Design: TiyaMaria Sofa Bed

A late addition for our Manila Fame exhibit, the "tiyamaria" day/sofa bed. Actually designed as a bed and shortened to fit our exhibit space. With solid gmelina bed frame, solid off form acacia headboard and with 2 drawers.

A Case For Design & Drawing

We use drawing app/software most of the time to create some shop drawings, layout, presentation, plans, etc. But sometimes, we still do manual drawing & drafting. During discussions with clients, fabricators, welders, carpenters, craftsmen, we still have to do quickie drawings & sketches, mano y mano. And sometimes, if there are ideas that come up, a quick draw is needed or forget the idea/design forever and ever.

And so I still need a bag to carry and keep the drawing tools.

It’s actually a traveling bag but I find it to be a serviceable drawing bag. As the papers and magazines inside it, got no wrinkle and fold even after throwing the bag all over the place. It has partitions inside, a combination lock (then again, if I am the thief, I’ll get the whole case) and a free clothes hanger! Bought it P1000, on sale.

The inside story:

• Oh yeah, I still have the/ cheapo triangles from college, the set that gave me 2345 ink blots in 5 years.
• I got the scale I used back in the day.
• Also inside the bag is the almost disposable meter that I tend to misplace every now and then. I average 8 meters per month!
• See the alpha-omega print out? That’s the one I used as pattern for the alpha-omega book holder.
• I highlighter pen.
• Headphone set so I can work in peace.
• Wooden straightegde/ruler (almost disposable too!) that goes missing in action always.
• Pen and pencils
• Sketch pad, papers, magazines, etc.
• And an occasional pandesal and processed water.

Do You Have an Idea of Next - Gen Airplane Business Class Seat? Win $7500 If You Have!

The potential client is looking for elements of an innovative plane seat design that will increase comfort of plane travel significantly. Looking for creative and original solutions. Non-professional innovative solutions are welcome. 3D plans as well as simple concept drawings are accepted if well explained.

Calling all industrial designers in the Philippines, this could be worth the look. Deadline is October 31, 2010. It is posted at Hypios, a social marketplace for solutions. If you think you can solve this problem, sign in to Hypios, review the details of the problem and submit your solution before the deadline. If your solution is chosen by the solution-seeking company, you’ll be awarded $7,500.

Is it bamboo themed?

Book: In The Asian Style, A Design Sourcebook - By Fiona Dunlop

A book that’s been with us for a while now but have not been able to go through the pages. Thus, I’ll post product review/description and down below, some page-caps.

A timely work in tune with today’s resurgence in oriental taste and interest, “In the Asian Style: A Design Sourcebook” discusses and displays the myriad of styles emanating from the East. Accompanied by the stunning photographs of Kim Sayer, Fiona Dunlop takes the reader on a whirlwind tour of the Orient: China, India, Japan, Thailand, Malaysia and neighboring countries, highlighting the indigenous arts, the Buddhist influences and craftsmen’s skill. With a colonial feel throughout, the settings are at once glamorous and entirely natural: bamboo screens, teak furniture, lustrous china, glowing textiles, all intermingled to provide a comforting yet spacious whole. With the jewel-like colors of Eastern red and emerald greens set against the neutral backgrounds, there is almost an opulence to be found, even in a fisherman’s stilt house. The richness and beauty of the countryside and seascape are reflected back into the homes through verandas, fretwork and trellis, highlighting the Eastern philosophy of oneness with nature. A superb study for designers and general homeowners alike, full of inspirational ideas backed by solid design experience. – Lucy Watson

East meets West is a strong trend in modern-day interiors, as homeowners seek to create relaxed, harmonious retreats for their families. Asia Style takes the best examples of Oriental design from around the world to show how it can be applied and adapted absolutely anywhere. Full-color images by photographer Kim Sayer capture the different facets of this sensual, yet often distinctly minimalist approach to living. An authoritative, readable text looks at the history of Oriental decorative styles and examines the structure and function of particular spaces in the Asian home. Five in-depth chapters focus on such key materials as bamboo, lacquer and basketware. Inspiring and informative, Asia Style is an ideal reference for anyone interested in design and style. Fiona Dunlop is an interior design, food and travel writer of many years’ experience. Her work has been featured in international design bibles including Elle Decoration, Vogue Decoration and Architektur & Wohnen, and she is a regular contributor to the New York Times, Sunday Times and Daily Telegraph. Born in Sydney, Fiona now lives in London.

Here are some page captures…

Buy here…  In the Asian Style: A Design Sourcebook. Or, check our Amazon bookstore with select related books.

In The Future, There Will Only Be Bamboo, Desks, Tables, Chairs In Philippines Government Offices

bamboo is king

In the future, there will only be bamboo desks, table & chairs in government offices says Congresswoman-elect Gloria Arroyo. That’s after outgoing president GMA signed executive order number 879 that, well, orders the use of bamboo in government furniture for public elementary and secondary schools and government offices.

Executive Order 879 establishes the Philippine Bamboo Industry Development Council. The council will promote the planting and use of bamboo over the next 10 years mainly to achieve two main goals – ecological (climate change, sustainability, etc.) and economical (global market for bamboo is on the rise).

Because we’re BFF with PGMA, I’m trying to help her and so I spent an hour making this rough designs/drawings. It’s a bamboo-loaded chair and workdesk combo.

the shelf is IC chip inspired. in the future, DOTC and NTC engineers will have this type of desk. really.

intentional thru-and-thru table-shelf for transparency.

the desks sports bamboo paneling. bent rattan poles support the top layer for the "in" and "out" docs, or for printer, or for phone.

raffia-like cushioned seat cover. bent rattan poles support the solid seat. hopefully the rattan poles will have a "bouncy" effect.

The work desk – chair set has rattan, little wood panels, cushioned seat with raffia-like upholstery, and of-course, bamboo poles and bamboo splits/panels. This is testing-testing-drawing. This is doable though with some rethinking on the seat load capacity, backrest for the chair, additional bracing for the bamboo legs (see this console btw), etc. Too bad, before we can make this, President Arroyo is no longer in the government service to taste the fruit of her EO. But who knows!

{via}

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Online Industrial Design Course: Revisiting Design History

online industrial design course - design history

There’s this 2-month online industrial design course offered @ Design Aerobics. This particular course “examines the origins of today’s most common / popular design objects and asking how we can improve them or how they have been re-interpreted.” Will run from June 8th to August 8th 2010.

Course teaser says, “design knowledge isn’t like other inventory, it can’t just sit in the warehouse until needed, then be dusted off and used. It has to be kept fresh, relevant, and alive.”

• 30 lessons are published online over the duration of the course
• Participants also have access to the ‘discussion area’ a blog / forum where lessons and other topics can be discussed with an international audience of designers, architects, and numerous other backgrounds.

You can learn whenever and wherever, at your pace. But there’s time window of 2 months so you can’t skip the exercise that much. Apart from the lessons that’ll be published online for the students, the class can connect and discuss design stuff with like-minded fellas in the online course discussion area.

You can still sign up now. Payment is via Paypal. At P3000, it is tempting.

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Desk Console: 3 Out, 3 Days

This is our second “drawing post” of a finished work. The first one here. This is not the trend. We are here to post real stuff! Say no to “drawing posts!” Say no to “drawing posts!” Say no to “drawing posts!”

Unfortunately, for this desk console, we’ll have to wait some weeks again to get new stocks and therefore post the real photos. The three “sample” pieces we made were bought Thursday (1), Friday (2) and last piece today, Saturday (3). As some of the store visitors would now, we don’t exactly have the biggest furniture showroom this side of earth. Our showroom stockroom is superloaded and kinda messed up right now. So we can’t take a decent photo shot of the table desks. With one piece on top on one another, posting picture of the console-desk pic won’t give justice to its sexiness.

Please check out thumbnail image no.8 on the “Flexible Spaces” post. It’s something like that. Can be used as work desk, can be a table console too.

Anyways, we’ll have this again.  We’ll reproduce and perhaps tweak some of the measurements. Back to the drawing desk, err, drawing board.

*We posted the plan to make this piece during the ancient period of November 2009. Here.

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Planning out versus panning out

This is the second installment of the “drawing vs doing.” Check the first one here (The furniture drawing vs furniture doing). Same as before, below are some units we drew and planned out. We eventually produced the furniture design. See how they panned out. Please click the link for the actual pieces, who knows, you’ll be interested on some our furniture takes ‘n makes.

ZEN LIKE MIRROR

BRIDGETTE SOLID WOOD CONSOLE

TRIFECTA 3-PANELED DINING TABLE

KEYHOLE LUXURY MIRROR

LADDER DISPLAY SHELVES

Design 11: Eleven design ideas during the holidays

The designs were thumbnailed and greyscaled (you know why). Includes, side benches, paneled mirror, steel wall mirror, cd rack, dining table, giftbox (to be upholstered) ottoman, pedestal cylinder, coffee table with stone top, wall-mount candle holder, chubby tv stand and accent chair…

During the holidays, some time fun with google_sketch and we got this 11 cute little designs that came about via…

• Inspired by others’ work (max of 20% if you want to talk percentage)
• Some originals by me and I dreamt of it last month
• Because we have scrap/excess materials (wood/mirror/metal) and we must find ways to use ‘em
• Design that came about coz there is a need to it, and that there’s no other way of doing it (like the CD rack, that’s just how CD rack goes)

SERIOUS-er designs/drawings, we’d rather not post (you know why).

NEW FURNITURE DESIGNS BY LEOQUE PHILIPPINES

This is the 3rd round of posting of sample furniture designs that we make here at House of Leoque – Philippines.

First and second posts here and here.

Aside from the stable (and should I say, staple) traditional wooden furniture pieces, occasional sightings of other designs and some designs that client give us (which we later produce), we actually began designing our own furniture pieces this year. Thefurniture designs that we post  here on our site, most of these, we make em all. Di lang puro drawing.

See more furniture below… Basically minimalist stuff, functional, best material sources (wood, metal, etc.), friendly to midrange prices, durable makes… what’s not to love?

A bench with smart storage at the bottom, for displays too. A shoe rack perhaps? Simple upholstery/foam on top finishes the elegant look.

A buffet console table for your cookware, silver ware, chinaware, dining ware… all the your-wares! With stainless steel inlays and stand. The doors slide. Awesoooommmme! Best of all, we will price this lower than any other furniture store on planet earth.

A two-toned dresser – chest of drawers. Boy do we love two-tone designs or what! A whopping 10 drawer chest, you’ll never have stray clothing and all other clutter out there.

This is our second generation computer table – laptop table – workdesk for you! From our highly successful ladder PC table, this new one is the second coming, the smaller but equally interesting wooden desk.

After selling 1 million units of wood tv racks, its high time to make one with, ahm, high panel. It’s a TV entertainment rack with back panel. You can actually mount the flat TV on the back panel. With extra top shelf for display or speaker placement. A promise, our price will be as lovely as the table. (TV)Stand by.

Back to basic TV stand. Again, 2-toned approach on the finish.

A Coffee-breakfast table, a high side table, a display shelving solution… use this as desired. See the unique bracing?

Don’t you love neat space and organized displays? If you do, here’s another rack that rocks. Solid wood slabs anchored on metal framing finished with metallic silver paint.

Inspired by the hit divider-planter we made last month, we will make another multi-purpose furniture for all of you. Z-shaped display shelves with plant box on top. You can also use this a space divider.

We shall make em all. Stay glued.