Objects play a dynamic role in a room. By juxtaposing the rare and the common, the exotic and the familiar, the refined and the rough hewn, one achieves visual delights that elicit feelings.
The quality of the object does not necessarily equate to its monetary value. Ordinary objects taken from a different context sometimes help to articulate visual principles of line, textures, color and scale.
Part of the satisfaction in owning interesting or lovely possessions is being able to see, touch and use them.
Purely decorative or functional objects are integral to our lives. In them we express our individuality. In a room they become
charms that spell memories.
It is a customary in the Philippines to bring out rice grains for the new year to symbolize fertility and abundance. At the strike of midnight, it is a family custom to open all the lights, doors and windows to bring in good blessings. I still continue this ritual. I placed a mound of rice inside an elaborately tooled Thai silver offering dish beside a simple but aged looking stoneware I found misplaced in a plant nursery. Sea shells cover the earth inside the pot. The contrast of the opulent silver dish to the common yet beautifully patinated flower pot is interesting.
I was struck by the scale of the painter's ladder in an empty space that I asked the workmen to leave it for me. This is the first object I created when moving to my new flat. I converted it to an etagere to display a collection of Buddhist artifacts. Small objects look best when grouped as a theme or as a play of other elements like line, texture, or color. I like to look at this ladder as it reminds of me a certain verse. It speaks of steps.
In this master bedroom suite, simple book cases in bleached teak line the walls. A collection of Thai stonewares from the Sukothai Period and a 12th century Khmer stone statue of Siva, mingle freely with books and other precious objects. The TV is built-in.
Speakers are generally unattractive. In a high ceilinged living room, there is no false ceiling to conceal them so I made stainless steal boxes as a disguise. Used as pedestals for the pair of antique blue and white porcelain candle holders, I solved two aesthetic problems with one solution. Elevating the already unusually large ceramic pieces gave them even more importance and balanced the proportions of the other elements.
Left: In the TV room, glass replaces the solid wall to expand the feeling of space. A pair of leather armchairs from Italy are teamed with simple glass and marble side tables. Antique Oriental silk rug highlights the bleached beech wood flooring. The wall arrangements of dried leaves under glass on the two end walls beside the armchairs echo the mood of the Chinese painting by Zhao Shaoang. Right: The Bang and Olufsen music equipments are neatly fitted into the wall unit. Traditional Chinese ornaments in 24 carat gold adorns the shelves. The landscape Chinese painting by the contemporary master Zhang Daqian hangs on the wall.
I encouraged my client to purchase the main artwork for his living room based on the concept drawing I presented earlier. Luckily, he found a piece that fits in concept, form, and material. The round stainless steel and copper artwork, aptly entitled "Spring River" by a Canadian artist, hangs behind the built-in banquette.
I stumbled into this antique wooden gable from Burma stashed in a shop's attic. In searching for objects, I make it a point to see the storeroom. Invariably, unusual and interesting things are hidden by the store owner unwittingly. Another discovery is the antique Thai lacquer stupa that I used as a coffee table centerpiece.
FROM THE READERS
"Thank you for such excellent work on your book, and the presentation of your work online. You have made all writers every where look very good by allowing your work online
for free access to those lucky enough to see it."
Rick Arnold, Los Angeles, USA. DREAM FORGE e-Maga-Weba-Zine
|
[Book Cover] |
[Contents] |
[Foreword] |
[Introduction] |
[Formative Years] | [Space to Start] | [Tools of Trade] [Concept Renderings] | [First Break] | [East by Southeast] | [Working Manner] | [Space Transitions] | [Seasons' Home] | [Sunsets' Place] | [Pied á Terre] | [Something Different] | [Restrained Elegance] | [Dream Zones] | [In Comfort] [Prestige Investments] |
[Asian Gallery] | [Lighting] |[Objects] | [Flowers] | [Afterword] | [Professional Profile] [Personal Profile] | [Sign Guestbook] | [Guestbook]
Way of Design © 1996-2007, Jun Alday. All Rights
Reserved.
JUN'S CHOICE
|
