euphony

pkchair: cheers! I can't wait too. Won't name as yet. I want to see the quality of the chairs first before I name them or maim them in next mon's follow-up post.

Am happy to have gotten my table in advance. The piece shifted intact from SG to JB in 2 pieces. Don't drop your jaw as yet haha, the original table came in 2 boxes, the walnut wood top in 1 and stainless steel legs in the other. So I got the table a day earlier but my chairs from JB will be delayed till next Monday. Like I say efficiency is a big problem in MY. Anyways, assembly was DIY and was fairly easy. Nevertheless, I have 2 chairs as you can see in the before/after pictures below. These are 2 temporary chairs courtesy from my neighbor. They're superb I have to say. Originally, was told the JB shop can only supply 4 Panton S chairs. And 2 more next year later in 2012. And I was expecting friends to come visit. So my neighbor sent me 2 chairs without even me asking. Thankfully the shop later told me they're able to fulfill the order of 6. Let's hope come Mon I can display the complete ensemble photos here, I personally can't wait to see how my choices add up for choosing to buy dining table and chairs separately. As with the last photo no house reno/furnishing is complete without a nice glossy(ies) to accompany us on the journey.

thanks for the resource and i should be devouring it over the next few days, the name is familiar to me. I might even have collected a few ID photos where he's the genius behind. LIKE!

Christmas is fast approaching and New Year is not too far away. Everybody seems to be in a holiday mood now. I abhor Christmas because its a season for unnecessary gifting. That is a nightmare for minimalists because you suddenly find yourself buying and receiving things you don't want spending money to do so sometimes for the people you don't really care for. If I were the rule maker I'll outlaw Christmas gifting. And then perhaps take on the title of the euphony who stole Christmas. haha. Anyhoos. I bunch of photos to start me thinking about the courtyard. Double volume happiness!

Joshdes, agree! space amplifies the emptiness central to minimalism. once our houses are done, we house swap for a day! hahaha. it is nice to have a courtyard, the house is bright everywhere even at night when the softer moonlight comes in.

Saturday is the big day where I receive the table and chairs. Finally. In the meantime, I am turning my attention to my courtyard. Actually my place is considered quite small compared to other JB developments. The minimalist in me wanted a comfortable space but not something overwhelming because it houses me and once in a while my mum. So the courtyard is pretty humble too. It gets rainy these days and the airwell also amplifies the neighbor's activities so I am thinking of covering it up with a glass roof, removing the stones, knocking out the glass doors to open up the space and installing a minimalist glass railing on the 2nd floor to get the double volume effect and yet retain the amount of light permeating the apartment.

can't wait for you to embark on another chapter ha.

Cheers Adidaem for your inputs. A next place? Anything concrete? That should be exciting!

This is another somewhat minimalist project I chanced upon. I love the small space but big style concept. The houses flanking the sides dwarfs the house!

thanks rain and khimwoon for your inputs. Some times funny (nose picking!) haha sometimes poignant, omg khimwoon your friend's wife so sad!!! anyway i have finally nailed down a table. Bought it from Koda. It has a wooden table top that can expand a 4 seater to a 6. And I like the stainless steel metal legs that frame both ends because of its reflective finish as well as taking up minimal space. Pictures to follow once I can confirm the transport to JB and when everything is assembled. Can't wait, its like... like... a baby is arriving? haha. right before that, another minimalist project. this one's very futuristic. I like the lines cutting through the house.

The interior shots of the same project:

People ask me whether there is any down sides to living in JB, well, not a lot but one of things that bugs me is inefficiency. Like the rectification of the air-con what was not installed properly. Finally, this has been done after a long wait. I am also finding more minor rectification work (thankfully) that needs to be done. Sometimes, you just have to live in to discover the smaller flaws that escape the inspection eye. This is one of the reasons why I delayed any kind of renovation that would allow the developer to shed off responsibility of any defects in building or pass the buck to the renovation contractor to do the job. The same line of thinking when I read a prominent blogger talked about the spade of unfortunate breakdowns of the SMRT. Yes the transport minister can cry foul at the whole debacle. But how much of a regulator role have the regulator played to supervise SMRT to prevent such incidents in the 1st place? ... Anyway on a different note, I chanced upon this minimalist project that has a more colorful pallet than usual (exterior shot):

I have thought about KL where the good stuff are but unfortunately, they are usually not very keen to bring them down and charge exorbitant transportation costs. I also don't really trust these transports and should I reject the goods on my end I'll be charged extra for return transport nevertheless. So I thought I'll negotiate for the JB shops to bring KL stuff down and pass the liability to them instead (since majority do it already, though the item you want have to be in their catalogue). I have managed to tie down a deal with one of the JB furniture shop I visited. They can bring in the Panton S chairs for me. Fiberglass finish @ RM280/chair free delivery. Let's see how this works out. As for the table, I guess I'd stick to SG. I recently saw something I really like. Am in the process of sourcing for cheap and reliable transport across to JB for a good rate. At least I can go to the warehouse on the day of delivery to ensure the quality and packaging before delivery. Should all these proceed smoothly, I might finally have a dining set before Christmas. No more eating on kitchen counter top. And of course pictures and more information about the whole process to follow. Perhaps one day when the house is more ready I'll open the invitation to friends here to house visit! I think it is kind of ironic, like my mum pointed out, most people buy from JB and ship out to SG and I am doing the exact opposite. They say minimalists are 'anal' about things. haha. I take my inspiration from him (Ron about 4-5 minutes into the video when he talks about the architecture bits): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mn1ig-ZZUrw

Out of the whole bunch of dining chairs, the panton S chairs appeal to me most with minimal joinery, modernistic appearances even though it has been designed so long ago. I also like that it is fuss free without additional leather/canvas cushions which may dirty or get worn down in time to come. Unfortunately however, I cannot afford to pay homage to Verner Panton by buying them off Vitra. Will be getting knock offs. So I won't be able to get his signature on his signature piece though I should be looking at the same fiberglass material.

I think I should be getting separate chairs. Though deals are sweeter when the dining table are married with chairs, I prefer more eclectic mixing to heighten the aestheticism.

Perhaps wood is a better option. I have run through at least 15-20 different furniture shops in JB and have found nothing to my liking. Either the design is too 'lux' or flamboyant. Nothing that has a muted simplicity and a modern aestheticism. So I will be turning my attention to SG instead and ship it into JB.

Right, the most urgent thing for me right now is to nail down a dining table and the accompanying dinning chairs. Once I've got that down, I should be looking at converting my courtyard to something more pleasant. Here's some of my 'research'. I think the first 3 of the series of photos would be the most minimalistic but it is not feasible to have a fully glass dining table because it needs to double up as my work table and glass don't do well with human skin contact leaving behind lots of grease marks and may be quite uncomfortable when cold. Transparent acrylic on the other hand catches scratches far too easily for heavy duty usage.

your daughter is quite a colorful character! well, i am not in authority because I don't have a kid. though I'd say show her by your positive example. Children, they see they do (this one is a bit sad though):

You must have been very involved with the process of your reno. How does it feel now that its mostly over? Relieved? Or do you think it'll more likely be a work in progress? Stay strong to your principles and don't let the others deter you. I have seen your hall photos and its gorgeously minimal. Agree that doing away with the coffee table helps. The fan 'disappears' into the alcove and theres plenty of room between the sofa and the wall TV. And of course your signature TV cabinetry! And a few nice design pieces. The Japanese IDs I admire a lot. They are the true pros when it comes to zen minimalism. well, you never know, perhaps an opportunity might come your way in the future. I don't have green fingers neither does my mum though I have managed so far to grow a decent herb collection. Mostly growing them to harvest and eat more than producing a greenhouse showcase. haha. Right which I will post about shortly. The collection of photos you posted featuring the courtyard from the terrace is amazing!! Wish I have the kind of budget and space for such a design.

Right I guess I'd continue to write about things I will not be getting for the house besides the TV I mentioned. 1. Dryer. It takes up space and consumes a lot of electricity. I would dry my laundry the old way outside the MBR balcony since I am not planning to use it. I think my challenge is too do it in an aesthetically appealing way. 2. Dishwasher. This one takes up space and also consumes electricity & water. I think this is not a necessity but more an indulgence. 3. Radio. I have got an apple airport express that is hooked up to the speaker where I send my playlist on my MBP to. So this is redundant. I also don't listen to radio anymore. 4. Big fridge. I think a big fridge encourages me to buy more stuff to fill it up. A smaller fridge would force me to plan my grocery shopping and meals for the week. I read that freezer boxes on top or bottom actually saves more electricity than side by sides. 5. Rice-cooker. Multi-function devices are the way to go and this one can be done with a substitute pot I already have. I have found myself using cous cous more than rice these days and the best thing about it, cooking is a 5 minute deal by pouring boiling water over. Fast, minimum fuss. 6. Floorlamps. Am happy my place has already got downlights preinstalled and baths the whole place in warm cosy hue. So I should have none of these although the Mooi designed ones are very very chic. 7. Desktop system. These things takes up space and consume more electricity than laptops, they're mostly static and produce more cable clutter. 8. Bookshelf. I am trying to reduce the number of books I have looking to rotate nice design glossies I can borrow from the library on the coffee table. Book shelves just encourage the owner to buy more books to fill it up. Clutterism. 9. Curtains. They take up space and close up the interior. I guess I am more 'exhibitionist'. I reckon if I were to spend good money to get nice furniture or carpentry works, isn't it better to 'show it off' then hide it behind curtains? So that's my list for now. Do you have a list of your own too?

thanks, ok i did and am raiding the whole archive. As I write this. cheers. wow you're very resourceful. all these completed projects are dug out from all sorts of websites. I hear you on the 'dark' side. Will be limiting it to my airwell/courtyard which is bathed with light. The wood work is a bit ott I thought although the overall design is very modern minimalistic and agree with you a bit dark. what a small world!!!

omg that is so fabulous. I was looking at the photos over and over and over. Thanks! So happy to see a Tblog 'celebrity' on my pages, I have read your wordpress site religiously for sometime now.

El loco & Piknik (what a cute doggie avatar!) Both of you bring up a very real and sometimes 'painful' problem. My mum too has this tendency to hoard. I think it is because of their harder working (as in less automation and more manual labor) generation, they treasure their belongings more because it is literally exchanged with blood, sweat and tears. They also tend to live their lives in the past too, distancing themselves away from technology and modern day sophistication. One good thing is that they are mostly very careful/wary spenders. That is already 1 side of minimalism. Telling them to get rid of things, is more difficult I concede because they look to us younger generation as having to learn from them rather than the other way round. And this I do with my mum. I don't have TV at home. TV I find takes up space with its associated cable clutter etc plus electricity expenditure. To have a good outfit, one needs to add a good sound system and various accessories like the tivo/dvd-blueray player etc. There aren't really good, bad TV programs anymore these days and TVs are static we can't carry them around. & Unlike digital devices, are not exactly multi-functional. So I downsized to my apple macbook pro and an impending iPad. I showed my mum how to use it for movies, news sites and online radio. I grab all the household's entertainment needs digitally without the need to buy physical DVDs/blueray discs etc. I explained to her why the choice. So in a way she is forced to pick up the technology since there is no TV to be had. I prevent clutter and she gets bragging rights amongst her auntie friends/relatives. When we chat, I'll always ask her to suggest ways I can cut down and reduce. So it seems as if the idea comes from her, that she is participating in the minimalism process. And I love her for coming through but am also mighty lucky she is quite a neat and tidy person to start off with so its not an insurmountable task for me. Piknik: I like it that you have this very socially responsible view about items you do not have use for and pass it on. I think in the future to come bartering instead of buying may be the new economy. As it the talk below.

I am glad that a small discussion is kicked up about minimalism. Yes Rain, I agree the house is a reflection! Somehow deep down all of us wants to be clutter free but like joshdes/kimwoon/blackcookie mentioned, there are difficulties. Sometimes partner, other times kids or ourselves. Though I think give up we should not. A lot of people equate minimalism with white. Actually, I believe the concept transcends this color pallet. Hardwoord contrasting beige or taupe or gray can work too which is something I am planning to try. Storage I think is extremely crucial when it comes to minimalism so as to hide away the clutter behind the door. But more importantly, perhaps we could look at acquiring less and giving/recycling/throwing away more of our stuff. I have not bought any new clothes for the past year, and I hope to edit down my wardrobe eventually to be able to fit everything I own into a duffel bag (helps to be a guy in my case I guess?). Last year, I was excited about buying clothes for new year, now I am just as excited counting how much I saved instead. I first started with an electricity bill of RM70. I then got onto a personal experiment. 2 months ago I got it down to RM28, I just opened my letterbox to see a RM23 bill for last month (no I am not living in abject darkness), and I cook my meals alot. Its about clever reductionism of excesses. In fact this could be a fun 'game' for the kids to teach them minimalism. Don't need to always use the cane or the angry voice. As for partners, my suggestion is to both agree to designate a 'messy' room (best so that everything could disappear when the door is closed) or corner of the house (an armoire that can fold and hide away). This allows the partner to express his/her individuality whilst keeping it sane for the minimalistic significant other for the rest of the house. By example and by influence, I guess the untidy one will turn over to the 'bright' side eventually. Right, think tomorrow, I'll write about the electric appliances I would NOT be buying for my place, as a continuation of this discussion. That should be an interesting twist to the usual post about what appliances or furnitures to get.

I think sometimes, I am obsessed with minimalism. I remember the feeling when I was young and buried with academic paraphernalia during term time then transiting to the moment where everything is tidied up after the exams. There was this clarity and freshness and this feeling of possibilities, and positiveness. I chanced upon this video, although completely off tangent but makes a point about minimalism in another dimension. I think minimalism is not only a design concept for renovation. It is a lifestyle, it is behavioral, it is all encompassing. I am digging deep and using all sorts of materials I can get to color up my drawing board. In the next few days will be putting up more pictures of the surrounding environment. And also starting my research on dining table and chairs. Currently, I am eating off the kitchen built in counter-top and sometimes on an old bean bag next to my old coffee table...