So you want to hire a decorator

Many people think that working with a decorator is out of their reach financially  or that the results of the pairing would create a space that wasn't personal.  Neither of these beliefs are true if  homeowners  matche their  needs with the right decorator's skill set. 
 
Professional decorators usually hold a set of  basic beliefs about designing spaces that support  their interactions with clients.   For example I believe: 

everyone deserves a beautiful space ....

 
 Margaret Ryall
 
interesting and inviting interiors can exist without a high price tag;
 
 
Photography: Brian Ricks
 
a space should reflect the needs and interests of the owner;

 

 Margaret Ryall 

furniture arrangement makes or breaks a space;

Margaret Ryall

personal items are the best accessories;

Margaret Ryall

editing a space can transform it;


  

  Margaret Ryall
 
layering objects, colours and textures create interesting spaces;

Photography:  Brian Ricks

art completes an interior design;

 

Margaret Ryall

harmonizing is more interesting than over matching;

designing a room is the same as designing a painting; 

and most important of all .... 

listening is key to designing.

 As you can see these are broad beliefs that can be applied to most spaces. They do not dovetail into any particular look.   Everyone is different and their spaces should reflect  this individuality.  

My approach: 
I  compose spaces  in various ways, problem solve situations, use colour to harmonize or contrast; understand the various principles and elements of design and put them together to produce  interesting spaces.   I like to meet clients, find out about them as people, look at their spaces and what they own,  and then create a space  that is personal to them. The key to this process is listening and questioning.

 Do clients  have to love what I love?  NO! Are there projects that are easy for me?  Yes!  I love mid century modern styling and like to mix it with more contemporary pieces for a  clean edged  look with lots of neutrals, texture, splashes of colour and interesting lines to create quiet spaces.

 Can I create  traditional designs?  Yes!   How about eclectic?  Yes!  It's all about understanding the characteristics of these styles and working with the likes/dislikes of the homeowner.    

Is there a decorator in your future? 

Brazil's nightclub fire

If you have not read about the recent news about the fire in a nightclub that killed more than 200 people and 80 more hospitalized, READ HERE

What is eerie to read was that there were 180 bodies found in the toilet as the victims thought that was the exit sign.

The first time I read about the news yesterday, it reminded me of the Holocaust. True enough, it was reported that the policemen removing the bodies felt the same way. I know a lot about the Holocaust because there was a Holocaust museum in Washington DC which I visited. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to visit museums as that was the only museum I felt had meaning. I learnt so much and felt so much after spending half a day in the Holocaust museum.

Another sad thing about the fire was that most of them were 20 year old university students - future doctors, veteranians, etc May those young students RIP.

Almari 6kaki.

Assalammualaikum..

Hari ni kan, kite nak cerita la sikit..  Kite pergi la Jitra hari sabtu hari tu, kita nak beli almari idaman. Kite dah pernah dah tengok almari kat banyak kedai, tapi kedai ni je yang menambat hati kite. Kite gi dengan ibu & adik kite yang tengah gatal nak menikah tu.. muhahahaaa..*gelak jahat macam mak tiri tengah dera anak*

Kite masuk je kedai tu, kite dah terus nampak almari yang kite suka, saiz almari tu pun macam yang kita nak, 6kaki. Memang muat-muat la untuk rumah kite kan. Harga pun ok, yang lagi ok kan, sebab kita beli yang display, diaorang bagi lagi  murah, kurang rm200 tau! Dah la baru je di'display'kan. Alhamdulilah...rezeki..

Balik je rumah, kite pening! Apasal macam kecil je almari yang kite beli tu. Nape la ruang ni nampak besar pulak??!! Masa beli kite ni teramat yakin dah yang saiz tu betul. Kite terus ambil tape & ukur. Memang sah kite silap!! Ruang dinding tu memang lebih besar la. 8.5kaki. Aduuhhh... 

Kite dalam keraguan tau, nak cancel almari tu, tapi kite bekenan gile, nak teruskan je beli almari tu, rasa rugi la pula tinggal ruang. Kalau boleh tu nak la guna ruang sepenuhnyakan.. Rumah dah la tak besar mana pun.

Dari pagi kite pikir-punya-pikir-punya-pikir... kite rasa kita memang dah jatuh hati dengan almari tu, so.. tapelah kalau kecil pun..

Hati puas dapat almari yang kite suka, tapi ralat sebab saiz tak seperti yang didambarkan.

Lagipun dalam dunia ni kita mana boleh dapat semua benda yang kite nak. 

Ada benda kita dapat, ada benda kita kena lepaskan. 

Kesimpulannya....

Insyallah ini satu keputusan yang tepat.

;)

Ikan Masuk Kedalam Paru-paru Ketika Mandi Sungai

Anil Barela, seorang budak lelaki berusia 12 tahun di India telah menelan seekor ikan sepanjang 9 sentimeter di tepi sungai ketika bermain dengan rakannya.




Setelah menelan ikan hidup itu, Anil merasa susah untuk bernafas. Kadar oksigen dalam darah kanak-kanak itu juga semakin menurun.

Laporan salah sebuah media menyatakan, ramai kanak-kanak India gemar menelan ikan hidup ketika bermain.

Outing Together

Kehidupan kita sentiasa sibuk dengan pelbagai urusan.  Tidak kira urusan rasmi atau tidak rasmi, urusan kerja, urusan rumahtangga, urusan anak-anak, urusan persekolahan, dan pelbagai lagi.. Semuanya menuntut masa yang kita ada. Masa yang kita ada iaitu 24 jam sehari semalam.   Setiap manusia, insan di muka bumi ini mempunyai 24 jam sehari semalam, tidak kurang dan tidak lebih...namun begitu, mengapakah kita selalu mendengar orang berkata (termasuklah diri saya sendiri) ... "Tak cukup masa..!" , "kalau boleh satu hari nak lebih dari 24 jam", .. "saya tak ada masa nak buat itu, nak buat ini" , dan ada juga yang rasa ada banyak masa lapang....dan macam-macam lagi ...

Sebenarnya yang membezakan setiap orang adalah bagaimana seseorang itu menguruskan masa yang ada. ... dan bagaimana kita meletakkan "keutamaan" atau priority kepada sesuatu perkara yang hendak kita lakukan.  

Dengan tugasan baru yang saya pikul ini, menuntut agar saya lebih pandai membahagikan masa yang ada, di antara tugasan rumah tangga sebagai seorang isteri, ibu , tugasan di tempat kerja, tugasan rasmi dan tugasan tidak rasmi. 

 Dicelah-celah kesibukan tersebut, kita perlu pandai "mencuri" masa untuk bersama anak-anak yang sudah semakin dewasa dan mereka juga sudah mempunyai kehidupan sendiri yang perlu diuruskan dengan baik juga. 

          Ini antara detik-detik yang sangat dihargai, All girls in the family...bukan senang sekarang dapat bersama-sama pada sesuatu masa...

Hendak bersama-sama dengan kelapan-lepan orang anak juga sudah semakin sukar.  Samada seorang anak itu bekerja, ada yang di asrama, ada yang keluar bermain bersama kawan-kawan, ada yang balik bercuti ke kampung... Ya Allah, sedang rindukan suasana di mana semua anak-anak dapat bersama.  Doaku agar Allah dapat pertemukan kami sekeluarga bersama-sama lagi di masa akan datang, InsyaAllah...

Ameen. 

Menu Penyediaan Makanan Paling Kejam Di Dunia

Inilah antara cara penyediaan menu makanan direstoran yang boleh dianggap sangat tidak berperikemanusiaan.

Ikizukuri (Jepun)




Makanan khas Jepun yang menyajikan ikan segar di atas piring dalam keadaan hidup. Di luar masyarakat Jepun, menu ini sangat kontroversi kerana makanan itu dianggap terlalu kejam. Menu ini menyajikan ikan diatas piring dengan tubuh yang sudah dihiris nipis-nipis namun

Last week

The days are passing by so fast. Someone told me our minutes are actually shorter now than last time due to the Earths something something which means we do not exactly have 24 hours in a day now. We have less! I'd like to believe that fact because it really feels like time passes by really quickly nowadays. Even the snow melts so fast in Glasgow.

Last week was great.

I organised a small birthday celebration for two of my friends. Coincidentally they were both January babies born two days apart. So, just maybe, friends I'd like to keep are Capricorns. I believe in horoscopes. Sometimes reading things about myself, a Virgo, makes me understand myself more. Anyway, I made egg tarts as a birthday cake. Thankfully I lived near supermarkets because I realized I was not in KL, meaning I didn't have a single candle or matchsticks here.

The egg tarts turned out alright I guess since my friends each ate two or three of it :D

Few days ago I attended Malaysian Night. It was great effort by everyone who organized it. Who knew trying to make teh tarik could have been so messy. I thoroughly enjoyed watching the games. The food prepared were pretty good. I contributed by cooking curry chicken. Making curry chicken using three whole chicken sounded like a pretty tough job but it was actually the fastest and easiest thing to make. Very minimal washing up too :) Other people were making ondeh-ondeh, curry puffs etc. The guy who was in charge of frying had to stand in front of the stove for 6 hours to cook all the curry puffs!! I salute him!

What else... it snowed yesterday. The longest one, but it rained after that so everything melted on the same day.