Penang Reading Chair

This is a recent find that I am very pleased with. A teak armchair circa 1920-1940 salvaged from one of the old colonial houses of Penang. Clearly, Campbell Road still has its treasures...

Free Furniture

One of the perks of having a bunch of relatives is that they usually have plenty of redundant furniture which they are happy to give away. Collecting these old furniture is a good way of saving money but it has to be done with deliberation or you might end up with an apartment that looks like a junk shop. So far, I have been offered:

1) a rattan living room set - declined because of uncomfortable cushions
2) 10 orange moulded plastic dining chairs - declined because too many and too retro
3) a bookshelf - declined because I already ordered an 8-foot behemoth
4) a Singer-sewing machine table base - no space but KIV
5) a pair of armchairs - accepted (see below)
6) an iron bed - accepted after modification (see below)

My mum's friend, Aunty Florence, gave me a pair of chintz "Dancing Dolls Chairs". When my mover went to collect them, she gave them each a kiss goodbye as they had been with her for over 30 years. The chintz would have to eventually go and what I have in mind is to repaint the wood in black and to reupholster the fabric bits in pinstriped wool - the same kind used for men's suits. I first saw one redone like this in the Brooks Brothers' window display in London more than a year ago and have wanted similar chairs ever since. However, painting and reupholstering costs upwards of RM500 plus fabric costs. So the Dancing Dolls are safe for now...

Aunty Florence also gave me her father's queen-sized iron bed which she lorried down from Ipoh. It was originally a four-poster bed but I had the four posts chopped off to fit into my low-ceilinged bedroom. This is the bed with the work halfway done.

Renovation Pains

Decorating the apartment has become rather a chore as I struggle to choose the right kitchen appliances. My personal agony is over how much to spend on a hob/hood/oven/microwave. As a non-cooking type, the specs are subsumed to cost and aesthetics. Unfortunately, these objectives don't often coincide.

Even an interior designer does not help as mine was able to convince me to keep my lime green living room wall and opt for a bright coloured sofa (fuchsia!) but no thanks to my limited budget, leaving him to choose the appliances is not an option. Otherwise, my budget would be bust three times over.

Lime wall and the kitchen space:

Wardrobe Conundrum

I'm agonising what to do with my built-ins and was struck by the iD's remark that some people use wallpaper. Sure enough, found an interesting one from the David Hicks collection from UK wallpaper maker to the Royal blah blah, Cole & Son.

To crucial question is: does this print make your head spin?

The Bauhaus Building in Dessau

Since I started on the Bauhaus subject, there is so much more to say. Gropius started his movement in the old German city of Weimar but decided to build his visionary school in Dessau. The Bauhas became home to revolutionary artists such as Klee, Kandinsky and Mies van der Rohe.

The Bauhaus broke with tradition in that it used exclusively clean and simple lines, glass and concrete to create an open, bright space for young minds to flourish. Of course, what sounded right in principle didn't always work as the glass facade also made for easy heat loss in the cold Dessau winters and glaring days during the summers.

This is the dormitory block which was itself revolutionary because Bauhaus students were allowed the luxury of their own rooms, each equipped with a balcony.

Bauhaus in 21st Century KL

Hurray! After a long wait, my little Centrio unit is finally ready. Hope to get the keys this week and pop down to Interiorscape to get some suggestions on wardrobe and kitchen designs.

Just as well that I recently found inspiration in the Bauhaus buildings in Germany. The Bauhaus movement was started in the 20th Century interwar period by the architect Walter Gropius who was inspired by the reform vibe of the times to merge an art academy and school of arts and craft to create a movement that teaches form and functionality in design. In a purist sense, although there are iconic Bauhaus buildings in Germany, the movement does not refer so much to a particular style than it does to a philosophy of functionality. Thus, one can stay quite true to the Bauhaus spirit so long that one designs for utility and comfort. At least, that is how I understand it.

But then, I am not much of a philosopher and the classic Bauhaus designs are what caught my attention. If you want to know what I mean, check out the photos below. The first two photos are of Bauhaus Masterhouses in Dessau built in the 1920s. The third photo is of my apartment block circa 2010. No need to guess where the architects got their inspiration.

1920s Bauhaus Masterhouses:

2010 Centrio:

The Lamp

One of the funny things about hunting for home items is that something fabulous always comes along when you least expect it. And when you are least equipped to carry it.

So it was that I was on a holiday with my cousin in Munich when I found the perfect vintage industrial lamp. I don't know how I did it but I lugged one almost 10,000km home!