Welcome to Monday Funday, 4th Edition!

It’s time for Monday Funday, Stiletto-istas, when The Bamboo Stiletto combines her obsessions about home beach houses/decor and celebrities/movies/TV all into a single fun post!

So, who are the lucky ducks who managed to guess the answer to last week’s Monday Funday pop quiz, about a rom-com starring Diane Keaton and Jack Nicholson as a sparring odd couple inadvertently thrown together – and eventually falling in love – in her Hamptons beach house? A couple of you wrote in with the correct answer and it is, “Something’s Gotta Give”, of course! We love that movie and yes, we LOVE that beach house probably even more, hahaaa!

pop this DVD in, grab a bucket of popcorn and call me…maybe?

So for this week’s pop quiz…are you Stiletto-istas ready???

This Monday Funday is especially dedicated to the fashionistas out there: this world-renowned fashion designer has made his fame and fortune by making us all hanker for his all-American, now iconic preppy designs. Back when I was in high school, all I wanted to own was one of his polo shirts with its sought after logo on the upper left hand side of the chest. It was considered the epitome of preppy cool…(sigh! chuckle)…and all these years later, astoundingly, it still is!

From clothes, shoes and bags, perfumes and sportswear, his global fashion brand empire now includes bed and bath linens, home decor and accessories, all designed to inspire the all-American spirit and lifestyle. What’s made his success all the more remarkable is how, in spite of his fame, the spectacular homes around the world and his billions, this designer has remained very much a devoted family man, husband and father, still married to the same woman for 40 years and having raised three extremely goodlooking, well-adjusted and highly successful (in their own right) children, one of whom now works in his company. Are you starting to guess now who this designer could be?

Check out this designer’s spectacular beach house on the Caribbean island of Jamaica below – all images courtesy of Architectural Digest – and you may recognize some of his home fashion accessories in these photos:

touches of chinoiserie give the beach house an exotic Asian feel

high ceilings, an antique mirror & chandelier gives grandeur to this living room but the reading nook in the corner does make it warm & cozy

a closer look at the reading nook…sigh! makes you want to slip off those shoes & just curl up on thos pink & turquoise cushions, huh?

I have an ongoing obsession with directors’ chairs (I have 2 at home that I picked up at a New York flea market & which I love) and the ones in white canvas on this patio are just so beachy-chic!

just adore how tropical this bedroom looks, with the bamboo & wicker furnishings, white linens & mosquito net…according to the magazine, the floor matting is made of banana (!). reminds me of jute actually…

genius idea…of course a beach house has to have a screening room!!! the rich polished mahogany is gorgeous & will only look more beautiful with age…

Isn’t this beach house just to die for? What I’ve shown you here are interior shots of the main house of this designer’s beach holiday home compound…this family compound in Jamaica also has a stunning guest cottage, the interiors of which I’ll show you when we reveal the identity of this fashion designer.

TELL ME – can you guess who it is??? Let’s play Monday Funday, y’all!!!

Thank God It’s Eye Candy Friday: A Labour of Love in Bali

Welcome to our first edition of Eye Candy Fridays! Where The Bamboo Stiletto features real beach houses owned by real people (as opposed to those production sets that appear in the movies/TV), so that we all have something to fantasize about over the weekend!

Our Eye Candy Friday debut takes us to the mythical Island of the Gods – Bali, Indonesia – where a young Australian–Filipino couple, let’s call them “Tuan” and “Ibu”, has succeeded in living an idyllic island lifestyle that most of us can only dream about.  Previous residents of Indonesia’s capital of Jakarta and of Thailand’s holiday island of Phuket, Tuan and Ibu fell hard for the charms of Bali and eventually decided to move there. Most recently, the entrepreneurial Ibu, with her keen eye for style and design, launched her own line of handcrafted artisan leather bags. Bag aficionados out there (yes, you know who you are!) check out her quality products here  – http://www.kingsburybags.com – and note that the bags can be delivered to your home, in any corner of the globe!

Feast your eyes on the couple’s swoon-worthy villa, a genuine labour of love as the couple was very hands-on and involved in every step of construction and home decorating. The result is a modern Balinese interpretation utilizing lots of natural granite, sandstone and teak, perched on the cliffs of Jimbaran with majestic sea views.

Tell me you’re not groaning with envy right now in front of your computer:

priceless

probably my favourite feature in the villa…this cozy little patio alcove features a beautiful hand-carved sandstone depiction of Balinese dancers, based on an actual photograph owned by the couple. the ceiling lamps are Javanese antique reproductions, sourced from Jakarta. I can totally imagine myself curling up on that rattan lounger with my favourite beach read!

I’m so in love with this little alcove and daybed, with the contrasting colours of burnt orange and slate greys, the wooden teak window blinds & of course, the evocative portrait of a Balinese beauty, a reproduction of an iconic painting by renowned Dutch artist Willem Hofker

all clean lines…the woodwork in this soothing guest bedroom contrasts beautifully with the granite floors. can I be a permanent houseguest? just kidding!

a beauty of a bathroom, with Indian slate stone walls & granite floors. sleek all-German fixtures & fittings, from Grohe taps, shower & bath to Kohler sanitary ware

the gorgeous master bedroom. love the wooden teak bed frame and headboard as well as the mini-chandelier lamps, all lovingly designed by the lady of the house

designed to get you off your feet and into chill mode, this cozy, stylish alcove with day bed features Jim Thompson silk pillows, sourced from Thailand

informal dining reflects the island’s carefree lifestyle. wouldn’t you just adore preparing meals in that lovely kitchen? all furniture designed by Ibu herself.

easy, open-plan living area, with the open kitchen at the rear. all furniture personally designed by Ibu in collaboration with a Balinese furniture craftsman. the kitchen pendant lamps were sourced from Jakarta.

the outdoor dining pavilion by the pool is such a uniquely Balinese feature

made of natural river stone, the stunning infinity pool overlooks an equally stunning view of Jimbaran. don’t you just want to jump in? so inviting!

beach villa on a cliff…a bird’s eye view of the over-all exterior

The villa was designed by German architect Walter Wagner of Habitat Architects. Many thanks to Ibu and Tuan for their awesome generosity in sharing the photos of their gorgeous abode and for allowing us to have such sweet Bali dreams tonight!

Where would you like to have your dream beach house? Will you be dreaming about it tonight? I know I will!

Welcome to the 1st edition of Monday Fundays!

Welcome to the first edition of Monday Fundays, where The Bamboo Stiletto combines her obsession with chic beach-inspired interiors, the movies & TV and celebrity gossip all into a single fun post!

If you’re based in Asia and have the Star World channel on your TV, then chances are you may already be hooked on this deliciously addictive TV series about a mysterious, beautiful young lady who suddenly buys a beach house at the Hamptons, renowned summer playground of Manhattan high society, and who may or may not have ulterior motives for living next door to the enclave’s reigning power couple, their goodlooking son and heir, and pampered daughter.

The show had me at the Hamptons. As a former New Yorker who once dreamed of spending summers there (and who was actually lucky enough to be invited there by more privileged friends on occasional summer weekends), of course I watched the show from the get go!

I later learned from the show’s production blog that the series is actually filmed in Manhattan Beach, California while the actual beach houses used for filming the pilot episode were in North Carolina.  After the pilot, the show built sets in California based on the interiors of the real beach houses used in the pilot. Real or make-believe – the beach house of the show’s rich, powerful but tragic Kennedy-esque protagonist family is one of the main attractions for me…and one of the reasons why I tune in week after week. Even Herr Hubby had to be forced to sit down and watch with me on the couch if he wanted an evening snuggle! 🙂

To whet our appetites for tonight’s episode, here are a few glimpses of the show’s star attraction below (all images courtesy of ABC network TV):

Beach “manor” of the show’s reigning power family

foyer of that family’s “beach house”

the gorgeous living room…to die for.

the living room from a different angle, showing a lovely kitchen

a glimpse of the couple’s master bedroom

the poolhouse / son’s bachelor pad…really cool. love this room!

Can you guess what the title of this show is? Let me know in your comments below!
Will you be tuning in tonight at 11pm on Star World???

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Whatever your opinions might be about his music (I actually really liked his album “Justified”), his movies (in both “Friends with Benefits” and “In Time”, I think he proved that he does have legitimate comedic and action hero acting chops) – or his love life (for some reason, the tabs always describe his relationship with fiancee Jessica Biel as “boring”, which just means that a loving, stable, long-term relationship in Hollywood does not help tabloid sales) – there is no denying that superstar Justin Timberlake is not content to prance around in his Pradas. The guy is actually serious about branding himself as a global style icon.

Case in point: his label William Rast, which has succeeded much like Victoria Beckham has, in silencing critics and establishing itself as a significant name to watch out for in fashion.

Another case in point is Homemint, his new, curated line of home decor accessories in collaboration with celebrity stylist and interior designer Estee Stanley. What’s especially cool about this site is that when you visit for the first time, you fill out a quick questionnaire, then the site matches you with items that best match your “style profile”. I have to say, it was uncanny (some might say, creepy) how items on the site kept popping up on-screen and all I wanted to do was hit that Purchase button…AGAIN…and AGAIN…and AGAIN!!!

Right now, I’m crushing hard on a black leather Moroccan ottoman on the site. It would look SO fabulous in our new living room…and Herr Hubby would have a place to put his feet up when he’s watching TV at night, instead of propping them up on our Chinese medicine chest-designed coffee table! Don’t you just think this ottoman is divine???

Crushing hard on this divine ottoman…to buy or not to buy?

Today, Homemint had a delightful surprise in my email inbox – essentials for summer entertaining, including Justin’s favourite summer cocktail and Estee’s favourite summer salad (might give both a go this weekend at home!) as well as gorgeous little items perfect for your beach house or tropical home. Check out the link above!

Zara Home Opens in Guangzhou

Yesterday while completely getting lost in our hunt for DVDs along Tianhe Lu, Herr Hubby and I stumbled across the swanky new One Link shopping mall (right across the equally swanky Taikoo Hui mall).

I was extra-ecstatic when I discovered that this new mall had a Zara Home shop. Absolute home decor heaven! I couldn’t stay long and browse to my heart’s content as we were on our way somewhere, but made a mental note to myself to come back when I have more time.

From what I quickly surmised yesterday, even though it’s not a very large shop, they had everything from bed linens to bath accessories, kitchen knick knacks and lots of lovely little decorative objects for every room in your house. All in lovely hues of white, grey, beige, gold, silver and a soothing pale sea blue…ideal colours for a tropical home or a beach house! Oh – and for the cocooning fashionista, they also had delicious lounge wear and sweet cotton nightgowns, all in dreamy white.

Drooled over the scented candles and sets of bed linens (don’t you just love sliding into bed, with new freshly washed sheets?)…but made a more affordable purchase of a set of slate grey placemats and one sweet white cotton nightgown. Whenever we’re in the tropics, I love sleeping in white cotton nightgowns and I’m so lucky that Herr Hubby is only too happy to indulge me.

I still haven’t figured out how to really dress up one corner of the living room in our new home here in Guangzhou so I can’t wait to go back to Zara Home and pick up some ideas!

How to get there: Zara Home is on the ground floor of One Link Walk shopping mall on Tianhe Lu, right across the Swire-owned Taikoo Hui, so it is easy to take a cab or bus. When taking the metro, get off at Shipaiqiao station.

Just found out that Zara Home has landed in other cities in China, e.g. Beijing, Tianjin & Yichang…but, errr, not Shanghai. (Wonder why they skipped China’s most style-conscious city?)

Are you one of the lucky ducks with a Zara Home in your city?