Pinned : Dream Kitchen

Lately, I've been fantasizing about my future kitchen. You see, I love to cook and bake, when I have the time. But most of the time, I love to prepare meals for the family, especially on weekends. If I had my way, I would have a kitchen big enough to have a small breakfast nook with a beautiful view of a big garden. Or a small bar that spills over to an open deck for barbecues. An organized pantry is also something that's on my mind. This is something that's not really feasible for our current house, as of the moment. But it can be something that I can be inspired with in designing for my client's kitchens. Here are some that I grabbed from Pinterest, and hopefully help you out too if you're also conceptualizing on your future kitchen design.

Large windows let in natural light for efficient energy consumption
greigedesign.blogspot.com

Museum Hopping in Singapore Part 2: MINT Museum of Toys

The building of the MINT Museum of Toys,
designed by Singapore architectural firm SCDA Architects.

Just behind the Raffles Hotel at Seah Street is the MINT Museum of Toys. It's a five-storey high, narrow contemporary building with a wave-like glass facade. The building is quite narrow that we barely noticed it and actually passed by it. If not for the banners on the posts, we would have missed it completely. It may seem unnoticeable on the outside, but inside is an exhibit that you shouldn't miss. It's for the children and for the children that we once were.

Museum Hopping in Singapore Part 1: Red Dot Museum

The Red Dot Museum on Maxwell Road is painted in bright red.

Last March, I had a chance to revisit the beautiful city of Singapore. This city had been my home twelve years ago, and this was my first time to go back again. Although I lived here for some time, I was not able to go around the museums at that time. This time was no excuse anymore. There are so many museums to visit in Singapore and each museum is really worthwhile to go to. And since it's a multi-cultural city, you can expect to see and "taste" the different cultures at each one you go to.

Papier d'Art

One of the things that have kept me busy in the past few months was going back to one of the things that I loved to do which is drawing. Inspired by my daughter's love for the arts, I decided to explore again the very thing that paved the way for me to become an interior designer. You see, before I knew about interior design, I have always loved to draw when I was still in my elementary days. And that took a step back when I took up interior design in college. Sure, we draw our perspectives and do the rendering too, but most of the time it's about interiors or furniture. What I missed, was the freedom to draw anything I liked. So, when the time and opportunity came up, I just had to grab it. And this started what I now call Papier d'Art.

Papier d'Art
creative pursuits with paper

Howkapow

I think I've been bitten by the art bug. Ever since I joined Pinterest, my interest in handmade illustrations has practically taken-over my spare time. There's just so much inspiration on the internet and so many talented artists, most of them unknown, have so much potential. As an interior designer, artworks and prints are part of the finishing touches in our designs and most of the time, it's really hard to look for that piece that will complete the look that we want. It's a good thing that there are online shops out there that really recognize these talents and help them reach out to interior designers and art lovers. And one really good online shop that I recently bumped to is Howkapow.

August 2012: And We're Back!

I know, I know, it's been a year. It seems like the past year had me juggling a lot of activities, mostly for family. Plus, I was quite busy with exploring another business venture that I have always loved to do since I was a kid. Still, nonetheless, it's no excuse to be gone for too long. I should always find time to do the things that I love, like writing about the arts, design and architecture. So, here I am again and I'm excited to be back!


Since I've been gone, I had the chance to look into another side of the visual arts, specifically, illustrations. Pinterest was a visual feast for me, with so much great ideas for design and fashion. But I also discovered there the different creative illustrations and handwritten fonts. There's just so much inspiration out there for artists! So for the month of August, I will be doing features on different artists on the web and on the local scene as well.


For interior design, I'll also be squeezing in some beautiful kitchen designs that I discovered recently and hopefully get some tips from a Kitchen Specialist on how to make our kitchen design more efficient. 


The past year also gave me a chance to fly abroad. One of the beautiful places I revisited was Singapore. I have always loved Singapore because it's a multi-cultural country that boasts of a well-supported art community. The best thing about that is that people can visit several different museums that are easily accessible to tourists and locals alike. Join me as I tell you about my journey into the famous ArtScience Museum and a look into the Mint Museum of Toys that travel bloggers have been talking about.


It has been a year of absence from the Green Room, but it has been a year of being "present" to new ideas, new places and new designs. The past year had a lot of things going on for me, and even if I wasn't really writing here, I'm actually in the action, where everything is happening. I'm just glad to be back :)