Interior, Raffles Hotel Le Royal, Phnom Penh.

Built c.1930, this colonial art deco building is Phnom Penh’s oldest hotel. Khmer Rouge generals took up residence when Phnom Penh fell in April 1975. On their departure, grenades were tossed into the basement and the building was gutted. After extensive renovation the hotel reopened in 1997.

The transport to the hotel in taxi was 9 USD and takes about 15-20 minutes. The city was quite quiet as we arrived on New Years day (the Buddhist New Year that is) so there was not that much traffic. The façade of the hotel was standing out comparing to the surroundings as it looked well kept compared to some of the buildings around. The lobby area oozes of elegance and tradition and the hotel staff quickly led us to a sofa and asked us to sit down while they prepared the paperwork. We got a welcome drink and soon the papers were ready and we were led to room 307 on the third floor.

When entering the room we saw that the room was in line with the interior of the lobby. It was an old classic room with dark wooden floor and a huge carpet in the middle of the room.
The room itself has a bed that was pretty comfortable, a couple of small tables, a couple of chairs and central furniture that contained a couple of wardrobes, the safe, the mini bar and a medium size CRT TV (with a good selection of channels). The walls were in light yellow and the curtains were light green. The room was facing one of the pools. A nice feature was the high ceiling which made the room feel a bit cooler.

The bathroom was tiled in white and had a classical bathtub, a sink stand in the same style and a nice shower corner with a glass door. The sink was cracked by the way and it was leaking underneath. The amenities featured a nice series of shampoo, conditioner and shower gel and there was also a scrub to be used to rub of some of the dust after a long day of sightseeing in Phnom Penh.

The location of the hotel is not optimal either as most of the activities takes place nearer to the Royal Palace and Sisowath Quay we had to take tuk-tuk every time we wanted to go out to eat or go sightseeing.

5 Steps to Successful Picture Hanging

When you first move into a new space, or when you redecorate a space you already live in, choosing the right artwork for the walls is one of the best parts of it all. One of the things many homeowners enjoy is decorating with realistic, eye catching and inspirational works of art photography. With their warm, natural colors and striking composition, these works of art make exceptional photos for decorating.

Too often, however, our artwork sits waiting to be hung because we are intimidated by the process. There are ways to guarantee picture hanging success. Here are just five of the most valuable.

1. Sometime ahead of picture hanging day, assemble all the artwork you want to hang. Decide which style of hangers you will be using for each one and make a list of supplies. Visit your local framing, hardware, or craft store and purchase everything you need. There are a few things to keep in mind when deciding which type of hangers to use. Heavy and large pieces of art and objects like mirrors should be hung with mirror hooks. Smaller photos for decorating can be hung with wire and eye hooks on the back. Picture hangers are packaged according to the weight they will support, so be sure to buy the right size.

2. Your next step is to think through your arrangements and placements of all the pictures you are hanging. Be certain of how and where you want them before you begin. This would be the time to arrange paper templates of your artwork and get everything just right.

3. The next step is the tricky one, and one that many people debate over. Do you measure out where your artwork goes, or do you just put it where you like it. The choice is really up to the individual. If you have used paper templates then you only need to mark where the template is to know the location for your hanger.

4. Now that you have the picture hook in the right place, hang your art and see how it looks. Straighten and level all pictures, either by sight or using a small level. If a picture is a little too high or low, you can fix it by adjusting the wire on the back a bit.

5. The final little touch that many people overlook is adding the small rubber or plastic bumpers to the corners of your pictures to keep them in place. We all know how annoying it can be to have a picture that we have to constantly be straightening. These little bumpers make that a problem of the past!

Now there is nothing left to do but stand back and admire your picture hanging talent, except maybe to get online and start searching for your next awesome piece of nature photography!

Entrance Floor Mats - Helpful In Reducing Expensive Floor Upkeep

Entrance floor mats are used outside the entrance of homes and commercial establishments. High class entrance mats for drying wet feet and for scraping snow and dirt off of the bottom of your shoes before it enters your building or home. They defend your flooring thus lowering maintenance costs in your resource. An assortment of designs, colors and fabric provides you a good variety to choose from. You can also have these mats custom built with color combination of your pick. You can even have catchy wordings adorned on them.

Quality entrance mats are essential for reducing dangerous and potentially costly slip and fall hazards. They will also extend the life of a vinyl ceramic tile and flooring areas reducing expensive floor care upkeep like carpet cleaning or floor refinishing.

In general, entrance floor mats can be broadly categorized into absorbent mats and non absorbent mats. As the term suggests, absorbent mats are used in areas where there are chances of a liquid spill. Absorbent mats are fabricated of turfed textile with a rubber backing. This guarantees that the liquids absorbed by the mat are not passed on to the floor, thus safeguarding the floor from liquids. The absorbent quality of the mats guarantees that the moisture does not spread around the entrance. This makes the region safe and skid proof.

Non absorbent mats are used in regions where there are small chances of a liquid spill. These mats have an exclusive fingertip surface that scrapes dirt off shoe bottoms. They are exceptionally slip-resistant even when wet. The long lasting rubber compound stays flexible in extreme cold and does not give way in extreme heat.

Maintenance of these mats is quite simple. Simply hose off or pressure wash to remove wreckage that lodges in the mat during usage. These mats are ideal for external use, where there is direct exposure to the harshest weather conditions.

Most offices and commercial institutions use logo mats for their entrances. This serves the objective of familiarizing people with the company name and logo. Custom logo floor mats are a big publicity prospect.

Entrance floor mats are manufactured from coir, polyester, rubber, nylon and other materials. A combination of more than one material is used to utilize the benefits of several materials.

Having top quality suitable entrance mats make maintenance of the interiors trouble-free. So investing in a tough and durable entrance mat is a must.

Creating Zen at Home in Stressful Times

We are all aware that these are stressful times, no matter where you live or what you do for a living. So, what can we do to make life a little easier?

One key word is Zen.

No, you don't have to sit in a room, surrounded with candles, repeating the latest Gregorian chant, unless you want to. But creating a Zen environment is still a simple process with great results.

Incorporate Zen into your decor:

You don't have to completely embrace a Feng Shui lifestyle to create a relaxing environment.

* Use accent pieces to tie the Zen feeling into your home decor. Try traditional wall plaques with nature-inspired images such as trees, mountains, lotus blossoms or images that evoke serenity and gentle relaxation.

* Incorporate earthy and neutral tones with furnishings and flooring.

* Create as much natural light as possible by avoiding heavy window coverings.

Declutter is the answer: Your interior decorating efforts can create a sense of Zen at home in a number of ways, starting with the old adage, "A place for everything, and everything in its place".

* Only have one thing in one space - your computer desk is for the CPU, monitor and printer only. Pens and one or two books for reference are the exception.

* Buy a bookshelf and use it for just for books. If you have too many, use a library-style system for categorizing and alphabetizing titles.

* Create a workable file system where you can access what you need within 30 seconds. Place incoming faxes and letters with corresponding files as they arrive.

Creating Zen in just 15 minutes a day:

Have fun with this one. Buy an egg timer at the dollar store and for only 15 minutes at a time, tackle the often-overwhelming task of decluttering.

* Take one room, or even one corner of a room, and clear away all unnecessary items. You will feel better, guaranteed.

* Tidy up the kitchen while you are boiling the kettle for tea (or coffee). If the kitchen is already clean, spend the boiling time tidying the living room.

* Throw away any outdated bottles or questionable products in your fridge. Remember: when in doubt, throw it out.

Find some time for yourself:

Beyond having a physically clean environment around you, taking time for yourself is another key to living a Zen life.

* Take a 20-minute walk. You can choose to listen to music, inspiration tapes or just the natural sounds around you.

* Make lists for things you have to do, and celebrate crossing them off when completed.

* Meditate for 10 to 15 minutes each day.

* Be thankful for all the positive things in your life now, and the things to come.

The Design of a Child's Bedroom

Most child's bedrooms are a plain room, with a small window, closet and a door. But they should be more interesting! A kid's room should be an exciting place, and a place that allows your child to change the appearance or function of the room over time, as they get older. Here are some tips to help you get started:

INCORPORATE ARCHITECTURAL DETAILS

Built in shelves add detail and important storage space to a child's bedroom. The shelves can be used to store books and things the child collects over the years. It's also a place to display important items, awards, and trophy's the child may have won. And don't skip on architectural detail just because it's a child's room. Trim around windows and doors should match other trim in the house for continuity.

ADDITIONAL SLEEPING SPACES

Consider a built-in window seat. This can be a place to read when their child is young, or, if it's large enough, it can be a place for a friend to sleep. Kids love to have sleepovers with their friends, but it's often challenging to find room for a friend to sleep. A trundle, which is a bed that incorporates another slide out bed below, is a wonderful solution to sleep two kids in one room on regular comfortable regular size mattresses. There are also ottomans and chairs that fold out into a small bed that would be suitable for a child.

DESIGNING STORAGE SPACE

Kids collect a lot of belongings that need to be stored. To make a kids bedroom appear larger and be more functional, install a closet system that incorporates drawers that can replace a dresser in the room. If you can get all the child's clothing into the closet, then the rest of the room can be used for a desk area, a play area, or other uses.

WORKSPACE

If the bedroom is small, consider a bunk bed arrangement that incorporates a bed above a desk. This arrangement allows for sleeping above, and homework, craft projects, or computer work on the desk below.

CREATE VOLUME

If the opportunity allows, consider vaulting the ceiling to create some interest. But keep the scale appropriate to the room size. A small bedroom with an extra tall ceiling may appear strange and out of scale.

ALLOWING NATURAL LIGHT IN

As with other rooms for living, kid's bedrooms should have large windows for natural light. A room with good natural light will more likely be used for things other than sleeping. A nice bright room will be used to read and play, do homework and other projects. Also keep in mind that a window (or door to the exterior) will also be required by building codes for egress during a fire or other emergency. There are size requirements for the opening, so check your local codes.

With a little creativity,planning, and design you can create a wonderful kids bedroom that a child can grow into, adapt and modify it as necessary over time.

Decorating Your Home With Bamboo

Has everyday living begun to lose its magic? Are you ready for a change? Have you ever dreamed of taking an extended vacation on a tropical isle? Before you pack your bags and book those tickets to Bali, you may want to consider a less drastic (and less expensive) option. Perhaps all you really need is a change of scenery. In fact, you may not even need to step outside your own home! Perhaps the solution is right at your fingertips. All you may need to do is take down those old curtains and replace them with the natural, tropical beauty of bamboo blinds.

Bamboo blinds have been a fixture in traditional Oriental homes for centuries. In the West, they have come into fashion as window treatments. In the East, bamboo blinds have not only been used as window shades but also as room dividers or partitions. These are hung like wooden waterfalls, marking the border between one room and another. They also hang from doorways in place of solid wooden doors.

Bamboo evokes images of delicate stalks waving gracefully in exotic locations throughout the Orient. The mystique deepens as one discovers the symbolism associated with bamboo in different parts of Southeast Asia.

In India, the bamboo is regarded as a symbol of friendship. Its durability represents eternity, tradition and longevity in Vietnam. In China, its pliancy, tensile strength, evergreen properties and swift pace of growth are associated with youth and longevity, suppleness and flexibility, strength and endurance, and luck as well as quick achievement. It also symbolizes luck in Thailand. The Japanese view bamboo in an entirely different light. It is used as a barrier against evil spirits in this Land of the Rising Sun.

Bamboo is an intrinsic part of the creation myth in Philippine folklore. According to Philippine oral tradition, the first man and woman emerged from a bamboo pole that had been split by a Philippine bird after a grand battle between the elemental forces of the Sky and the Ocean. Malaysian legends tell of a similar tale in which a man sleeping under a bamboo plant dreams of a beautiful woman and, upon awakening, finds her when he breaks open the bamboo stem.

Recently, the magic of bamboo has extended its influence from the realm of mythology to the arena of history. It was chosen as a symbol of peace and unity by two warring factions in the Islamic region of Mindanao in the Philippines. Who knew such magic existed within the slender reeds of bamboo blinds?

Bamboo blinds not only link us to the past but also connect us to the future. Multi-award-winning architect Michael McDonough has been passionately promoting bamboo as the design solution for the next century. Far from being a relic of ancient history, bamboo is showing signs of becoming the hottest design material of the future.

As a matter of fact, it has sparked growing interest within the hardwood industry. Bamboo flooring is an alternative favored by designers today. Bamboo is also turning up in furniture, basketry, and even bedding! Unlike other trends that come and go, bamboo holds the potential for becoming a classic because of its sustainability and environment-friendly nature. Bamboo blinds blend right in with the current focus on bamboo housing materials. Their magic, like the bamboo itself, is eternal.

Home Decorating - Asian Inspired Home Decorating

With gorgeous fabrics, vibrant colors and rich textures, Asian-inspired home decor captures the imagination like nothing else. Walking into a room that has been decorated incorporating the Asia theme is like walking into a world filled with royal grandeur. This majestic look comes at a price so be prepared to pay high decorating bills if this is your choice in home decor. However, the end result will be well worth the price you have to pay.

Because Asian home decor relies so heavily upon rich fabrics and deep, dark colors it may not always be a good idea to have the whole house done up in this theme. In fact doing up the entire home in this theme can be quite overwhelming. Far better to focus on doing up just one or two rooms using this theme so that it creates a focal point of interest.

Asian Decor in the Dining Room

The dining room is a good starting point. Drinking tea is an important part of the Asian culture. Japanese or Chinese tea pots or tea cups would fit in very well with the Asian home deco theme. Bamboo table mats, chopsticks and chopstick holder, all make great enhancements at any meal setting.

Asian Decor in the Bathroom

Another room that you can incorporate the Asian look in, is the bathroom. Asian decor has a lot of relaxing accents, which can be used in the bathroom and which serve the purpose of washing away the stresses of the day; think candles, waterproof calligraphy, figurines and other assorted Asian artwork. A fountain in the bathroom, even a small one, would tie in all the Asian decor elements for a look that is fabulous yet relaxing and soothing. Plenty of storage room is a must as the Asian look is clean and uncluttered.

Asian Decor in the Bedroom

However, if you love your dining room and bathroom look good as they are but you still want to incorporate the Asian theme in at least one room, the bedroom is a great choice. Rich highly embroidered fabrics set off with delicate rice paper window coverings to give you the necessary privacy, framed calligraphy or Oriental art and candles everywhere can transform your bedroom into a romantic Asian haven. Replace all harsh overhead lights with indirect lighting and wall scones to give the room a truly sensuous look. An intricately carved Asian screen makes a wonderful addition to any Asian bedroom. It enhances the room with its sheer artistry and is also functional as it can be used to keep cluttered areas and piles of clothes hidden away.

While it could take a fair amount of time and money to incorporate the Asian look into your home, the stunning end results are definitely worth it. While shopping for your Asian home decor theme, keep in mind that it is worth buying the most expensive fabric you can afford. Cheap Asian fabrics can look tacky and gaudy and will detract rather than enhance your overall home decor.

Asian Spa at The Fullerton in Singapore

Located on the edge of the Marina Bay, fronting the mouth of the Singapore River and flanked by the historic Cavenagh and Anderson Bridges is the Fullerton Singapore. Formerly known as the Fullerton Building, it was originally built in 1928 and was once home to the General Post Office, the Chamber of Commerce and the Singapore Town Club amongst others. In 1998, work commenced on transforming the building into a 400-room luxury boutique hotel, retaining the authentic details of its Palladian architecture and classical Doric columns. The Asian Spa at the Fullerton, designed by Hirsch & Bedner and managed by SpaCare International Pte Ltd., opened its door to rave reviews in Feb 2001.

As I set foot into the Asian Spa at Fullerton, my spirits were immediately uplifted. The use of dark wood, chic furnishings and soothing tones imparted a sense of Zen and serenity. I was greeted warmly by the spa manager, Maria who gave me a tour of the facility. At about 10,000 square feet, the Asian Spa felt intimate and personal with 11 treatment suites (3 for ladies, 4 for men, 2 for hydrotherapy and 2 for couples), a cozy relaxation lounge, female and male locker rooms, a steam bath and a sauna room. The swimming pool and gym are managed by the spa and take up another 10,000 square feet. The Asian Spa menu features a good balance of Asian and European treatments, the latter exclusively using the Phytomer range of marine-based products. The spa is managed by Spacare International Pte Ltd.

My first treatment was “Dream Bath of Flower Petals”. After changing into a swimming costume, I was taken to a dimly-lit hydrotherapy room. The gigantic tub was filled with water warmed to 38 degrees Celsius, strewn with fresh rose petals and orchids, and sprinkled with blended relaxing oils of lavender and marjoram. I floated in the water massaged by air-jets with eyes closed, ears immersed and skin lapped in the warm embrace of “bubbling” water. The pressure was not imposing and felt extremely comfortable. The 20-minute stress-busting soak was sheer bliss and made my body feel a few pounds lighter!

The next indulgence was the Traditional Lulur Wrap. A ready-blend of rice powder and flower extracts was mixed with natural yoghurt, fresh lime, fresh lemon and water to form a smooth but thick “curry-like” paste. This was then applied to my entire body, left to dry for 5 minutes, then rubbed off to polish and exfoliate. This hedonistic treatment was a skin softening elixir and certainly beat the best designer moisturizing body creams money can buy!

Getting my vote for the ultimate in “magical” spa experience was the Ocean Mud Back Treatment. Following a back rub-down, contour serum was smeared on my back to tone the skin. Room temperature water was added to ocean mud powder to form a paste. This paste, which did not feel hot initially (I swear!), was applied onto a piece of gauze lined with soft foil (to trap heat), then placed directly on my back. About a minute later, I felt a warm, sizzling and “bubbly” sensation on my back as the self heating mud started causing a frenzy of blood circulation - Maria later explained that that it was the magnesium salt in the ocean mud that caused the self-heating. While waiting for the mud to complete its job of relieving bodily aches and removing water retention, I enjoyed a replenishing hand treatment. Watching my hands “frozen” in wax after immersing them in warm paraffin was great fun!

The Asian Spa is an ideal sanctuary to retreat from the hustle and bustle of Singapore’s fast paced life. Most of the treatments here (with the exception of facials) can be completed with 45 to 60 minutes – great for busy executives! As I drove away from the stately Fullerton, I wished my office were located in the financial district of Raffles Place. “Ouch”, but the parking fee was expensive!