MARINA BAY SANDS IN SINGAPORE - ‘The World’s Most Expensive Hotel’

Marina Bay Sands in Singapore - ‘The World’s Most Expensive Hotel’ 
-An experience I will never forget!


I was very fortunate to be able to visit this architectural masterpiece in Singapore. I was impressed with the architecture, the amenities and how impressively big it is! When I looked back over the photos I have taken, I thought they were really worth sharing with you.


It is located along the sea and it is the jewel of Singapore. On the opposite side of the sea (I had the impression it was a lake) are many bars and restaurants where we ate a typical Singapore dinner with chopsticks, and enjoyed the view and taking photos. 


Marina Bay Sands is an integrated resort designed by Moshie Sadifie. A lotus-shaped building is home to the Art-Science Museum, three shell domes which contains a mall, theatre, convention center and restaurants, and three towers topped by the one-acre Skydeck.


Of these structures the three connected 55-story towers of the hotel, which are inspired by a stack of cards, have the greatest visual influence on the city. The unusual form creates a distinct silhouette, which can be seen across the marina from all areas of the city and from the sea.


The opening of the Marina Bay Sands completes a grand scheme of improvement and expansion, which began 30 years ago when the land where the resort stands was reclaimed from the sea. This highly visible landmark advertises the arrival of casinos in Singapore, announces the city-state as a desirable tourist destination and continues Singapore’s long tradition of utilizing architecture to promote and strengthen the city’s brand.


For more information: Suite 101 

 

As you enter from the main entrance of the right building, a detailed model of all the buildings is exhibited. 

The hotel consists of 3 different buildings that connect on top with 2 stories that are shaped like ships.

The hotel hosts a museum, a casino, a mall (shopping center) and many restaurants, bars etc. Through the mall runs a big canal where you can take a boat ride, which is an exciting vision to see. 

The lotus shape building at the left of the miniature is the museum.
It was very expensive for us to sleep over, but we could afford to spend the day there exploring the amazing construction, and it made the trip well worth it.
The hotel property is so large that only had time to see one of the 3 buildings, the casino, the mall and the top floors where the pool is and at the end, and I was exhausted!

The owners have also commissioned five well-known artists to create works of art to 'integrate' with the buildings. Among these is a 40m-long Antony Gormley sculpture made from 16,100 steel rods. The entire sculpture weighs 14.8 tons and it took 60 people to assemble it in the hotel.

 

Artist Chongbin Zheng created Rising Forest which is 83 three meter high pots with trees in them. The pots were so big the artist had to build a customized kiln the size of a small building to make them in.
 

In this picture, one of the many restaurants in this beautiful establishment, as it is seen from the outside of the restaurant at the ground floor.

 

View on from the inside of the beautiful establishment. 

 

I love this sculpture, at one of the many receptionist areas throughout the establishment. 

Along the interior of the building, shoppers can ride along an indoor canal in Sampan boats styled on traditional Chinese vessels from the 17th century.
Here, a newly-wed couple enjoys a canal ride inside the resort's shopping center.

I was so excited to see a canal inside a hotel!
 

 

 

If you fancy a dip in this pool, you'll need a head for heights - its 55 stories up.
But swimming to the edge won't be quite as risky as it looks. While the water in the infinity pool seems to end in a sheer drop, it actually spills into a catchment area where it is pumped back into the main pool. At three times the length of an Olympic pool and 650ft up, it is the largest outdoor pool in the world at this height. 

To read more about the amazing pool, click here.

  The top of the building is the main attraction of the hotel.

The top floor is shaped as a ship and hosts a huge swimming pool surrounded by coconut trees and restaurant and bars. It looks like you are in a resort by the sea but in reality you are 55 floors high. The view is amazing from there.
At night you can just go and have a drink overlooking the city, what a gorgeous view!

 

The exit has another surprise to the visitor. On the back wall   (as you see in this photo) there is water running. The surface of the wall is not even (the background is even and the lighter pieces are glued to the background) so when the water runs on this wall the water seems as it changes way, like small waves.

 

I feel blessed to be able to see this hotel for real and to learn so much from its construction.

Thank you for letting me share this awesome experience with you, and here’s to many more great discoveries throughout our beautiful world.
 


 

FURNITURE MAKEOVER

Making your furniture come alive isn’t a difficult task these days. With the onset of green living and repurposing old furniture to look like new, the ability to create fabulous looking pieces is simple and fun. Any furniture can get a ‘makeover’ with the help of new paint, new hardware, or even a different finish all together. Here are some examples of how to take your furniture from boring to beautiful, all by giving it a new look and style.

Remember Grandma’s antique chest of drawers you found in the attic last year? Instead of stashing it away to hide its old finish, how about revamp it with color palette pleasing colors to your interiors? Choose colors that coordinate with other furnishings, wallpaper or paint color in the room to bring unity and definition to your space. It will all look custom made! 

Consider visiting garage sales, antique stores, and online classifieds in your area for old treasures that you can make new. You would be surprised how an old bench can be made new with paint and beautiful reupholstering.

 

Children’s rooms are a great place for furniture makeovers, as kids tend to be hard on furniture, and often dressers, nightstands, desks and chairs have to be shared by generations of siblings. Instead of throwing out the furniture, give it a fresh look with pretty white paint, stencils, and coordinating organization baskets to complete the revamped look.

Bring out your creativity with letters, stencils, and vinyl appliqués. The joy of being creative is also the appeal of revamping old furniture. You can take a piece of tradition in your home and make it your own. From monogrammed initials to clever sayings… let your imagination soar with a creative DIY project.

Furniture makeovers have never looked so pretty. The next time you are searching in the furniture store for a brand new piece, take a look at the scratch and dent area too. You never know, a furniture makeover may give your room an unexpected custom design appeal, and your wallet a break. After all, your home should reflect your lifestyle and all the wonderful things you can imagine for it. A furniture revamp may be more rewarding than you thought!

 

 

 

JENNIFER LOPEZ… A WOMAN OF TASTE

Grand Staircase in the Foyer

The lunette sofa echoes the curve of the staircase.

Jennifer Lopez knows a thing or two about red-carpet glamour. But at her California residence, a different, more serene glamour prevails. In the foyer, a dramatically sweeping staircase greets visitors. Beneath, a lunette sofa graciously invites them to stay. A white lacquered piano makes a striking statement in the living room, but it's the ethereal blue-grays, velvet sheens and shimmering silvers that truly captivate. In the pale mauve dining room and pastel peach guest bedroom, crystal and blown-glass chandeliers gleam like pieces of jewelry.

"Jennifer and I wanted elegance, but we didn't want it to look stuffy or conservative or serious," says Workman. "We wanted it to be graceful, with just enough sparkle."

Call it glint over glitz. 

INTERIOR DESIGN BY MICHELLE WORKMAN

PRODUCED BY ANNE FOXLEY

 

Custom klismos chairs in Calvin Klein Home fabric for Kravet. Tête-à-tête sofa, Michael Berman Limited, in Casamance fabric. Side tables, Global Views. Charles Hollis Jones coffee table. Custom sofa in Manuel Canovas fabric. Pillows in Scalamandré stripe. Tufted chair, Hollyhock. Fretwork chair, McGuire. Curtains in Schumacher silk.

 

Gray-Blue and White Kitchen

"There are all these tones of gray, and we played with that—using a bit more of a gray-taupe here, a bit more of a gray-blue there," says interior designer Michelle Workman. "It's almost like a black-and-white film from the forties."

 

 

Kitchen Nook

"Jennifer wanted to go modern and streamlined but retain the sophistication and stylishness," says Workman.

 

Pastel Peach Guest Bedroom

Vintage side table from The Red House Interiors, designer Michelle Workman's shop. Headboard and lamp, Williams-Sonoma Home. Linens, Peter Reed. The custom bench is in Christian Fischbacher fabric and the art on the walls are by Jean Cocteau and Ana Carballosa. Ceiling fixtur, DK Living. Curtains in Nancy Corzine fabric. The rug is from Melrose Carpet.

Pink Gown in the Bedroom

"Jennifer and I wanted elegance, but we didn't want it to look stuffy or conservative or serious," says designer Michelle Workman. "We wanted it to be graceful with just enough sparkle."

 

Dining Room

Side chairs, Baker in Kravet fabric. Swarovski crystal chandelier, Schonbek. Art, Julianne Boudreaux. Wallpaper is from Cole & Son.

Great thanks to Veranda magazine for this great article, on an admired home from Jennifer Lopez.

 

 

BEACH STUDIO IN HALKIDIKI

We have been asked to decorate a very small studio that is 45sqm in Halkidiki. Greece. Located by the beach, it has a spectacular view, for it is the perfect location for a beach studio.

The small home is a one-bedroom studio with an open kitchen living room and bathroom. The challenge in these types of projects is making the home feel warm and inviting, but also adhering to a small budget. We have to be creative with our decorating choices, while still giving the client a gorgeous end result.

 

Design Ideas

In the bedroom, the owner had an old bedroom set in brown wood, which we changed into white lacquer, to enlarge the room. The white color also helped bring a fresh feeling to the space, and the furniture no longer swallowed up the rest of the small bedroom. Adding white to any space also gives a fresh summer feel and psychologically feels inviting.

Above the headboard on the wall, we decided to place ceramic birds we found in the local village market. It gave the wall dimension and a subtle focal point, in which also gave a summer effect in the room.

Money Saving Design

When designing the space, we realized that style shouldn’t be minimized because of a small budget. For example, in the windows we used ready-made curtains from Ikea and tied them with knots in a special way. This gave the room a pulled together look, and dressing the windows helped make the space feel like a home, rather than just a small room.

Since our client has beach views, we wanted to bring in the sea life inspiration wherever we could. From seashells in the windowsill, to the birds on the wall, we wanted to embrace the outdoors, inside the home as well.

Bathroom Ideas

The one bathroom area is a good place to bring a neutral color palette and soft textiles into the space. To soften the look of the vanity we used a linen skirt and matched the shower curtain to unify the space. Simple decor items like a flowering orchid make for a beautiful space without over cluttering with visual elements.

The beauty of this space is that it also hides the washer machine! So the skirted area under the vanity housed the machine, and we used mirror cabinets for storage of toiletry items.

Living Area Ideas

When designing your small home, ensure functionality is at the heart of your intentions. In this small beach home, we utilized sofas that could convert into beds, to help the homeowner be able to accommodate visitors. 

Pulling inspiration from the beach, and seaside living, we covered an accent wall with bamboo and kept the breezy ocean home living theme throughout the entire space. Playful collections like these hats can be functional and decorative. Never miss an opportunity for display to act as decor too!

Ultimate views from either side of the balcony, makes this the best seat in the home. An affordable table from Ikea, simple dining chairs and a lounging area opposite, make this the treasure of the home. 

This simple but cozy beach view home is the perfect place to retreat to at the end of a long day. The affordable design ideas we used helped the homeowner make great multifunction areas, and still feel comfortable and relaxed. Ahhh… the ultimate home.

ADD COLOR IN YOUR LIFE

Adding color to your home can brighten up the atmosphere, add life to your interiors and make you happier all at the same time. Here are simple ideas to bring color to your home and life!

Throw a Few Pillows Around

Nothing adds color like pillows strategically placed on furniture and flowers. Whether you choose solids for a floral sofa or chair, or colorful, patterned pillows for a solid color chair or sofa, these simple additions will add comfort and just the right splash of color.

         

If you have a small chair, such as a desk chair or side chair, consider recovering the seat cushion. Fresh color on even this small area will offer interest and bring life to a dreary corner.

A colorful piece adds a decorative touch, but also introduces colors and shapes you might not be able to use in a larger area. Try framing simple photos with colorful mats and bright frames.

           

A colorful throw rug, strategically placed in front of a chair or under a coffee table can add color and texture to a living room. It can be put on top of hardwood flooring, painted floors, or carpet. You can choose a contrast color, chosen from fabric you’re using in the room, or look for one with an interesting pattern that ties into the theme of your room.

Adding pops of color throughout your home can make your interiors sing. Try some of these inspirational ideas for you home. From functional planters to bold throw pillows, be imaginative and see how your home will come alive with personality.