Is there an art to hanging art?

15. November 2008 · Write a comment · Categories: Art, Our new apartment · Tags: , ,

Until now I did not know that there were people out there whom you could call to hang your paintings…err…I believe the right word is “install your paintings”. My friend, Idah, had given me the contact number of Samsudin whose profession is just that – installing paintings. I called him last night and although he was reluctant to come over just to hang my three paintings, he relented in the end and agreed to come over bright and early this morning. I was so grateful for that.

His tools – a ladder, pencil, tape measure, string, power drill, cordless screwdriver and 2 spirit levels. And an assistant.

I knew he was going to hang my paintings but I had no idea how he was going to go about doing it. I should have researched it on the net last night but I didn’t have the time. Later of course I managed to find a couple of articles which made a lot of sense. This particular one explained it all quite simply.

Preparing the paintings for hanging

Anyway, I watched Samsudin install my paintings and I wondered if I would ever have the patience to go through every step that he took.

The ease of holding up a piece of art on a wall to estimate the height then driving a nail into the wall in the approximate place (or drilling, on good days!) is way too tempting!

The biggest painting goes on the biggest wall..

Although he asked me where I would like to hang which painting, in the end he applied a very simple principle, which made complete sense – the biggest painting goes on the biggest wall!

Up it goes!

I think all the paintings looked right wherever Samsudin had proposed. And the ambience of the apartment changed dramatically once all the paintings were up. No regrets with any of these paintings.

and another one...

Now I just need something for the wall behind the dining to complete the picture – no pun intended.

Elusive art village!

06. November 2008 · Write a comment · Categories: Art, Our new apartment · Tags: , , ,

I decided to venture out to find “Art Village” GPS in hand and ended up lost for an hour! It was so close yet so far.  I actually close to ran out of gas and thankfully I passed a petrol kiosk.

Once I found it, it took me another 30 minutes to find the parking – had to park in the right floor (guest parking was in basement 5 or something like that!) and in the right area so I can access via the right lift lobby!

The lady whom I was speaking to was very friendly telling me how to get there but I just had to tell her the truth about how I felt – this was no ART VILLAGE! It was more like ART JUNGLE! Anyway when I found the place (it was on level 8 of a multi-storey office building) I was overwhelmed.

Art Village

I have not seen so much art in one place. There was a proliferation of modern art. I guess you could say they were moderately priced. Some very cheap. Depends what you’re looking for. But safe to say that the good stuff is gone.

I found a couple of pieces which could go on the wall behind the dining table if I wanted to put art there…but they weren’t really jumping at me. Both were 2 metres long by 1 metre high.

Art Village painting

Art Village painting

Rudy attended to me. He was an art graduate and we spent more time talking about painting then we did looking for paintings! He suggested a set of three paintings for Danial’s room but I think they had too much yellow and would not go well with his colour scheme.

Art Village set of three paintings for Danial's room

Decision? Don’t rush. Wait for the right painting. Don’t buy for the sake of buying. It’ll come along.

The hunt continues

01. November 2008 · Write a comment · Categories: Our new apartment · Tags: , , , ,

A couple of days ago, I was thinking that if I didn’t find the table and chairs I was looking for I would consider getting a Malaysian kopitiam table and chairs.

Kopitiam tables and chairs in original teakwood

I know many people think it doesn’t exactly go with our contemporary interior thus far but I also read somewhere that “don’t listen to the interior designers” when it comes to mixing and matching, go with your gut! After all, furnishing a home is a very personal thing and everything depends on your personal lifestyle…what you do, how you do, when…who…etc.

Its quite OK to mix contemporary with say, ethnic accents. Kopitiam tables and chairs are a traditional Malaysian thing and I love the marble top. The chairs also sometimes come with marble seats. You will usually see them in coffee shops of olden days. Today you will find them in the relatively new phenomenon of Malaysian coffee bars serving Malaysian coffees and food and of course competing with Starbucks, Coffee Bean and the like.

I had an authentic set – actually the chairs were antique – before we left for the UK…unfortunately I sold the set.

Anyway….guess what….its not easy to find the traditional kopitiam tables and chairs anywhere! I found a table and stools but they were made of rubberwood and painted over. Not quite crazy about that. The real stuff was made of teak I believe. In another shop we looked through a catalogue and saw the set but I’ve learned my lesson – never buy anything if you can’t see the real thing!

So I gave up on kopitiam furniture. Back to contemporary. When we walked into Fella Design, I told Danial that this is where we will find my round glass table and the chairs to go with it. Well, seems I attracted the table but not the chairs.

The clear chair in redThe clear chair uninstalled held by Hazrai

The table was perfect so we bought it. I had reservations about the clear chairs and would still like to look around. In the evening after dropping Danial off at KL Sentral for his commute to Kerteh I decided to go back to Courts Mammoth to find my chairs. I found them alright – almost exactly like the one in the pics I found on the net which I posted in a previous post!

Perfect chair!

I found the green chair perfect! Exactly what I wanted but it had to be dark brown. Courts being Courts – that was the only piece they had….more coming, maybe, but don’t know when!  So off I went to look in IKEA next door and there were options there which I would consider getting as a last resort. But it would have to be the last resort because none of them were the perfect design. We’ll see what happens after the table is delivered next week.

Great interior decorating tutorial video

24. September 2008 · Write a comment · Categories: Resources · Tags:

I found this video very helpful. Has some great concepts about colour, textures and style..

Painted ceilings

23. September 2008 · Write a comment · Categories: Our new apartment · Tags: , , , , , ,

Traditionally, white is the most commonly used colour for ceilings. This is because it reflects light very well, and let’s face it —white goes with everything. So white is a foolproof and “safe” ceiling solution. Bear in mind though that there are many different types of whites — from subtly warm, to cooler and more blue-based.

Having said that, I’m pretty set on the idea of NOT leaving our new plaster ceiling a stark white. It was just a thought after I saw the interior of a new Starbucks nearby.

After reading what various interior experts had to say about ceilings, I’m pretty much convinced that:

  • ceilings can be an important asset in home decor – and ceiling colour doesn’t always have to be a default white.
  • a white ceiling in a room looks as if it’s been forgotten.
  • to negate the boundaries between ceiling and walls, paint them in the same or a similar colour. This will create a calm, cohesive atmosphere.
  • a low or average ceiling will appear higher if painted a lighter shade than the walls.
  • using the deepest tone of colour near to the floor and the lightest shade on the ceiling gives the illusion of space. The reverse makes the room look smaller.
  • a paler or cooler colour on the ceiling makes a room look taller.
  • a darker or warmer colour on the ceiling makes a “grand room” feel cosier.

A good rule of thumb? Try a failsafe, monochromatic approach: apply ceiling colour that is only one or two shades lighter or darker than the wall colour.

Right now I will probably have the ceilings painted one or two shades lighter than the chosen wall colour for each room.

I think it makes a lot of sense because our ceilings will be just under 10 ft once the plaster works are done. Its a nice height, not to tall and not too short and if what the experts say are right, our rooms should look cosy and complete.

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