 Man I Love; Summertime and also the classic clip of Mack The Knife when Ella forgot the lyrics and simply sang her way out of trouble by singing about forgetting words and making personal references.
Then came the icing on the cake, the next programme – reviewed by Russell - was a selection of Jazz Divas Gold, which included songs by Peggy Lee, Cleo Laine, Annie Ross (God Bless The Child), Eartha Kitt, Nina Simone and of course Ella. The item I enjoyed most was a flirtatious performance by Marion Montgomery with Dudley Moore at the piano. Oddly I can't remember the actual song as I was so entranced by the underappreciated playing of Moore. There was also, almost an onscreen seduction when Eartha Kitt sang Let’s Do It!
What you could call a great night's viewing.With Earth Day coming up on April 22, we’ve decided to do a round up of various homes in Singapore that put eco-friendliness and sustainability at the forefront of their designs and concepts.
While not every single one of these homes are easy to replicate, surely there are some design ideas you could get inspired by to lead a more sustainable life at home.
These homes all use some sort of sustainable resource — from furniture to flooring — to keep their homes as earth-loving as possible.
This eco-friendly home is a 5,000 sqf, three-storey semi-detached house that was built from scratch by its current owners.
Apart from their requirements for a house with lots of open space, a well-ventilated layout suitable for entertaining large groups, and a pool for their young children to enjoy, the owners also wanted to make their house as eco-friendly as possible.
In the living room, pops of colour from the furniture stand out against the neutral colour scheme.
The couple had a pair of mangrove roots that they bought from Zia Concept made into door handles for the main entrance.
They chose an open concept kitchen for a more social space since the family often entertain guests. Here are some tips to design your own open-style kitchen in a HDB or BTO flat.
Fitted out entirely with Hansgrohe fixtures and sanitaryware, the daughters’ shared bathroom won an award in a design competition organized by the brand. Also, the “bio-retention system” installed in the house makes use of excess rain from the garden to flush the toilets.
Up on the top floor sits a family-cum-entertainment area, which extends to an expansive balcony with a view of the neighbourhood.
Owners of the second eco-friendly home, a four-room condo apartment, includes sustainable features such as renewable bamboo flooring from Star Bamboo throughout the house, vintage furniture and energy-saving lights.
Full-height windows allow ample sunlight and ventilation into the open-plan dining and living area so it remains bright and airy without having to switch on the lights in the day.
The homeowners worked with Kelly Woo, interior designer and owner of eco-friendly furnishings company Hunter Gatherer, where this unique wood floor lamp here is from.
The countertop for the bar is made from salvaged teakwood, another eco-wise design choice in the home.
An old coffee table was repurposed to become the bathroom mirror.
Here’s an environmentally-friendly home that looks straight out of a movie set. As self-professed environmentalists who are not big fans of consumerism, Shanmugaraj and Maheswari — who have professions in the arms and mechanical engineering industry respectively — were mindful of ensuring minimal waste production during the process of their home renovation.
As the couple love “outdoorsy” activities like rock climbing and diving, Shan says they try to live a lifestyle that “as environmentally conscious as possible, and do as much as we can to reduce our carbon footprint”.
“For example, we always bring our own food containers to hawker centres and our own water bottle everywhere we go,” he says.
Mahes says she wanted an industrial-style home, while Shan wanted a post-war ambience, so they merged both styles together which resulted in this industrial, post-apocalyptic look.
Shan reveals that the challenge for their interior designer, Erstudio’s Rey Tan, was “to better understand the movies and characters we were interested in, and see how they could be incorporated cohesively with the interiors”.
Standout eco-friendly features around the home include this shoe rack made from PVC pipes, as well their open-concept wardrobe created with cast-iron rods painted over with epoxy. Shan says they used industrial materials where they could.
The entire renovation cost $80,000.
Speaking of upcycling, this four-room flat in Ang Mo Kio is a prime example. Homeowner Steve Thio’s recycle-and-restyle philosophy led to an eclectic furniture collection with layers of history. Steve’s definition of beauty is the refurbished, the recycled and the handmade; anything with a story.
The flat is decorated with hand-me-down Persian and Indian rugs, and the wooden daybed in the living room explodes with colours – thanks to over a dozen patterned and embroidered pillow covers.
He engaged Panerai Decor to create a home that would be adorned with their many statement furniture pieces. This coffee table is from lifestyle and fashion retailer British India.
“The idea is to not waste anything, as much as we can. We are proud to say this is a home of mementos. The dining stools are from my mother’s home and are as old as I am, and these patchwork cushion covers are from Vietnam. Admittedly, I bought so many without realising I had no cushions, so I had to buy some!” says Steve, with a chuckle.
Steve’s advice to homeowners: Adapt your current furniture for your new home. Steve upcycled his old bookcase into this headboard. They also traded unwanted items with a used furniture dealer, for sandpapering service.
The renovation cost $75,000, most of which went towards the cost of extensive glass and metal doors throughout the home. They’ve combined the master and common bathrooms, too; the space is accessible via the bedroom and kitchen.
“Go to garage sales to find unique, one-off pieces. Think of ways to revamp them, whether by reupholstering or revarnishing, or let its authenticity resonate within your home. With a well- furnished space, your personality will naturally shine through,” says Steve.
London, G. B. Sowerby I, 1825. 8vo (22.7 x 14.4 cm). 139 pp. [vii, 92, xxxiv, 2, 4]; nine hand-coloured engraved plates. Red buckram. Spine with gilt title.
A monograph of the British fossil Trigoniae. [AND] Supplement to a monograph of the British fossil Trigoniae.
London, The Palaeontographical Society, 1875-1879; 1881-1883. Two parts in two. 4to (27. 0 x 21.1 cm). [iv], 148, 149-245 pp.; plates [numbered I-IX, 10-40, XLI], numerous text illustrations [the main work]; [iv] 19 pp., four text figures, four plates [the supplement]. Uniform contemporary black half calf over black, grained boards. Spines with five raised bands with gilt lines and red morocco label with gilt title. Marbled edges.
A monograph of the Crag Mollusca, with descriptions of shells from the Upper Tertiaries of the British Isles. Part I. Univalves. Part II. Bivalves. Part III. Supplement to the Monograph of the Crag Mollusca, with descriptions of shells from the Upper Tertiaries of the east of England. Vol. III. Univalves and bivalves. [Part IV] Second supplement to the Crag Mollusca, comprising testacea from the Upper Tertiaries of the East of England. Univalves and bivalves. [Part V]. Third supplement to the Crag Mollusca, comprising testacea from the Upper Tertiaries of the east of England. [Complete].
London, The Palaeontographical Society, [1848-] 1850-1882. Five volumes in two. 4to (27.3 x 22.0 cm). 912 pp. [xii, 208; 342, 2; xxxi, 231; ii, 58; (ii), 24]; several text figures, 72 [21;31;13;6;1] lithographed plates with explanatory text leaves; one very large, multi-folded chart with profiles. Later uniform brown pebbled cloth with gilt title on the spines.
Philadelphia, PA, The Conchological Section of the Academy of Natural Sciences, 1870. 8vo (22.1 x 14.4 cm). 238 pp; 17 hand-coloured lithographed plates [ Paludina 12-17; Limnea 16-18; Physa 6-9; Planorbis 5-7; Ancylus 2.] Later olive buckram with gilt title on the spine.lefaresh et simanaich ke'otot shel ahavah.
simanim shel esh.
hitpashat'ti vezazti k'mo metoraf bacheder.
ki ani nivreti lach.
o halchu le'azazel.
