Interiors: An eclectic mix of details in this Industrial Loft

Vintage is a nicer word for old and used.
Industrial is a nicer word for old and rusty… sometimes.
Mix these with the other accoutrements of modern living and you get Eclectic.

I wouldn’t describe homes with a style that is more vintage or industrial as lovely. Simply because lovely things are light, bright and clean to me.

That is not to say I do not admire homes with an industrial or vintage vibe, throbbing with an appreciation of reclaimed items of some historicity. It’s just that when not done well, it is easy to come across as tacky, gloomy, dusty and maybe a tad grimy. But that’s just me and my OCD penchant for cleanliness and comfort :P

Having said all this, here is an Industrial Loft house with impact. Lots and lots of details to entrance the eyes.

What I liked best though are the custom bi-fold sliding doors that frame an almost picture perfect bedroom (would be picture perfect without that plastic storage box sitting in the corner there).

   

You can see the rest of the house on Apartment Therapy.

Interiors: Pure white furnishings to accentuate display items and accent furniture

Simple monotone furniture and furnishings downplay these functional items and draw one’s eye to the decorative items like the pair of crafted chairs. I like how the straight lines of the display case and sofas set up a simple counterpoint that accentuates the timelessness of traditional wood furniture with its ornate details.

  

The sheer vertical height of the display space in this house surely will delight the eyes when filled with books and articles of visual interest. Meanwhile, just the sheer whiteness and emptiness of it gives one a sense of restfulness and also a strange sense of expectancy.

I like to imagine this house must surely belong to an owner, a collector of wondrous oddities ;)

via http://www.homeandstyle.com.sg/index.php/luxury-living/126-spaced-out

Lighting: Home of Lighting Designer Marjorie Skouras

Apartment Therapy offered us a peek into what seemed like a veritable menagerie of feathers, taxidermy specimens and yes, lighting this month in this house tour of Marjorie Skouras home.

What amused me further amidst all the quixotic artefacts Skouras had in her home was a little bit of Chinese-inspired lighting with a lamp base with a countenance similar to the Chinese deity – Guanyin.

 

Guanyin is the bodhisattva associated with compassion as venerated by East Asian Buddhists, usually as a female. The name Guanyin is short for Guanshiyin which means "Observing the Sounds (or Cries) of the World".
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guanyin

In Chinese Buddhism, Guan Yim/ Guan Yin/Kuan Yim/ Kuan Yin is synonymous with the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, the pinnacle of mercy, compassion, kindness and love.
- http://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/Chinese_Customs/Guan_Yin.htm

There is a strange clash of western, eastern religious and domestic artefacts over here which creates a visual dissonance and interest.

But if I were to choose, I would say my favourite lights would be Skouras’ Honeycomb Lanterns. I love the swirling effect on the glass and the hexagon light reflections that bloom on the ceiling. Skouras has this in different glass options.

  

More pictures of Marjorie Skouras’ lights and chandeliers in-situ at http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/a-look-inside-the-home-of-lighting-designer-marjorie-skourashouse-tour-169672

If you share the same aesthetics but have economy concerns, Urban Outfitters does have similar alternatives (some more, some less similar) at more affordable prices. But just doesn’t seem to beat the real thing when you are looking at the finishing, shape and details.

Marjorie Skouras lights vs UO lights

  

Like this article? See other Chinese-figurine/deity infused lighting in Lighting: The Dramatic Whiteness of Exploding Dinner Ware

Sculpture: Yoshimasa Tsuchiya’s quiescent wood sculptures

At first glance, Yoshimasa TSUCHIYA’s work appeared to me to be a fine example of the imaginary leap one takes in the process of digital compositing. But before I mislead you, let me clarify that Yoshimasa Tsuchiya is a sculptor that works with wood, not a digital artist.

Anyway, this Goldfish Sculpture was an earlier work.

Move forward to 2009/10, and one finds Yoshimasa Tsuchiya has given the whimsy a delicate palette of soft hues that I find very delightful in its airiness and faerie quality. 

Yoshimasa Tsuchiya’s collection appear to comprise a fair stable of mythical horse/deer-like creatures. Very pure, stable and quiescent. I would love to see them IRL one day.

  

Yoshimasa Tsuchiya’s site includes a picture page on the “making” process and more of his work of course.

Artist site http://yoshimasa-tsuchiya.net/
Via http://bblinks.blogspot.com/2011/03/yoshimasa-tsuchiya.html

Sources:
- http://www.dailyicon.net/2008/11/goldfish-sculpture-by-yoshimasa-tsuchiya/ 
- http://percentone.com/?p=43
- http://www.superyouth.org/yoshimasa-tsuchiya/
- http://howadorrible.wordpress.com/2011/01/20/yoshimasa-tsuchiya-wood-carvings/

Garden: Is this a Hydrangea flower bud?

I started taking care of a couple of plants a few months back. One of the plants, a hydrangea has been putting out leaves and more leaves and I wondered if it would ever flower. I may be wrong but I am hopeful that this is a hydrangea bud. :)

Interiors: Einstein’s Office

Here’s a glimpse of Einstein’s office, taken mere hours after Einstein died, Princeton, New Jersey, April 1955, published on LIFE.

Source: life.time.com via Little on Pinterest

 

The accompanying photo story tells a pretty interesting tale of how only one person, a LIFE photographer, managed to capture photos of the day Einstein died and how those photos were never released.

I found the first and the last photo most interesting.

Read more or view the photos at: http://life.time.com/history/the-day-einstein-died-a-life-photographers-story/#ixzz1sS8qwaTK

Interiors: Quiet and Reflective Vintage Oriental Apartment

A mix of lighting, warm brown, grey, white and neutrals colour palette create an incredibly soothing and contemplative vibe in this 3-bedroom apartment that doesn’t grow tired.

 

There is a generous use of pretty traditional-looking oriental furniture in the space, yet the apartment does still feel modern and fresh. Have to credit the use of hard edges, geometric shapes and straight lines that give the rooms a crispness that the soft curves of traditional furniture cannot provide.

More pictures on http://sglivingpod.com/home-decor/home-and-decor/modern-oriental-fusion/