Stately and refined, the Stressless Ambassador, Consul, and Diplomat are among our most traditional designs. This collection epitomizes the very essence of Stressless, with simple lines, effortless Scandinavian styling and incomparable comfort. Having a full 360° swivel feature with our patented Glide® system, the Ambassador, Consul, and Diplomat responds to, and works with the motion of your body to give unmatched support and superior comfort. Contemporary and timeless, this recliner series is where form and function meet.

http://www.stressless.sg/promotions

Take cold showers
If you use a gas heater for your bathroom, one of the fastest ways to save energy is to reduce hot showers. Cold showers are also great for your skin and hair, as hot water tends to dry them out. Alternatively, start with hot and then finish off with cold, which effectively halves hot water use.

Insulate your pipes
Take note of the length of the pipes from the heater unit to your taps. It takes some time for the hot water to reach the tap. Insulating your pipes ensure that the heated water remains hot longer so that you won’t have to waste energy and water.

Use only what you need
This applies to anything from boiling water in a kettle or pasta, potatoes and eggs in a pot. Filling the vessel with only the amount of water that you need instead of all the way to the top uses less energy, as wellas lets the water boil faster.

Turn off the fire early
That said, when boiling pasta, potatoes and eggs, turn off the fire a few minutes before the water boils. The heat in the pot continues to cook the food even after the fire’s out.

Cover pans and pots
Covering pans and pots minimises heat loss tremendously. Doing so can be particularly helpful in the above scenarios. If you need to bring food to the boil, covering your pots and pans achieves the temperature much faster too.

Cut into smaller pieces
Cutting food into smaller pieces ensure that heat gets through the food faster. So less time is needed to heat or boil, thus cutting gas consumption.

Reduce the flame
Once it starts boiling, reduce the flame because it will still continue to boil. That way, less gas is used unnecessarily.

Choose the appropriate burner
Always ensure the burner is not too large for the pot. When using the burner, adjust the flame such that it fits the pot. Gas is being wasted when the flame is too big and reaches up the sides of the pot.

Cook more
Make larger batches the next time you cook. Store them in the fridge and then reheat for the next meal. This not only saves gas usage, but also time especially if you’re a busy working professional.

Don’t reheat immediately
If you are reheating your meal, leave it out on the kitchen for fifteen minutes or so instead of reheating straight out from the fridge.

Shallow and large
If you are looking to purchase a large pot, go for shallow and wide ones. Boiling takes longer to happen when you cook with a deep pot.

Invest in a thermal cooker
A thermal cooker is similar to a slow cooker, but does not use electricity or gas. All you have to do is bring the food to the boil and place it in the insulated container. Leave it in to cook for the next four hours or more and your meal is ready, saving you tremendously in terms of your gas usage and, thus, your energy cost. Perfect, indeed, if you have a busy day ahead as there’s no need to constantly check on the food. Great for slow cook recipes such as stews and soups.

Clean the burners regularly
You’ll know something is wrong with your gas burners when the flame is yellow. Always get your burners checked by a professional should this occur. Otherwise, take note if any of the burners become blocked as that would mean it’s working less efficiently.

Gaggenau’s latest development of the Vario series is the introduction of cooktops with widths of 38cm to 90cm that can be freely combined. The brand’s precision crafting of the 3mm stainless steel appliances allows the cooktops to be snugly fitted side by side. You can choose to have them flush-mounted for a seamless look or surface-mounted for more definition around the edges. We love that both mounting options offer that sleek, ultra-sophisticated look, when combined with the sculptural front-mounted controls.

The Vario cooktops also offer specialised appliances, such as the Teppan Yaki, steamer, electric grill or deep fryer for professional-standard private kitchens. These can be freely combined with the induction or gas cooktops. Likewise, up to four ventilation elements can be integrated between the induction or gas cooktops, allowing cooking fumes to be extracted efficiently.

www.gaggenau.com

The KWT 6832 SGS flagship model is equipped with the Miele-exclusive SommelierSet, which allows wine to be decanted inside the unit. In addition to that, the ConvinoBox is where bottles already opened can be stored upright along with utensils. This new model, with a capacity of 178 bottles or 505 l total capacity, definitely caters to wine connoisseurs. There are also ten beech wood racks to accommodate two rows of bottles neck to neck, as well as the FlexiFrame to store bottles of all shapes and sizes securely.

The new Miele touch control interface guarantees intuitive interaction, ease of use and temperature control to a precision of 1°C. The all-glass door makes it easy to view the wines available. Other features include the exclusive NoteBoard edges, a magnetic strip coated with blackboard paint to allow handwritten labels. Fitted with an active charcoal filter in the rear panel, the quality of the air is maintained while a specially developed compressor, as well as a low-vibration and decoupled coolant circuit ensures gentle, rattle-free storage.

These features of the KWT 6832 SGS has garnered the brand the prestigious iF Design Award for design excellence. Miele KWT 6832 SGS SommelierSet serves as a beautiful eyecatcher and conversation piece in any living or dining environment. Miele has also introduced the entry-line KWT 6831 SG offers three temperature zones, each with its own temperature controls, and a total of 13 racks.

www.miele.sg

That said, freeing up space on the kitchen countertop is necessary so that you will have a comfortable working space for efficiency and safety. Consider the regular use of knives, hot bowls and glass jars, and you’ll know that these could easily be hazards and potential accidents. Keeping clutter-free kitchen countertops ensure that these items are placed in safe zones away from the edge of the countertops.

Limit the number of appliances

Where possible, cull the number of appliances you have on the kitchen countertop. Place no more than three appliances on your kitchen countertops, depending on those that are frequently used. These can include anything from the rice cooker and hot water dispenser to food processor and microwave oven. These appliances are among the largest in the kitchen, so anything more than three appliances and the kitchen countertops would start to look messy. Anything that is not used daily should be stowed away out of sight, but make sure they are easily accessible.

Consider built-in appliances

If you’re planning your kitchen renovations, why not go for built-in appliances? Although they tend to cost more than freestanding appliances, built-in appliances are great space savers. Some brands offer a series of ovens, from microwave ovens to combi ovens, in standard sizes. If you’re a heavy oven user, either for roasting or baking, then talk to your interior designer about implementing built-in appliances. There are many interior design options; these ovens can be arranged side by side on the bottom or upper cabinets, or even along a column of cabinets. Even if you only use one oven, a built-in appliance helps tremendously in saving space, especially in a small kitchen.

Give everything its own place

Do you really need the peeler to be placed within sight every day? Are there items that could be kept in the drawers instead of on the kitchen countertop all the time? Take a good, hard look at your kitchen and redefine your processes and steps. For example, keeping items away immediately would mean wiping them dry immediately after use. Have a dishcloth conveniently placed near your kitchen sink, so such items can be wiped in a jiffy and then stored away.

Finish tasks from A to Z

A meal prepared at home requires a series of tasks. First, there is the preparation stage, be it defrosting meat, washing vegetables, chopping up onions and so on. Then, there is the cooking stage, where you whip up your go-to recipes either in the wok, pan or pot. Following the meal, there is then washing up to do, a stage that few home cooks like. These pre- and post-meal tasks can be done in one cycle without you having to leave the kitchen. Instead of leaving the sink full of dishes after the meal, take the few minutes to wash up and stow away the plates and cups. Wipe down the kitchen counter, hob and walls and you’ll have a gleaming kitchen in no time. Leaving any of these stages unfinished would mean not only a messy kitchen, but also a layer of grease that would take much more time to remove.

Make use of walls

The kitchen countertop is often placed approximately at waist height, leaving room for bare walls before the upper cabinets begin somewhere at eye level. Make full use of the walls and backsplash. If you love spices and use them almost every day, allocate space to mount a spice rack. This keeps all your spices in full view, so it’s easier to check whenever any of them run low. And, of course, it gives easy access whenever you’re preparing your favourite curry recipe or marinating your chicken roast. You may even want to consider hanging your everyday kitchen tools, such as whisks, spatulas and turners.

Keep things out of the kitchen

The small kitchens of today are a common complaint among homeowners in Singapore today. One of the ways to tackle this issue is to take some of the things out of the kitchen itself. If you can’t do without your state-of-the-art coffee machine, then bring it out to the living room instead. That way, you’ll enjoy the aroma of your favourite coffee in the rest of the home too! Some items can also be placed on a moveable trolley instead. This helps free up your cabinet space so that fewer items end up on the kitchen countertop. Love baking on some weekends? Place all your baking products on a kitchen trolley. Store the trolley in another part of the home and wheel it out to the kitchen when you need it.

Set in Stone Gallery, founded by German-born Cliff Hartono, offers a remarkable collection of specially selected fossil pieces for interior design and personal collections. The rare and visually stunning fossil pieces showcased at the gallery can be attained to add to your personal collection.

Set in Stone’s first exhibition presents a selection of fossils from North America and Europe, amongst which are iridescent ammonites, fish murals and fossil slabs. Visit the gallery to see one of the highlights of this exhibition: a palm leaf measuring two by one metres, beautifully preserved in the sediments of an ancient lake. Not only is it a large well-formed and intact fossil, but also fossils of palm leaves are extremely rare. That’s because most plants are delicate and tend to not fossilize. Look out also for the fossils of the ichthyosaur and sea lily from Germany. Both are over 180 million years old and date back to the Jurassic period.

The gallery’s first exhibition runs till 4 May 2013.

www.setinstonegallery.com

Inspired during a trip to a village in Africa, d’Orey observed how villagers would gather around the campfire every night. The villagers did more than that too, setting a smoothing, relaxing mood for sharing the day’s events by placing light bulbs inside coloured canisters to create complementary lighting.

“I was reminded and touched by how something basic like a campfire was able to bring people together and encourage them to connect. This inspired me to take another basic item – the plastic container – to create a source of light that could transform atmospheres and remind people about the importance of interdependence even in our busy and modern lifestyles, and enable them to reconnect around the primal fire,” said Christophe d’Orey, designer and CEO of KÕH Concepts.

Our team at MyPlace.sg has tested the lamp, and would easily say that we love the KÕH Lamp! It gives a refreshing twist to the plastic container, something that’s familiar in our everyday lives. When not in use, the KÕH Lamp keeps a low profile. It gives a whole different perspective when the light is switched on. At once, it turns into a mood setter, radiating a unique glow that turns it into a tool to lift moods.

We love that the KÕH Lamp comes in eight shades, with each giving off a different vibe from the other. To brighten up your home, choose lime green or orange KÕH Lamps. There are various green and blue hues, which are excellent for bringing calm to the mind. And if you’re looking to give a sense of glamour to your home, go for the royal hues such as magenta and purple. Not only is the KÕH Lamp versatile for any space in the home or office, we also love that the easy-to-clean design makes it perfect for outdoor areas.

www.kohconcepts.com

Ekornes, which makes available the Stressless brand of furniture, has long emphasised on comfort when producing design. More than that, it also places versatility and the quality of construction and materials. In launching Stressless E40, the brand takes the same approach, but also delves deeper into the design to cater to style preferences.

With its slim armrests and fixed back cushions, the Stressless E40 boasts clean lines and compact dimensions that make it suitable for apartments. Fitting it into any interior design style is easy with its timeless design too.

Stressless E40 is part of the ErgoAdapt system range, which helps to provide the support needed as you sit back on the sofa. For instance, the system automatically tilts the seat as you sit down, so that you enjoy the perfect degree of comfort and support on the sofa. If you choose to lie down on the sofa for an afternoon nap, the seat stays completely flat without any tilt to give you better comfort as you sleep. Not only is there is no much less tendency to roll towards the seat, the surface accords more room without the tilt. Now, that’s what we call smart comfort.
Stressless E40 is available as chair, 2-seater, 3-seater, corner and Long Seat formats.

www.ekornes.com