Mom's Turf: October 2008

Kitchens of Style and Function

Ahh …. kitchens. Having a nice and beautiful kitchen is every homemaker’s dream. The kitchen is one space in our house that we want to be extra spacious and most of the times splurge on. We want to have the nicest appliances and coolest gadgets for our kitchen, after all we spend quite a lot of time there everyday. A kitchen is a good place to hang out too, many family stories and chitchats happen in the kitchen. Women just love kitchens, some men do too and we (women) are so glad that they do. It makes it easier for us to convince them when we want some remodeling done or appliance addition for our kitchen. Even when we already have the kitchen of our dreams we still can not help but be in awe when we see fabulous kitchens. Beautiful kitchens transcend design style, when a kitchen looks beautifully designed and functional there are times when we do not care of the design style, whether its modern, country, contemporary, rustic, or cottage as long as it looks good and functional, we adore it. Here are some wonderful kitchen design ideas of different styles, functions and colors. Enjoy.

Photos: CoteMaison

Fascinating Modern Furniture

Kenneth Cobonpue is a very talented furniture designer whose creations are well recognized and critically acclaimed in the design world. His creations are modern pieces that exude relaxation, sensuality, comfort and style. He makes use of locally sourced organic materials like rattan and abaca and turns them into modern furniture with Asian flare and Western sophistication. His works are always interesting, fresh and eye-catching.

“My palette of materials include rattan, buri, kawayan(bamboo) and abaca. Each has its won texture, color, smell, and sound. You can bend, twist and weave them in endless ways. It is a feast for the senses to work with these.” – Kenneth Cobonpue

Here are some of his works that got me speechless. They are all so beautifully designed and well crafted as well.

Lolah

Rattan poles and strips are fastened together with nails and nylon wire in a technique similar to boatbuilding to create soft and sensuous shapes.

Dragnet

Polycotton fabric (indoor) or sunbrella acrylic fabric (outdoor) is twisted and wrapped around a frame of galvanized steel. Legs made of stainless steel.

Croissant

Strands of abaca rope are tied down by translucent nylon wires over a hand sculpted frame of light steel. An outdoor version is also available in polyethylene and steel.

Voyage

Buri or Palm Leaf Spines or abaca are hand-woven on a steel frame and tied with abaca rope creating a cozy cocoon where dreams are revealed.

Manolo

Inspired by a lady’s sandal, the Manolo is made of fine natural or stained rattan vines woven over a frame of mild steel then bound with leather strips.

Kawayan

Natural bamboo poles are individually cut, hand-polished and framed in dark oak wood and veneers.

Noodle

Stained rattan vines are hand-woven and tied over a frame mounted on an oak-veneered base.

Blue and White Spaces

The colors blue and white are perfect combination. Simple and very basic but never too dull nor too fancy. You may use this combination to create a relaxed and laid-back spaces and even elegant and stylish ones. You can hardly go wrong when using blue and white together.

Living at Home