The return of the cassette tape

While cassette tapes seems to be forgotten by the music industry, two current trends have brought them out for a second play - the 80's nostalgia in the visual world + recycling and sustainability happening just about everywhere.

I just love the hand made wallets by Marcella Foschi below. They were designed especially for the Designboom Mart in Tokyo, November 2006. Marcella dismantles old cassette tapes, removes their innards and then joins the plastic sides back together again with a zip. Brilliant surgical procedure! (via The Designboom Shop)

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Trash Luxe

There will be an exhibition taking place at Liberty in London from 20-30 September 2007 during the London Design Festival called Trash Luxe at Liberty. Curated by dezeen editor Marcus Fairs. This exhibition celebrates over a dozen young designers round the world that create exquisite furniture, lighting and jewellery using cheap or worthless materials. To find out more about the designers whose work will be featured at this exhibition, click here. Below are some of my favourites.

(above) Tide , a chandelier made from hundreds of plastic items found washed up on Dungeness Beach, by Stuart Haygarthand.(above) Paper Mache Arm Chair made of 120 layers of newspaper built up over an inflatable mould by Majid Asif.
(above) TransNeomatic bowls which combine traditional woven wicker techniques with used scooter tyres rescued from landfill sites by the Campana Brothers from Brazil.(above) Jewellery design made from sugar crystals by Greetje van Helmond. The wall of bread she made for her graduation show at the RCA is simply delicious! Sandwich, anyone?

Instant public space kit

A group of students and graduates from the Architectural Association school in London have produced a kit that can help turn unused spaces into public amenities. This bright yellow awning is slung from telegraph poles and buildings using cables and can be erected in just four hours! These kits is being featured at a current exhibition at the Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum in New York. Called Design For The Other 90%, the exhibition features designs that improve the lives of the world’s poor. Runs from 4 May to 27 September 2007.

Communist Chic

Check out Ostel, a new budget hotel in Berlin that celebrates Communist retro chic. It must be my penchant for nolstalgic items, coupled with my several visits to my husband's Russian motherland, that started me appreciating this style of decor. The hotel is located in a former East German housing block in the Berlin Mitte district. The rooms are furnished with Communist-era pieces salvaged from private houses and second hand shops. . ohh...I just love the fabrics and wallpaper and the music on their website!

City Furniture

I got to know about City Furniture via Bloesem. Located in Belgium, this store stocks on the most beautiful mid-century designer furniture and objects. Though a little on the pricey side, I think they are really well made and are worth the money if you can afford it. Good news is that they ship workwide! Some of my favourites below. Do check out their website for more!

(above) 1970s Harvey Guzzini, Italy floor lamp.€ 900
(above) 7 Serie 142 Tecno chairs Alexander Girard fabric. € 1000
(above) 1960s Hans Wegner teak Getama daybed. € 1200
(above) 5 Boris Tobacoff 'SPHERE' dining chairs 1971. € 4000. Not available.

A house in a house

My heart skipped a beat when I first saw this at Debi van Zyl's blog. It reminded me why I loved architecture and interiors in the first place. The magic of creating that dream house to live in. Of making, reconstructing, rethinking, inhabiting, dreaming...

This house is reconstucted by fnp architeken in Stuttgart. Since the site is not in English, I guessed from the pictures that the architects preserved the decaying shell of the house and inserted a new interior like an inner sleeve into it. Simple and magical. Love it! Absolutely looove it to bits!

CAVE

These bookcase CAVE really gives a feeling of a little hideaway. Designed to allow books to be stored on both sides, this bookshelf can also function as a partition of a room. CAVE comes in 2 sizes, one for adults and one for kids.

Stand Umbrella

An umbrella with feet to stand on its own. How clever and independent!

Fashbash

If you are up for some fashion hunting this weekend, be sure not to miss Fashbash! FashBash is the first and apparently most-loved fashion bazaar in Singapore where you can buy, sell and barter pre-loved designer tags and accessories! You also get the chance to grab stuff hot off the samples racks of local emergent and indie designer labels!

When: 18-19 August

Where: Curiocity Gallery, Nafa Campus II (Map)

ps: Lynda of littleoddforest emailed me to let me know that they will be at Fashbash. I had blogged about their quirky creatures, bags and accessores in a previous post. Littleoddforrest will be parading a little of everything, including their new collection, discounted prototypes and samples. Do catch them there if you are there!

Break the rules

I really enjoyed the feature in the Sept 07 edition of House & Garden entitled "Break the Rules". Some of the most innovative names in decorating today were asked to share some violations they make to create exceptional designs. Like they always say, rules are meant to be broken! And like I say, if you are planning to break it, break it well. Well, here are some rules for you to follow.

1. Turn it inside out.

Don't be confined by what should be kept in and what should be kept out. Bring your outdoor garden chairs and benches into the living room or bedroom if you like the feeling of living outdoors.

The image below is a photograph of the famous terrace Le Corbusier designed for Charles de Beistegui in the 1930s. I think this simple image encapsulates what is trendy in the decorating world today. The terrace is designed as a large, open room, delineated by a white wall, characteristic of Le Corbusier’s purist style. On the wall is a false fireplace, complete with decorated mantelpiece, and the terrace floor is a carpet of grass. Lovely.

2. Rethink Color

If you dare, play with clashing colour combinations to make a bold statement. Clashing or contrasting colors are directly opposite each other on the color wheel. If used carefully, they provide great contrast and high visibility.

If you are one of those that need help loosening up when it comes to colour and cannot deal with a colour wheel, you can try keeping a record of colours and objects with colours that attract you. It could be a piece of fabric, a picture from nature, a magazine clipping or a card that you like. You can then extract the colours from these "inspirational" pieces for your room.

(above) Cassina's Le Corbusier chairs in red velvet pop against their complementary opposite, the lime green of this French salon's walls.

3. Mix It Up

From combining plastic with wrought iron to mixing countryside gingham with ornate gold, mixing styles seems to be defining decorating in the 21st-century. As fun as it may seem, one should be careful not to get too carried away. The trick is to focus on a a few select pieces to mix. Like in Carlos de Beistegui's dining room below, the countrified checks really stand out in a predominately ornate room and creates a powerful contrast.

(Below)The simplicity of the pink laquer top by William Switzer pairs really well with the ornate Rococo base here. 4. Tip the scale

Play with the magic of optical illusion and colour to make a small room appear big and a large room appear cosy. Use large wallpaper patterns and fabrics to make a statement about a dull piece of furniture.

Below, decorators Michael Coorengel and Jean-Pierre Calvagrac make a room appear larger than life by painting a room dark. This has the effect of making the walls and ceiling disappear, leaving the large oversized mirrow and urn-topped white column towering over a Saarinen Tulip chair to define the scale of the room.

(images from House & Garden)

Anamorphic cups

I thought these Anamorphic cups were pretty cool when I first saw it. "Anamorphic" refers to a distorted image that only appears normal when viewed with a special device. The most common of these devices is the anamorphic cylinder, which typically consists of a cylinder with a highly reflective surface, placed in the center of painting that is lying face-up. Such curiosities first appeared in the 1600s, and became popular throughout Europe in the 18th century. The Anamorphic Cup is the first product to employ the visual principles of the anamorphic cylinder. The stainless steel cup reflects the distorted words printed on the porcelain saucer. The image is indecipherable when the cup and saucer are separate.

Flat packed cardboard table

This Doca Autunno coffee table is made from cardboard and is created to fold together like a piece of origami. It caused quite a stir, both for its functional and decorative design, when it was shown at the Milan furniture fair in 2005. Each table measures 35.5"l x 22.5"w x 14"h.

hivemindesign

Check out these wonderful designs by hivemindesign. My favourite has got to be the stag mirror below. Really love the simplicity and beauty of it.

Cool wooden magnetic board called what else but "Genuine"! Perhaps the magnets should be wooden, or designed like an object that doesn't look magnetic, too.
These beautiful honeycomb structure is sewn together using light weight durable fabric. It is collapsible and easy to install. This will be great for organising clothes or bags in your closet, don't you think? Something different from the conventional rectangular pigeon hole.

I've been tagged!

I have been hit by a blog game going on around in blogland. Kind of like a friendly chain letter, I've been "tagged" by Jennifer of Earth Friendly Weddings to list 8 random facts about myself and identify 8 other bloggers to do the same.

1. I grew up in Singapore and left home to pursue my passion for architecture and design when I was 18.

2. When I am inspired, I don't know when to stop. The converse also holds for me.

3. I met my husband when I was in grad school. He is Russian and now teaches in a local university in Singapore.

4. I am currently on maternity leave to take care of my 10 month old baby. I also maintain a blog for her.

5. I am a Christian and co-author a Christian blog with my husband called Yahweh Hagah.

6. My passion for interior design began at childhood when I would be shifting my furniture and reconfiguring my room layout every other day. My idea of a fun outing as a kid was visiting a new fully-furnished showhouse. I also loved opening fridges in departmental stores to see how the internal layout was configured.

7. My personality trait is INTP ( (Introverted iNtuitive Thinking Perceiving). This trait, known as the "Architect", is shared by individuals such as Albert Einstein. Woohoo!! I'm not alone! Click on this link if you want to know more about me. It is so accurate I could cry!!

8. I love to get to know people through this blog and am very happy when readers email me or leave comments on my post. So you know what to do! =)

Now it’s my turn to tag 8 other bloggers…Pls let me know if you have recently been tagged before and I will arrow someone else. =)

1. Creature Comforts

2. Eendar

3. Fashion is Spinach

4. Strange Fragments

5. Simply Olive

6. Hi + Low

7. Debi van Zyl

8. Blinkymummy

Flying carpets

The hills are alive with these Flying Carpets by Nanimarquina. Carpet and seating rolled in one, this comfortable-looking design is perfect for folks like me who like to lounge. Available in red, green, gray here.

Dutchtub

Designed like a cannibal's kettle, dutchtub requires no electricity, plumbing or hot water. Just fill it with water from a garden hose or river, put fire wood in the bin, and enjoy a 100 degree soak in nature with roasted marshmellows. This has got to be the closest you can get to enjoying an onsen experience in the middle of nowhere during winter. Fits in the back of an S.U.V, these tubs can also be rented over the weekends for a private party or large event. Looking at these images just makes me go ahhhh...Available in many parts of Europe and the US.

What wood would when willed

Good news! In case you didn't already know, you can now buy cool stationary from labels such as mmmg and rock scissor paper at Woodwould. I was in their shop at The Cathay just recently and had a hard time deciding what to get because everything looked so yummy! And more good news! Woodwould will be giving away a small gift to our blog readers when you purchase anything from them. Just mention laissezfaire at the counter when (and if) you are ready to checkout! Thanks Woodwould!

Adding colour to kitchen

A reader emailed me to ask for some help in adding colour to her kitchen which is being renovated. Her kitchen cabinets will be in glossy white (top) and oak (bottom). She also has a round kitchen table which will be laminated white with oak legs. She is thinking of buying a FLY lamp by Kartell and Magis Air chair to inject some colour into this room. Problem is, she cannot decide what colour to choose. Doesn't this sound familiar to all of us?

First of all, good choice on the lamp and chairs! I completely understand your dilemma with the colour selection. There is just too many beautiful colours to choose from! Good thing is that your kitchen has a neutral base, so I don't think you can go wrong with any colour choice you make.

Personally for me, I like my kitchen to be fresh and bright! I think of fresh green lettuce, ripe lemons, the sky and lots of natural sunlight when I imagine my dream kitchen. Think the colour scheme below pretty much describes it.

So, as a matter of personal preference, my colour palette for a kitchen would gravitate towards the green, blue and yellow spectrum. If I had to choose, I would go for the bolder petrol blue Fly lamp to make it a strong feature in the kitchen, and pair it with the light yellow Magis Air Chair. I will then echo and match these colours throughout the kitchen with lots of fresh greens and fruits. I also like Martha Steward's idea of spray painting metal cannister lids to add spots of colour to your kitchen table. In your case, you can take the colour cue from the colour of the lamp you choose for your kitchen.

Hope this helps! Good luck and do send me a pic of your kitchen when it is done!

(image from House Beautiful)

Hella Jongerius

Designed by Hella Jongerius for Droog Design, these polyurethane wash basins questions the materials often associated with bathroom designs and takes it to a whole new level!

Février

Beautiful hand-drawn notebooks by Février designs. Do check out more of their cool indie stuff at etsy.

Vinyl stickers by Domestic

These colorful wall/ceiling decals are part of the Vynil line by a French publishing house called Domestic. Domestic works with well-known designers to produce products that allow the consumer to contribute to the design. Pretty magical when matched with a ceiling fixture, don't you think?