10 Best Indoor Plants For Home Or Office

10 Best Indoor Plants For Home or Office

By our guest blogger: Kaye Ellson kaye.cmvinteriordesigns@gmail.com

SHOP NAME:  GREEN POT AND SHOVEL GARDEN

LOCATED AT: CONRINTHIAN HILLS, PASIG CITY (NEAR VALLE VERDE7)

This shop sells indoor and outdoor plants and offers good services to the customers.

The place is like a whole package because they also sell koi fish and herbs are available too.

“This charming garden in near Corinthian hills were so big it will take your breath away but the plants are well chosen, the staff extremely helpful, and the collection of gifts and gardeners’ accessories were delightful. This shop sells a new trend preserved roses from beauty and the beast for only 2000, to 3,000 pesos. I asked the owner of the shop to help me choose the best indoor plants for home and one of the list are;

  • Aloe vera

The gel of the aloe plant has a number of healing properties. Not only does it soothe skin burns and cuts, it can also help to monitor the air quality in your home. The plant can help clear the air of pollutants found in chemical cleaning products, and when the amount of harmful chemicals in the air becomes excessive, the plants’ leaves will display brown spots. Just an FYI: It grows best with lots of sun so you don’t have to sprinkle more water.

  • Bacularis

The plants are very drought tolerant and are watered about every other week during the growing season. During the winter months they are watered once a month. Water sparingly and not at all as temperatures dip in winter but can tolerate going months between watering.

Heat Tolerance: Excellent

  • Spider plant

One of the most common house plants, spider plants are decorative, easy to grow, and also make the NASA list of the best air-purifying plants. Spider plants are effective at fighting pollutants including benzene, formaldehyde, carbon monoxide and xylene. Which is good for indoor.

 

  • Cactus

It can be a tricky process caring for plants indoors. You may find that your plants do not get enough sunlight or you could simply forget to keep them sufficiently watered. This is where succulents and cacti become useful. Both varieties of plants are known for being hardy and easy to care for. They do not require as much water as most common plant varieties and can survive in difficult environments. You do not need a green thumb to care for succulents and cacti.

Fyi:it’s not safe for kids and avoid touching it and cactus must stay in one place because they tend to die fast.

  • Fern punk plant

This one is also a family of bacularis plant. will die if temperatures drop below 7°C with wet soil. However, it can survive near freezing temperatures if the soil is dry – but it is best to avoid freezing temperatures. If growing outdoors in frost free areas keep in a covered patio or under an area where plants do not receive winter rainfall.

 

  • Snake Plant

 

Snake plants don’t need much light or water to survive, so they’re an easy choice for any corner of your home. The plant absorbs carbon dioxide and releases oxygen during the night (while most plants do so during the day), so add one to your bedroom for a clean-air boost.

  • Golden pothos

The golden pothos makes the NASA list for its ability to clear formaldehyde from the air. Try adding it to your kitchen or living room as a hanging plant, as the leaves will grow down in cascading vines. They grow easily in cool temperatures will low levels of sunlight.

  • Stargazer

Potted lilies prefer a constant daytime and nighttime temperature of 60 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit, although they will grow in daytime temperatures of up to 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Placing their pots near heating or cooling vents may quicken or slow growth, resulting in stretched or stunted plants. The amount and intensity of light that a “Stargazer” lily receives will also affect its growth rate and habit. Indirect, bright sunlight for at least 6 hours per day will produce healthy, regular growth. This plant gives a good scent which is good for home as well.

 

  • Philodendron

heart-shaped philodendron is a popular plant choice for indoor areas, as they’re easy to care for and can grow decorative vines. Like the English ivy, they are particularly good at absorbing xylene. They can also last for many years when properly cared for. Grow with moderate water and some sunlight and they’ll be fine.

  • Boston fern

 

Boston ferns need a cool place with high humidity and indirect light. When you care for Boston fern plants indoors, it’s a good idea to provide additional humidity for them, especially in the winter. Most homes are rather dry, even more when heaters are running. For extra humidity care for Boston fern, try setting your fern’s pot on a tray of pebbles filled with water. You can also try lightly misting your fern once or twice a week to help it get the humidity it needs.

  • Warneck dracaena

This shrub, also known as Dracaena reflexa, can grow to be very tall. It’s another plant that can provide separation of different office areas. And it also combats pollutants commonly found in varnishes and oils. If your office space has hardwood floors, this shooting plant would be ideal.

 

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From The Masters: Interior Design Mistakes To Learn From

FROM THE MASTERS: INTERIOR DESIGN MISTAKES TO LEARN FROM
By our guest blogger:  Aia Atienza (aia.cmvinteriordesigns@gmail.com)

The art and science of interior design requires a great deal of creativity, patience, flexibility, and attention to detail. Whoever said being an interior designer was simple clearly still has a lot to learn. Undeniably, even professionals who’ve been at it for years can overlook a few things from time to time. So don’t stress yourself out when you end up making a mistake.

To try to help fresh graduates, and maybe even wannabe interior designers, steer away from common design mistakes, I have asked a few licensed interior designers (that I look up to) about their slip ups and the lessons they learned from the mentioned experience.

IDR. POJIE PAMBID

Top 1 Interior Design board exam passer of 1994

Licensed since: 1994

Dean and professor at the Philippine School of Interior Design

One of the partners of J.P. Lake and associates

 

Mistake/s:

“I’ve committed a lot of mistakes in practice. The first one that I’ve ever committed was I relied on the measurement of the supplier instead of verifying the measurements of the project by myself. It was a room, it was an office that I was supposed to floor with carpet tiles tapos of course I referred it to the supplier and then the supplier said na based on the measurement of the room, this number of carpet tiles ang kailangan. But I didn’t verify. So ang nangyari when the tiles came, kulang siya. So there was like a big spot on the floor that lacked carpet tiles and then of course to add insult to injury, ininstall yung carpet tiles one day before the blessing of the office. So ibig sabihin it was very, very tight na parang feeling ko hindi ako aabot to supply the missing carpet tiles. So solution, instead of like a solid pattern, I created nalang a combination of different carpet tiles based on what was available during that time in store. But siyempre diba I still had to panic. Yun yon eh yung nakakapanic parin siya, but buti nalang din, parang I dunno, siguro the creative instincts set in diba so parang inisip ko sige gagawa nalang ako ng pattern. So instead of like solid gray I made it gray with the accent color of the company’s color which is maroon. So parang gumawa nalang ako ng random pattern on the floor kasi yung maroon available na siya on stock. So that was again, oh I dunno, parang I feel that it was a mistake that I committed diba on my own kasi nga hindi ako nag verify, but at the same time I was able to provide also a solution na nagustohan naman nung client. Initially, of course, hindi naman yun yung inapprove niya but under the circumstances parang when it was already done parang blessing in disguise diba that the client liked it.”

 

“I also made a mistake in relying on the color swatch of what was available in the hardware store. Even if kunyari I already applied the color on the wall and it was the same color, hindi ko tinake into consideration that lighting would of course affect the overall color of the wall. So it was a costly mistake because we had to repaint because yung may lighting na, hindi nagustohan nung client yung color. So parang moral of the story, every time that you deal with color you also have to of course take into account the lighting, whether white light or yellow light. Kasi it’s bound to affect the overall finished color look.”

 

Lesson:

“I have to be more obsessive compulsive. Not just you know parang just rely on what they say but I have to like double check. And ever since naman that incident, I always make it a point to double check.”

 

IDR. CARMEN LIM

Licensed since: 2003

Principal Designer of CRL Interior Designs

General Manager of Mity Mike Inc.

Board member of the Chamber of Furniture Industries of the Philippines (CFIP) – VP for design

Professor at the Philippine School of Interior Design

 

Mistake/s:

“This is a common mistake of designers and I personally committed this mistake before. Yun nga diba we customize furniture and of course yung client wants customized furniture and we made this bed tapos I realized medyo late na na teka muna parang hindi papasok yan sa elevator. Good thing that we produced the furniture that’s why when I realized that it won’t fit, I had to make that knock-down diba, eh gawa na so diba we had to alter it and at least hindi pa nadeliver sa site diba. What will you do if nandun na sa site yung furniture and it won’t fit the door? And if ikaw yung designer and nagpagawa ka sa manufacturer, you will be charged extra. Ikaw siyempre nagbigay ng design eh. They will charge you. Malay ba nila, you just asked them to make that.”

 

Lesson:

“Number one you have to check the elevator, if it’s a condo ha. You have to check the elevator, the entrance, the hallway and make sure that whatever you customized, whatever design furniture you have, will fit the elevator of the condo. Well you can use the stairs but what if it’s like 30th floor or 50th floor diba, the suppliers will not bring everything up. So if you have to make the furniture knock-down then you have to.”

 

IDR. ARCHIE NACPIL

Licensed since: 2005

Country manager – Eggersmann and La Cornue

Professor at the Philippine School of Interior Design

 

Mistake/s:

“Recently, I customized a queen size bed box with pull-out for storage. 2 pull-outs on each sides. I asked the maker to do me a unit for a standard queen size. Then we went on site just to verify and measure. I asked the guy to measure the bed. I didn’t pay attention, so he ended up measuring the mattress together with the beddings and the comforter, ayun yung cutomized bed box was 5″ longer and 5″ wider. Toink!”

 

Lesson:

“Attention to detail is important.”

 

So there you go. These are just some of the lessons these professionals have learned over the course of their careers. I hope that their insights and experiences would be of help to you. Don’t let your mistakes serve as a deterrent to your ambitions.

 

City Tour Guide: Our Top 10 Most Stylish and Unique Coffee Shop Concepts Around The Metro

Featuring our guest blogger this Month of August Ms. Beatrix Cruz

Email: cruz.alybeatrix@gmail.com

 

RESTOCK RESTOCK 2

  1. RESTOCK

Address: 7635 Guijo St., San Antonio, Makati City

Store Hours: 12N-10PM

Number: 09176631011

This café has one of the most artistic interior I have ever seen. From paintings to collages to pictures and etc. They are not just selling coffees here but they are also selling local CD’s and goodies from their brand

 

 SB BGC

  1. STARBUCKS BGC

Near MC Home Depot

This starbucks in BGC is one of the biggest starbucks I’ve seen. It’s a two-storey loft type building. It has big drop lights in the middle and I like how its interior is mixed in modern-filipino style.

 

 CAFE TRAVEL CAFE TRAVEL 2

  1. CAFÉ TRAVEL

Address: 2nd floor, Archer’s Nook Center, 2624 Taft Avenue, Malate Manila

Store Hours: 9AM-12MN

Number: 09052248003 / 09291559770

The coziest café in Taft Manila. Café Travel’s interior gives a Korean feeling to it. You are not allowed to wear your shoes/slippers inside each crib-like stall just like in Korean culture. Inside those stalls, you will only find a circular table and pillows and you will just sit on the floor. When it was new in Taft Avenue, you are not allowed to write anything on the walls. You can only write on post-it and post it on the walls. But when I went there recently, there are already a lot of writings on the wall.

 

 SIMPLE ORIGIN

  1. SIMPLE ORIGIN

Address: 2nd floor, C3 Building, Bonifacio High Street Central, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City

Store Hours: 7AM-12MN

Number: 02 2469069

This place is where you want to work peacefully. I like the ambiance and the colors of this interior though mostly it’s just brown. They’re not just offering coffee but they also serve meals and wine. I really like their tea and the people here are accommodating and friendly.

 

  SATCHMI 3

  1. SATCHMI

Address: 4th floor, SM Megamall Bldg-D Fashion Mall, EDSA cor Julia Vargas Ave., Mandaluyong, 1550 Metro Manila

Store Hours: 10AM-10PM

Number: (02) 9586510

Satchmi is my new favorite store/café. It’s also a store because they don’t just sell coffees but they also sell vinyl records, cd’s and turn tables. It’s almost the same look as Simple Origin but this one is not super sosyal as compared to Simple Origin.

 

 MOCHICREAM 1

  1. MOCHICREAM CAFÉ

Address: 4th floor, SM Megamall Bldg-D Fashion Hall

Just an ordinary café but these chairs are out of this world. This is the first time I saw chairs like these. It’s really cool and comfy. I like how they mix the color orange with brown and black. Nothing new in the interior but I would still recommend that you go here because of their desserts.

 

 CAFE MARY GRACE 2

  1. CAFÉ MARY GRACE

Binondo area 

Café Mary Grace has the same interiors in every branch. It’s always the old-American style that has a little bit of the Spanish-Filipino style. Mary Grace’s interior is full of accessories and the tables have letters of people who visited Mary Grace.

 

  1. STARBUCKS BINONDO

Address: Lucky Chinatown

 Not the ordinary Starbucks here in the Philippines. Not ordinary because I think this is the only Starbucks in the Philippines that has Chinese feels inside. It still has a mix of the usual Starbucks interior which uses brown color and warm lighting

 

PATRICK'S CAFE

  1. PATRICK’S CAFÉ

Address: Beach Club, Azure Urban Recidences, Paranaque City

A super cute café inside Paris Hilton’s beach club! I am not really a fan of pink but I don’t know why this shade of pink attracted me. As you can see there’s a pink banquet beside the counter. It looks super comfy but when you sit on it, it’s not that comfy.

 

EPIC 

  1. EPIC CAFÉ

ADDRESS: 102 East Capitol Drive, Barangay Kapitolyo, Pasig City

Store Hours: 8AM-10PM

(photo from spot.ph)

 Brick and wood is a perfect combination! (for me) An industrial-rustic kind of look is not really bad for a café. Well, most of the café’s are industrial but this one really goes well with the drinks. I could actually work here all-day because of it’s interior.

 

 

How to Deal With That Awkward Moment When Your Prospect Client Says “NO”

I’m really thankful for all the done deals, inquiries and feedback we’ve received these past months. Since I started our website using our own domain www.christinemanalovillamora.com,  we doubled our search engine optimization and inquiries from Google links and social media accounts. It really helps! But it wasn’t that easy. Since we don’t have Web Developer, I ended up doing our own SEO, links, etc. and I’ve enjoyed it! I always develop our website layout, features and theme almost every month.

In the past 6 months we have received 150-300 views per day on our website and social media accounts and this means more traffic, more inquiries and more prospect clients.

With all the inquiries, quotations, deals and transactions I have encountered, here are some top reasons why I received “NO”:

  1. Your design fee is too high
  2. I don’t like your initial idea/ concept board
  3. We’ve found another designer that we felt we have a “personal connection” with
  4. We’ve decided that we won’t hire a designer at this moment
  5. You can’t tell me your design fee via phone that’s why I won’t hire you

OUCH! That hurts for someone like me who is a go-getter, gives my heart and my very best in everything that I do and who doesn’t believe in NO.

We can’t force something that is not meant to be for us, so I have learned to move on quickly and here are some of my responses to these awkward situations:

  1. Your design fee is too high

My response: I can’t argue enough on what amount is to “too high” for every person. What is “too high” for you might be “too low” for someone else. As for me, we have researched and based our design fee on the published rate of professional interior designers. We also dedicate our time and effort to continuously enhance our design techniques through travelling here and abroad, attending seminars/ trainings and visiting trade expos and latest exhibits. We devote our selves to improve our design skills so that we can be better designers for our current and future clients.

  1. I don’t like your initial idea/ concept board

My response: Usually when a prospect client requests for design fee quotation, I include a concept board (my initial idea for the space) which this is free of charge. As we move forward and agree on the design contract, that’s the time that we dedicate our time and effort in custom interior design based on their personal style. Great things in life are free! right? Do we have to complain? hahaha

  1. We’ve found another designer that we felt we have a “personal connection” with

My response: Ooh.. that “personal connection”.  Well.. me too, I want to hire someone who shares the same values, principle and same work attitude as I do. This is too personal and I don’t want to blame anyone if this is the reason why my prospect says no. I simply reply.. It’s cool, no worries (This means we are not meant to be).

  1. We’ve decided that we won’t hire a designer at this moment

My response: In some cases, people realize that they need to enhance their space and they can’t do it on their own, so they seek for a professional. When the professional provides them proposal/ professional fee they tend to disregard their will to enhance their space because they think it’s too expensive to hire them. BUT in most cases when I asked my clients why they hire me, they said that they have tried doing their own renovation but it didn’t worked and they’ve spent a lot of time and money doing trial and error. Instead of saving money, they regret that they should have sought professional help first to avoid common mistakes and improve their lifestyle within their space.

  1. You can’t tell me your design fee via phone that’s why I won’t hire you

My response: I really can’t discuss and negotiate my professional fee via phone because for me it’s too tacky and informal. I make it a point to put everything in writing and in print so that I can clearly explain the details and scope of work of my design contract. You can’t expect me to dictate my design fee via phone without defending or even backing up data on why I charged that amount.

 

What I usually do when I received rejection thru emails and feedback?

Just like a normal person (with emotions), I tend to feel sad and disappointed. But I guess I have learned how to move on quickly. The moment I received the bad news, I reflect on the situation and what went wrong. I write down my mistakes and find ways on how to improve my negotiation skills so that next time I can avoid the same mistake. I point out some mistakes and difficulties I have encountered and search for articles and books on how to deal and avoid it. I pray to the Lord for guidance on what to do next, give my very best on the next client and God will do the rest.

How do I deal with this kind of awkward situation?

  1. I divert all my negative energy like frustrations into positive ones like perseverance
  2. I immediately search for answers how can I improve and develop my business skills
  3. I review my business plan, portfolio, website and social media accounts and improve it as best as I can
  4. I stick to our brand features and personality; WORK HARD+STAY HUMBLE
  5. I keep it cool, calm and collected
  6. I seek for mentorship thru Youtube videos featuring my favorite business tycoons
  7. I research on what my company pegs do: Victoria Beckham, ZGallerie, Rachel Zoe, etc.
  8. I re-layout and re-design my website with more informative and valuable content
  9. I pray to the Lord for help, enlightenment and guidance on my decision making

 

Here’s an online article that helped me cope up with this situation.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/work-in-progress/2013/12/05/six-surprising-negotiation-tactics-that-get-you-the-best-deal/#2715e4857a0b597938575db8

6 Surprising negotiation tactics that get you the best deal

Source: www.forbes.com

  1. Share information
  • Studies have shown that revealing some information, even when it’s unrelated to the negotiation, increases the outcome

2. Rank order your priorities

  • Grant recommends another approach called rank ordering. His research shows that you are able to achieve better outcomes by ranking and leaving all the issues on the table and being transparent about it. That way both parties can compare their rankings and determine what the full set of options really are
  1. Go in knowing your target price and your walkaway terms
  • It’s critical to do the research ahead of time here. You need your research to be based on firm data, as not only will it provide more confidence and power to you, but it also reduces the chance that you’ll throw something crazy out there
  1. Make the first offer
  • Higher prices make the buyer focus on the positives, while lower ones invite focus on the downsides. In other words, we find data that supports this anchor
  1. Don’t counter too low
  • Let the other person know that their offer is way off, and go back in with a new reset. It also may be helpful to call out what you’re observing to redirect the conversation, i.e. you may be trying to test my thinking with that first offer, but here’s more of what I had in mind
  1. Counter offers make both parties more satisfied
  • Every buyer wants to feel that they got a good deal; every seller wants to feel as if they drove a hard bargain. Parties are most satisfied on both fronts if there was some back and forth

 

Hope you’ll find this helpful 😉

Cheers,

Christine

Stylish condo unit for Modern day Manila Girl

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My client for this project is a young professional and stylish Manila Girl who wants to have minimalist approach on her first condo unit. For me, she represents the modern day Manila Girl who works hard for what she wants to accomplish, very independent and enjoys city life with perks of having her own place near commercial establishments and office.

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For this unit, especially on the living room, I noticed that there is exposed beam near the TV/ cable and power outlets. What I did as a solution, I concealed that beam with mirror (with plywood backing) and match or paired it with another mirror with same size on the other side to have balance effect.

1-BR Unit at Pioneer Woodlands, Boni Mandaluyong

The unit doesn’t have drop ceiling, the maximum ceiling height (seen on this photo) is around 2600 mm from finished floor line. Technically it is not low, but I want to retain that high/ maximum ceiling height so I placed cove ceiling on the side as accent. With collaboration with my client’s idea, we used color changing LED strip light as accent for our cove ceiling. Controlled by a remote, you can change the color of the light and even the speed of the transition.

Instead of traditional dining chairs and table, my client wants to have bar stools and bar counter as her dining set.
Pretty amazing because we can still use the lower portion of the bar counter as storage for wine and wine glass or kitchen ware.

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Sliding door works well with limited space. For this project, we maximized the storage space from floor to ceiling. The closet/ wardrobe area in sliding door and the upper part with door cabinet in concealed hinge.

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This amazing ceiling lamp has built in fiber glass fan that when turned-off the fan will fold (hidden)
available at WILCON HOME DEPOT cost around P 20, 000+++

To know more about our design projects, events and latest travel you may send your “Hello!” to this email address: cmvinteriordesigns@gmail.com

Have a great day ahead 😉

Love,

Christine