White Washed

what a focal point! you'd be boiling instant noodles everyday to save yourself from cleaning that mirror! (from this is glamorous)

more sleek and modern - who wouldn't want a ladder in their kitchen?! exciting stuff to add to the best room of the house

very raw and rustic but light on the eyes thanks to some white washed walls

i'm a sucker for subway tiles - this kitchen seems so scandinavian, no?

Townhouse in Houston

okay since those shotgun homes i featured previously may not be entirely feasible in our country, how about building apartments that look as good as these? 'these' aren't exactly apartments but a townhouse development by Rohe and Wright Builders in Houston. the interiors featured are those of an ex-resident who sold their property. they were done by J. Randall Powers - one of the most sought after interior designers there.

i dare anyone out there to collect all or any real estate advertisement in singapore today and i can bet you 80% of them look exactly the same. is there only ONE architect in singapore!? anyhow - i vote for anyone to design something like this! i love the stone walls, wrought iron railings and black-framed glass doors.

an outdoor kitchen at the rooftop terrace - perfect spot for hosting a small party

a paneled library - nice

via Cote de Texas

Drawn to the Dark Side

inspired by the recent gloomy weather, here are some chic examples of GREY in the house. i totally love this color especially paired with yellow and/or rich mahogany. although we've done a platinum inspired wedding before, i think using darker hues of grey would make a pretty classy wedding too. anyone interested? ;)


adding some texture with the velvet couch to a dominantly grey colored room


soft brown + gold touches for some contrast (loves the tufted settee!)




okay let's just end on a brighter note! (lovin' the drapes)

Garden District of New Orleans

shoebox apartments or homes the size of 2.5 carparks? well why not introduce the shotgun house to singapore!!! via style court, i found this gem of a post featuring the beautiful garden district of new orleans! a little history here; back in the 1850s, people (mostly entrepreneurs, the "nouveau rich" of that time) settled into the garden district and built many beautiful homes reflecting varied architectural styles such as Greek Revival or Queen Anne Victorians. Apart from the huge mansions found in this district there is one street, Coliseum St which is home to shotgun houses. i just learnt what a shotgun house is, basically a house so small a bullet can cleanly cut through the front door right through to the back door!

so in 1868, Henry Howard designed 8 cottages or these shotgun homes now known as the 'Seven Sisters' along Coliseum St Row. don't ask why its seven when there are 8, cos the folks don't know either. but anyhow, Howard nevertheless made the street oh-so-beautiful by building these 8 'cottages'!!!

its just lovely how such grand elements (think: greek pillars or anything italianate) have been proportionately downsized and made even more irresistible through such structures.

the beauty does not end at the facade. thats the starting point. also via style court, one of the interiors of these cottage homes was redecorated to look like this...

promising aren't they, for a small country like singapore. i feel like building one in the backyard.

Fl(oor)less Rugs

cool textured carpets by Gan Rugs via Oh Joy! their hand tufted range is most delightful. check out their wool > punto piece as well =)

Battling the Blues

contrary to conventional feeling - i believe tuesdays are the worst days of the week. mainly because, monday was only yesterday and you have majority of the week to survive before you can smell the weekend. monday's on the other hand aren't as bad cos sunday's still fresh in your memory and there's desperate housewives to look forward to at night! sadly, that will last only a few more weeks =(

anyways, i'm letting these kitchen/random room blues kill some tuesday blues...

tiffany touch

♥: wall arrangement, deep mahogany browns against robin egg blue, picture under table

♥: white bamboo chairs, bright cabinets

going mod

♥: purple hydrangeas, cabinet blue, subtle use of subway tiles to skirt the countertops ;)

♥: the tiles!!!, turquoise kettle, tile accents on sink cabinet

baby blues

♥: teal walls, pink florals on blue chinese desk, odd chandelier

♥: skirting/wall profiling, aren't those the coolest yellow seats everr?! black lacquered chests

okay done - i'm happy! did you know the great american songbook vol III has been on replay since the weekend?! i think its the best vol out of the four available!

the city's bustle cannot destroy

the dreams of a girl and boy

East Hampton & Manhattan with Aerin Lauder

custom wall paint mix! and jim thompson silk table covers

gracie wallpaper (my favourite room hands down)

east hampton residence

wow wow wow.

Hickory Dickory Dock

i absolutely love Habitually Chic's Hickory Chair Series on her blog. her tour of hickory chair's factory highlights the arduous process of furniture making and also how commited these furniture specialists are to their craft. its just so inspiring to see a bunch of passionate people making furniture their art and not just a made in china. this totally reminds be of my family's ex kitchen cabinet carpenter. he was ultra meticulous to the point of ocd and that could only lead to PERFECTLY fitted cabinets Bree would approve of. unfortunately for me, he's retired already =(

ooh la la wouldn't it be heaven to explore the thousand racks of material samples in this factory. 

i want to attend Hickory Chair University!

#100

A Treasure No Less

my iPod mini generation 1.0 has been iDle for three years. i was thus pleasantly surprised when i managed to turn it on and listen to playlists which used to accompany me along my 20km ecp cycling routines. oh yes, are you pleasantly surprised too? heh. problem is, the battery life lasts for a grand total of 15 mins +. no kidding folks.

it's now permanently attached to an electrical outlet for me to recall how soothing andrea bocelli's cuando me enamoro or les feuilles mortes can be to the ears, heart and mind.

Rainbow over Figaro

where's my pot of gold?

Exfoliate

natalia in pink for vogue italia

after much thought, i think i'll settle for a not-so-big house, fancy car and lots of money.

warning: workaholism ahead. wowing: kate spade lives here.

Anthropologie

i want to own a shop like anthropologie =) it seems that every item they sell possesses its own unique character - from pretty things to the just plain quirky. for some reason the stuff there has got a handmade appeal - non mass produced. below are some lovely finds from their jewelry and home sections.

Self Declared Break

why didn't we or just me, think of this? genius. chubbyhubby's 2-sink kitchen! i need this at residence figaro.

check out their new kitchen here

Reward Thyself

it's when your to-do list demands another page and/or your inboxes flood with emails, will you somehow find very good reasons to do anything else unrelated to those pending tasks! i hate myself sometimes. to help curb this pathetic tendency, i'm putting in place an immediate-reward system.

this week's reward?
Revamp the Bookshelf
Hawaiian Host Chocolate Coated Macadamia
(only once i've completed all of this week's tasks)!


taken from Habitually Chic - a color coded bookshelf?

happy weekend ya'll ;)

New Therapy

dressing the dresser is pretty therapeutic. and less damaging than retail therapy, only if i decide not to adorn the dresser with ranunculus.

madness ensues.