Ceiling Design Inspirations

Ceiling is often the most neglected area when it comes to home renovation. This is because most homeowners are very clueless what to do with it; aside from cladding it with false ceiling, clove lighting...or hanging sparkling chandeliers or even giving it a pop of colorful neon paint...

Well, fret not! Here are some ideas which you can adopt too!

Image from haybert

Installing the same fabric which you have used for your furnishing on the ceilings too..hey why didn't I think of that?!

Image from houzz 

Adding planking in between beams helps to achieve additional depth and visual interest.

Image from remals

Installing draping fabrics. It is actually commonly seen at the Malay weddings, very stunning effect!

Image from  tapja.com 

Colorful rainbow ceilings...wow!

Image from ceiling-design

Install stretch tray ceiling with falling crystal chandelier adds a subtle luxurious touch!

Image from Homedit

The walls and ceiling were covered with old doors . Pretty intriguing ...really brings another meaning to recycling of old stuffs!

Paint your ceiling black...and install lots of cool LED design lighting! Looking awesome doesn't it?!

Image from Homedit

Over 2000 woooden sticks line the walls and ceiling of the shop, creating fluidity throughout BUT a nightmare to clean!

Image from iondecoration

Ceiling made of wooden traditional herringbone pattern, packs drama in this otherwise ordinary room.

Image from iondecoration

“Plain” whitewashed wood planks and crystal Chandigarh complements in this French country design perfectly!

Image from suckerpunchdaily

Humm...I think this effect would be even more awesome if we replace the material used with many crystals woven together.

Image from 2014interiordesignarticle.com

Light installed with fabric drapes...covers up the ceiling entirely!

Image fromhometrendesign

Posters, art pieces need not be hang only on the 4 walls. You can make full use of your vertical space by hanging erm' on the ceilings too! 

Food for thought: Doesn't this make the ceiling a 5th wall then? 

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Stikwood

Are you looking for ways to inject natural wood in home interiors in the simplest and easiest way? 

By a stroke of luck, I stumbled upon Stikwood; which retails authentic real natural reclaimed wood for modern wood wall décor,. and its the worlds first peel & stick solid wood planking which comes in a variety of finishing from contemporary to rustic!

With Stikwood, it makes room transformation to an artisanal bespoke work of art with reclaimed wood. Stickwood products are supposedly VOC free. Hence, its safe, environmental friendly and comes in a variety of different design.

Prices range from $8 – $12.50 per square foot and best part; it is shipped directly to Singapore from US!

Here are some of my favorite inspiring photos from tumblr.

Stikwood on ceiling in Block Butcher Bar. Sacramento, CA

With so many possible DIY applications and a fairly reasonable price, I cant wait to get my hands on them to try out for my next home renovation project. :)

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Healthy Living - Wholemeal Chocolate Artisan Bread

This No-Knead Bread recipe is very easy to do. It is so ridiculously easy and fun. The biggest effort is the time taken to bake. Here is what I have used...

No-Knead Chocolate Wholemeal Bread

Ingredients:

1 Cup All Purpose Flour

2 Cups Wholemeal Flour

1 Teaspoon Salt

1 Teaspoon Brown Sugar Powder

1 Teaspoon Instant yeast

1½ cups warm water

All-Purpose flour for dusting

Here is a simple vid which shows you how its done.

My 1st attempt at bread making turns up reasonably well; aroma of freshly made bread really made my day. I started baking 2.5 hours after letting the dough to proof.

However, the bread tastes the best when it was left overnight to proof. Many original Artisan Bread recipe didn't include sugar. But I realized that adding sugar makes the bread tastier and softer. :)

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Open House organised by Interior Design firms

Image from challenge.gov.sg

Have been attending a few open houses hosted by a few Interior Companies lately. Not that we are renovating our place...which we would if  we have the spare cash to do so! 

Well, Mr Diva and myself has been entrusted with a renovation project by our loved one...and thus we have been arming ourselves with the latest renovation news and happenings. Hopefully, we can help to make the renovation journey a smooth one for her.

The last few rounds were very useful and insightful. I would strongly encourage homeowners to attend these open houses because you get to:

1. See the actual workmanship and quality of the material provided by the Interior Company;
2. Mingle and talk to different Interior Designers at the same time;
3. Be inspired by the various different design themes;
4. Find out more on the prices, especially on the special Packages are usually offered.*

* However, I strongly advise not to sign up on the spot. Remember to do your homework and compare different packages offered before making any decisions. Try to bargain before signing anything.

Nonetheless, the open house could have been better:

1. Spread the number of people attending the Open House in different batches; this is mainly for crowd control as the flat is usually too small to fit in so many people!
2. Brief and detail what was done to the homeowners upfront instead of waiting to be asked; this helps to cut down the time spent in the flat;
3. Some Interior Designers in their haste to get the Open House ready simply forgot to prepare the unit properly; examples include leaving behind ugly stickers, unfinished silicons and this will affect the homeowners impression of their workmanship. Hummm....This really defects the purpose of "putting their best foot forward" isn't it?

Well, have you attended any Open House lately? Do share your thoughts!

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When things are not built to last

I was at my relative's place over the last weekend and in the middle of our dinner, there a loud distinctive water splashing sound emitting from his common bathroom; it sounded like someone is pouring a huge bucket of water right into the shower area.

Instinctively, we rushed over and lo and behold; we were shocked to see water streaming rapidly down from the false ceiling.

Upon further investigation at the manufacturer's website, we realized that apparently, the "aggressive"water (another word for acidic water) has corroded the pipes, leading to the water leakage from the storage heater.

We scrutinized the water heater's warranty card issued by the developer and realised that unfortunately, the 5 year warranty just lapsed a few weeks ago!

Similarly, the residents of The Peak @ Toa Payoh and newly TOP Vacanza private condominium face a host of defects after the liability period. Every now and then, the residents will post photos or accounts of defects that occurred right after the warranty period.

What do these mean for Homeowners?My relative could have preempt the situation by paying more attention to the water heater in the last few months. I guess one of the biggest lesson learnt is that gone is the era when things are built to last. We have to especially keep a vigilant watch over the appliances which are nearing their end of the warranty period.

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