Art director Marc Balet builds his suburban dream loft on lower Broadway
By Wendy Goodman
“I CALL IT BALET ACRES,” SAYS NEW YORK WRITER Franz Lebowitz,” Marc’s suburban dream loft. The only thing you don’t see there that you would expect to find is a conversation pit.” At first art director Marc Balet’s triplex on lower Broadway looks much like other downtown living-working lofts: an orderly reception desk, a series of work spaces in an airy front office, a corridor to the living area-and that’s when you realize that Lebowitz has got it right. The low-ceilinged passageway, lined with bicycles and photographs of friends like Andy Warhol, opens with into a vast living and dining room with a Ping-Pong table, arched window more than twenty feet hight, and a painted brick wall and fireplace. (more…)
Mrs. Loo Leng Chai lives with her husband and their three-year-old son in a 3-storey shop house together with her husband’s family. They have been given a 10’ x 14’ room on the second floor. This room is their only retreat and they naturally want to do it up the best way possible. Our designer came up with some fine ideas which we are sure will suit Mrs. Loo and her family. First of all, the room had to be divided into separate areas to serve separate functions. 
Decorating a Fireplace Mantel – If you are looking to give your room a focal point or something to highlight it, look no further than the existing mantel. Many tend to leave their fireplace mantels bare, failing to realize that they can decorate their fireplace mantel so that it becomes attractive enough to be a focal point in the room. Many homeowners fail to realize that they can do many things on their fireplace mantel to make it more attractive and interesting. Fireplace mantels that come straight out of a magazine page are not the only fireplace mantels that can be regarded as attractive. With a good dose of creativity and fun, even drabbest of fireplace mantels can be made interesting.