Play spot in a small “wishy washy” space

I need to confess..

There is a probability that almost every post in the near future may have something to do with my newest obsession..

Meet Lil’ Spunky, our very first born..

An active, bubbly, loud, big-eyed, chubby-on-the-cheeks-only, drooling, toothless 7 month old baby..

 

Now that she’s starting solids and curious about everything, creating a fun learning and playing atmosphere is essential.

Okay.. Next, allow me to tell you about a wee bit of our apato.

It’s small.

We have a tiny bedroom and …

a living/dining/playing/working/studying/family/storage/closet/mud/sun room, the all-in-one room. The cool term is “multi-functional” room. I call it “me-not-being-able-to-make-up-my-mind-for-the-room’s-true-purpose-because-I-have-a-newborn” or “wishy washy” room.  However, because now Lil’ Spunky is growing, I ought to acknowledge and support her needs.

The least I can do is setting a dedicated spot up for playing and learning, like this:

To anchor the play area, I arrange 2 sets of spongy thingy mat (I don’t know what people call it because I am too lazy to google it. Remember! I have a baby 😀 ). Using 2 nonidentical sets of mat is unintentionally. I already have them and other things before planning anything. That’s why there is small long gaps between them due to the unmatched “teeth”. Then, I saw Lil’ Spunky playing with this tablecloth (it actually a non slip sheet but I use it as tablecloth 🙂 ). She always grab it when she’s eating. I took it and spread the hot pink rubbery tablecloth out underneath the gap. It actually adds little details and textures to the ground.

Lil’ Spunky loves to poke and stare at it as if thinking mmm where have I seen this thing before…

Anyway, the mat also serve other purposes;  to minimize the result of splishing splashing of solids and liquid on the carpet, provide cushy base, and is easy to clean. I choose soft color for the mat because Lil’ Spunky already got colorful toys and books. Therefore, if I lay them on the mat she will not feel too overwhelmed by the busy colors and can focus on the toys only. Besides, soft neutral colors give our eyes a chance to “rest”.

As for furniture, I want to keep it as simple as possible. A lazy boy and a bookcase. Instead of standing the bookcase upright, I lay it on its side. Not only it’s safer, it also provides more surface for soft toys and books.

Notice the potty seat? It hasn’t been used yet. I have it only because it is one of a number of presents we received from the Japanese government. Yup, they really know how to spoil new mamas and babies 🙂  I have heard so many stories about how mamas having dilemma when it’s time to potty train their children. I thought I could slowly introduce the potty to Lil’ Spunky by making it part of  her daily activities along with her toys. I want her to get to know it as something fun long before she has to use it. Don’t we, humans, are more welcome to something that we are familiar with?

For toys, I only put a few within Lil’ Spunky’s reach. She does have more toys and books although not that many and I keep them out of her sight. I don’t want to just spread them all every time she plays because I know she’s easily overstimulated and get bored. I plan to rotate them every other day and maybe got her thinking heyy that’s my Anpanman book I couldn’t find last week..It still got my spit up on it. Awesome!! instead of ..this Anpanman book again.. It already got my mark. Gotta find another..

And most important of all, fewer toys means less flying objects to catch, more writing for mama 😀

Coffee with Castle and J.K. Rowling

‘Oh my god. This is quite possibly the worst coffee I’ve ever tasted. It’s actually kind of fascinating. It tastes like a… (pauses to sip the coffee) it tastes like a monkey peed in battery acid. Try some?’

—Castle

(Not long after that Castle purchased  a high grade espresso machine for the precinct)

What are the similarities between J.K. Rowling and Richard Castle?  They are single parents. They got custody of their teenage daughters. They both have brilliant minds. They write fictions. Although, only one of them is a “real” writer (You-Know-Who) while the other one is the lead character of a fiction TV show, Castle. On top of that, they both love coffee.

But I do know one thing different though. When Castle is not solving homicide case in the precinct and kicking some murderer’s butt–pardon my language, he is at home writing his novels. On the other hand, waaaaay before Harry Potter happens, J.K. Rowling is known for her fondness of writing in a cafe.

The idea of just wandering off to a cafe with a notebook and writing and seeing where that takes me for awhile is just bliss

–J.K. Rowling

Oh, this reminds me of what happened last week.

I went to this place with a friend of mine. It was an underground cafe located one floor below a traditional market in Kanazawa, Japan. The stair led to the doors was so narrow it was easily missed. Once I entered the cafe, I was surprised. It was different than what I had in mind. The presence of rustic wooden chairs, a hand-me-down-look couch, handwritten menus from torn carton box, small bookshelf, old piano at the corner, acoustic guitars standing on the floor, ceramic figurines on the shelves, hot coffee in the handmade Japanese pottery cup, everything just created a harmonized design.

Anyway, I never went back to the place anymore since my first and last visit. What I love the most is the fact that it is a cafe yet it feels like home.

Coffee.. Cafe.. Home.. Work.. Inspiration..

Mmm.. It got me thinking…

what if J.K. Rowling reverse the concept?

If one day I have a chance to tell her this or maybe just through a letter, here’s what I’m going to say:

Hi Ms. Rowling,

I know how much you love writing in a cafe, why don’t you try to create a cafe-inspired working space in your own house? It saves your time and opens 24/7. On top of that, you don’t have to change your pajamas when you don’t feel like it and no one will care whether you are barefoot or not. Especially nowadays when privacy is a rare thing and so much not your privilege anymore. The concept is not trying to put “the real cafe” design into your home office but only the influence. Like this:

Maybe it reflects more of my taste than yours. To be fair, I have never met you before so I do not know you personally. And if one crazy day you have this bizarre idea of flying this never-heard-before person from out-of-nowhere place to work with you, well I am more than willing to change the concept to meet your satisfaction. Of course, it also means I am going to need more time researching but, that’s okay, I won’t mind to stay a little longer 🙂 I realize renovating a room or having a detached home office built in your yard needs a lot of work and commitment. But hey, who knows, maybe you’ll end up like it.

or something like that.

This is not necessarily only for J.K. Rowling. If you are a young rising writer or blogger, this idea might also suits you. If you are not a cafe person, just find another great influence that will help you with your writing and infused it in your working space.

Hmm..I think I am going to follow my own suggestion. Right now, the only working space I have is my futon. When I am working on my design assignment, books and papers are on the futon and the laptop is on my lap. I hope this won’t stay forever. I’ll figure something out.

Thanks to Castle and J.K. Rowling for being my inspiration today. Maybe in different time and different world I would have a chance to sip a cup of coffee with such brilliant people.

A girl can only dream 😉

 

So What Inspired You Today?

Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you.

—Frank Lloyd Wright

It does not matter if you are a poet, writer, designer, artist, or an ordinary man, nature always finds its way to inspire you. Its color, history, beauty, form, ambiance, character, calming effect, or even disastrous event–everything about it is just extraordinary.

I try to create a scheme where the nature-inspired idea meets contemporary influence. I am so much in love with the curtain that I take cue from its colors and transfer it to my design palette. Neutral background with bursts of green and red-orange.

So, that’s me.

What inspired YOU today?

Charity By Design

New Year. New Resolution. New Post.

What is the best way to start a blog if not by something positive, such as charity, right?

I am not talking about giving away big fat checks but more like helping with what you already have. Your heart, time, and skill. I, myself, prefer to do charity by design even though I do not have that much experience in this matter.

But, I saw a chance and grabbed it.

Sikola Mangkasara or School of Makassar, Indonesia. A non-profit institution where young children and teenagers are educated to always believe in what they are capable of, have positive attitudes, honor moral values and be in the best version of themselves. The institution was founded in January 1st, 2008 by a group of bright young women.

 Happy 5th Anniversary !!!

Notice the house below? Yes, they use the humble abandoned house to accommodate their activities. Thumbs up for the staff for being brave and creative!  Planning a renovation finally can be done with the help of others, mostly through donation.

But, I volunteered to help in designing the interior while another bright young girl, Amalia, helped with the architectural features. Different story with Mr. Realist. He had his own way to help and it included with his favorite thing in the world, donuts. Yup, D-O-N-U-T-S. He made sure that all of us, especially the kids, had happy tummies all the time.

–any kind of help counts 🙂

It was such an amazing experience working side by side with a group of people who have great intention —I am proud to call them friends of mine and, of course, my husband.

Anyway, these are the 3D renderings from the ongoing project.

Front View

1F Floorplan

Raised floor, Hall, Kitchen+Storage Room, Indoor Bathroom & Toilet for Girls, Outdoor Bathroom & Toilet for Boys

2F Floorplan

Office, Separate Bedrooms for the Boys & Girls

So, if you are somewhere across the globe laying down on the beach, sipping a delicious drink, and wondering what you are going to do with the extra money in your pocket or you just simply want the same opportunity to do something that is actually great and fulfilling..

maybe..

just maybe..

Sikola Mangkasara is one of the best places for you to start.

Want to know more about this awe-inspiring place? Please click here. Nope, not here. There!

Cheers!