Home Reno - Green Design

Reduce, reuse, recycle. 

Sometimes it's easier said than done. 

In my home reno, while I planned to reuse existing materials, I was sometimes tempted to use new ones instead because of some reasons, one of them is the fact that upcycling old materials sometimes cost the same (or even more) than buying new ones.

Like my carport flooring which use broken pieces of my old floor tiles.. It costs just a bit less if compares with using new tiles (but looking at the unique result, I don't regret my decision).

The same thing goes to my single seater sofas. I got them from my parents and it's been a while since the last reupholstering and they look outdated, so this time I brought two of them to Jakarta Vintage to be refurbished using my Ikea fabric. It costs almost the same like buying new ones, but the stunning result and the idea of keeping a bit of family history is priceless :)

That's being said, I must also share the old stuff that are being reused and/or upcycled which cost only fraction of the cost if using new materials..

I reuse almost all of the existing doors and frames at the 1st floor. A fresh coat of paint was all the trick needed.

These wooden beams were salvaged from my old roof. 

The step stones by the old fish pond are also reused, now they sit prettily in my front garden. 

Reupholstering is the easy and affordable way to spruce up chairs and sofas.. well,  depends on the fabric you choose ofcourse :D I bought this sofa at Ikea when we're still living in Spore. Over the years finally the fabric's torn, thus reupholstery to the rescue :) (I got it reupholstered at Helloilmare)

More hand-me-down furnitures from my parents.. a big divider cabinet and an audio shelves.

We had the cabinet painted in white with new antique handles installed.

And then drawers were added to the audio shelves. We had the previous finishing stripped off, so now it's in a raw condition, perfect for future DIY project.

And finally, the kitchen set :) with new island counter, granite counter top and backsplash installed, also freshly painted old cabinets with new handles, the kitchen now looks completely new! Though it costs quite some for me, but we managed to save by using existing cabinets, fridge, stove and hood.

One more upcycled furniture I designed is built-in wall cabinet turned into seating cabinet/ bench. I'll post the picture next time.. Be patient, stay curious ;)

Kitchen, Re-Organized

We did some kitchen organizing and makeover few months ago, but I haven't got time to post it here until now.

First, a quick BEFORE look of our kitchen.

The 'kitchen island' is actually a desk. And as you can see, there's clutter accumulating on it *sigh*.

Next, here's a glimpse of inside the kitchen cabinet.

You can see the waste of space here. This section is actually not the worst part, but I wont show it to you because it's just too embarassing :p

Without further ado, here's the AFTER look of the once space-waste cabinet.

Simply just by adding a shelf insert! How easy is that :)

I use IKEA Variera shelf insert, which not only function well but also look nice as well. 

What I mean by looking nice, beside having a sleek design the shelf insert also have a pretty perforated surface.

That's why I came up with the idea of using it as a table/ desk screen, as seen in the next picture. The screen does wonder in hiding all the clutter :D

If you notice, we also closed the lower part of the desk with gypsum painted in white. This was my husband's idea.. he cut, painted and fixed the board on the desk himself.

The overall look? Tadaa!

Not bad, eh? ;)

Kitchen VS Bookshelves

I came across this one quite some time ago, I hope it's not too late to share it now. OK, how often could you find a big bookshelf in the kitchen?
The idea didn't even crossed my mind until I saw this.

The open plan kitchen belongs to (and designed by) the owner of Leone Design Studio. No wonder, eh..

The freestanding bookshelf also function as a room divider while still having visual connection between the divided rooms. Not to mention it would easily served as a display for you collection - not just books.

I like how the bookshelves is not fully floor to ceiling, leaving a gap above and below making it float-like.

And do you see the table and stools between the kitchen set and the bookshelf? They are on wheels! So it's super easy to move them around and use them for many things. The table could function as a kitchen island or dining table or reading/ working desk.. how simple yet cool is that.

I got into the Small Cool Kitchens 2010 Final!

Yay! Thanks for all of you who voted for my kitchen earlier.

It's now among the two other finalists, and it's time to vote again!

Please click here and vote for my kitchen (no. 3 - Ina in Jakarta).

^_^

updates:
I ended up at the third place, from all 3 finalists :P
Thanks all for the appreciation ^^

Vote For My Kitchen!

The Kitchn is having this Small Cool Kitchen Contest 2010. I've submitted my kitchen in Jakarta, Indonesia (which painstakingly designed by my self *ahem*) and turns out it's got into the selections! Yay!

CLICK HERE to see the full post, and if you like what you see, please vote by simply click at the thumbs up. You may need to register, yet it's free and easy :)