... love...

posting this lovely picture to avoid my blog to look too boring...

i miss my friends...

... what type of hood do you want? ...

no joke, this is a cooker hood...

a very typical stainless steel cooker hood...

a japanese designed cooker hood...

very effective with its sirocco fan technology...

as a kitchen designer i would not plan a kitchen without a hood...

why? ...

steam created by the cooking process can cause unpleasant wet walls and furniture. it makes the kitchen a less pleasant place to be for both the cook and the family...

in extreme cases mould can form on decorations and kitchen units can be affected so much that doors jam and carcasses bulge as they absorb water...

wallpaper may peel away and the joints become obvious...

strong smells created by the cooking especially asian cooking can spread throughout the house, cooking oils may be vaporised when frying and this oil can be deposited in all areas around the cooker...

the decor suffers and redecorating is required sooner than should be necessary...

with so many properties having an opened concept kitchen, the need for a hood has never been greater...

for a better understanding on hood before you place an order, please find out more from your retailer or a kitchen specialist...

and i'm one of them... :)

... feng shui...

what is feng shui?

feng shui is a chinese approach to interior design that has been practiced for thousands of years...

it is often characterized by a minimalist appearance because of its emphasis on de-cluttering, but its principles are compatible with virtually any style of architecture of interior design...

the practice of feng shui emphasizes the need for people to live in harmoney with their environment...

to apply feng shui you need a complete understanding of the chinese concepts of 'ch'i' (energy), 'yin' and 'yang', and the five elements...

good feng shui on your kitchen design will bring you good health; good feng shui on your bedroom design will deepens love and marriage; good feng shui on your office design will increase money and wealth; good feng shui on your garden design will bring happiness...

i personally believe in feng shui but not too superstitious...

every year i still go to a master or some experts to get some advises...

as a designer i also combine my design with my client's feng shui master in order to create a perfect home to bring good health, good wealth and happiness to my clients...

now days you can find many english feng shui books at any bookshop or you can simply google from the web to learn more...

there are also some experts providing some feng shui study courses at some schools...

... love the stainless steel...

surfaces made of stainless steels are especially popular with enthusiastic chefs.

they are synonymous with timeless elegance, hygienic and look extremely professional...

the steel's matt shine needs to be cared for properly, so that the quality and flawless appearance are retained for many years...

for daily cleaning, any commercially-available surface cleaner can be used.

after each cleaning operation, the surfaces should be rinsed thoroughly with clear water. this is to prevent deposits of cleaning agents, which are difficult to remove at a later date...

do not, under any circumstances, scratch stains or encrusted splashes off the surface. ideally, you should soak stubborn stains for a while.

this will make them easier to wipe off...

limescale marks on stainless steel can be removed easily using a spray containing vinegar in water or 10% citric acid...

well, i still remember one of my ex-boss thought me by using olive oil to clean. you can try it...

... trends & styles...

a consistent pattern has emerged over the last couple of years of a concerted shift in consumer choices away from stark and ultra-minimalist contemporary kitchens towards a softer and altogether more traditional style...

natural materials have been popular for a while now of course, but now altogether more traditional designs are making a greater impact...

however, that's not to say that modern styling is out of favour. rather, it is more of a fusion of modern and traditional in the kitchen- perhaps the result of consumers wanting to create a comfortable and reassuring domestic space rather than wanting to make a specific style statement...

... only white...

this is one of my previous job...

door material- 25mm mdf with high gloss pu lacquer spray paint.

it's always not easy to supply a 25mm thickness door panel as you need a special hinge system...

but why do i use 25mm thickness door panel? because i'm using the aluminium built-in handle, which is about 20mm thick. so, a 18mm thickness door panel wouldn't fit...

this maybe be another boring white kitchen design, but i have designed this kitchen by using all 500mm width door size on base and wall units...

and i have decided to design the breakfast counter by using oak veneer as the focal point.

the idea of having colour painted background will also make the kitchen design more interesting...

the worktop of the kitchen is avonite solid surface worktop from usa.

i used it to wrap over the island as side panel.

by matching, i play with end panel and light pelmet all over the wall units...

please feel free to give some comment...

... unlucky england...

i can't wait to post this for the unlucky england team on the fifa world cup game against germany...

they lost 1x4 with a very poor defending performance...

but... if is not this disallowed goal to equalise, i think it would be a different ending... i was very disappointed with the defenders performance especially glenn johnson and ashley cole...

many of you might think the coach used the wrong format by playing steven gerrard on left instead of behind wayne rooney...

but i think is the players problems, their individual skills were poor and none of them can dribble the ball like the germans...

anyway i'm still with england till i die...

... abc...

i'm not sure the name of this soup, most of the people call it 'abc' soup...

why abc? because it contents vitamin a, b and c...

ya, i cooked it myself... not bad huh?

just some potato, chicken drumstick, tomato, onion, salt and pepper...

although is miles behind from mummy and grandma's standard, but i'm pretty please with the result...

was not feeling well for the past few day, that's why i need some healthy food...

... amazing thailand...

this photo was taken by myself on the 19 december 2004 at patong beach, a week before the tsunami...

phuket island, thailand

is the largest island in thailand, located in south west in the andaman sea...

it is famous for the beautiful beaches, wild nightlife and other forms of entertainment of places such as patong beach...

it has a lot more to offer visitors, such as a diverse array of natural wonders and wildlife, also a chance to sample local cuisine and experience village life...

phuket island is one of my favourite place for holiday,

it's hard to describe how familiar this island means to me but i really really had a great moment living there...

... still remember her? ...

this is cyndi lauper's latest album...

you guys still remember her? ...

i can still remember her 1984 1st album's hits song

'girls just want to have fun' & 'time after time'...

'time after time' is still one of my favourite classic...

... too cool - part 2...

base unit support to match extractor design...

a very creative idea to play with door handles...

what an interesting island concept design...

base unit with stainless steel finished, stainless steel worktop

look at the way they join the worktop... wow...

an italian designed partition that you can use it for living, dining, bedrooms or even bathrooms...

i think it was made of acrylic because glass will be too risky to be displayed at home...

it looks classic but this is one of my favourite...

solid timber or mdf lacquer spray painted frames and mirror...

... england v germany...

when england face germany tomorrow, one of the greatest footballing rivalries will be renewed...

can rooney score against the germans?

... new worktop...

sanitary surfacing?

this is a product from u.s.a, this material is a new terrazzo surface made from recycled bathtubs, sinks and toilets.

it can be used as worktop, flooring or wall tiles...

i'm not sure how good is this material, do you guys have any idea on this material?

all these years, i've been using solid surface, granite, marble, quartz stone, glass panel, solid wood and of course the laminated top...

i personally like the solid surface top the most.

it is made of 100% acrylic with 10 years warranty,

you can put on any fancy design with just a hair line join.

the only disadvantage on this material is it can be scratched easily...

use white colour then...

sometimes i also use natural stones like granite and marble,

my favourite stones are arabescato and antique brown...

... mama, i think is too heavy...

i found this from the web, just want to share with you guys...

this is the traditional chinese marriage ceremony, when you have to dress up with traditional wedding gown and wear the jewellery gifts from your parents and relatives.

anyway this is the first time i've seen a bride wearing such a heavy weight jewellery on her wedding day. :-D

... too cool - part 1...

i'm not sure whether is a good idea to have your cooking area next to your t.v,

but the design looks cool to me...

the wall units in yellow matches some of the furniture, you won't feel boring on a straight forward modern kitchen design.

lacquered matt doors to match with aluminium slim handles, stainless steel wall cladding for sink and cooking area... and

another new idea to built-in your oven...

what i love the most on this design is the idea of having the ovens being built-in on the feature wall.

with the natural stone finish, decent lighting... wow...

another new idea for built-in oven, combining the storage larder unit with sliding door system...

the latest sliding system can go without handles and it looks very neat.

lacquer gloss painted doors on larder unit, gloss finished wood veneer panels on island base unit, custom made stainless steel worktop with sink and hob,

2400mm cooker hood... too cool...

... apple on the fridge, not in the fridge...

at last, an appliance designed for the ipod generation.

the ipod fridge-freezer from gorenje offers an a+ energy rating with 364-litre capacity, combined with ipod touch technology.

it provides wireless internet connectivity that allows users to surf the web

listen to music and watch videos, as well as offering advise and recipes both in text and video format...

cool right?

... i'm a converse fan...

look at the material... it was cool...

as a designer, you must know how to dress up properly to respect your client.

not necessary a formal wear,

it can be a trendy mix and match...

these are some of my favourite converse that i'm hoping to buy from bangkok, thailand...

... the papers are back...

yes, the wallpapers are back...

most of the people will think that wallpaper design is out of date

i don't think so...

attached here are some simple bedroom design and it was the wallpaper that became the focal point...

of course, you must be very wise to pick a suitable one to match.

a wrong selection will destroy the whole effect...

these days there are so many type of wallpaper finishes in the market,

including 3d wallpaper and you can even print your favourite image on it...

wallpaper design can be used as decorative wall for living, dining, kitchen and bedrooms...

but, i've used it on kitchen cabinet doors for one of my client.

i'll share some images in future on that design...

... the three lions...

i'm very excited for tomorrow's world cup match between england and slovenia

england need a win to qualify to the second round

england till i die...

... flying oven? ...

besides designing, i also work very close with the manufacturer

i never stop learning especially on technical of some new design and products

look at how they design the built-in oven...

it's not going to be easy as the carcase need to be designed in a way to hold the weight of the oven and the bottom panel doesn't bend...

impressive...

... solid teak...

this is a set of kitchen cabinet in solid teak natural oil finished

the worktop is avonite solid surface top

the wall cladding is tinted brown mirror...

the presentation...

and the finished product...