Malaysia’s Interior Design Blog

The parcel that was delivered was simply delightfully packaged. On one side, it read ‘NEVER OVERSLEEP AGAIN’; on another, ‘ALARM CLOCK ON WHEELS’. I’ve read about Clocky in foreign tech sites some time ago, where its claim to fame is that it runs away from you when the alarm goes off so that you’ll have to physically get up to locate it and shut the alarm off.

Some say this is an annoying way to be woken up but others swear by it helping them get up on time for important meetings and interviews. I used to be a really heavy sleeper – my friends from uni can testify to this claim as they have seen me sleep through 25 missed calls, had the joy to slapping me across the face on occasion to get me to wake up, and had extreme peace within the household when I’m asleep and not singing off key. However, these days, I’m no longer the ‘log’ sleeper that I was and I wake easily to my cellphone’s alarm. Oh, how I wish I’d met you earlier, Clocky

Full review after the jump

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Estelle Sauvage – ECAL graduate – pays tribute to the 100w lightbulb, an item once prevalent in many European homes some time ago that is no longer for sale in certain countries, replaced by its energy saving equivalents. Up to 90% of energy in a traditional lightbulb is wasted and Estelle built her kettle design around this concept, by harnessing this otherwise wasted energy – to make tea in style.

Her design uses an incandescent lightbulb mounted on a wooden base coupled with a glass jug with a deep recess that fits right over the lightbulb. Switched on, the heat from the lightbulb slowly heats the jug/kettle up to 90 degrees celcius – not enough to boil water, but adequate for making your afternoon tea.

A very novel way to making tea for your guests and a very clever tribute to the incandescent bulb

Buying a bed is something that you do not do very often (perhaps once every 7-10 years if you bought yourself a decent one to begin with) and therefore it is a process that people usually forget when it’s time to get themselves a new one. Here are some tips to selecting that right mattress for you:

First and foremost – remember that a higher price does not equal a better construction! Don’t be overloaded by technical jargon – make sure that you’re COMFORTABLE with the mattress. There are several popular types – latex, spring, foam. Don’t be shy to test out the beds at the furniture showrooms (but keep a lid on your excitement for needing to jump up and down like a little kid if such a desire exists). In fact, get your sleeping partner to lie on the bed and feel how much movement there is when one of you tries to get off it. The less the better.

Next factor – CONSTRUCTION. I personally prefer spring beds but this is just me. When looking for a spring bed, it is important to bear in mind the construction of the bed – box spring vs pocket springs. Spring gauge helps you identify the thickness of the coil. Rule of thumb, the thicker the coil and/or the higher number of coils – the firmer the mattress.

Latex and PU are also popular mattress choices though personally I feel PU isn’t as accommodating in humid or tropical countries. Latex on the other hand is energy absorbing, heat sensitive and usually dust mite resistant. Latex mattresses are also more self-adjusting to accommodate your body and weight to allow a more immersive sleeping experience.

Be prepared to spend more on the mattress than the bed. Many often overlook the importance of the mattress thinking a cheap one will do and instead focus on the aesthetics of a bed. While it’s always nice to have a beautiful bed, it is more important to pamper your body with a good mattress. After all, the mattress is where you spend 1/3 of your daily life on so it makes perfect sense to really be indulging in one that will provide you with the right support and a great night’s rest

Bedstar - a UK bed retailer – offers a really huge variety of beds for sale. They also have a pretty comprehensive bed guide to assist you with more technical information on selecting the right mattress for you. Click here for more info

Every household has to deal with dust and therefore a decent vacuum cleaner is required. However, with the myriad choices available out there, which one do you choose? Here’s a guide to selecting the vacuum cleaner that’s right for you:

• even if you do not have carpets in the house, it’s best to get vacuum cleaners that cater for both flooring and carpeting as you never know when you’ll change your mind and get a carpet some time in the future. Also, the ones that cater to both these surfaces tend to be hardier and more powerful (but powerful also equals more energy consumed)
• it’s always better to get systems with metal components as opposed to plastic components for durability
• go for bagless systems – those old bags are a thing of the past and they add extra cost over time as you have to purchase extra bags from the supplier. Bagless systems have come a long way in terms of technology and therefore are the reliable standard these days
• find one with a true HEPA filter so that the micro particles that get sucked in are caught in the filter and not released back into the air, causing allergies and nasal issues
• make sure you get a vacuum cleaner that comes with all sorts of attachments – brushes, nozzles, the whole shebang. Also, you need to ensure that the construction allows you to reach tough to reach spaces e.g. under shelves, cabinets, in between furniture etc

Despite the progress in technology with the introduction of robovacs, I’m still rather unconvinced by the thoroughness and effectiveness as compared to a manual system. I’m sticking to my own water filtration system for now. I personally recommend the Dyson brand for their build quality and operational excellence as well as the reliability of their products. Very.co.uk carries a large variety of quality vacuum cleaners and amongst them is the Dyson brand. Another very impressive vacuum I’ve been introduced to and had the pleasure of using for a short term is the Rainbow vacuum system – this is normally sold from a door-to-door basis and their business model does not warrant advertising in mass media due to the believe that a product demo is more effective than an advertisement on TV or the papers.

You’re ready to enjoy the weekend when you find refinishing windows on your “Honey Do” list. Forget about kicking back on the couch, you’ll be sanding and painting window frames. You could skip this unfortunate scenario if you had vinyl window frames instead of wood windows. Figure it this way: you use things made of plastic for everything else, so why not install plastic framed windows, too?

Check out this before and after photo.

photo credit; http://www.vinylreplacementwindows.org

Vinyl windows replace old corroded aluminum or weather beaten wood windows with cool new frames. There will be no more window refinishing (and hence, more time for doing what you really want to do) as vinyl windows can’t be repainted. They typically come in neutral colors so that you can convert your home’s exterior color from apricot to aqua, and the window frames will still work.

Window Shopping
The popularity of vinyl windows is largely due to their lower cost as compared to other frame materials. Durability and low maintenance are also positives unless you are a weekend warrior who actually enjoys repairing. sanding, and painting window frames while inhaling the noxious aroma of varnish or paint. To be fair, there are a couple of things that make vinyl windows potentially not so cool:

• If you’re restoring a historically or architecturally significant home, there may be no way that white-framed vinyl windows are going to work in this context; you’ll need to flatten your wallet or melt your credit card on authentic replicas of your home’s original windows. This likely requires wood or steel frames, both of which are pricey when compared to vinyl.
• Some critics (how dare they) find that vinyl frames are thick and allow for less glass surface. This reduces natural light and may limit the view.
The cost of replacement windows can be minimized; installing vinyl windows can help save money and time better spent on the golf course, shopping for cool stuff, or at your secret fishing spot.

Everybody’s often faced with the same conundrum when it comes to finding neat cabling solutions. More and more households are now hanging their TV sets against the walls of their homes because they can – with flat screen TVs.

A very common method for concealing your AV cabling these days is to build wall panels for your TV area. These wall panels are usually made from wood and have a small gap between the wall and the paneling to house the cables, hiding them from plain view. The TV and peripheral speakers can then be mounted against the panel. Whilst this is a rather costly design option, it has a long lasting aesthetic value to the overall look of a living room. For an affordable and more instant alternative, IKEA offers the BENNO TV bench with panel for RM699.00. With the BENNO, a flat screen TV can be hung on the reinforced back panel with the wires running behind the panel. The one good thing about the BENNO is that unlike a custom installed wall panel, it is mobile, not fixed.

Some homeowners go to the extent running cables within a wall, which requires some hacking and patch work to be carried out – this is also permanent and is a nightmare for cable maintenance. The cheapest current alternative is to use PVC cable housing which you can then paint over. However, this crude alternative is a slight eyesore because of its pronounced protrusion.

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Artist and designer, Pamela Ferrari, has launched her online store – PamelaFerrari.com – which features a ‘casa’ or home section retailing bedding, decorative pillows and table linens. Ferrari’s unique style of blending bright colours in her products makes them excellent additions to brighten any home.

Inspired by color and her extensive travels and life in Italy, Ferrari’s original fabric designs are available for purchase by the yard for online shoppers and designers.  Visitors will be able to select one of Ferrari’s original fabrics and customize their order for the home collection.  Citta Blue, a fabric inspired by Ferrari’s favorite cities around the world, is one of many fabric designs available by the yard, as a pillow, quilt, duvet, or sheet set

Born in Buffalo, New York, Pamela spent a childhood year in Rome with her sculptor father, decorator mother and six siblings.  She always knew that she would return to Italy.  She spent thirty-two years in Florence, and together with her Italian husband, lovingly restored a 1000-year-old guard tower and a 15th century farmhouse. Here her passion for painting translated into a lifestyle brand of fashion and home design which she’s now transported to Eastern Long Island. Her work reflects a Mediterranean sensibility:  chic, zestful, and free

Visit her online store today – you never know what you might pick up!

Coming up with decorating ideas for fireplace mantles is fairly easy; however, trying to decide which items that you would like to prominently display on your mantle could be a little harder.

Fireplace Decorating – Start in the Center

The first thing to do when decorating fireplace mantels is to choose a centerpiece.  Place your favorite framed piece of art in the center of the mantle to create a main focal point.  If you don’t have a favorite piece of art, you can use a mirror or a beautiful floral arrangement as the centerpiece of your decorating design. Once you have placed your centerpiece, place groups of similar items on either side, toward the end of the mantle. Try a small grouping of the same type of vases (either the same color or style) or a few black and white photos in the same color or type of picture frames. Having small groupings on either side of the centerpiece offers both uniformity and balance to your overall design.

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The studio apartment, all bachelors want a fab looking one but often don’t end up living in one for long when it’s time to nest with their other halves. Why? Because ‘there isn’t a big enough kitchen for me to do my cooking’, ‘I’d bring my work home but there isn’t a proper study here’, ‘I wish we could have a bath installed in our unit’ …

In comes Gary Chang, designer extraordinaire…

Gary designed his 32 square metre studio apartment into a space that can be transformed into 24 distinct rooms – all done with very little time and effort. Simply by moving partitions and sliding or pulling cabinet doors, the apartment can transform from bedroom to living room to study to kitchen and 20 other configurations! This simply is amazing design at work.

Not only has Gary Chang created a completely functional space from the 32 square metres he had to work with, he’s done it with resplendent style and taste.

living room to bedroom by pulling down the Murphy bed

tv cabinet can be shifted out to reveal pantry and minibar

study to dining just like that!

tugging the cd rack reveals a bath!

Watch the video to see this amazing home in action:

embedded by Embedded Video

YouTube

Hats off to Gary and his amazing piece of design work. I’ve always wanted to live in spaces which had transforming capabilities and one of my future projects is a study that transforms into my AudioVideo getaway. I’ve got some plans for that now but there are details which haven’t been covered. That would definitely be a project I’d highlight in detail on Howshouse!

Talk about cool. The polar bear storage unit epitomizes coolness in storage solutions. The storage unit comes neatly flat packed and has shelving capabilities both sides of the bear, making it perfect as a partition or even a standalone piece in the corner of your room/hall. The cliche pose lets you immediately identify that the black storage unit is unmistakably meant to be the silhouette of a polar bear.

Available from pedlars – steep enough that you’ll be certain that if you get it, not many others will have a similar unit.