Get the right products for better karma for the year

If you’re feeling ho-hum and cynical about the new year so far, you can do yourself some good — and make a difference in other people’s lives. Simply do up your own abode.

It’s easy to spruce up your home with a new coat of paint. Make a positive statement by getting a splash of copper orange on your walls. This shade has been named the colour of the year by AkzoNobel’s Colour Futures team, which comprises independent design experts.

“It (copper orange) reflects and complements all the major trends that we have identified for 2015: A warmth in attitude and a renewed emphasis on sharing; the natural palette of the earth, from clay tones to sunlit highlights of yellow; the skin tones that reflect human interaction; and the sepia hues of the past,” according to the Colour Futures team.

More importantly, this shade is apparently good for you. Fengshui master Jet Lee (yes, that’s his real name) from Way OnNet has posited that in the Year of the Goat, the fire element for “good energy” is needed to buffer the heavy presence of wood and earth elements.

“The colours of fire are red and orange — it’ll be beneficial for everyone to wear more of these colours or have them in the house,” he added. For those wary of making major changes or who are simply afraid of colours, you can opt for furniture such as chairs or home accents and accessories such as curtains in this shade.

Bulb idea

Once you’re done with some colour therapy, change your bulbs to LED ones. There are many reasons to make the switch: LED bulbs, such as the Ikea LEDARE bulb, have longer lifespans compared with halogen ones (thus saving the cost of replacing them often) and consume less energy.

You can even contribute S$1.65 for every LEDARE bulb purchased from Ikea from Feb 1 to March 28 to provide sustainable lighting such as solar lanterns to refugee camps across Asia, Africa and the Middle East as part of Ikea Foundation’s Brighter Lives for Refugees campaign.

“LED bulbs were chosen specifically (for this campaign) because they reduce energy consumption,” said Ikea Foundation’s head of communications and strategic planning, Jonathan Spampinato. “What we’re trying to do is a dual campaign — one that drives customers to lead more sustainable lives at home, reduce their energy needs and costs; at the same time bring energy to families who don’t have it at all,” Spampinato added.

On top of that, regional sustainability manager for Ikea Singapore, Dr Lee Hui Mien revealed you can get ideas on how to live more sustainably when Ikea launches a showroom dedicated entirely to sustainable living later in the year.

Pretty good stuff

Meanwhile, two other homegrown brands are doing their part for a good cause too. Local designer Hazel Liew launched her own line, Gaelle, specialising in printed fabrics, in 2012. Gaelle fabrics are specially hand-silkscreened by craftsmen in Bali as Liew is keen on helping to preserve their skills and livelihoods. So if you need new cushions — perfect for the coming Chinese New Year — in its pretty “East-meets-West designs”, go down to the new showcase at Basement 1 of Takashimaya department store (until Jan 29).

“The craftsmen used to print traditional batik patterns,” said Liew. “I hope by printing more modern, European designs using the same techniques, they have more options available to them.”

For those of you bursting with your own design ideas and drawings, put them down in a treasured sketchbook, such as one from Bynd Artisan. The homegrown bookbinding atelier has partnered sketch artist Erwin Lian to create The Perfect Sketchbook, which was backed by crowdfunding on Kickstarter. The 60-page leather backed sketchbook is filled with Saunders Waterford 100 per centcotton watercolor paper. Twenty limited-edition books, each featuring an original sketch of the likes of Chinese Garden and The Science Centre done on location by Lian, were also launched yesterday at Bynd Artisan. These are for sale at S$200 each at Bynd Artisan and there are only six left. All proceeds will be donated to Taman Jurong CCC Development and Welfare Fund.

With these ways to help others — and inspire yourself — to make a difference, doesn’t the outlook of the year look better already?