Archive for the ‘Interior design’ Category

Knightsbridge 60.5 sq. ft. flat

Tuesday, March 16th, 2010

Photos courtesy Matt Blake for The Daily Mirror

Ray Baker lives across the street from Harrods Knightsbridge. Please reserve your envy for after this post because, honestly, I don’t know how he does it. The flat is a small 11′-0″ x 5′-6″ (60 1/2 sq. ft.) that was converted from a closet in 1987. Baker says it was originally purchased by a secretary for £36,500 and it’s valued at £200,000 – a whopping 22% ROI and a single square is worth £3,300.

The flat boasts toilet, shower, and 6″ deep cupbaords… but is no where near building code these days.

“I can do the cleaning while lying in my sofa bed. In fact, I can wash up, answer the door, make a cuppa and go to the loo all at the same time.” says 49 year old Baker.

via The Daily Mirror

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Pictograms – Olympic sized communication: Video

Monday, March 1st, 2010

Being able to direct the masses with a simple pictogram can be so successful that the simplest of images will resonate with the audience and instant comprehension of the image will direct them to events, washrooms, civil order, and to build IKEA furniture. Artists such as Jean Yves Lemoigne (such as pictured above) have taken a deeply personal look at the pictogram as a way of gentrifying or removing a subject from the lens making it believable that it could be you, your loved one, or an alien instead of the negative human-like shape. Even interior designers use human-like shapes like my client rendering below:

Steven Heller, Art Director for the New York Times, explains the successful, and not so, of the Olympics since 1936 in the video Olympic Pictogram Thru the Ages.

Heller completely missed the official emblem of the 2010 Winter Olympics. I know it hasn’t been seen much, and the designers should have taken it further into more pictograms, but this is not a Bauhaus world anymore and they don’t always convey the visual style of the host city. It should be noted that Quatchi (“kwa – tchi”, not “kachi” as he says) is HUGE here and very much loved by locals and tourists.

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Kitchen & bath sales in a post-Olympic Vancouver

Saturday, February 27th, 2010

Image courtesty stayingLEVELvia Flickr

In the last 7 years, there has been a major increase in renovation and construction in Vancouver, BC and when Wall Street was dealing with the sub-prime mortgage fiasco, Vancouverites generally didn’t blink an eye. Some larger corporations were affected, and they laid off workforce that worked satellite out of Vancouver (some of these people are still looking for work) but generally the economy dialed up in VanCity. Everyone is still renovating, and they’re always doing the kitchen first. But it’s not all roses, sunshine (HA!), and unicorns in this bubble of a Rainy City and the grass may be green in the coldest of months, but it’s has me wondering if it is greener.

Mayor Gregor has made his promises to become the Green City Capital. He also wants to change major traffic routes, increase public transportation funding, and reward urban density and sustainable developments. We’ve recently been granted Laneway Housing, which basically means you can tear down your garage and build a smaller slab-on-grade home. But the Millennium Water (Athletes Village) has been plagued with construction problems and the city had to downgrade their credit rating and fund the additional $150Mil in budget shortfall. For those who don’t know, Vancouver proper has no where to go but up – just like Manhattan – and there are very few vacant lots or character homes to purchase. This all formulates to a building frenzy and as an Interior Designer in this special market, I can’t help but wonder what happens after the post-Olympic exodus.

Image courtesy luv and revolution via Flickr.

We still have no real plan for dealing with the poorest postal code in North America and their mental health issues (the great plan was to shut down Riverview Hospital, but that dumped everyone into the Downtown Eastside), minimum wage is $8/hr ($15,360/yr) and our cost of living in Vancouver is ever increasing, a 475 square foot 1 Bedroom apartment rents for $1,700 (3.75:1), and the average 1 Bedroom Condominium sells for $375K and in Toronto it’s $200K with more square-footage. So you can’t help but wonder, doesn’t this seem like things are really out of balance and the bubble will burst?

“[T]he victory may be short-lived, with experts predicting the bubble will pop when the harmonized sales tax kicks in on July 1.” writes Raphael Alexander for the Vancouver Sun (February 22, 2010) “Homebuyers will likely advance their demand for houses before the HST is implemented, meaning fewer purchases in late 2010 and early 2011.”

But Paul Jenkins, Senior Deputy Governor for the Bank of Canada, has a different opinion. “I would certainly not say we are looking at a housing bubble,” says Jenkins (Mordant, Reuters, February 22, 2010)

I thought I needed to look at some more concrete economic data and remembered that I sat thru a presentation by Bernie Magnan, Chief Economist at the Vancouver Board of Trade, about a month back, and he’s predicting a reasonable GDP increase over 2010, especially in construction and lumber. The Economist ranks Vancouver the most livable city in the world. It appears that rental vacancies will be going up after the Olympics as a migrant workforce returns home so it looks like they will level off, but real estate sales are increasing steadily. I have a good source in the rental placement industry, and landlords are scrambling this month without monthly tenacy rate reductions. For example, $1,050 for a 450 square foot 1 Bedroom apartment or $5,995 for a 3Bedroom penthouse seem a bit on the steep side for what you’re really getting.

So there may be a vacuum in Vancouver (VAN-cuum, HA!), but I guess there’s really only one conclusion, kitchen and bath sales can only go up from here. So I say, let’s pimp those kitchens and bathrooms like there’s no tomorrow!

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Define: “Design”

Thursday, February 25th, 2010

Design ThinkingImage courtesy The Sage Libraries on Flickr

Interesting word, Design. Where did it come from?

Design is two words, actually, and is blended from Latin, Old English, Irish and more. De- comes from a few sources, but mainly it means To. Sign comes from designate or specify. And when you put them together you “create, execute, or construct according to plan.” (m-w.com)

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Give Design to Haiti

Saturday, January 16th, 2010

There are so many ways to help when disaster strikes and the quickest and easiest way is to send money. It seems to be a knee-jerk reaction for all of us but it left me thinking about the hard work of re-building and who was going to do that in Haiti. I know that search and rescue/recovery is still going on, and it may be weeks before that is complete, but it’s time to act quickly and for us designers to offer up our expertise in sweat equity.

Architecture for Humanity is our very best option because 88% of it’s funds are directly funneled back into construction projects. I just offered my services for an indefinite amount of time. It’s kind of scary, but I think it’s really what I’m meant to do because I’ve always imagined helping for non-profit rather than profiting from non-sense.Architecture for Humanity is focused on a long-term reconstruction effort and partnering with Yele Haiti, AIDG and more by supplying pro-bono construction work. AFH has set up a Earthquake Reconstruction page, so please, take a look.

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2010 NKBA Kitchen & Bath trends? My West Coast predictions

Wednesday, January 13th, 2010

You’ve heard about have seen the reaction videos on YouTube, but have you thought that designers react to association analysis of predictive consumer trends? I a reaction when I read the press release NKBA Reveals 2010 Kitchen & Bath Design Trends yesterday because I’m not sure if it’s based upon American, North American or trends on the east coast, so I am struggling to find the relevance of some of the trends that my association (which I love dearly and it is very close to my heart) claims.

What I thought would be a good idea is to show the difference that a region, or a select market such as the West Coast, can change the way major associations make predictive trends. Here’s my response list:

Kitchens

1. Eco-chic is the new contemporary

Image courtesy Kohler

A new style is on the horizon and there isn’t quite a name for it, so I’ll just refer to it as “Eco-chic“. Eco-chic style is for the urbanites spa for those who are eco-dense and care deeply about our environment, which includes the sights we see in our homes. A there will be a blending of the current urban designs with sustainable products such as IceStone, PaperStone, Kieri, and bamboo so there will be a mix of light blonde typical of Scandinavian styles or dark woods typical of contemporary.  White will be the primary colour pallet and a secondary colour pallet of cool greens, mid-tone greys, deep purple, turquoise, and steel blues. All this will be hit with a THIRD colour pallet of hot reds, warm oranges, and bright yellows to add pop and that wow-factor.

2. Low-impact woods emerge

I have noticed in the conversations that I have with people, and the posts in the blogosphere, that economical and sustainable kitchens are absolutely key to moving ahead in this world. Flat panel doors in Bamboo, Kieri board, or reclaimed lumber that are clear coated in a semi-gloss low-VOC finish are what I am seeing more and more of. Ply-woods and particle board frames are moving toward formaldehyde free and even Soy and hemp boards are finding their way onto the marketplace. People are asking for them and the industry is responding.

Image courtesy Kohler

3. Flooring that grounds you

For some of us, flooring is the most difficult choice we will ever make. There has been a waive of hardwood in the past couple years, but this year, 2010, will be the year of dark chocolate PlybooStrand and Durapalm. Other flooring options include polished concrete and wide format recycled tiles.

4. Kitchen-tech faucets

With so much changing in the tech industries, our kitchens have taken on the same depth and *poof* here’s Kohler’s KarbonTMfaucet. Men be warned, more dish washing is inevitable with this hot faucet.

Image courtesy Kohler

5. EnergyStar is in the spotlight

EnergyStar approved appliances are here to stay and improve. Smaller-sized appliances (24″ width and depth) are huge because they keep you eating your food quickly, thereby keeping is fresh, thereby forcing you to be creative and have fun with all the local produce and foods in the shops.

6. All hail the drawer dishwasher

The NKBA has it right here and the drawer dishwasher is HUGE! EPIC even! The coolest part is that for small spaces, the dishwasher can go under the sink gaining you that ever valuable cabinet storage space.

Bathrooms

1. Your future spa awaits you

Bathrooms are going to be sustainable with low-flow faucets, dual-flush toilets and integrated bathroom tech. Small LCD televisions, vanity spaces that are simple and clean will be built in (Dare I say that the laundry will be under the counter and the typical dryer will disappear? Oh I dare. I dare allot.) Colour pallets will mirror kitchens with white, turquoise and greys being predominantly mixed with bamboo and low-impact woods.

2. Colour on colour

Corian surfaces, coloured fixtures, polished chrome fittings, translucency, and reflection. It has become ever more clear that we expect that our cleanliness is synonymous with shiny white, but it white is less predominant. Blacks and greens are strong contenders in the bathing spaces and they are being married with curves and translucent materials. But grey never seems too far behind, again.

Image courtesy Kohler

glam-Appledom

So what does all this mean? All this white with tone-on-tone, natural products, and pops of colour. Well, it’s all a response to the glam-Appledom of white and silvers, the dialed down spending, instant cash-cab culture, viral marketing, and fashion. Here are a few of my favorites from the Louis Vuitton 2010 fall show.

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24 rooms in 344 sq. ft.

Friday, January 8th, 2010

HONG KONG – I don’t know how I EVER let this post slip me by because it’s AWESOME!

Gary Chang, Architect and small space guru, has 24 spaces all within 344 sq. ft. in Hong Kong. Renovated in 2008, Chang has lived in the SAME seventh-floor apartment since he was fourteen, when he moved in with his parents and siblings. Talk about life-cycle! Walls slide, chairs and tables fold down, and there are even 3 bedrooms in this place. Can you beleive it?!?

He had been itching to tear down the walls since his teenage years, when he sketched new designs for the family home, and he then began in earnest. In the last two decades, he has renovated four times, on progressively bigger budgets as his company, Edge Design Institute, has grown. His latest effort, which took a year and cost just over $218,000, he calls the “Domestic Transformer.” – via New York Times

Check out the pics below or the video by clicking here.

All images courtesy Marcel Lam for the New York Times

24 Rooms Tucked Into One, New York Times (01.14.2009), Virgina Gardner

Hong Kong Space Saver: Worlds Greenest Homes, Planet Green  (01.07.2010)

Moving walls transform apartment: Four minutes of WOW! (video), TreeHugger.com (01.06.2010), Lloyd Alter

Gary Chang’s domestic transformer, TreeHugger.com (01.15.2009), Lloyd Alter

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Builders Zero In on New Goal of Energy-Neutral Housing: Wall Street Journal

Thursday, January 7th, 2010

Wall Street Journal – Jim Carlton writes that the green building movment is aming for a zero net energy use goal, and I agree that he’s right. Play the zero sum game by clicking the links in the article.

But a bigger shift toward net-zero construction faces hurdles, largely because such buildings often are more expensive to build. To reach zero energy use, for instance, a building needs to produce its own power such as through solar or wind. Rooftop solar panels can cost upward of $10,000 on a three-bedroom home alone.

Some industry analysts say the costs of erecting net-zero homes have declined somewhat as green building has become more mainstream. With energy costs more than doubling across the U.S. in the past decade, energy-savings measures have become more attractive to builders.

Wall Street Journal (12.24.2009) link; Carlton, Jim

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