CITY COMMUNTITY KITCHEN - A Green & Social Design Proposal

I have been learning a bit in my “Sustainable Design Entrepreneur Workshop”… which I am taking at Fashion Institute of Technology/NY. This last week we had a group assignment to develop, which turned to be quite interesting at the end. The project that was supposed to be done in group did not really quite work in a group.  But I ended up partner with with one of the people, Diana Lee. It was a good combination... between my skills in developing concepts and her speciaty in Kitchen & Bath..  It seemed like we liked to work with each other; it's been fun and I might making my new friend.  The assignment/project still in development, but I would love to share with you what we have created so far. The assignment was to start studying a concept for a “green building”, and search for materials that we would use in this space… After defining the materials we should do a research about the source of these materials, and also find out about the harvesting or process of manufacture of them… So first, we (the group) assigned to each element of the group what each would be working with. Diana and I decided to work with the “atrium” of the building. So, again, the concept idea for this area turned out to be quite interesting (in my opinion). I am really excited about the project and I wish (be careful what you wish for… they say…) this could be a real building, a real project. I think it would turn out to be a great concept to work with.
Below follow the images of the idea… with information about the raw materials… Next assignment is to try to substitute the initial materials for more “green materials”. The intention is to build this structure causing less impact in the environment.



A TRIBUTE TO JAPAN - Design & Culture

I feel really sorry for what had happened and still happening in Japan… According to recent news the water have finally been retreated and people are coming back to their homes. I just can image how devastated they would fell coming home and seen all destroyed and lost. I mean, they are already desvasted from the moment that the earthquake and tsunami had hit the land.  I don’t think I could take all that!
But in this post I don’t want talk about the sadness that is going on in Japan… That’s something for the news. I want remind myself and you about all the beautiful, fun, creative, trendy, inspiriting things from Japan and produced in Japan. Hopefully this post can inspire you... and you might fell like contributing somehow to help this country and their people during this giant crises that they dealing with. PEACE for JAPAN!



In progress still... I've so busy this last week and this weekend that I couldn't post my regular post... I am trying today... But it seem that I am not going able to finish it today... I too tired! I have to go to bed... Sorry... zzzzzzzzzz... I sleeping on my laptop!

Nite, nite....

SHOP FOR JAPAN

A FAREWELL GOODBYE TO MY VOZINHO & MY VOZINHA

This is been a personally intense week… It was the beginning of my so well awaited internship at Vicente Wolf Associates… and on the same day I lost my last living grandparent: “Vozinho” (a diminutive way to call grandfather in Portuguese). He was almost 90 years old. He was a rustic man with a soft heart...quiet, but sometimes a charismatic story teller... funny and silly… sometimes... and sometimes really rough. He was married to my most sweet and lovely “Vozinha” (a diminutive way to call grandmother in Portuguese - that was the way all the grandchildren used to call them) for more than 50 years. They had a beautiful farm (where I  partially grew up, and had a great childhood). They also had a house in the city of  Uberlandia. It was a small house, but it could embrace so many family members and friends. The house was always full of them. They had five children, many grandchildren (I don’t even know how many), great grandchildren, and one great-great grandchild. Vozinha passed away about 9 years ago… When Vozinha left us, Vozinho was “heart-broken”. From that time on he started falling apart. He got depressed for a while, then got physically sick and so on.  He always complained that he missed her. This past Monday, on March 7th he left us forever, and maybe went to meet her. We all felt so sad, but I keep thinking that he went to meet his love again. That kind of thought warms my heart and consoles me. I am always going to miss them. They are in my heart forever. They were more than my grandparents; they were also my parents. 

Guilherne Nunes da Silva & Maria Amaral de Freitas da Silva
- Photo taken in their 50th Wedding Aniversary -

SO LONG, FAREWELL VOZINHO & VOZINHA… UNTIL ONE DAY MAYBE WE ALL CAN BE TOGETHER AGAIN, LIKE THE GOOD OLD DAYS AT THE FARM!

A PERFECT APARTMENT

There are certain days that you wish you could have one of those perfect places that you see in magazines… This one here I found from Matthew Yees Interiors' website. In my opinion, the place should be in an interior design magazine… It’s an inspiring place, especially if you live in a city apartment. I just love this apartment because I might have a crush for Asian Modern Style… But of course, it’s not why I call it “a perfect place”. I am looking at from an overall perspective. There are a lot of architectural elements, pieces of furniture, small accessories and choices of colors that attract me to this space...besides the fact that is extremely neat and at the same time elegant, but casual. I just wish today that I lived in a place like this… Let’s keep wishing that one day it will happen…!