Kenneth Surat

Last March I had a privilege to be invited to the opening night of Design Days Dubai (see link here). This really kicked my inspiration+ creative bone to a high.

With all the furniture (and art pieces) exhibited it feels like I am in what one part of my heaven map.

Compared to last year’s exhibition, this year focused on a more contemporary approach, which is not a bad thing (I just missed seeing some very expensive vintage pieces).

This is a very interesting design for a clock..this is called “clock clock” designed by Humans Since 1982 and currated by Victor Hunt. This unique approach for time management really got my attention. These are actually series of clocks placed together to create a bigger clock. I still cant grasp how this is working.

Another interesting piece is “Jari” by Jihoon Ha. This is a modular, repetitive sculptural piece that works brilliantly as a seat. Perfect I must say!

I also love this stringed art display. This are actual scaled furniture outlines stringed from the ceiling. Although you cannot really seat on them but they are brilliantly installed to create a real 3d sketch.

I cant help to watch how they are producing pearl (a bit brutal I must say—-poor oyster)

After seeing their work, I instantly became their number 1 fan. I want to ruin their partnership and turn it into trio! Studio Swine made my vision possible. What they are actually doing is what was planning to do after working here in Dubai and manage my own design studio. To know more about them visit their website here.

All in all my eyes were satisfied with the buffet of creativity displayed—and of course, I do have some favorite pieces..cant wait for next year’s event!

As a designer, I’ve been seeing a lot of designer furniture in the web and up close (I have even tried and sourced some of them for projects).

What I love about designer furniture is the story behind every piece. And also the story behind their designer/s.  I am dreaming (still in present tense) to be one of those great designers and have my own collection which people will see the value of craftsmanship and the story behind every detail.

With this said, I thought of posting every now and then furniture pieces which I find very interesting aside from being beautiful of course.

My first feature will be Eileen Gray’s Bibendum Chair.

Eileen Gray’s Bibendum Chair was one of the 20th century’s most recognized furniture design. It was designed for Madame Mathieu Levy, a boutique owner. This was part of her work when she was commissioned to re-design Mademe Mathieu Levy’s apartment in Paris.

Although seems over-sized, the two semi-circular padded tubes in leather makes this chair ideal for lounging and socializing.(I love it)

With its bold size and shape, this furniture became an instant masterpiece and was widely accepted in the market. Today, this chair can sell for an approximate of 2300 pounds. 

Sources:

www.artimeless.com

www.wikipedia.org

www.bbc.co.uk

One of my “neophyte days” events that I did was a grand wedding by an Indian couple in Phuket. It was a very festive event, with 5 days of parties and celebrations  and parties…and more parties, surely the guests really had fun (we had fun also).

One of the night party that was tasked to me was to create a cozy, warm (not that all out rave party) venue. A place where guests can really talk and chill-out with one another. I think the key word there was “chill-out”.

Our venue was the Banyan Cafe in the Banyan Tree Hotel. We played and got inspired with the orange and brown combination like an “Hermes” box. We painted the existing columns in tangerine and wrapped around a rich brown ribbon (wrapping those ribbons were a bit of a headache). We also played around with fabrics of the same motif and created a festive look from a plain resort type cafe.

This is the schematic sketch that I did for the main entrance area. We framed the existing buddha statue with fabrics and ribbons to create a vertical reference. For carpets, instead of red, we thought of using a bolder shade ——yes it is orange!

Here is a schematic sketch for the whole  venue.  We installed a dance floor and a DJ table. Also we created pocket areas for seating (lounge type)

The set-up was a bit nerve wracking, I started coordinating everything early in the morning with painting started a couple of days before, except for the dance floor. The weather was not participating also because it was cloudy with a bit of a drizzle. All in all we did it (Thank God)! It was awesome because we stayed true on what we have designed and it turned out pretty chic and classy.

It was a blessing to have worked with these lovely folks. I learned a lot for my first big event gig. After this, I did a lot of events but I must say, this team has a big place in my heart.

Got my invitation for Design Days! YEY! I can’t wait! Last year I was able to come and got really inspired with most of the featured exhibits, this year, we got an invite for the preview—-SWEET

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Here are some information from their website:

Design Days Dubai is the first fair in the Middle East and South Asia dedicated to collectible and limited edition furniture and design objects. Our goal is to present, both regional and internationally, the best of design to collectors and a wide audience of design enthusiasts.

Through strong cooperation with local partners and a diverse educational programme, we aim to strengthen greater appreciation and understanding for design as a form of applied arts. Design Days Dubai encourages the involvement of emerging talent from the region and acts as focal point for the global design and art community, while becoming a vibrant addition to the region’s cultural scene.

We aim to

• become one of the world’s leading design fairs.
• provide a platform to engage regional and international design initiatives.
• promote emerging local talent.
• encourage a wide audience through a diverse educational programme.
• liaise with strong cultural partners like Art Dubai.
• maintain excellence in organization and performance.

The second edition of Design Days Dubai takes place from 18 to 21 March 2013.

I love helping friends with their DIYs. DIYs always give that special touch to every event and for an event as intimate as a wedding, for me DIYs are a must (specially for us Filipinos). This can be stressful for some, but for others, this can be very rewarding and a great time to bond.

When my friend asked my help to do a décor for their wedding stage (stressing already that they don’t have a budget) I was excited and ready for the challenge. We decided to play with paper. I always love working with paper. I think they can be elegant if used properly. It is easy to cut, to fold—to print on, you can really do a lot from it.

First stop, I googled some possible inspirations. We came across some butterfly cut-outs and the bride liked it. So, we thought of creating a curtain full of white paper butterflies. We hanged them on a metallic divider owned by the groom using transparent nylons.

We also thought of creating flowers from paper. Somehow we figured out how to make paper roses (just cut a square paper spirally). We glued them on paper lantern balls we bought from IKEA and decided to hang them along with the butterflies to create some depth and leveling.

Lastly, with the butterfly still in mind, we thought of creating some table accents. We printed musical notes (because the bride is a singer) on a brown/cream cardboard and cut it in varying butterfly shapes (same as the white butterflies), then we glued two together and folded both wings opposite one another for it to stand.

We were all happy on the outcome of our simple paper project. I love how all the couple’s friends pull together just to help them decorate their wedding stage.

Exciting colors for 2013! i think no one can master the names of these colors! for me i will still stick with BLUE

The top colors for women’s fashion for spring 2013 are:

PANTONE 14-0446 Tender Shoots 
PANTONE 14-6011 Grayed Jade 
PANTONE 17-5641 Emerald 
PANTONE 16-3520 African Violet 
PANTONE 17-1664 Poppy Red
PANTONE 16-1360 Nectarine 
PANTONE 13-0756 Lemon Zest
PANTONE 16-4120 Dusk Blue 
PANTONE 12-1008 Linen
PANTONE 19-3964 Monaco Blue 

The top colors for men’s fashion for spring 2013 are:

PANTONE 14-0210 Tidal Foam
PANTONE 17-5641 Emerald 
PANTONE 14-6011 Grayed Jade 
PANTONE 16-4120 Dusk Blue 
PANTONE 19-3964 Monaco Blue 
PANTONE 16-3915 Alloy
PANTONE 12-1008 Linen
PANTONE 17-1664 Poppy Red
PANTONE 16-1364 Vibrant Orange 
PANTONE 16-1054 Sunflower

I got this from an old file. I was tasked to study (a bit) and design an empire style lounge. This style is very rich, from its curiosity cabinets up to the gold trimmings surrounding its ceiling. Although this is not really my cup of tea,this exercise really made me appreciate this style more.

here are the sketches i did… luvin every bit of it

Yesterday was a holiday, so we decided that it’s the perfect time to paint KAY’s room…

We had a blast painting her room..no pressure JUST EXPRESS yourself day. One thing to keep in mind, THIS GIRL LOVES PINK…BIG TIME!!..

We had our first scheme for the wall ,but decided to be more traditional. From being a POP-Art-ish wall, we turned it to be a more traditional one flower painting. She had  alot of stuff to put on the wall (u know KIKAY girls) so the minimal approach was perfect!!…

Bryan and Mar helped us!! woohooot!!..with Bryan’s height and Mar as jolly as sunshine…WE REALLY HAD A VERY VERY FUN ART DAY!!…

Till next project!! wooohooot




our inspiration..the gumamela / hawaiian flower!!…(bcoz she’s filipina…it’s ok for it to be a GUMAMELA hehe)



the BLANK BORING wall….ready to be pimped!!…



holding our cheat sheet hehehe….




start painting!!!!!…



Bryan…Mr. OC…:)….



sa pula o sa puti este sa peach o sa limegreen?



hawaiian mug shot….



toooooooooo much pink!!!