Reuse

What do you think an interior designer got most? Money? Client? Software? Paper? ........ Material Samples !!!

Even thought we are now using images and photos to present sample board to our clients, but actual material still plays an important role because we need to feel the real texture + to see the true color.

So...what it comes to the end, we stock tons and tons of fabric, plastic laminate, tile and mosaic, metal, timber, glass, etc. 

Well, of course it can be simply throw to the rubbish bin afterward, but if you love Interior Design, you love them especially the high quality fabric in full colorway.

  

                                             A new cover to my manual ! 

(Yes, user manual is also one of my "stock item" because I love to read with the real paper touch) 

"A double face" pocket that can protect my almost dead manual, two pieces of fabric are just enough to sew one, simple and unique. 




Add a bit of detail inside 
to secure the booklet.
 

Voila! Reuse project done :) 
How about you? 
Got some ideas to reuse yours?

Let there be LIGHT

Imagine if we were living in a total darkness, no light, even a tiny sparkle of star light, what will happen? There will not have any meaning to DESIGN !

Light,  not only help us to visualize but create dramatic effect to all creatures. Without light,
there is no silhouette, color, texture, sensation to everything around us. 

Lighting design of what we are talking about is not only the outlook of the light fitting, the most important is the arrangement and color temperature of the light bulb that can enhance or spoil an interior within seconds. 

A simple rule to remember, "Kalvin" is the color temperature unit that we will come across when purchase a light fitting, i.e. 'K". 

2700-3000K = warm white light, make us feel like seating next to a cozy filament light bulb.

2700K is more yellowish, i.e. more antique

3000K is in lighter yellow, I will say more comfortable, but at the end it is still subjected to what atmosphere you would like to create.

4000K = white light, I rarely recommend especially for residential because it makes
the interior look "pale".

5000-5500K  = day light, like the feeling of what we are walking under a sunny day. 
Also rarely used for residential unless you want a special effect, because it feel good at outdoor but too bright for interior in such a comparatively small space.

So, pay a bit of attention to the color temperature when you choose a new lamp for your home next time, it really matters.

又愛又恨的桃紅色 Blossom red

桃紅色 : 從來不是我的喜好,尤其是當它穿在身上時, 如果配搭得不好, 總有點土氣. 但奇怪的是, 那天......一個黃昏時段, 在澳門街頭, 我被這個"小桃紅"深深吸引着.

柔和的斜陽把濃豔的桃紅中和了, 顯得嬌嫩,沒有半點土氣, 很舒服. 我想, 更重要的是因為還有綠葉做背景, 最後由重質感的石階完成襯托. 就這麼簡單, 大自然就是隨時隨地的設計教室,而且更是免費的呢!


Blossom red - not my cup of tea, especially when we wear them, a dangerous color that may become cheap looking & old fashion if less effort are made while mix & match. But in that wonderful evening at Macau, I was deeply attracted by these gorgeous red. 

Soft golden beam slightly fallen onto these blooming hydrangea, gently balance the overall red cheek; with fresh green leaves as backdrop sitting onto the contrasting stone parapet wall. Simple and comfortable, that's the way the nature is telling us, a design studio to keep us learning any where, any time + it's FREE !

 

Pinterest - love it or hate it?

link here

I believe some of you know what it is or already is a fans of Pinterest.  Truly speaking, it is a very attractive & fast growing platform that everyone can create their own pin board, easy to use, lots of nice stuff and full of fun. You can "pin" any of your favorite image found in the internet world to make your collective booklet, original source link will be attached automatically so if other people want to view it or re-pin it, they will be linked to the author's web page directly. So the overall process is not only share beautiful image within the community but also create traffic to the web page of the image owner......what a lovely idea.

But eventually problems raised, some photographer or blogger or artist just don't want this "sharing", they think it is a violation of copyright = to share their photo or artwork online (although which is already being viewed online thru' their own web site) without asking their permission is unacceptable, even the image will link back to them at last or even it's because of people love it so they want to share with others. Well, we can't say it is anything wrong because the author do have their right to what they've  posted, and it's true that there are a small group of people do make use of this channel to promote their own blog or even make money. So.......someone do hate it!

How can we get a balance? Use an html code to prevent "PIN" button work? Complain to Pinterest whenever discover your image being pinned? It seems it's more easy to do another way round, for author who don't mind this sharing that can bring them traffic as a benefit, put a "PIN IT" button in page, so "Pin fans" will know they are welcome to share what they like. In another word, "Pin fan" just don't pin if this button is not appear in the page you are viewing, respect the author's or simply send an email to ask for a sharing permission, a bit complicated, but every one will be happy.

Color of Nature 大自然的呼喚

很愛雀鳥 ,尤其是牠們身上的羽毛, 豐富的顏色及千變萬化的組合, 總令人驚歎大自然的創造者, 肯定是一個藝術家.

每個人都會有特別喜愛的顏色, 單從身上的服飾配搭便略知一二.  為什麽有些人在色彩配搭上總比別人出衆呢? 即使一身紅黄藍綠, 配襯出來的效果不單止沒有凌亂的感覺, 反而是出奇地舒服, 甚至有嘉年華會的熱情、喧燦.

事實上並不一定要有專業訓練才能有運用色彩的能力, 受過美術或設計訓練只是其中一個幫助提升這個能力的途徑, 讓我們對顏色世界有多一點認識. 但是如果你擁有一對富洞察力的眼睛, 便會從大自然當中學習到色彩運用的"祕技".

樹葉的深淺綠, 黄昏的紅橙黄, 日出前的透明魚肚白, 夜幕低垂的藍與黑. 花朵雀鳥、山脈雪地、星空北極光......說不盡的色調. 你所需的配色事典就在身邊, 不用花一分一亳, 我們能不向大自然致敬嗎?

Bird - especially their feather is always my favorite,

what a million color combination, our creator must be an artist.

Everyone has his/ her own favorite color choice, it's easy to tell from what their wear or what they've pick in their product of daily living. But why can some one always make the right choice, presenting the color in such a gorgeous way; even though it seems they are melting in red, green, yellow, blue...still, so harmonize without a pitch of messy, but only the greeting of carnival. 

Truly speaking, there is not any secret training or professionalism that we must have to achieve this ability. But is for sure you will learn more in a wider and deeply sense of color technique by training as an artist or designer. To us, if only if you have a pair of open eyes and learn from the nature.

Shades of green from tree leaves, red yellow orange in the sunset, transparency white and all kinds of grey in dawn, the mysterious blue and black in the twilight zone. All those wonderful color mixing in flower & bird, valley & ice burg, star night & the northern light......this valuable "color guide" is here, free of charge, you can read from any moment at anywhere, salute to our nature? 101%