Category — Uncategorized

I recently saw the Fujiaire’s commercial on Youtube featuring their 3 year full body warranty on air conditioners. What impressed me was that this concise 11 second commercial was able to promote their warranty feature using a really cute angle.

embedded by Embedded Video

YouTube

The ad features an adorable baby elephant wearing oversized earmuffs, letting out a sneeze. Immediately, two large ears rise from either side of the calf, covering it completely. You then realise the calf was in fact sitting atop its mummy all this while. A very poignant way indeed to portray Fujiaire’s 3 year ‘full body’ warranty.

The ad actually got me thinking on the following points:

1. Air conditioners are a critical fixture in Malaysian homes – living at the equator line simply translates to a year long tropical climate with high humidity. I cannot recall being in a home without an air conditioner installed. In fact, what amazes me is the volume of air cons installed in small homes these days, denoting families’ reliance on this appliance to convert the localized tropical climate into a more temperate one.

2. A while ago, I read somewhere that external temperatures have a direct effect on one’s state of mind and moods. I then recalled that Lee Kuan Yew kept strict temperature regiments as it was believed that the temperature of a room directly impacted his performance and wellbeing. His offices were kept at a constant 22 degrees Celsius and he slept in a room where the temperature was always 19 degrees Celcius. He was always a very scientific and research oriented person, hence he must have had empirical reasonings for needing to keep cool. A simpler litmus test to prove that temperature affects moods is simply to pay attention to the number of times you feel agitated, aggravated and simply irritable in a place which was stuffy and warm. I’m sure its happened to most of us at some point.

3. Back to air conditioners in homes… most units are used heavily – daily, for hours at a time. Hence, reliability and after sales support becomes a critical purchase consideration factor. As the industry matures, performance parity is being achieved, making after sales support and warranty a key differentiator with competing brands. Whilst some brands may offer extended warranties, you need to be careful especially to ‘what’ is actually covered by the warranty.

All Fujiaire air conditioners come with a standard 1 year warranty that covers all parts and labor. However, if you register online at www.fujiaire.com.my within two weeks of purchase, you’re entitled to an extended warranty up to three years that covers parts only. It’s great to see a local brand doing something out of the box to differentiate themselves from the competition and showing consumers that they care about after sales support. I also assume the Fujiaire folks must have high confidence in the quality of their product in order to be able to promote such an audacious warranty! A win-win for consumers either way you look at it.

One of the smaller details that I appreciate if that they’ve simplified the warranty registration process by doing away with manual registration. Registration can be done self-service online by simply submitting your purchase online to enable the warranty. Fujiaire seems to be moving in the right direction by focusing on the consumer experience.

Created by influential finnish designer Ilmari Tapiovaara, the Trienna Table is a clever 3 legged table that is precisely engineered for perfect balance as each of its legs taper from the width of the side of the table to a point on the ground.

This very elegant table is highly suited for modern contemporary homes and comes in a variety of colours – natual birch, white stained birch, black stained birch, teak veneer, oak veneer and walnut veneer. I personally  really like the walnut veneer version for its deep colours makes the grain more obvious. Beware of made in China counterfeits – I suggest that you consider an original as it is a precision engineered product and you probably will not be happy with a copy that will not sit level after some time

With nature waking up after a long winter sleep we are surrounded by new life and vibrant colours. I particularly like it just as Spring begins when you have the contrast between bare branches and sparks of new life budding and unfurling. I always hold my breath until my cherry tree begins to prove that it is still alive as every winter I have the unfounded fear that it will not make it through the harsh weather.

Capturing this transient moment in the changing of the seasons is something I have been trying to achieve in my home through colours and textures. Using driftwood and natural surfaces for furniture and shelving, I have contrasted by layering the guest beds with leaf motive bedding and light white muslin drapes to echo the unveiling of the season. The effect is simple: peaceful and fresh, offering a nature inspired oasis in which to relax.

Choosing sofa beds for the room has allowed me to further expand the theme by making more of the newly available floor space. Following the elemental feel with reclaimed hardwood boards softened with a handmade textured rag rug I am delighted with the final result. I may just have to decide to move into this bedroom myself – or at the very least re-decorate the master bedroom so we don’t feel hard done to.

If you decide to have a go at reflecting nature in your interior design style be sure to be clear before you start about what you are hoping to achieve. Do you want to identify with a particular season, an element such as water or earth, or even home in on something much smaller such as a particular flower? There is endless inspiration just outside the window and I for one am a newly awakened fan of natural beauty.

I usually pay very little attention to the constantly changing federal tax code–that’s why I pay my accountant. I really don’t mind paying my share of taxes every year, because as an American, I believe I have it pretty darn good. I just wish that the government should spend more of that money on beneficial programs that subsidize alternative energy projects and promote the use of energy efficient building products.

Green Projects Save You Money

I was disappointed to learn that the federal tax credit for energy efficient home improvements is ending this year. This $1500 tax credit was offered to homeowners who completed energy-saving upgrades to their homes, such as window replacement, adding insulation to attics, or installing new roofing and siding materials.

I qualified for this tax credit when installing new double-paned wood windows during a pretty exhaustive home remodel in 2009. Sure, I would have purchased and installed the energy efficient windows regardless of the tax credit, but I was excited that the government was helping to push our country in a better direction. Not everyone needs tax incentive to make energy efficiency home improvements, but some will do whatever they can to lower their annual tax burden. You know, the sort who purchase a Chevy Suburban to receive a commercial vehicle tax credit or claim their TV room as a “home office.” They were letting the tail wag the dog when it came to paying their taxes, and these programs at least put this practice to good use.

Do You Need a Doctor or an Accountant ?

Another perplexing tax situation that has me scratching my head is that the Federal estate tax has been suspended for 2010. This creates a particularly sinister scenario for those who will do anything to reduce their tax burden. Here’s the story: Former President Bush’s 2001 tax law increased the amount of inherited wealth a person could shelter from estate taxes by $2.5 million, but eliminated all estate taxes in 2010. In 2011, however, the rules would change so that taxpayers could only shield $1 million from taxes–the original amount. That means that some wealthy family would pay no estate taxes if their rich father died on December 31 of this year, but could face a huge tax burden if he died the next day. This bizarre situation just gets my imagination going, as I wonder how far some people will go to avoid paying their taxes.

What exactly is a conservatory? A conservatory is typically a glass and metal structure traditionally found in the gardens of large houses or public parks. However, these days, conservatories are commonly used as ‘extensions’ to the home, housing plants and greenery for home improvement purposes.

Whilst it is not so common in Malaysia, conservatories are highly common in temperate countries such as the United Kingdom. Glass is the key material to an effective conservatory to allow the right amount of sunlight in for optimum plant growth. Some of the more popular variants to which the glass paneling is implemented are the dwarf wall, raised panel and full height panel options. Both the dwarf wall and raised panel options allow for the conservatory to have a solid non-glass base whilst the full height panel option has glass install from floor to ceiling, allowing maximum light.

Common styles include Victorian, Edwardian, P-shaped and the Double Hipped. More modern implementations usually lean towards the Double Hipped. If you’re thinking about having a conservatory in your home, a really great resource would be Conservatory Prices. The guys at the site have done a great job creating a one-stop centre for home owners looking to build conservatories, especially in the UK. From a knowledge perspective, the site provides you with a simply blog to better understand conservatories – the benefits and aspects of implementation. The site also offers its users the facility to get quotes for a conservatory based on your input and specifications.

If that’s not enough, they are also big on the DIY conservatories scene, allowing its users to create their own conservatories by providing DIY packages which help ease the implementation in terms of effort and time. One day, when I have the opportunity to build my house from the ground up, I’ll be certain to include a conservatory with a very cozy patio set smack in the middle of it and sunlight coming from the sides and top. Remember, a conservatory doesn’t necessarily have to house plants – you could frost out the glass and use it as a living space basked in natural sunlight.

The dining area is usually where families, busy as they are, come together for meals. It is a place where families converse about the events of the day, happenings at work, discussions about school, and perhaps the occasional (perhaps frequent) banter about one of the Premier League’s top four clubs.

Many yearn to have the dining hall separate from the living area and this is usually achieved in medium to large sized landed properties rather than small to medium sized apartments. However, even in apartments, I’ve seen folks convert an unused bedroom into the dining area to great effect. Done well, it can create a wonderful sense of privacy, a very cozy feel coupled with possibly a great view. If you’re planning to convert a room into a dining space, consider using large wall mirrors to provide additional spatial sense thus making the dining feel larger than it actually is. Large horizontally stretched mirrors, ideally not much longer than the length of the dining table is ideal. However, if space becomes a constraint, a mirror hung vertically can create a desired effect as well. A classy cutlery cabinet is always a nice addition and makes preparation a lot more convenient too.

Finding the right dining set

Before wading through seas of furniture, you need to be able to identify with the theme of your dining room. As with anything in life, decision making is less complicated when you know WHAT it is you want – in this case, having a rough inkling of that helps to greatly narrow down your options when you step into furniture outlets. The dining hall is a place where families and their guests get together to eat, drink and be merry hence it is critical that the furniture you choose for it reflects your personality which in turn connects with a theme you might have in your head. For a classy look, cherry or dark wood finishing with a tempered glass top is always going to work in most any home. If your dining hall is generally painted or littered with items of a dark shade of colour, a light coloured dining table will draw attention to it.

[Read more →]

I’ve got Daren to thank for these amazing images which he forwarded to me from a forwarded mail he received. There are children’s bedrooms and there are children’s bedrooms… I’m certain you will be amazed with the following images of children’s bedrooms all done up in various themes.

[Read more →]

The folks at OTOTO have one of the most refreshing websites I’ve seen in a while. Constantly playful, fun and enigmatic is what I’d deem their website to be. The main page features pencil drawings of scattered planets with a black star-filled background. Clicking on each planet will allow you to traverse to different sections of their site.

So what exactly is OTOTO? NO, it’s not a distant cousin of Berjaya’s Sportstoto number forecasting agency. In short, Studio OTOTO is a product and industrial design house started in 2002 by Ori Saidi and Daniel Gassner. Situated in Tel Aviv, these folks are constantly at it when it comes to creating new products to be sold in designer stores throughout the world. Read more about them in detail at the official OTOTO site.

Here’s a highlight of some of their uber funky products:

The TeaSub

I’d like to think that this crazy clever idea was inspired by the Beatles’ Yellow Submarine. A tea diffuser shaped like a submarine with an opening at the front of the sub to stuff your tea leaves is just pure design genius. ‘We all live in a Yellow Submarine, a Yellow Submarine…’

[Read more →]

Giovannoni Stefano of Alessi worked together with the National Palace Museum of Taiwan to come up with a concept called ‘The Family of Mr. Chin’ where each character represented a household function. The one that really stands out is the Mr. and Mrs. Chin salt and pepper shaker set.

I’ve seen this unique Italian designed, Chinese inspired set available for retail at Robinsons Departmental Store for RM250. A pretty steep price to pay for a salt and pepper shaker, but when it comes with the Alessi name stamped on it, you know you’re paying good money for quality

Imagesource: alessi

Looking for art for the home? Here’s an avenue: