Christmas 2012

{image by yours truly}

Glimpse into our home

I know this is looong overdue. I've not been very diligent with the blog to begin with.

We got our apartment because of the gorgeous view it comes with. Hopefully it'll stay that way (there'll be new developments coming up around us, yikes!). You may notice that the pictures are taken during day and night, thats because they were captured at different occasions and I have only recently learnt that its best to take interior shots during the day.

This is the view from our balcony and I am terribly proud of it.

The balcony fits a dining table and a random bird's nest fern we adopted recently.

We absolutely love the 1970 spiral lamp by Vernon Panton and decided to splurge on one for the living room. It's SO drama and I was quite hesitant about getting it initially but since we were going for a cosmopolitan feel for the apartment, I succumbed to the temptation.

The walls appear purple in the above picture but they are actually dark grey (smoke pearl to be exact).

The above three shots are of my favorite room in the apartment - the study. This room was given alot of attention due to the amount of time I spend in it - blogsurfing, blogging, facebooking, pin-ning, working, dressing, applying make-up and so on. It's part dressing room and I display my make-up + jewellery in it.

I use the Expedit from Ikea as my book/knick-knack storage. It takes alot of work to maintain and keep in pristine condition as it gets dusty and cluttered quite easily. So if you are living in a high-rise, smack in the middle of 2 busy traffic junctions/highways, think twice about getting the open-faced Expedit. Another possible solution is to fill up the Expedit cubes with individual boxes. Easier to clean.

Decided to construct a photo railing along the hallway. Pretty useful and there's no need to use nails and mess up the walls.

If you are from Singapore, you would hate the bomb shelter that comes with your apartment. Door is heavy and industrial-looking and you can't even hack the walls to get rid of it/make your space bigger. If it sits along a narrow hallway to the rooms like mine, you don't even not have the luxury to build false walls to conceal the ugly door.

I did not fret and just painted mine the same wall color as the rest of the living area and coverted it to a large gallery space filled with travel mementos + pictures making full use of the magnetic door - Easy short term cost-effective solution.

{All photos by yours truly}

Party Planning :: Rooftop (almost!) tapas party

Last weekend, we had some friends over and we decided on tapas themed dinner. I went with the idea as it would supposedly be easy to prepare and enjoyed by all. The dishes I chose to prepare did not turn out the way I wanted it but edible and yummy!. I think no one could tell I was freakin' out in the kitchen. I'm glad they enjoyed the food and of course, I had to reflect and think of how I can do things better the next time 'round.

This photo above basically summed up the colors for the party.

The menu included Parma ham + melon + rocket salad, strawberry crostini, cheese platter, patatas bravas, chorizo + chickpeas with charred peppers, meatballs in mushroom sauce and of course sangria. Thanks to a pal, Keith, we got some champagne as well.

I collect nice champage/wine bottles and I love how the label color of Veuve Clicquot goes with the overall theme. At the background, I have proudly displayed a clay jar (in blue/white) bought in Spain.

A row of photographs taken during our honeymoon in Switzerland.

Recently I splurged on aged balsamic vinegar (16 years) and I love adding it to everything I eat.

Our entryway - the first thing that guests see when they enter our home.

The appetizer spread. *point to note* Cheese does not keep well in the humidity. I overlooked this point and laid full blocks of cheese out in the balcony. It became ugly, soft and goo-ey after a while, especially the Gorgonzola. If you have to have a cheese platter, don't put an entire block outdoors. Top it up as and when required.

For chorizos, I did not use the sliced ones I normally use (from Pamplona, as written in the label), for the party (big mistake!) I bought another type of chorizos (little whole sausages from Bilbao). If you are cooking whole chorizos, remember to remove the first layer of skin before cooking. *point to note* After its cooked, use a very sharp knife and slice the sausage very thinly. That might go down well with people who aren't used to the salty, spicy, Spanish sausage.

A toast to the New Year and friends.

There will always be space for good dessert.

Small apartment storage

I shared my obsession with organizing (part of) in my earlier post. Hopefully this post gives you more ideas. I was very lucky when I stumbled upon a wood + metal side table in a second-hand furniture warehouse. This warehouse is like my new obsession and I am always on the lookout for gems.

I purchased it at a good price yesterday and used it immediately to organize my make-up, skin products and accessories.

This table is superb because I can see all my accessories at one glance and pull the drawer to take my pick. Just like in a boutique! If your apartment gets pretty dusty in a short period of time, this table is a life-saver.

I adore this clamshell. It's perfect for holding little items. I personally feel that little jars of cosmetics or skin products resting on their own, invite clutter. .. and we all know that we don't stick to one or two products.

There! My little beauty corner.

{all images by yours truly}

Small apartment storage

Everyone needs a place of solace. For me it's my study. When I'm home after a long uninspiring day at work or after time spent away from my home, I get into my study to feed my thirst for design inspiration and ideas, to feed my soul. I need space (physical and mental) to get grounded.

My study is my hideout, workspace AND dressing room (space comes at a premium in land-scarce Singapore) so I find means and ways to organize, avoid clutter, multi-functional-ize and make it a pretty place while at it.

I use an IKEA Expedit in my study to organize books, craft items, documents, travel momentos AND yes, glassware. I can't afford the space for a full-fledged bar and it is impossible to accommodate all the extra glasses I have in my compact bar-cart, so I use a compartment in my Expedit. If you have to do this as well (to store glasses somewhere other than a proper glass storage area especially on a shelf), use a tray. It functions as a drawer. 

When you have guests over, you may choose to get the tray out a little to reach the champagne glasses behind without toppling the glasses in front, or you may take the entire tray out. No broken glasses, no tears. 

I'd suggest arranging the glasses face down to ensure they are clean inside (no dust, no bugs). If you want to take additional pre-caution, wipe the glasses clean, especially the rims probably a day or two before the party.

... and I digress. A bottle of alcohol in the tray wouldn't hurt as well. A nightcap in the study while working! 

Enjoy the party!

{All pictures from yours truly}

Struggling with bed spreads

I struggle with my bedsheet and comforter everyday to ensure it looks impeccable. I wanted to re-create a perfect look found in most decor magazines. But it wasn't practical. It takes alot of energy.

{marcus design}

And then I found these pictures with folded comforters that are more practical aka "real" and I do not think they look that sloppy after all.

{can't recall where i got the images from}

The first reveal :: our apartment

It's been a couple of weeks since we moved in officially but the decorating and styling is far from over. I believe it will never be completely finished and there will never be a good time for you to catch a glimpse into our home. So ... here goes!

The wall behind the tv is actually wall-papered. You also see the verner panton spiral lamp.

My unfinished bar cart. Looks quite sad with just a bottle of gin, actually. The orange damask on stool next to the cart reminded us of our wedding invites which is the main reason why we got it.

Look further and you'll see the much-loved St. Lauren marble counter. Getting it was another story altogether.

Yep, we painted our walls dark grey. Smoke pearl, to be exact. The ghost chairs are not supposed to be there. They are to go with our dining table, which is being custom made.

... and then we move onto the balcony. I can't wait for my baby pine trees to grow!

This is the view that comes with the balcony.

My unfinished study. You see a tibetan rug and an eames replica chair.

I think that's it for now. What do you think?! {All pics by yours truly}

50 shades of grey

{via here}

Coffee and donut Party

We absolutely adore donuts and we love coffee! So, just stay tuned for a coffee and donut tasting brunch party at our home (once we move in of course!)

{for more images, go here}