Life, Lately

Is it just me or this January seems so long that it never wants to end? New year was off to a super busy start after the holidays, but it's all good.

Lately I've expanded my art horizons - in addition to my typical go-to oil/acrylic medium, I've grown to appreciate photography and visual arts more. Here are a few of my favourite picks from Minted and Society6. 

"Time Stood Still" from Minted was the first one to arrive. Artist Maja Cunningham captured a perfect moment with ephemeral colours and lights. 

I was stunned by how unique and gorgeous these Iittala Festivo candle holders were when I spotted them at Illums Bolighus in Copenhagen. 

And again in the Iittala flagship store on Pohjoisesplanadi in Helsinki, picture below. I remembered telling myself that I needed to start collecting them. 

Picture below: Iittala store in Helsinki, Finland.

And collecting I did. I am now onto four pieces, and thankfully, you can still find some 1960s-1980s vintage signed ones in the aftermarket. 

This picture below was taken using my new Canon EOS M10 camera, a lightweight bridge camera between DSLR and Point-and-shoot. It's going to take some getting used to for someone like me who's been using DSLR all my life. The camera takes pretty decent pictures I must say. It's slightly noisier than DSLR under the same lighting, but it's lightweight and agile so I am going to use it more for interior photos. By the way, I don't think I can live without this Diptyque Eucalyptus candle this winter. I am obsessed with this single-note scent. 

In a few days this wallpaper will be installed in my powder room. 

Still debating what type of mirror would go with this charcoal grey and white floral wallpaper, but I am thinking something like this, a Venetian piece?

This was also on my 2017 project list, to replace the island light in the kitchen. Since I don't have the time or energy to do a complete kitchen overhaul, I decided to splurge on this Roll & Hill's 10-light Agnes chandelier. I could hardly wait for it to go up. 

Don't gasp if I tell you I never watched Downton Abbey before. We just started watching it, and half episode in I was immediately hooked. Isn't Downton a heaven for OCD people like me? 

I will be back to write about the powder room and kitchen light. 

How to Get the Best Quality Photos

~ This is a featured post. ~

As an avid photographer, I take my prints seriously. They’re an expression of you and what you think is important in life, and if you like to scatter them throughout your home as I do, you want people to be viewing the best quality you can provide. Not everyone can afford to go to a top-quality printers though, and why should you when it’s just as easy to do it yourself? So, here are some top tips for printing the best photos to wow your guests. 

Camera vs Computer

Many cameras these days have the option to print straight from the device, rather than having to upload them to a computer first. Surprisingly, both approaches can produce very different results, so it’s a good idea to test the different settings available first, so that you don’t print out dozens of images only to find that they’re of a very poor standard.

Choose an InkJet printer

Printer manufacturers have caught on to people’s desire to print their own images at their leisure, so if you can, invest in an InkJet printer. These have been made specifically to cope with the demands of photograph printing, and will give you a far cleaner and more professional image with little bleeding of lines, when compared with a standard printer.

Are you using the right settings?

Of course, every printer is going to be different, so make sure you have all the right settings selected before hitting “Go!”. For example, under the quality section on most printers, you’ll have an option to print for media or magazine; while quality is usually automatically selected for you at “good”, you have the option to change this to “best”. These are very simple settings that can make a huge difference.

Follow all the rules!

You’ll find that most manufacturer’s give guidance in their manuals about obtaining the best results, so it’s always a good idea to check the handbook. However, if that’s too technical, consult their websites instead. They may have blog posts or other guides available online that are written in brief, how-to formats.

Buy different samples

Other factors that can make the world of difference are the materials you’re using. Try different paper samples to see if there’s a difference in quality, and make sure that the type of ink you pick is the correct one for the job, and for your model of machine. As this can end up costing a fortune if you go to the wrong place, always buy from a specialist website for these supplies, such as cartridgepeople.com.

Try photo editing software

Finally, if it’s the image itself that’s bugging you, there are tonnes of free photo editing software downloads that you can use to increase exposure on shots, reduce blur and so on. It’s worth doing your research on the best one for your needs, but you can check out a good guide here.

How do you use your family photos? Let me know in the comments section… 

Best of 2016 and 2017 Project List

2016 was undoubtedly an interesting if not challenging year for a lot of people. The uncertain political climate and outlook has certainly dampened spirits. It seems like a norm that working days only get longer and jobs get more demanding. Alas, the world still spins so might as well take whatever life throws at us with a smile. To quote the Hamilton Musical: Look around, look around, at how lucky we are to be alive right now. 

As we enter 2017, in the design world, it's also high time to reflect on the projects we did or did not complete in 2016. The #2016bestnine below from Instagram didn't quite sum up what I was up to last year. 

Turns out I was pretty good at sticking to my 2016 Project List. Here's a recap of what got done and what didn't. 

Completed: 

• Living room: 
• Removed the popcorn ceiling, link here. 
• Replaced the coffee table in my living room, with this. 
• Replaced the blue drapes with these cream Dupioni silk drapes.
• Replaced the chandelier, with the Paris Flea Market Chandelier.
• Replaced the rug. 

This is what my living room looks like now after a series of changes. 

• Laundry room:
• Tiled the walls with white subway tiles and dark grout all the way to the ceiling. 
• Replaced the pendant light. 

Here's a sneak peek of my mini laundry room/mudroom makeover. More on that later in a separate post.  

• Master Bedroom: 
• Replaced the chandelier in my master bedroom with this. 

Didn't Complete:

• Foyer:
• Replace the foyer floor with black, white, and grey marble tiles. Don't think I will be taking on this project anytime soon. 
• Paint the walls above the wainscoting in the same shade of white; or extend the wainscoting to full walls and paint them in white. 

Now for the 2017 Project List: 

• Ground floor powder room: what other better bathrooms to wow your guests than the powder room, which seems to be the only bathroom your visitors would ever use. My idea is to create a Parisian style bathroom using the following elements:  

• Wallpaper the walls above wainscoting. I've already picked a floral wallpaper, more on that in another post.  
• Replace the mirror with a minimalist round or oval-shaped one. 
• Replace the chandelier. 
• Kitchen: 
• Replace the light over the island. 
• Foyer:
• Paint the walls above the wainscoting.

As you could see, my 2017 project is a lot shorter and seems more attainable. That's also my new year's resolution: to try to enjoy life in the slow lane, nurture my mind by reading/seeing the world more, and being with positive people who can add happiness and support to my life. I also want to invest time in a healthier diet by cooking more at home. Design wise, I am going to challenge myself by going with choices out of my comfort zone. 2017 is the year to "invest in myself". I hope it will be a fantastic year for you too! 

Picture below: me and my snowman Aaron Brrr :D