The End of Ombak

After a good run, one of my favourite soft furnishing stores, Ombak in KLCC, is calling it a day. Popped in today to check out the closing down sale.

There were a number of table lamps but the ones that I liked were already sold. A nice pair of ceramic chinese stools but the discount was only 20%. Some interesting prints but I haven't decided if they are right for my future place. Some colourful cotton pieces from Barbara Samsoni's Barefoot collection but I decided that I already have too many bedspreads.

In the end, I picked up a Barefoot dodo for my friend's toddler. Still time to go back if I change my mind on the other items.

Sale continues till April 25.

Water, Water, Not a Drop

Bad news this week. The handover date of my anticipated Centrio apartment has been delayed until July 2010. The YTL manager-in-charge informed me without apology that the expected delivery date 'by Q12010' has been pushed because the development is not ready and neither are the letters to inform homebuyers that they have to wait an additional four months. Hello professionalism?? Homebuyers really need more protection.

While still in my state of ignorance, I headed to the Gudang sale and bought their fab Belut rack. Thankfully, they are quite accommodating when it comes to storage.

What's Ethnic about Ethnic

I get an inward shudder whenever I hear people describe their interiors theme as being "ethnic". It conjures up images of multiple Sarawak vases and swathes of pua kumbus or dangly Indian ornaments like the ones here.

 

It's all fine and well if you are a student living in a small dorm room in a grey and cold city somewhere but it is really taking things too far when it actually becomes a interiors theme.

Some people do it not as a matter of taste but one of helping out minority communities which I don't disagree with but there are always ways to support the crafts without going overboard on the ethnic or the tribal.

Over the years, I found some of the best 'modern' pieces in the most unlikely places. My latest discovery is this black clay vase and dishes from a crafts market in New Delhi. This small collection was brought over from a village in India's Mizoram state which borders Burma. 

Got lots more examples but will have to wait till I unpack my boxes again.

The White Exception

I know I started this blog with a rallying cry against white rooms but I must admit that when done right, white rooms can be very charming.

The place I have in mind is a boutique hotel in Galle called The Sun House. I recently holidayed here for 5 days and fell in love with the place, including its white theme. There were a couple of elements that made the place so wonderfully cosy. The first was the use of dark hardwood furniture and brass antiques.

I was completely charmed by my Aliya room which was furnished with a four poster bed, a hardwood desk and cupboard, a colonial sofa and day bed. This room opened through double wooden doors to a bright shower, illuminated by a skylight and air vents.

I also managed to sneak a peek at the Dumas Suite while the house boys were cleaning one morning and saw this pretty study.

But for cosiness, nothing topped the evening atmosphere that was a quaint combination of colonial sluggishness and British eccentricity. The English owner, Geoffrey, ran Dick's Bar, Galle's favourite spot for sundowners. His deputy and countrywoman, Henri Tatham, flitted among guests dressed everyday in a different pink printed moomoo and pink feathered fascinator. Here are some decor pieces that really remind me of them.

Definitely the most memorable hotel that I've stayed in. 

A Question of Cupboards

I used to tell myself that given a choice, I would not install any built-in wardrobes. I hated them because the room I had in my parent's house was already on the smallish side and the built-in they installed took up a huge chunk of space. But years later when I bought my own place, I did the once unthinkable. After years of living in cramped rooms, I decided to compromise for the extra space to store my clothes, bags, shoes and textiles.

Now, as I look to moving again, the inevitable question has resurfaced. How do I get storage space without cramping the style I want to achieve? I'm running a poll for feedback. Here are the options:

1) Floor-to-ceiling built-ins. I was persuaded by Amazon.co.uk to buy this wonderful book, A Girl's Guide to Decorating by British designer Abigail Ahern. The designer recommends this simple design for closet doors. I quite like it.

  

2) Antique Chinese cupboards. I am definitely not interested in anything too 'ethnic' so I am qualifying this by putting up a photo of the exact design. I found this A-shaped giant Chinese cupboard at the Jalan 222 treasure trove, Danasti. According to Ho Lee who runs the warehouse, this piece was refashioned from recycled elm wood by Chinese craftmen. Check out the gorgeous brass hinges and door lock.

3) Pick-and-mix flea market finds. In one of my earlier postings, I wrote about finding a sweet little cupboard in a Malacca junk store. Instead of getting new ones, it may be an idea to try to rescue as many pieces as possible. It would be cheap but I may have to sacrifice space and design integrity.

And now...vote!

The Bawa Factor

I've just had a wonderful holiday in Sri Lanka and I am still brimming with enthusiasm about the place. If you are interested in modern Asian architecture, this is definitely the place to visit. Long before modern minimalism became popular in Asia, Sri Lanka had its own movement growing under the influence of the late (and gifted) Geoffrey Bawa.

Bawa started by transplanting European designs but later developed his own version of tropical minimalism. He experimented with creating bold geometric structures using local natural materials. But don't mistake the Bawa look for Balinese exoticism. I don't think Mr Bawa had a lot of patience little decorative things other than what nature has to offer. What I love most about the Bawa style is the signature courtyards - wide and airy in the shadows of tranquil frangipani trees. 

Here are some photos of the newly built Era Beach Hotel in Thalpe. I think the designers stayed true to quite a number of Bawa elements. 

By the way, this is what Era Beach is most famous for - the weather-hardened stick fishermen.

Indian Cottons

You really can't do better than India when it comes to shopping for home textiles. I wrote a little about this in an earlier posting but want to elaborate a little more on this great coop chain called Fabindia. It's headquartered in New Delhi but there are outlets all across the country. I was quite lucky to be able to visit 2 stores during my recent India trip - one at the airport in Delhi and the other in Chennai.

I saw the the Chennai store as I was driving by with my Bangalore driver. For once, I was quite happy with the haphazard traffic in India. The driver deftly made a sharp left turn when he heard me shout - "Stop Here, Please!". Even came up to help carry my little shopping bag. Very sweet of him.

So, back to Fabindia. They have an online shop but it is rather lousy compared to the wonderful shops. The great thing is that because it is a coop, the items are sourced from many places so there is great variety. Each store can carry completely different items from another. The Delhi Airport branch, for example, carried more fashion items. I got a lovely antique-finish silk purse and a shawl here but in Chennai, they had mostly home items. I picked up these curtains:

 

They only had four pieces left so I grabbed all of them. Also grabbed these two thick cotton weave cushion covers. Only two pieces left. Prices are not low but still quite reasonable. The curtains are Rp625 (US$13.45) per panel while the cushion covers are Rp195 (US$4.20)

Can't wait to go back again.