Dreams can feel so far away. 

----- Asians Understand Small -----

Amazing design. I'm fascinated by small interior spaces and dream of owning a place where I can transform it to be used efficiently. Traveling to densely populated cities truly challenges your mentality, learning how spoiled we are. I've said, if I win a lottery, I won't be purchasing a massive mansion with unnecessary number of bedrooms, maybe at least two toilets.

----- Aesop Tiquetonne by Cigue -----

I'm loving this store display. The shelving are made from stacks of iron nails to give the illusion of floating bottles. Sitting on a back drop of wooden panels, the store display reflects harmoniously with the packaging design of Aesop, a skin and haircare brand; this shop is located in Paris designed by French designers Cigu.

----- Transparent Beauties -----

I'm pretty clear to what my fantasy home will look like. And that includes a lot of windows. I'm a person who loves natural lighting during the day, more the merrier. Instant solution to many problematic life situations (mine at least): brightens moods, saves effort and energy to turn on lights, executes great food photography, inspirational tool to designing, tracing work against the window.

Using Pinterest, another social sharing app that I sold my soul to, helps me organize my interior likes and I realized overall, it is very evident my style includes a lot of white, greys and black. My life is bland! http://pinterest.com/vivianyu/live-in-it/

----- Sigh -----

This is not a sigh of worry or stress, it's a sigh of admiration. I think my top favourite combo in material is wood, bricks and concrete. I love the three combined, something about them that compliments each other very well. It's probably the rawness and natural beauty. I especially want a place with white brick walls, concrete beams, ceilings and columns, infused with wood flooring, furniture and all, especially that wooden table buffet in the image. I had my eyes on similar retro vintage table since forever. Most I've come across is about average $1500 at thrift stores and vintage furiture stores, refurbished. A girl can dream.

----- The Cases of Stair + Book -----

A second posting for bookcases is a must. May I add staircases too? Next time ladders. I'm obsessed with these elements since childhood; I don't know why. I really love staircases, call me crazy, I don't care. But when I see a very pretty ones, especially wooden ones like the ones in the pictures, I die.

*sorry, i'm quite a turtle lately with updating my blog. I've been busy and stressing. Hoping for the phase to pass and I'll be back typing away and researching my next goodies to show and tell!*

----- Inside the Designer's Studio -----

My dream studio hasn't happened yet, and I wish it does one day. But like one of my older post, I mentioned my room is my make shift studio for now. So here's an update and a closer look at the small details.

Before clean up and semi-annual organization day.

After!

In & outs the working area:

----- You Are Where You Work -----

Office spaces. They don't bring good memories. Bland. White. Sometimes an adventurous grey. Or (worse) salmon pink. Even funeral homes are more decorative, and they at least spark personality. Black is classic, no? Office + corporate = Puke. Is it bad to reject jobs simple due to the unpleasant office space? Not saying I've done that before, but I would not be surprised if people do that. I'm happy enough to be in an industry where there are more chances of finding creative, well-designed, well decorated office spaces because, truly, you're only as motivated and inspired as the space you work in. The workspace plays an essential role to how you think and work.

Currently, my office is in my own bedroom (yada yada don't work in the same space as you sleep in yada yada). I still live at home—gasp—even though there are plenty of room, yet I still squeeze an office into my teeny weeny once-my-parent's-walk-in-closet bedroom. In that space, I find peace more than anywhere else at home. Plus with the natural sunlight coming in, it awakens my morning blues (and my weekend sleep-ins too). Of course, I really cannot wait to get my own place so I can build my dream office from ground up. Here are my essentials in an office for a me:

1. white moldings; grey/grey-blue or beige-yellow painted walls (nothing too bright that distract my pupils from calibrating colours on the computer screen).
2. unique, creative eco chandelier or light source
3. BIG boxy desk with a lot of leg room; preferably wood, antique, white or natural colour; or a glass table (doubles as tracing light box); drawers on sides, with room to hold a lot scrap paper for sketching or brainstorming a sudden idea.
4. A large white shelf, stretching end to end, filled with books and resources.
5. Scanner and printer within reachable distance; several stations to hold my art and design tools, again arm-length away simply I hate having to waste time—not lazy.
6. A lounge chair, with leg rest, and a floor lamp
7. A full size cork board covering one wall— "Idea & Inspire" wall.
8. Large school-like analog clock
9. A large flat architect cabinet where i can store my artwork and an old library catalog cabinet.
10. Framed work on the walls.
11. LARGE windows with light fabric curtains for day, and thick roll down canvas for night

Here's my current space:

Here's what I would like it to be one day:





A girl can dream.

----- These Walls Got a Few Tricks Up Its Sleeves -----

I am a poster child for always saying, great design comes from having restricted space and limited tools, and this interior space proves the case. Organizational activities such as cleaning my room or refiling my bills and papers are one of my favorite past time— yes i do have a life thank you very much—because nothing gives me the same kind of gratification as solving my clutter like a game of Tetris. Hong Kong, New York, Paris, London, are some cities involving gazillion human beings in tight spaces. If you've ever been fortunate enough to travel to those cities, I hope at one point you realized how spoiled we are to have our vast space. We don't use our space properly. There are so many brilliant ideas coming from designers to create efficient, smart spaces such as the one in the video. I really like this version versus the lady's 90 sq.ft New York City closet-like apartment. And because it had me at roof garden. But it's a good single person apartment, like for students or lonely souls like myself—seriously, I have a life.

-----Aced It.-----
nyc part un

It's been awhile since I last wrote actual words on my blog, but to redeem myself, I'm posting pictures and discussing my recent road trip down to my favorite city, New York.

(By the way, I was a Toyota Prius owner of three days. I think I'm now determined to make it my first car.)

Hotel hunting is an arduous and hideous task. Their pictures can tell you in eleven words: don't trust us; we were shot professionally to lure you in. However, Ace's website and photos immediately punches you in the face because it wants your attention. There was a masculine-comfort, quirky-silly, dingy-sexy and historic-classic vibe happening. Pretentious it was not. Gaudy it obviously was not. Bed bugs sexy it…may have, but hey it's New York Bed Bug Central. Ultimately, affordability and location were my reasons until continued research made me anxious. Not the nervous kind, it's the I-can't-wait kind. For creative people, art lovers and style conscious, this hotel is an eye-candy utopia. My points were soon validated as I arrived at its architectural marvel; greeted by its iron green French doors, while the 1920's glowing, lightbulb signage, "HOTEL", gleamed above.

Left image: front entrance. Right image: the library like lobby.

The branding of Ace is breathing its own kind of brilliance. They call themselves a "boutique" hotel. They differentiate themselves from chain hotels, offering personalized services, stylish or themed environments; this can also be called as "design" hotels. Smaller and better. Thoughtful and creative. Walking in there for me was like a child walking into a theme park dedicated to their favourite cartoons. I wanted to run around aimlessly! Every detail down to the wording in the fire escape instructions were also quirky. Ace's choice to write in second person provides an intimate and memorable experience. Witty sayings like, "You look good in that", engraved across the clothes hangers tingles your mind. With my new camera in hand, I was photo-whoring the place. Of course with reason not because I'm Asian. The place is smart in every corner. The choice of furniture were eco friendly; some are reconstructed from recycled pieces like pipes to assemble clothes rack. The most I hate about hotels is the generic hospitality. Dictionary definition would be: cream coloured walls, tacky floral covers, pale carpets and wood furniture; and ugly lamps. Before Ace, I would only rent apartments due to the reason of wanting to feel homey like I'm living in New York; adding to the vacation experience when I wake up to when I sleep. Certainly, Ace aimed to do just that, and the design team (Roman & Williams) really did it with a kick-ass plan.

This is the first hotel I can claim I love and would go back in a heart beat. Oh, one more point, it really doesn't hurt that it houses two highly-talked about restaurants and one coffeehouse: The Breslin, John Dory Oyster Bar, and Strumpton Coffee, respectively. Poached eggs over curried lentils and toast is seriously the only way to start a morning after a sleepless night and a 6 hours drive.

Magnetic tags can stick onto the metal doors. "Not Now" is the new "Do Not Disturb".

Faucets are outside of the bathrooms.

The shower.

Hairdryer

Our not so mini, mini-bar. Asian snacks on top.

Reused pages from encyclopedias as wallpaper. Perfect for a night time read.

Cute ice box.

"This one does not go to the lobby... But that one does <---".

Slight hindrance during check-in allocated free drinks. Hand written letter and ticket stubs are fun too!

Laundry services.

Laundry bag.

Hotel information book. Loving the humor.

Every floor in front of the elevator had this. I love GD. (graphic design)

Turn on the T.V.

Stairs to the basement. More details: everything is going to be alright.

The gym.



Notes left out on the tables.

Gorgeous lamps.