of peng wei, a chinese artist living in chengdu, not only her art that caught my attention but also her working/living space. there are a lot of pretty images of people's living spaces that i see daily, but her space certainly stood out. big windows, big floor space to create things, good lighting ambiance, good views, even her "messy" tables and shelves are something i could see myself in. only things missing are cats and their furnitures. and most important is that it looks attainable to me. like it's not something that is too far to reach. i mean it is far at least for now, but not exactly impossible. well, let's see if life allows me to have nicer things in the future. 

pictures are screenshots from this video and this video. 

salone e fuori salone, milano.

some images from the salone 2015 back then in april. unlike two years ago where i was in milan only for three days, now i got the whole week to choose which events i wanted to go. and after series of visits to the fuorisalone, surprisingly i enjoyed more the salone itself. it's like i got overwhelmed with the amount of independent designers things and when i got to the salone, i got to see a more mature finished design and it made me feel good. and also it kinda made me miss my job somehow.

the chic job

one morning when i was still too lazy to start working i flipped up some design magazines not sure what i was looking for. then i told my colleague sitting next to me, 'look at all these pretty pictures.. people must have always think about how cool it is to be an interior designer, to be an architect.. they clearly have no idea how hectic and stressful our works can be.' then at the very same day, a friend of mine who studied french literature texted me saying how chic and glamorous my job must be. i wanted tell her about how i spent that whole day just to find the suited fittings, hinges, handles, locks, and all that, for doors. not chic at all. and i wanted to rant to her how i've spent two freakin years producing stacks of working drawings for just one project and how i almost lost it all. not glamorous at all. but then in the end my advice is still the same, give credits and appreciation, there's always huge effort and hardwork behind everything.

milano, lombardia.

Was in Milan for Salone Internazionale del Mobile, which is like one of the biggest interior design / furniture exhibition, and also for fuorisalone, the extended events spread all over the city outside the Salone. What's so great about being in Milan is that I get to see the works of some of the big names in the industry, Daniel Libeskind, Jean Nouvel, Arik Levy, Patricia Urquiola, Zaha Hadid, Steven Holl, Massimiliano Fuksas, though I missed the ones by Karim Rashid, Tom Dixon, and my favorite Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec.

I used to put myself more on a conventional and traditional side having a self prevention to not fall into the stream of technology and gadgetry, but I guess in the past two years I've seen changes as I began to put a lot of admiration on motion graphic and electronic music. Having said so, of all that's happening on the events, what fascinated me most is the use of light, not in a conventional way but combining with advance technology and materials it created ambience which I think couldn't be transferred on pictures but only by being there feeling the nuance. But here's some of my attempts capturing.


Milan as a city didn't fascinate me the way Perugia does naturally, but as an escape to a more design-conscious environment, it served me well.

chemex coffee

Some places can make you feel intimidating while some others make you wanna run away quick, but the feeling when i was in this particular place is that feeling of loving being myself. Weird i know. But the space is just about right, i'm liking the furniture, the cactus on each table (!), the music which is nice to have a serious or light conversations, and the rad magazines they provide. I'm actually more of a tea person rather than coffee, but I was so tempted to have coffee that is brewed with a chemex. Was a bit disappointed cause i thought each coffee would come with the chemex which apparently not so. I've been wanting buy a chemex just for the sake of the beauty, not the coffee.

ps. thank you dear friend, for the quality talk :)

in contrast

I never really fancy random black and white architectural photos because i think it's too boring. These ones i post here perhaps are also boring, haha. But the way the natural light hit certain places look somehow interesting to me. The pictures might not do it justice though, all taken and edited with iphone.

The place was still in such a mess and dirty and dusty. I don't know if I'm actually allowed to publish this. It's a mall. Under construction. What I'm trying to say is. There's a huge lot of effort behind everything so give some credit before we take everything for granted.

furniture factory

Lucas Maassen has employed his 3 sons, Thijme (9), Julian (7) and Maris (7). His Sons are responsible for the paint job of the furniture which is build in the factory. They get paid 1 Euro for every piece of furniture they paint. As agreed by the contract they signed.

Due to Dutch child labour laws it is only possible for Thijme, Julian and Maris to work for 3 hours a week. As a result of this the production speed has became a crucial factor in the process. Time limitations are set, they contribute to the typical LM&S aesthetics.

Now seriously. HOW awesome is this? The idea. The execution. The video. The stills. Totally the most brilliant thing you can come up with having three boys in the house.

true urbanpark

Been quite a while since I posted things related to my day job. So here's one. This is TRUE Urbanpark which I happened to visit on Bangkok with my office mates. I think out of all style I mostly click with a bit retro-ish style, specially on furniture, which is why this setting on the first image here appealed to my eyes. (That's not light fixtures there but sound tubes).

We were greeted by this 3x10 metes board which is actually an analog flipping dots of two colors, black and red (not a digital display). It changes every other minute while we're there. And it can display various messages. See the flipping one here. Definitely one of the coolest stuff. It's analog!! And this was definitely what dragged us to take a peek inside the store.

Well it's not just a store actually. True is one of the biggest Thai network provider of mobile and fixed telephone lines and some other digital stuff. So this place is more like a place to hang for the digital community these days. There are lounge chairs with the tubes (above photo), coffee shop, mobile shop, internet stations, bookshop which also sells cool records, and also there's a flower shop serves at the front side.

I love the dark cozy ambiance which totally creates the mood. But really, talking about this kind of thing whether it's architecture or interior design, photos really can't do any justice. You really have to experience the space and the awesome feeling of being there.

I couldn't point out my bulky dslr here, so photos posted are courtesy of the designer, a Thai architectural firm, Duangrit Bunnag Architect Limited (DBALP), taken from their flickr account.

the food (i): a personal experience

Fancy dinner at Tables Restaurant, Grand Hyatt. Dining at this kind of place reminded me of the theory about 'The Origins of Pleasure' by psychologist Paul Bloom on one of TED talks. It's like psychologically your mind will tell you that something tastes or values better when you know the origin. Basically he said something like this, "How do you get adults to really enjoy wine? It's very simple: pour it from an expensive bottle. There are now dozens, perhaps hundreds of studies showing that if you believe you're drinking the expensive stuff, it tastes better to you."

Well anywayyy, what's most impressive to me was actually the interactive part where the chefs cooked some of our dishes on the "demo tables" which are located near the diner tables. So you're not only basically eating but experiencing a process. The smell, the sight, the sound, the ambiance. And for some dishes, they came to us just of the "naked" main dish on a plain plate and the waiter would dress it right in front of you.

Here's the shrimps.

Beef stroganoff.

The chefs at the "demo table".

And some dishes and desserts.

The ambiance.

simple space

Speaking of homes.. This one is pretty much like what we want and been planning of.. A not too big (or small) undivided open space to accomodate different functions, with a mezzanine to sleep in (aka bedroom). Pretty much like a simple loft.

Anyway, seems like I lost the credit for the picture, sorry.

facett series

These are my newest favourites.. Now this..is what we call a signature design. An original.

It's by French designer Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec. For Ligne Roset.

black chandelier

On my way to office this morning I saw a black chandelier displayed in a shop..

I love black chandelier, the thin with simple classical style.. I think it will look gorgeous in an all white spacey room..

image source

the classical modern beauty

At Vogue Living Australia May/June08 edition, I found this gorgeous and beautiful beautiful design by the Australian painter and fabric designer, Carolyn Quartermaine.. And I fall in love with it!!

And I'm sorry I couldn't help myself not to post the set of the pictures, cos they're all beautiful.. Before this I won't believe that the usually-awful fluorescent pink can look that gorgeous.. There's always beauty in classic..

Zoom in to see the delicate details and colours..