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 I got them from my parents and it's been a while since the last reupholstering and they look outdated, so this time I brought two of them to Jakarta Vintage to be refurbished using my Ikea fabric.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 ;)

Wishlist - Au Naturel

The following are some things that are on my wishlist right now. Actually it's a pretty long list, but I thought I'd share just a glimpse to save you from boredom.

The items here are random, but you might notice that they are somewhat have a thing in common. Natural. Raw. Rustic.

 Image source: http://www.missionstonetile.com/

I was torn between having a glossy light colored floor or a dark rustic one. Since my house is quite small and I'd like to make it look more spacious by maximizing light colored surface, I compromised by having the dark floor only in small areas. As for the bronze metallic tile like in the above picture, I was lucky to find similar tile at the nearest Mitra 10 store.. Yay! Those tiles will be covering the master bedroom floor, for the intimate rustic-glam look I'm after.

 Image source: http://www.zalora.co.id/

I'm not in the pink of health these last few weeks, so it's only normal if I took more time (trying) to rest and relax. I hope this detoxifying natural clay mask will help me in doing so. Instant spa, just a click away ;)

 Image source: http://bagatellebali.com/

My Pinterest is full of furniture references that are made of natural reclaimed materials and has raw-industrial feel to it, but they are all made abroad, far from Indonesia where I reside. So I was overjoyed to find the above coffee table is available in Bali! But then I'm thinking about the shipping fee and have a 2nd thought.. hopefully I could find something similar here in Jakarta.

 Image source: http://rusticahardware.com/

I'm picturing this rustic sliding door as the master bathroom door. Hopefully the contractor could find all the right materials and make it come true.

There you go, my wishlist :) 
So what's yours?

bohemian modern

Found this at Apartment Therapy's House Tour, and I instantly fell in love with the colors and patterns.

Stunning Small Loft

Found this stunning house in Apartment Therapy's Small Cool Contest 2013.
I've always been a fan of loft houses, yet this one blew me away with the sculptural house-like frame which define the living room.
I wanna live there! *_*

Click here for more pictures.

Beautiful Mess

When I first saw this, I thought this must be the coziest living room ever! Warm colored hardwood floor covered with fluffy faux fur rugs, comfortable chairs, stools and ottoman, perfect for leisure. Yet the window nook next to them has this fresh and uplifting feel, with the tall windows and plants, making it suitable to put a working desk there.

Still in the same house, there's this room. With piano and floor-to-ceiling book rack, this room fits for a hobby room. Note how the books look kind of messy in the rack but somehow it doesn't ruin the appearance of the whole room. I have a similar hobby room in a much smaller scale, where it also involves a tall white rack with messy books and an electric keyboard instead of a grand piano, yet mine is somewhat mismatch, still far from the eclectic look I'm after.

 And then this dining room. Oh how lively and lovely! Again, I have a dining table similar like this in much smaller size, where the similarity lies in the many stuff scattered on the table top.. yup, messy me. I also share the joy of eating my meal while watching TV. But then again, this room is heaven compare to mine. I think the blackboard with menu written in colorful chalk has a big part in tying the look together.

Last but not least, the backyard. Oh my, I could imagine how beautiful it looks at night with the string lights all lits up. Cozy, natural, pretty and low maintenance.. just the way I like it. 

CLICK HERE if you want to see the rest of the house :)

House Tour: Full Color

I don't usually like to see or use excessive colors (not to mention if they're bold) in a room. But I might convert after I saw these..

Click HERE to read the full article on Apartment Therapy.

Something old, something new...

...something borrowed, something green :)

After months living among boxes, here it is.. our living room!
Thanks to hubby who painstakingly assembled the bookcase and TV cabinet.

1 Room 3 Looks

Same room, same furnitures, different accessories. Then what do you get? Completely different looks!

Note how the only big difference is on the wall hanging. The throw pillows? They are the same, only changed the cover. The table lamps? Only changed the top cap. Even the area rug is the same, but they put different smaller rugs on top of it. How easy is that :)

Read the full article in Country Living

a small music corner

The table in my living room has finally changed into a music corner, a place to put the traditional musical instruments that we've collected from our trips to some different parts of Indonesia.

There we have a set of eight pitches Angklung (and currently we have one more pitch from this event), two Suling (bamboo flutes), a small bamboo xylophone and a Djembe (traditional drum).

The colorful throw on the sofa is the handwoven fabric I got from Lombok. I like how the overall look of the room turned out, it has an ethnic twist on the previous modern look, giving it a laid back and cozy feel. Sometimes I and hubby have our acoustic jam sessions there, mostly I'm on guitar and he's on drum. It's kinda therapeutic, very much like sewing :D

Sneak Peek: New Nest

Now as my new home's starting to take shape and the boys are doing pretty well in their first 2 weeks of Primary School, so I guess it's time to update this blog :D

Since I'm not done unpacking my sewing materials, instead here's a sneak peak of my new living room.

This is the so called foyer with lots of shoes storage!


We live on the 3rd floor, though we don't get breathtaking view as those penthouse units yet we're quite happy with all the greeneries view from the surrounding trees. And the natural lighting is oh so pretty.


The sofa (as well as the dining table set) is from IKEA.

I chose dark color finishing like black and walnut for our furnitures to match and balance the existing walls and built-ins. Not to mention dark colors are easier to maintain, especially if you have small kids along with their crayons and such..

I'm in Love...

.....with this gorgeous colorful room!

It's definitely my favourite in the Apartment Therapy's Color Contest this year.

I heart Tealight Holders

I heart flickering candle lights!

Why?

Simply because they're so versatile, effortless turn any room ambience to a warm, cozy and even romantic feel. Moreover you can easily move them about in any formation as needed, and the most exciting part is ofcourse the pretty candle holder which can double as home decoration even when the candle light's went out.

However lately I'm crazy about tealights (you know, those small candles inside tincups) coz I find them easier to maintain. Just pick some tealight holders and put it in any room you want, such as in the bathroom for a long relaxing spa-like bath, in the dining room for a candle light dinner for two, in the bedroom for that romantic night, or in the outdoors for a festive bbq dinner.

Well, wanna try the ideas in your very own home?

Easy.. just go to Feathers For Nest - Home and Decor Online Store where you'll be spoiled for great choices of tealight holders which are a perfect addition to any space!

House Tour: Oldies Corners

Well, this one's not exactly a house tour, more of a interesting corner spotting (if there is such a term). Below pics were taken from my parents in law's home in Central Java, Indonesia. I could immediately sense the nostalgic feel upon entering the old house, which always give me a nice warm feeling.

The living room

The terrace

Door leading to the backyard