Design & Lifestyle Blog

18 May ’11

From My Kitchen: Paguri Pasta with Cheese

It’s the 19th of the month again and time for an easy recipe from my favorites, actually it was one my best friend and I abused during university years, and now the addiction has been transferred to my kids.

This is a basic Mac and Cheese recipe but I tend to use different shapes and try lighter versions to not be eaten up by any guilt.

Ok get your pots ready, I am sure most of you have these ingredients ready, it only takes 15 minutes, pasta cooking time included!

What you will need

1 package of Pasta of any kind, here I chose the extra large shell type called Paguri

1 tsp of Olive Oil

Mushrooms you can use fresh or canned, depends on what you have

300 ml Cream, here I used the light version for a lighter meal

8-10 Cheese slices, I used the light version, it is preferable you use real cheese if you don’t mind the calories

Fresh black pepper

A pot of boiling salted water

Instructions

Boil pasta according to package directions the drain. In the pot drizzle the oil then add the mushrooms and sauté for a while, add the cream and stir on low heat. Start adding the cheese slices one by one and stir till melted. Drop in the pasta, grate some fresh pepper and Voila!

That’s it, if you have parmesan or fresh basil add them to your dish for additional zest!

Bon Appétit!

17 May ’11

Villa in Bryanston South Africa | Residential Design

Filed under: Architecture — Tags: , , , , — Sahar @ 11:02 pm

 

 

This 4000 m2 property is located in Bryanston, South Africa , the beautiful villa is designed by Nico Van Der Meulen. The splendor lies in its magnificent scale yet light impression, the transparency and horizontal span of its structure helps with that. This has to be one of the most residential villas with open spaces and amazing views surrounding it from every angle.

Upon entering through the gatehouse you look down the sloping driveway with several large cantilevers protruding from the building, some in rust, other areas clad with unfilled travertine, and an atrium behind a mentis grating screen.

Next to the front door a large reflective koi pond flows over a retaining wall next to the drive way, with an illuminated glass staircase behind a two story curtain wall in the background. The koi pond was made with help from Living Water Aeration. The lift shaft forms a strong vertical element finished in rust behind the pond. All of this is framed by a cantilevered concrete beam. The staircase behind the koi pond is a double glass construction, with lights between the two layers of glass. Above the lower garage (that was designed by the experts from garage door repair texas city) a huge cantilevered structure hangs out, suspended by beams built into its roof.

The house was designed around three massive trees, one at the tennis court, and the other two on the east side of the house. The view from the hall towards the east is into one of these trees, framed by a large sliding window in the kitchen.

 

The kitchen, breakfast room and family room leads seamlessly through  wall to wall frameless sliding doors onto the patio, with the dining room situated behind the family room, sharing a fireplace with the family room.  When the doors are open, the family room, breakfast room, open and covered patio and kitchen becomes one large area. The home also features Contemporary Garage Door Styles with a view down into the koi pond.

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15 May ’11

Photographer From Lebanon: Fady Nammour | Photography

Filed under: Art & Photography — Tags: , , , — Sahar @ 6:04 pm

Fady Nammour is a Lebanese photographer whose talent can not be missed.The way he captures landscape and natural scenery is just breathtaking. I selected a few of my favorite photos from his collection to share them with you.

Through his lens  you get to relive the moment he captured. There is no need to say much, checking out the photos is enough to take you where they took me.

 

 

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12 May ’11

3D Graffiti by Peeta | Art

Filed under: Uncategorized — Sahar @ 11:19 am

I’ve been interested in graffiti art lately trying to incorporate it into certain spaces and designs because of  its authentic street character. It feels so real. This is the first time however that I come across the work of the talented Peeta, who mastered the art of 3D graffiti by learning from those around him during his years in Italy. His art is become pretty popular and has begun to emerge in Mexico, the U.S, and Canada in addition to numerous countries around Europe. He also has a lot of his art done on canvases and are for sale.

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10 May ’11

Luxury Villa in South Africa | Residential Design

Designed by South African firm Design Partnership, this beautiful villa is located in Johannesburg, South Africa.I am particularly interested in the interior of this project, the colors, furnishing and beautiful spaces. The staircase as you will see is a sculpture in its own. Its obvious grey tones are the trend now, after being exclusive to showrooms and shops, people are choosing grey as the main color for their residences.

 

 

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9 May ’11

Twister Restaurant in Ukraine | Restaurant Design

Filed under: Restaurants — Tags: , , , , — Sahar @ 6:07 pm

Twister is a restaurant that opened last month in Kiev, Ukraine, designed by  Sergey Makhno and Vasily Butenko. The sculptural elements in their design are fabulous, the dropping lighting suspensions and continuous curves give a beautiful whimsical effect probably with the purpose of translating the name into the interior.

 

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7 May ’11

Exclusive: Inside Roche Bobois Kuwait | Part 2

 

Roche Bobois to many means the stylish modern and fresh contemporary furniture brand, to others its their favorite provincial style  furniture with charm written all over it. Both styles have allowed it to become one of the most popular furniture brands worldwide appealing to a very large number of tastes. In a previous post I included photos of their contemporary collection showroom here in Kuwait, in this one you see exclusive photos of Roche Bobois’ Provincial showroom located adjacent to the first one, also at 7 Zones in Shoueikh.

“Provincial” is a description which means items pertaining to the Provence of France, designers there are known for their intricate details and rustic finishes. The woodwork is mostly handmade in the Provence by craftsmen known for their skills for ages. The introduction of bright colors to many of their signature pieces gives the classic designs a twist and distinct appeal.

 

Roche Bobois accessories are a world of their own, some are not part of our daily lives anymore yet look wonderful within the setting they are intended for.

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5 May ’11

BIG to Design Mosque & Islamic Center in Albania

Filed under: Architecture — Tags: , , , , — Sahar @ 4:44 pm

These breathtaking images are of a mosque, cultural center, and museum to be built in Tirana, Albania. The competition was won by Danish architects Bjarke Ingels Group in collaboration with Martha Schwartz Landscape, Buro Happold , Speirs & Major, Lutzenberger & Lutzenberger, and Global Cultural Asset Management.

I know it feels a bit ironic that a Danish firm wins the competition especially with some Muslims  boycotting them for the 2009 incident.

This specific area in Albania has been going through a restoration phase where all three major faiths that co-exist are getting new buildings, an idea I personally believe is wonderful. The images of this mosque give the impression of holiness just at the sight, the details, the fluidity of the buildings, the translucent nature of the buildings are just amazing.

The mosque will accommodate 1000 worshipers for daily prayers, with the ability to open up to the courtyards and plaza and accommodate up to 10,000 people on special ceremonies and holidays.

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