A Deal, I Say

Super pleased today because I finally bought a fabulous lamp that I have been eyeing for 3 years - yes, you didn't read that wrong - THREE years! The first time I saw it, I couldn't afford it. When I managed to save up, they stopped making yellow shades. Not only do I own one now but I also got it on a 60% discount which I skillfully negotiated up from just 20%. Thanks Rokman!

I managed to snap a couple of photos with my phone. The slim base is made of stacked wood pieces and the lamp shade is starfruit-shaped and made of gorgeous yellow Thai silk. The shop is Ombak at KLCC, absolutely the best soft furnishings store in the city.

Here is another tip: NEVER wait till your flat/house is ready before rushing to buy furnishings. Start looking at least 3 months ahead and take lots of photos. This way, you leave yourself with enough time to think properly about whether things fit. Then go back during sale periods and bargain like mad. Most stores will agree to keep purchased items for between 3-6 months.

Midfields Mid-iocre

Went to the launch of the YTL Midfields Residential Project in Sungei Besi to see if I can pick up design ideas but left sorely disappointed by the below par interiors work. Don't know if this is because they decided to work with a credit crunch-appropriate budget or because the company's reputation is so established that they don't bother to impress anymore.

Anyway, the show unit was just over 1,000 sq ft, mainly done up in...(surprise!)...white.

Snore.

Spanish Fiesta

I made a trip to Cordoba in the South of Spain last Easter to visit my pen pal Rosell and somehow ended up with a ridiculous number of photographs of doorways, facades, courtyards and street signs. Cordoba is part of the Andalucian region which was once ruled by the Moors so the people inherited an enviable talent to create cool surroundings despite 40 deg summer heat.

Many of the buildings in the old city have very colourful exterior – no sissy pastels but full on reds, yellows and blues.

The photo below shows the façade of the medieval town square Plaza de la Corredera. It is the one of a few old squares which is still inhabited and not turned into a tourist circus.

The Andalucians are also fond of flowers which they use to decorate their balconies and courtyards.

Some of the other things I love about this part of Spain: the Easter procession costumes which are eerily reminiscent of the KKK in redneck USA, bustling tapas bars and Rosell's mother's delicious paella…

A Fair Mattress

Last weekend, Mae and I went to the Modern Home and Lifestyle Fair at Mid Valley but it wasn't so much of a fair as some kind of tacky lelong. Which is kind of surprising considering the Citibank sponsorship and adspend on promoting the event.

There was nothing of note except for the mattresses section. It just so happen we were both looking for new mattresses and were pondering our budgets. (Here is Mae testing a Getha version). The good news is that latex mattresses have come down in prices significantly. They used to retail at around RM5,000-8,000 but prices have dropped to the RM3,000-5,000 range.

The cheapest version we could find was some German brand called Napure - RM1999 for a soft mattress, a fugly divan and 2 pillows. Dunlopillo had a sublime piece although it was rather fishy that the salesperson could offer a discount from over RM14,000 to just over RM4,000. It was so unbelievable that we walked away from this deal as well. Perhaps it is another fight for another day. Mattresses just aren't sexy purchases.

Oh, a tip: never believe salespeople who tell you that you should better buy immediately or risk prices increasing by 20% the following year. They have been using this spiel for years. If true, mattresses would cost more than cars by now.

Buying Old Furniture

I've been wanting to get an old nyonya pantry cupboard for quite some time now. There is really no other piece of furniture that is so closely associated with the Malayan kitchen. In my primary school days, I would come home from school and head straight for my grandmother's cupboard where lunch awaits. It is very hard to find one in KL now unless you are willing to pay quite a high price for an over-refurbished piece.

So, it was with this quest in mind that I drove down to Malacca with Lars last month. We went straight to my favourite junk store in the old Chinatown which is ran by a rather eccentric proprietor, Mr Tham. I ended up buying a 1930s turquoise cupboard for a little over RM200. It's not a proper pantry one but I like the old paint job. Looking at this photo, you might think WTF? It needs a bit of work but I can make it quite presentable. I am thinking of lining the inside with striped or polka dotted cupboard liners.

I am really inspired by the way Tricia Guild furnished this New York loft:

Meanwhile, as I was negotiating, Lars got busy checking out the odd self-help messages that old Tham put up around the store.

At least the guy has some entertainment value.

Made Wijaya and Inspiration

A couple of weeks ago, the Star published an interesting interview with landscape and interiors designer Made Wijaya a.k.a. Michael White. Made made his name designing the gardens of the Bali Oberoi and has gone on to become something of a guru in his field. He points out Asia's shortcomings:

1. Many Asians lack conviction on design integrity. They often fail to follow through on important details such as furnishings, lighting or colour scheme. Asians are also handicapped by taboos e.g. fengshui blah blah.

2. Asian cities tend to prefer an architectural style that seeks to control nature rather than integrate it. So we usually end up with glass, concrete or steel towers which are air-conditioned to the max rather than open spaces, courtyards and natural vents that are more suited to our tropical climates.

3. Asians also fear colour in their homes. Made says: 'The tropics should be colourful, look at Sri Lankan architecture as well as Mexico and Africa. The Maldives, Mauritius and Malaysia are all brown and beige interiors, very boring-lah after a few years'. I couldn't agree more.

So the emphasis really is on interiors since not many of us have the luxury to construct our own homes. [If I did, I would incorporate many of the features of the Blue Mansion in Penang or the Chinatown courtyard shophouses in Malacca]. I draw inspiration from several sources though I have to admit that they are all foreign ones. I gave up on magazines like Trend or Home (published in Singapore) because all the homes that they feature do exactly what we shouldn't. Beige, glass, aluminium, leather sofas - in a word, Yuk! My favourite magazine is Livingetc. I am not sure what is the term to describe the London style they feature but I would call it vintage chic. They are very good at using colour and old furniture pieces that many of us would normally not look twice at. If done right, it can make decorating quite inexpensive because many of these old furniture can be salvaged from secondhand furniture shops.

I also like to browse coffee table books on Moroccan and Mexican style. I love their use of colours and textiles. These books and mags are expensive but there are ways to score cheapies. Some bookshops have back issues for under RM10. I also pick up coffee table books at book sales. I found my all time favourite from one of these sales a few years ago. It's a book by Designers Guild founder Tricia Guild. My latest find at the Big Bad Wolf Book Sale at Amcorp Mall last week is a volume on Indochinese style. I quite like this look:

The Project

In four months' time, I will be getting the keys to my new flat in the Centrio Development. I'm really looking forward to having my own place again but have to start planning now if I want to move in asap. My unit is teeny tiny. Only 623 sq ft divided over two floors. I think it is probably one of those units they managed to scrap together after drawing up standard-sized units. Here's the floor plan:

There are really two reasons for me to start this blog. It would be quite nice to have a record of my latest home decor project. My biggest regret is not taking enough pictures of my last apartment, before and after. I was really proud of the place until I visited The Tenant last month. I was horrified to see what she did to it but I will save this story for another day.

I also want to encourage others to be more adventurous with their home decor. Most Asians are terribly dull when it comes to interiors - we live in white/beige environments and surround ourselves with ugly, uncomfortable furniture under the glare of awful fluorescent lighting. No wonder we are such an uncreative lot. Creating an interesting home does not have to be expensive. In fact, my own ethos is to live as comfortably and as cost-effectively as possible by adapting our homes to our environment. So there will be no hardsell of any designer furniture or design style. I'm going to be putting together the new and the old, the white and the colourful and hope that it all works out in the end.

What's in a Name?

Everything! Finding a name for the upcoming project to fix up my tiny new apartment was surprisingly easy. I was sitting in my closet of a room and in less than an hour I came up with a list that includes 'No White Walls' and 'A Flat Story'. Peggy and I decided to go with the latter, tweaked it with an 'e' and here we are. Quite a few of my friends liked my old digs so I think this would be a fun journey. Wouldn't hurt too if others come on to share their tips. Watch this space!