簡簡單單 It's so simple

設計設計...好像不攪什麽"彫鑽"花式就不是設計似的. 時裝如是,產品如是, 室內設計也不例外; 結果一律被當時所謂流行時尚的顏色丶物料丶造型所騎劫, 再加些似是"人冇我有"的裝飾, 便可以"賣設計"了.

記得好幾年前在中國武漢的必勝客內, 見到桌上這個用亞加力造的餐牌, 心想: 就這麽簡簡單單, 實用方便又美觀便巳經很好了! 為何在香港那些又過膠又用鐵圈又插這插那的...那麽複雜呢? 不但難清潔, 又有尺寸限制, 翻起來鐵圈又不順暢,

又是"simple is the best"及"form follow function"的理論.
老生常談, 但是一到要我們去開始一個設計項目時, 又回到"不嚇死人勢不休"的狀况. 最近在本土室內設計行內的  "暗柜密室, 鏡後密室, 柜中柜, 升降組合" 等便是這個例子.如果是一間小屋, 基於空間有限, 這樣處理還是可以理解, 但所見是千多呎住宅, 也就實在不明所以了.也許這就是"設計"罷!

 Design is.....special material, trendy color, hit style + some exclusively tailor made decor...done - ready to sell?! is this want you believe?

I was in a Pizza Hut some years ago, in Wuhan of China; there was an acrylic made flip card holder which drawn my attention, that's it! Simple, nice looking and functional. How come what we've got in Hong Kong are so complicated? Yeah, it's true - some are laminated card on double metal ring + metal stand or slot in acrylic stand + laminated card in larger size slot into another acrylic stand....super messy and dirt accumulate onto different material used. Every time after I flip over to order, extra time for me to re-attach them one by one back into their position.

This is exactly what the proven of "simple is the best" and the "form follow function" principle!! What an old tale? But how come we never make it when we work with our design project? Why do we stick onto a "WOW" response from our client by selling those little "tricks". 

An example recently occur in our field, the design of "a hidden room behind mirror wall of a room" " a hidden space behind a cabinet panel" " a hidden equipment inside a cabinet "   " a hidden bar behind your closet" "a hidden staircase behind your headboard toward another hidden room......it's not difficult to understand if the flat is in limited space but why for a spacious house over 1000 sq, is that the only reason of creating "WOW" response of what a surprise and unexpected design that we are going to sell? I doubt !

Welcome

Hi Kona, welcome to Cocoa Design Life, hope you will enjoy a break here :)

Freeze

It's over 30 degrees outside, in Phuket; we are in an ice-cream house inside, here, freezing...to the moment when we were kid. 

I loved this glass at once when the waitress put it onto our table, I said I must bring it home after my dessert, but when I tend to ask the waitress whether I could buy it? I pause...just took a photo and left without regret.

There are too many occasions in our life time that we want to be a kid again, not grow up, no need to face the reality but keep staying in our happiest moment forever, being loved and protected. Yes, those days are the best, trouble free and safe......but not real either!

To extend our childhood by force? or to keep a pure heart, be brave to live on earth, enjoy what you are going to experience, joy or sad...also...without regret.

一毫子的價值 -Ten Cents

一毫子郵票機,對今日的我們來說實在沒有什麽親切感,但卻又是我們的一件恩物, 至少是正在塞滿你柜桶內一大堆亳子的歸宿. 但話說回來, 不知從那日開始, 毫子變得沒有價值, 尤其是一毫子?是物價高漲令它扁值呢? 又或是人類忙這忙那變得沒時間去招呼這一大堆"散銀"呢?

小時常會從這種售賣機買郵票, 因為覺得它很美, 十分典雅.  逐個毫子放進去等待郵票緩緩彈出, 一點也不覺時間消逝, 總覺得它和紅郵筒給我有異曲同工的感覺 : 令人期待. 也許你會說, 太誇張了罷, 買幾毫子郵票何來這麽多"感受"呀!

我想, 感受是隨着事物的變遷而產生的, 現在要找到這欵郵票機巳經不容易, 也許有一天當一毫子也從我們生活中消失時, 你才會明白它留給我們的不止是"一毫子"的價值.

A ten cents coin stamps vending machine...what a good old days product, not much meaning to us now, especially nobody is willing to accept ten cents coin when we suddenly woke up one day in the morning. But infact, this machine is the destiny of all your coins stuck inside your drawer right now. Is the reason of economy growth to lower the cash value or we are too busy for this & that, so we can't afford to deal with all this "tiny little things"?

I used to buy stamps from this elegant vending machine when I was young, love to wait aside, insert the coins one by one until a tiny stamps roll out - a desire of waiting to be happened, just like the feeling of insert the letter into a red post box. Well, well...how come so emotional for just buying a few stamps, you may say!


May be it's due to the change of things around us, truly speaking, it's not easy to find such kind of vending machine in Hong Kong now; one day, may be not too long, ten cents coin will also vanish in our life, at that moment, you will understand what its really worth of......for sure, not only it's ten cents value, but more!

Coffeebreak for 2 - Gaggia Classic & Eureka

這段日子總是被咖啡的香氣濃罩着, 皆因第一部屬於我們的Espresso 機終於着陸, 心頭好加上新玩意, 總是有意無意早晚冲一柸鮮磨咖啡, 刻意補償(心理上)過去一段在即溶咖啡,又或被動式在咖啡室消費的失落年代.

不少朋友也憧景擁有自已的咖啡店, 可以隨時隨地無拘無束的在忙裏偷閒. 咖啡的香味總能把人帶離現實, 至少一刻.

從來, 咖啡文化就是帶有一定的奢侈成份, 不是說機器用具或咖啡豆等實體消費, 而是香港人最昂貴又最"缺乏"的 - 時間. 用心地冲煮一柸咖啡, 由學習選豆, 磨豆, 量粉, 壓粉, 冲煮, 打奶, 事後清理等等...才到品嘗的階段, 急不來, 總得經過不斷重複練習才會冲得一柸美味的咖啡; 最吸引人的莫過於能在享受每一口咖啡的餘韻當中同時擁有自我陶醉的感覺, 不信? 試一試!

Recently, I am wearing a "coffee perfume" every day, it was brought from our new espresso machine which was on board with the grinder this month. Once you know you can escape from your instant coffee and stop paying to Starbuck, coffee day & night will become your new hobby; well, may be just simply a compensation to the lost in the past coffee moment.

Most of us might dream to own a cafe, especially girls, I think; the free time and leisure moment that we can gain whenever we want is so attractive. But for Hong Kong people, coffee culture is a luxury expenses, not in terms of hardware, but TIME (if we are willing to spare a few minutes from FB or our mobile).

Starting from bean selection, grinding, measuring, tamping, brewing, milk frothing, daily cleaning......then we come to the stage of tasting...step by step, no hurry and can't be in hurry. The nice brewed coffee now in your hand comes from continuous practice, the most attractive after taste with a mouthful of coffee that leads you to the twilight zone is your reward, worth or not, have a try!

Coffee Diary 06

 

Everyday, the best moment I like, with you, simply beside me. A soft touch from a 4:30pm sun, warm and peaceful. How are you lately? 

If one day we are going to say good bye, will you miss me? no more instant coffee, but espresso...

Book store? 此情不再

也許失去的東西總令人懷念, 貼滿招紙的大石柱, 重量十足的鉄趟閘, 用木衣夾吊起一本一本舊雜誌, 不知第幾手的舊小說,  爛竹籮內各式其式的讀物; 伯伯用來休息的舊籐椅......

曾幾何時, 每逢假日店舖休息之際, 總會在街上見到這類舊書攤, 真是環保生意的始祖. 是昔日多些人愛閱讀? 還是生活較簡單, 可以騰出多些時間去享受書中樂趣?

Facebook, Twitter, Myspace... 令我們這一代可足不出戶和朋友聯系着. 同樣e-book, online magazine 亦使我們不用手持一本實體書, 便可以從網上閱讀來自世界各地的小說雜誌. 如果你只可以有一個選擇, 你會保留實體書還是網絡世界上的電子書呢?

很難選擇罷! 一本印刷精美的書刋, 紙質的觸感, 油墨的立體感是電子書不能替代的. 但相反電子書的龐大書庫所提供的選擇性和方便程度, 卻又遠遠超越前者. 可能重點並非在硬件上, 但求有多些朋友肯花時間去享受一段文章或幾篇創作, 用那個渠道並不重要, 因為我想, 只有肯閱讀並思考的人, 才經歴得起現今時代急速的變遷.

A vanishing scenery in Hong Kong, second, may be triple hand book/ magazine sale outside shop on an old street. What we've missed are those antique stone ad post, heavy metal sliding gate, their special display method: product hung up by wooden clothes clip or just loosely drop inside a torn basket, plus the "coffee break" rattan chair aside...

This kind of mobile book store was nothing special in the old days, they were the real master of  the recycle industry. I wonder whether we, people had more leisure time to enjoy reading the day before we crash into our massive media source from the internet world?

Facebook, twitter, Myspace...bring us to our friends within seconds, same as e-books, online magazine, how long have or haven't you been visiting a real book store? or, buy a real magazine? If you can only have one choice, you will go for a book in your hand or a virtual one?

Too difficult to choose? the personal touch of paper & printing from a good quality book/ magazine are non replaceable, but on the other hand, the infinity source and convenience that we can get from electronic world are also attractive. I think may be it's not the matter of how we read, but keep Reading ! take time to read a great article, enjoy and being inspired; to conquer the rapid change of the world avoid being drown.