Friday, November 7, 2014

Y Design Loop : Is it Art, Furniture or Decor ?

My Latest Discovery - I'm very excited to share my latest discovery in the world of Interiors : Chinese Garden Stools !



Although the name implies outdoor use, it works just as well indoors and defies style categorization as it works well in many interior styles ranging from traditional :



to eclectic :

to transitional :


to modern :


Being a ceramic product, it naturally works in wet environments like bathrooms :



And of course your outdoor oasis :


So is it art, furniture or decor - you decide. Search online to see the vast array of colors and designs out there.
Enjoy !

YP

Thursday, August 7, 2014

Y Design Loop : A Custom Dining Table Project

The need for a custom dining table arose while designing a contemporary kitchen for a penthouse condominium at 131 Holland Avenue, Ottawa, Canada. My clients wanted a banquette to be part of the design, to be used as a casual eating area, adjacent to the more formal dining room. This drove the need for something custom, as finding a table with the exact shape, size, materials and style was impossible.

View into kitchen and banquette eating area [on right] from dining room :



It was obvious that the table had to be a pedestal table, so that you could slide around the banquette without bumping your knees.  The top needed to float on a stable, yet elegant base. How to design a table that looks elegant yet strong? Unique yet match the banquette? Delicate yet stable? Complimentary not conflicting? Where to start?

I was inspired by several tables including the ultimate modern pedestal table from Knoll, the Platner table :



But it needed to be rectangular like this one from Tonelli :



There aren't many rectangular pedestal tables to study and learn from.....finally I found this one from Nilo :



My inspirational search continued with the stacked rock sculptures along the Ottawa River :




I started to draft the table, and to study the ergonomics, i.e. maximum glass size, glass to banquette overhang, glass to top plate overhang, minimum column size, etc. Dimensions were key and were massaged many times over several weeks, in order to get the visual and physical balance perfect.



Concurrently, I started to make small to-scale maquettes using dimensions of the existing banquette. I used simple card stock for the base and clear acrylic to model the glass :





I knew I needed to use steel for strength, and sought the expertise of Ottawa sculptor Cairn Cunnane. We decided along with the clients that cold rolled steel with hand-rubbed was finish was best to achieve the blackened look I was going for :



Next I had to figure out a way to fasten the glass to the base and with the assistance of The Glass Shop, had a test piece made :



As it turned out, the glass not only didn't need any fastening [thank you gravity], the natural turquoise/green edge matched the leather and fabric of the banquette beautifully.




The steel plates were fastened together with knock-down stainless steel hardware and using 1/4" thick spacers to provide hairline shadows between the parts. Here is the top plate where it meets the center column :





Voila! The final installation photographed by Marc Fowler of Metropolis Studio, as seen in Ottawa Magazine :

Ciao !


Tuesday, March 18, 2014

March's Top 3 Interior Design Tips : Easy Ways to Welcome Spring Into Your Home

1] Buy some Marimekko pillows.


I recently discovered that EQ3 in Canada is selling products from this famous Finnish design company. How exciting and rejuvenating !

2] Paint something with a bright, unexpected color.

 

If you don't have the nerve, or the right furnishings to paint a whole wall, consider using bright colors on a smaller scale :

- inside a medicine cabinet
- wall above your kitchen cupboards
- window frame
- powder room ceiling
- closet shelves

3] Create a new focal point or vignette with your prize possessions.


- choose a wall with good sight lines, and uncluttered with electrical outlets, switches, architectural details, etc.

- center a piece of your furniture on the wall [can be a table, chair, credenza or a combination depending on the floor space you have]. It should be about 2/3 - 3/4 of the wall width.

- hang your artwork above, leaving some space around it to breathe and making sure it's large enough to fill the space without feeling crowded

- accessorize your furniture with your complementary collectables such as a lamp, sculpture, vases, bowls, etc. They may encroach on the space in front of your art, but not by too much.

- paint or wallpaper the wall to match

Enjoy and have some fun!

Blogatchalater!
Y