Y Design Loop : Is it Art, Furniture or Decor ?

My Latest Discovery - I'm very excited to share my latest discovery in the world of Interiors : Chinese Garden Stools !

Although the name implies outdoor use, it works just as well indoors and defies style categorization as it works well in many interior styles ranging from traditional :

to eclectic :

to transitional :

to modern :

Being a ceramic product, it naturally works in wet environments like bathrooms :

And of course your outdoor oasis :

So is it art, furniture or decor - you decide. Search online to see the vast array of colors and designs out there.
Enjoy !

YP

Y Design Loop : A Custom Dining Table Project

The need for a custom dining table arose while designing a contemporary kitchen for a penthouse condominium at 131 Holland Avenue, Ottawa, Canada. My clients wanted a banquette to be part of the design, to be used as a casual eating area, adjacent to the more formal dining room. This drove the need for something custom, as finding a table with the exact shape, size, materials and style was impossible.

View into kitchen and banquette eating area [on right] from dining room :

It was obvious that the table had to be a pedestal table, so that you could slide around the banquette without bumping your knees.  The top needed to float on a stable, yet elegant base. How to design a table that looks elegant yet strong? Unique yet match the banquette? Delicate yet stable? Complimentary not conflicting? Where to start?

I was inspired by several tables including the ultimate modern pedestal table from Knoll, the Platner table :

But it needed to be rectangular like this one from Tonelli :

There aren't many rectangular pedestal tables to study and learn from.....finally I found this one from Nilo :

My inspirational search continued with the stacked rock sculptures along the Ottawa River :

I started to draft the table, and to study the ergonomics, i.e. maximum glass size, glass to banquette overhang, glass to top plate overhang, minimum column size, etc. Dimensions were key and were massaged many times over several weeks, in order to get the visual and physical balance perfect.

Concurrently, I started to make small to-scale maquettes using dimensions of the existing banquette. I used simple card stock for the base and clear acrylic to model the glass :

I knew I needed to use steel for strength, and sought the expertise of Ottawa sculptor Cairn Cunnane. We decided along with the clients that cold rolled steel with hand-rubbed was finish was best to achieve the blackened look I was going for :

Next I had to figure out a way to fasten the glass to the base and with the assistance of The Glass Shop, had a test piece made :

As it turned out, the glass not only didn't need any fastening [thank you gravity], the natural turquoise/green edge matched the leather and fabric of the banquette beautifully.

The steel plates were fastened together with knock-down stainless steel hardware and using 1/4" thick spacers to provide hairline shadows between the parts. Here is the top plate where it meets the center column :

Voila! The final installation photographed by Marc Fowler of Metropolis Studio, as seen in Ottawa Magazine :

Ciao !

Design Adventures in China : Photo Journal of My Working Holiday

Designing for an English speaking client is tricky enough - what is their vision? what goals do they have? how are they expecting the end result to enrich their life? Now add to that, that none of the suppliers, contractors or users speak English !! The cultural difference is another story....luckily for me, it was the "American" design culture they were looking to emulate and capitalize on. These were some of the challenges I faced while on contract to design a trade show booth, company branding and of course...furniture for furniture manufacturer EDIMASS in Guangzhou, China from 2005-07.

Below is a photo journal of my experience, enjoy !

Land in Hong Kong and marvel at the architecture :

and the commerce, the Hong Kong port stretched for miles as we whizzed past :

Enter into "The Mainland" and fear for my life !! :

many, many modes of transportation and means of survival :

And some shocking roadside poverty :

A nice spot of tea with Horace, EDIMASS factory owner, before starting our 12 hour day :

EDIMASS' beautiful factory including inner courtyard [turns into basketball court after hours] :

One of a hundred or so modern factory showrooms we went to. Such a contrast of old and new !:

Here we are at a lumber yard - notice the background of the sign indicating the product they sell :

Lunch time with Lorna [factory co-owner and  my personal translator / assistant]  and Horace
- notice the Le Corbusier and Mies van der Rohe reproductions that they produce :

Working on new designs. Prototypes would literally appear overnight, as opposed to 2-3 weeks later when working with North American furniture makers. The Chinese work very fast therefore a lot was accomplished in 2-3 weeks :

Working on some branding for my designs; a super cool technique used to etch logos onto knives. This solution was suggested by Nicola working for Driade [Italian furniture company] :

And marketing materials for EDIMASS including the logo; chosing a Pantone color was tricky as they had no idea what I was talking about.... :

Finally, a day off with a friend [a concierge at my hotel who spoke some English] to see some gorgeous parks :

Michael Yu

Me

White Cloud Park, Guangzhou, China

Building the EDIMASS tradeshow booth I designed, for the CIFF in Guangzhou, China :

Show time ! Outside of the super modern trade show complex :

and inside :

Coffee break at the show - typically hilarious translations of American marketing mumbo jumbo :

More of my furniture designs at the show :

Speaker Wire Weave - Detail

 Having a quality control meeting with the factory workers in the tradeshow booth !! :

And now the night life when the real business happens !  :

Eugene, Ian, Lina, our driver

Karaoke Chinese style after dinner - this club probably holds 1,000+ people :

... these photos don't portray how extremely hot and extremely crowded it was....

A fond farewell to my Mainland friends, and back to Hong Kong and it's amazing lights, fashion and interior design. Here I had dinner with my great friend Phillip Van Leeuwen whom I am forever thankful to for encouraging me to go. :

I am also eternally thankful for my loving, caring husband Richard, who encouraged me to go and supported me every step of the way, never complaining once....even after missing 2 wedding anniversaries.
Will I ever go back? You bet ! It has been an amazing experience I never thought I would ever have.....
Blogatachalater,
Y