Category: Style Guide

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Tyaga Goods

The word “Tyaga” itself means a form of giving, in line with its products that would make perfect gifts for designers, architects and those with an eye for good design. All visions are breathed into life by distinctive local artisans, using local materials, making Tyaga a proudly Indonesian brand.

Tyaga comes from two individuals with distinctive aesthetic but intertwined vision of style, Elisa Winata and Fabian Malonda. With vast experience in working for design agencies, Tyaga is their love labour.

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Our Collections
We play around with marble and metals, with the latter transformed into a planter / storage bowl that would captivate those with an eye for Grecian- inspired style.

The collections are categorized into:

  1. Besi

besi

The Besi care instruction is as follows:

Do

  • Always wipe down with warm water and pat dry immediately.
  • Use soft cloth for cleaning.

Do not

  • Put any hard/ rough objects in the bowl, as it most likely will scratch the surface.
  • Leave spill or stain – wipe down immediately to avoid permanent stain.
  • Directly Use or put any products that contain lemon, vinegar, alcohol, and anything with strong artificial colouring.

2. Batu

As no two marble pieces are the same, the beautiful marble piece you receive may not look completely identical to the pictures shown on our gallery. Marble is a natural material and therefore embodies its unique and natural characteristics – including their own subtle variations in veining.

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The care instruction for the Batu collection is as follows:

Do

  • Always wipe down the marble with warm water and pat dry immediately.
  • Use soft cloth for cleaning.
  • Use dishwashing liquid mildly when needed.

Do not

  • Put any hard/ rough surface on top of marble.
  • Leave spill or stain – wipe down immediately to avoid permanent stain on the marble.
  • Directly Use or put any products that contain lemon, vinegar, alcohol, and anything with strong artificial colouring.

3. Garis

garis

The Garis collection has a special care instructions as follows:

Do

  • Always wipe down with warm water and pat dry immediately.
  • Use soft cloth for cleaning.

Do not

  • Put any hard/ rough objects in the bowl, as it most likely will scratch the surface.
  • Leave spill or stain – wipe down immediately to avoid permanent stain.
  • Directly Use or put any products that contain lemon, vinegar, alcohol, and anything with strong artificial colouring.

4. Tabung

tabung

The Tabung collection needs a special care as follows:

  • Our TABUNG collection is made from 100% brass material. We love the way brass colour changes over time, as it’s part of the natural oxidise process. We totally understand that this is not for everyone, here is our cleaning suggestion to keep your brass looking smooth & shiny as new. Mixture of lemon juice & baking soda is the best natural cleaner we found so far. Use soft cloth and apply the paste. Gently work it into the brass. Rinse off the paste and dry. Re-apply and repeat the process when necessary. When you’re done, give the brass a really thorough rinse. Make sure there’s no paste left over and then dry it with a clean dry towel.
  • This is just one of the way that we use to clean brass. Please do not be restricted, there are a lot of alternative ways to clean brass that you can find online.

5. Bentuk

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  • The BENTUK collection is made from 100% brass material. We love the way brass colour changes over time, as it’s part of the natural oxidise process. We totally understand that this is not for everyone, here is our cleaning suggestion to keep your brass looking smooth & shiny as new. Mixture of lemon juice & baking soda is the best natural cleaner we found so far. Use soft cloth and apply the paste. Gently work it into the brass. Rinse off the paste and dry. Re-apply and repeat the process when necessary. When you’re done, give the brass a really thorough rinse. Make sure there’s no paste left over and then dry it with a clean dry towel.
  • This is just one of the way that we use to clean brass. Please do not be restricted, there are a lot of alternative ways to clean brass that you can find online.
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Arbor & Troy

I. About Arbor & Troy: 

We are passionate about comfort.
We also believe in style, but comfort is more important.
We believe that comfort and style are subjective.
We are in many famous individuals’ homes.
We are in many more not so famous individual’s homes.
We are forward in thinking and design.
We look back to learn from the past.
We are timeless.
We are constantly curious.
We are unpredictable.
We are a traditionalist.
We are also a non traditionalist.
We put importance on the quality of our products.
We believe in delivering value to our customers.
We respect people and our surroundings.
We value mutual respectful relationship.
We give back to our community.
We respect mother nature and the environment.
We believe in giving solution to our customers.
We value individuality and personal style.
We are on a mission to make.

II. Style inspirations by Arbor & Troy:

  1. Living room

Living room is one of the most lived-in room in home. A living room can serve many different functions, from a formal sitting area to a casual living space. While you start find living room decorating ideas, think about the space’s desired purpose, such as a comfortable sofa and a coffee table, then choose  the accent furniture and decor to complete your style on living room. Find the ideas across all styles.

arbor & troy - living room

Living Room with Modern Chinoiserie concept. Put Haven Sofa Collection and bring the red cushion for final touch. Designed by Budi Kurniawan.

arbor & troy - living room 02.jpg

2. Dining Room:

Dining room not only for breakfast or lunches (or dinner) but also a functional and comfortable space for sharing a precious moments with your dining companion. Create your own dining room with your style yet comfortable. Discover dining room ideas and inspiration for your decor, layout, furniture and storage.

arbor & troy - dining room 01

3. Bedroom:

Your bedroom is the place you go to rest and escape daily routine. It can often be the forgotten room in your home. When designed correctly, bedrooms are comfort sanctuaries that make you feel both relax and happy. Find the ideas for your sanctuary that feels like at home!

arbor & troy - bedroom 01

III. Care Instructions for Arbor & Troy products:

SOFAS

FABRIC

1. Brush or vacuum chairs regularly (at least once a month).
2. Protect from direct sunlight, as this will cause fabric to fade unevenly.
3. Dab spills immediately with cloth dampened with distilled water. If you choose to use mild solvent or upholstery shampoo on a tough stain, test first in an inconspicuous area.
4. For thorough cleaning, we recommend a professional in-home upholstery cleaning service. This insures the best look and greatest longevity.
SLIPCOVERS

1. For slipcovers in both pre-washed and dry-cleanable fabrics, we recommend a professional in-home upholstery cleaning service to clean slipcovers while still on bases. This insures the best look and greatest longevity.
2. Do not machine wash your fabric. It may cause discoloration.
3. Do not line dry because fabric may stretch. Do not store slipcovers away slightly damp.
4. Wash all chair slipcovers at once (just as you’d dry clean both pieces of a suit at once).
5. As with clothing, some fading should be expected; separate laundering may cause color variation.
6. For thorough cleaning, we recommend a professional in-home upholstery cleaning service. This insures the best look and greatest longevity.
HARD FURNISHINGS

Wipe with a soft, dry cloth. Avoid the use of chemicals and household cleaners as they might damage the finish.
SLIPCOVERED DINING CHAIRS

Spot clean with a damp cloth or sponge; blot to remove excess water, air dry. Blot spills immediately with a clean undyed towel or sponge. To prevent fading, keep fabric out of direct sunlight. Vacuum crevices. For best result, dry-cleaning is recommended.
FABRIC HEADBOARDS

To protect the fabric, spot clean occasionally with a damp white cloth. A soft brush or the brush attachment of a vacuum cleaner can also be used to clean dust.
PILLOWS

Pillows will compress overtime. Fluff and rotate your accent pillows monthly for even wear.
RUGS

Vacuum regularly to prevent dust and crumbs from settling into roots of fibers. Avoid direct and continuous exposure to sunlight. Use carpet protectors under the legs of heavy furniture to avoid flattening piles. Remove spills immediately; if liquid, blot with clean, undyed cloth by pressing firmly around the spill to absorb as much as possible. For hard-to-remove stains professional carpet cleaning is recommended.
FABRIC

Dust and vacuum your fabric regularly to help keep fabric looking new. Fabric will naturally fade overtime, avoid direct sunlight and heat. Dab spills immediately with soft white cloth dampened with distilled water. Do not use tap water, detergents, polishes, preserves or soaps to clean.
LEATHER

Spot clean. Dust and vacuum often, using crevice tool in seams. Avoid direct exposure to sunlight. Keep leather furniture at least 12” away from heat sources this will help prevent the leather from drying and possibly crackling. Avoid excess rubbing. Blot any remaining soap residue with a clean cloth dampened only with clear distilled water.

Blot until dry, repeating as necessary. Contact a professional leather cleaning service for more difficult stains. Never use harsh cleaners, chemicals or saddle soap. Before using any tipe of of cleaner, always test-clean on hidden area.
HOW TO PUT ON A SLIPCOVER?

Gently pull relaxed fitting slipcover down over the top of the piece, carefully working it from top to bottom; front to back. It might be necessary to tuck here and there to achieve the look you want. Place the seat cushion on the back edge (notice the front edge is rounded). Now start to put the cushion cover on the front with the zipper toward the back. Fold loose back pillows or throw pillows in half before stuffing into pillow covers, and then work corners of pillows into corners of pillow covers. There’s a certain relaxed feel and look to your slipcover. Most large creases and wrinkles will fall out in a few days.
HOW TO CLEAN STAINS FROM YOUR UPHOLSTERED FURNITURE?

Few Simple Rules:

Remove stain immediately. Many spots are harder to remove if allowed to dry.
Remove excess moisture with tissue by blotting. If stain has dried, then brush and vacuum to remove loose particles before further cleaning. After removing excess moisture, or dried particles, moisten the area with upholstery cleaning agent, or foam, and then blot. Do not scrub. Repeat until stain disappears. After the fabric has dried vacuum thoroughly.
If the stain cannot be removed by this method, then use a professional cleaning company.

 

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AlvinT

History

Founded in 2006, alvinT is a Jakarta-based furniture design company that amalgamates Indonesia’s rich cultural heritage and artisanal approach with contemporary sensibilities. Authenticity remains the driving force behind our innovation. While we revere tradition, we would like our products to stand as a testament of character in an increasingly homogenized world. As much as design should be seen, it should also be felt. All of our products are hand-made by skilled local artisans because we believe in delivering honest products that inspire genuine engagement, transcending the tethers of trend and time.

Approach

We strive to stay true to our cultural values and roots and its values through contemporary design approach to preserve the culture and to keep them relevant to today’s society.

Culture

We hope to become the first and popular choice for discerning individuals with an appreciation toward Asian design sans the ethnic feel. We wish to exemplify the potential and excellence of Asian design on a global scale.

01

Founder & Creative Director

Born in 1983, Alvin Tjitrowirjo is a graduate of RMIT University, Melbourne and IED European Design Labs where he obtained his Bachelor of Industrial Design and Master of Arts in Product Design respectively. In 2006, Alvin established his own furniture design company, alvinT, followed by a brief stint with world-renowned designer, Marcel Wanders in 2009. His work has been exhibited in various international exhibitions including Asian Star in Singapore, Asia Talents in Bangkok, Ambiente Messe Frankfurt and Salone del Mobile Milan.

03

Featured Products:

New Age Luxury : AlvinT x Saniharto

The collection draws an alternative silhouette of what modern luxury is. An eclectic collection of pieces that displays detail and composition under a new light. Hints of mid century minimalism combined with classic inspired details portrays this new look, New Age Luxury.

The collection utilizes a selection of materials that defines luxury, such as solid wood, brass and marble.

The different design of each item creates depth into the collection and the amalgamation of inspiration creates a broad appeal that can make this collection suitable for a house in Jakarta, or a hotel in London or an apartment in New York

05

06

TOTO Toja sanitary collection: AlvinT x TOTO

Taken from the ancient language of Sanskrit, the word ‘toja’, which means ‘water’, connotes fluidity, clarity and character.

The Toja series is an exploration of form and a statement of character. It is a comprehensive and versatile range that caters to the needs of modern, design-driven spaces.

Wangsa tea set : AlvinT x Jenggala

This is our first collaboration project with the beautiful hand made ceramic brand Jenggala. We applied the wangsa pattern which was inspired by a background pattern on a traditional batik cloth from Central Java onto Jenggala’s Bruka collection to give this set a uniquely modern feel while still bears a dash of Indonesian identity.

10

Bamboo collections: AlvinT x FASA

AlvinT launches its first collaboration collection with FASA with the desire to pursue the divergent beauties that bamboo has to offer. Developing and exploring its natural beauty as a material and transform it into refined modern everyday products with AlvinT & FASA idiosyncratic style.

Individually handmade, each product displays a unique beauty of texture, tone, and shape that is distinctively bamboo, an ideology that AlvinT & FASA both respect.

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To browse more of Alvin T.’s products, please explore more on sofisofi.co

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Decorating by Layering 101: colors and textures

Now that you know contouring with colors from our previous post, let’s explore another make up technique to interior decorating, which is called layering. In this post I will be discussing layering with patterns and textures. It is a little bit more advance than contouring with colors, but it is actually quite simple.

Just in case you don’t know layering makeup technique, it’s when you layer products so you can get that flawless look. There are many ways on how you can do this. But a simple version is when you apply products in the following order moisturizer-primer-foundation-concealer-powder. These steps is a technique that is often used by lots of women to get that natural looking finish.

How can we apply this concept into interior decorating? Now let’s look at this room decorated by one of my favorite Interior Designer, Kelly Wearstler. I am a big fan of her because she can always make any room much more interesting with her fearless shapes and bold style. Her designs are so rich, that the space she created is like an exquisite  piece of art.

pic3-kw01

(source: kellywearstler.com)

 

In this post, I’m going to discuss a layering technique where she applied around the focal point of the room, which is the art work. The layers in the focal point is a layering method by using colors and patterns.

Firstly, similar to the Jeremiah Brent’s design in the previous post Kelly Wearstler used contrasting colors to create more depths into the room. To make it more dramatic, she contrasted the room with black marbles against the white walls that surrounds the room. The black marble has a very bold and defined colors compared to the whole surfaces of the room.

What’s even interesting about this black big slab of beautiful black marble is that’s she used layering again by book-matching the marble’s grain. Marble bookmatching is the practice of matching two (or more) marbles, so that two adjoining surfaces mirror each other, giving the impression of an opened book. This adds more depth and character to the marble.

The third layering is the artwork. You can’t deny that the abstract painting by John Williams draws your eyes towards it creating the inward pull to the room.  This probably the intention of Kelly Wearstler when she designed the space. She carefully placed the black marble as the foundation contrasting the white canvas of the painting.

The breathtaking abstract painting also adds layers in itself. As you can see the abstract painting’s colors and shapes are so bold against the white canvas. Thus, adding more dimensions to the artwork and consequently to the whole room.

It’s pretty amazing that although the designer used contrasting colors, textures and patterns, the whole room feels natural and very together. Just like when you do layering techniques with your makeup in creating a natural looking finish.

Now that I have broken down the many layerings that Kelly Wearstler created at the center of room, I hope it will help you understand a little bit more about interior decorating.

I also hope that by using a make-up technique analogy, interior decorating would be easier and more approachable for you. I will use this kind of analogy again, so stay tuned!

If you have any question or comment, please let us know in the comments sections below, we’ll be happy to answer them.

Thanks for reading,

Sofisofi Insight Team

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Decorating by Contouring 101: Colors

First of all, if you think about it, make-up artist and interior decorator are both artist. They both are people that are engaged in an activity or demonstrating to the best version of its original piece. Whilst, a make-up-artist can give the best version of how you look, the same goes of interior decorator to your space. Since most women (and probably some men) knows a thing or two about applying make-up, I thought it would be fun explaining interior decorating by using make-up techniques so that it will be more familiar to you.

So, here is the first part is about contouring.

I know that contouring is so 2015, but hey, most people know contouring, right? So, I’m hoping that everyone can relate to this analogy. But, just in case you don’t know, contouring is where lighter/darker makeup shades are strategically blended onto the skin to enhance or downplay different facial features and/or slim the entire face. This technique was popularized by the famous Kim Kardashian. Here is a picture for you to better visualize it.

pic 1 - from Glamoursource: www.glamour.com

As you can see, a lighter color is intentionally applied on the nose tip, cheeks, forehead and chin areas. Darker colors is applied to the upper forehead, sides of the nose and lower chin areas. It was also applied on the side of the cheek to enhance the cheek bones.

The same technique can be used for interior decorating. But, instead of using a contouring kit, we can play around with paints, patterns or texture. I will share a way of contouring in this article by using colors.

Basically, light colors, can make a room brighter and thus larger because cool colors tend to recede. Meanwhile, darker colors can make the room feels smaller, because they appear to move towards us. By combining both light and dark colors, you can create dimensions into your space.

To visualize what I just said, let’s take look at this picture below, where a room is painted with two different colors. This was decorated by a famous interior decorator, Jeremiah Brent from the US. Just like when you do contouring on your face, Jeremiah placed two contrasting colors to create depth into the room. The back wall in black is perfectly framed against the contrasting white and created a sense of depth deeper than the actual depth between the black wall and the white frame around it.

pic 2

(source: jeremiahbrent.com)

Well, I hope this post helps you understand a little bit more about interior decorating. I also hope that by using a make-up technique analogy, interior decorating would be easier and more approachable for you. I will use this kind of analogy again, so stay tuned!

If you have any question or comment, please let us know in the comments sections below, we’ll be happy to answer them.

Thanks for reading,

Sofisofi Insight Team

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Light vs Dark Colored Parquet

So you like parquets and you have chosen it for your flooring. But, then there’s a daunting question, which color that would set the mood to the space? Or how do mix-matched it with your existing furniture? Well, this post will guide you for you in choosing the color.

First of all there so many choices of colors for parquet, oak, maple, ebony and so on. But, at the end of the day, there are two major colors that can be categorized; light and dark. In this Parquet 101 post, we are going to compare light colored parquet to dark color parquet only in terms of how they work with the overall design.

Light Color Parquet

Light color parquet offers a light to your space without adding any light and lamps. This is because light colored parquet allows light to bounce and illuminates the space. Look at the picture below where the natural light bounce from the light color parquet and illuminate the living room.

pic 02 light color parquet from kaboompics

The result is your space feels lighter and less claustrophobic than it usually is. So, it is a great solution if you want to make your space feels larger than it really is. You can see in this picture that the space is actually quite small, but with the light-colored parquet, it doesn’t feel squishy.

pic 01 light color parquet from kaboompics

Light color parquet also goes with both dark color furniture and light. It goes well with the dark sofa above and adds dimensions due its contrasting colors.

Dark Color Parquet

Many floor designs include a dark stain to make the floor look more aged and antique. The following picture shows that the dark colored parquet brings out the metals of the tables and the brass vases on the shelf because it is such a contrasting element of the room.

pic 03 dark color parquet from kaboompics

Whilst light colored parquet makes the room larger than it seems, dark parquet makes the room feels more intimate. Dark floors tend to work better in larger homes and open floor plans.  Just look at this picture of the entertainment area of a home designed by ma-ru. The dark floor compliments the overall ambiance and sophistication of the space.

pic 05 pak boy maru

Just like any good TV series, this is only the first episode of our post in helping you to choose a parquet for your home, office, or any kind of space. Stay tuned for more posts from us.

If you have any question or comment, please let us know in the comments sections below, we’ll be happy to answer them.

Thanks for reading.

Sofisofi Insight Team

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Choosing The Style

Hi everyone, this our second post about buying a sofa online. It is a continuation post of our earlier post of how to buy a sofa from an online shop 101. If you have not read it, I really encourage you to read it, so that your knowledge on buying a sofa online will be super comprehensive. Here’s the link, just in case you haven’t read it or would like to refresh your memory on the topic

After measuring, the next thing to do is to choose the overall style of the sofa. There are so many styles and it can get super confusing. But, actually, it is broken down to two fundamental categories.

The first style is an easy route, which is to choose the same style with your space. As a guideline, choose a sofa that blends in with your flooring, walls, décor and other furniture in your space.  An example of this approach is the picture below.

pic 03

As you can see from the picture above the sofa blends in seamlessly to the ambiance and the monochrome colors sets a calming mood in that living room.

The other option is make your sofa the centerpiece of the room so that your sofa will stand out. For this option, find a sofa that has a different texture, material, color other than the furniture in that space. Personally, I love this option better, because by perfecting-mixmatching, you can really put your own character into the space.  Take a look at the picture below.

pic 04

The picture above really illustrates how you can mix and match lots of different kinds of styles and how each material, texture and color balance each other out. The fun part of this method is also that you can always add or take out anything at anytime. Imagine you just came back from a vacation and you just bought a couple souvenirs.  Just place them as a decorative item on the coffee table. Or, maybe your kid made some arts and craft from school that you are really proud of, just hang it on the wall or even the ceiling! As you can see, the magic of this approach is that there are no rules!

So, what do you think? I hope this will help you on your next purchase in setting the style of your sofa. Remember to stay tuned to our next post as I will post more about this topic.  If you have any question or comment, please let us know in the comments sections below, we’ll be happy to answer them.

Thanks for reading.

Sofisofi Insight Team

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Measure, measure, measure

Buying a sofa is probably one of the most important furniture purchase in every house. This is because a sofa is a multi function furniture. Other than just a sitting apparatus for us and our guests; it also functions as a bed for short naps; a comfy place to read books or reading books with children, watch TV, work, etc.

Continue reading Measure, measure, measure