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Design
When talking to people involved either in the Malta property market or in the auctioneering business, one is struck by the fascination with antiques that has gripped the local home-lovers.
 When in the mid-60s the laws governing the importation of foreign furniture were revised it seems as if the passion to own antique furniture, pottery, porcelain, silver, glass and metalwork objects was given a boost. The advent of Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti (Maltese Heritage Foundation) in January 1992, besides highlighting the islands’ cultural heritage and its welfare, was instrumental in creating an awareness about the joys of possessing antique objects which could boast of an existence beyond that of its owners.
The art of collecting anything really, antique or modern, is limited by two factors; the money available and the space that it would occupy. Having determined these essentials it then becomes a personal matter. The taste of the collector may lead to watches or clocks, teapots, or innumerable other things. The lucky acquisition of an admired piece may lead to a determination to get more of the same, branch out onto other items, or at least to find out what the admiration is all about.
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Tags: antique furniture, Design, General, Home improvements, News, Tony Cassar Darien, Writers
According to sources close to the Malta property market, there seems to be one piece of furniture that is desired by most of the contemporary house buyers. These comprise the younger generation, or the first-time-buyers, right down to expatriates and other foreigners seeking real estate in Malta or Gozo.
As some ancient auction catalogues witness, Maltese furniture on the local market has always been around. However until the late seventies, when compared to other existent and imported furniture, Maltese antique furniture was not so much  in demand. Malta’s colonial era, with its heavy dependence on the presence of the British Forces, had encouraged the consideration of certain foreign furniture as more prestigious and, in say catalogues from the 1940’s, the EM symbol, standing for ‘English Made’ frequently embellishes descriptions in catalogues.
Since the eighties however, following a period of stringent restrictions on the importation of antique furniture, indeed all furniture, under the auspices of protecting the local manufacture, saw a dwindling of requests in furniture emanating from a foreign market. Interest had shifted until it became focused on Maltese furniture and that naturally entailed a more inward looking search for Malta-made goods in general.
The past three decades have experienced a complete renaissance of the Malta-made product which now graces the antique market that has, as result, grown considerably in confidence. Besides, in these days of credit-crunch difficulties it has come to embrace fairer and sounder investments. Maltese antique furniture has become a most lucrative opportunity. This may be gauged by the mushrooming of local antique shops each with their own niche markets; a new and younger generation of buyers together with a stronger awareness and knowledge for the antiques world. Fairs, exhibitions, antiques courses, and well advertised and attended auctions also contribute to a general strong market feeling.
All these changing trends however, have never infringed on that ‘one piece of Maltese furniture’ whose value and appreciation has withstood the test of time, having gained the respect of buyers throughout generations.
More commonly known as l-Arloġġ tal-Lira (the one-pound clock) this unique Maltese wall clock could be found in palaces, convents, stately homes and Auberges of the Knights of the Order of St. John, especially during the late 18th century. Apart from telling the time, these clocks also served a decorative purpose. This rendered the clock’s case designer, as different from the actual maker of the clock movement, into a very important artisan.
A knowledge of fashionable taste, an understanding of furniture design, proportion, the rules of architectural composition, the art of ornament and an ability to appeal to the purchasing public, in this case, a discerning clientele, was, and still is, the responsibility of the case designer.
With comparatively rare exceptions such designers have remained anonymous in contrast to our knowledge of the actual clockmakers. With such decorated clocks it seems that this happened everywhere else in Europe except for one notable exception. In France of the eighteenth century, the case design of clocks was considered to be such an art-form in itself, that one may find lists of the case designers, but not the clock-makers whose work with the movement of the clock, was judged to be a necessary but not a dominating feature of the product.
The origin of the Maltese clock is unclear. What is remarkable is that a small island country was able to sustain an indigenous clockmaking trade. They were produced over a period of around one hundred and fifty years solely for the local market at a time when only the aristocracy and the Church could afford them.
The older and more prestigious ones are often visually decorative; gilded and coloured. The dial painted with scenes or flowers, and the general effect is always pleasing. The clocks also contain varied images of landscapes and seascapes while some have floral motifs. Some feature scenes of Mdina and the Grand Harbour. Early examples had just the hour hand and later ones also had a minute hand.
My interest in antique Maltese clocks was instilled by the magnificent exhibition organised by Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti. It was held in April 1992 in ‘The Great Hall’ of the Auberge de Provence, Valletta, and seventy-three examples of these clocks were displayed, together with a selection of mantel and grandfather types. Also exhibited were some clock movements including one from a turret clock, various sundials, and a full-scale diorama of a fully equipped clockmaker’s workshop of the period. The vast variety of the uniquely lavish and ornate baroque timepieces on display in this memorable exhibition were manufactured exclusively in the Maltese islands. I wonder how many of these clocks can be found around the Islands of Malta in Malta properties that were rented in the old times and if the owners even understand the value, not only monetary.
Written by Tony Cassar Darien
Tags: Design, General, Home improvements, News, Tony Cassar Darien, Writers
 When one is involved in theatre one is immediately aware of lighting. Putting it crudely: it either makes or breaks your set design.
Having spoken to friends who are involved in the Malta property market I get the impression that most home buyers treat home-lighting as an afterthought. In fact the subject is treated as part of their list of accessories to be dealt with in conjunction with the home’s final touches. (more…)
Tags: Buying property in malta, Design, General, Home improvements, Tony Cassar Darien
Some of the most delightful houses in Malta and Gozo, indeed all over the world, did not begin as houses at all.
During the barbarian invasions of Rome, many citizens whose homes were either destroyed or confiscated, created new living spaces for themselves in the Colosseum. In Malta the sporadic raids by the Moors in their bid to pillage and capture  the natives, later to be sold as slaves, necessitated an escape to the fortified city of Mdina where the Maltese made domestic use of churches, stores and other spaces in their bid to escape the war-mongering pirates.
Besides wars, other disasters like earthquakes and flooding, both natural and man-created, were instrumental in creating shelters within structures that were not initially conceived as homes. After all it is easier and more economical to adapt an abandoned church, monastery, farmhouse or stable, to serve as a home than it is to build a new house.
During the seventies when an environmental awareness started being perceived all over Europe there developed a rapidly growing interest in the old and in preserving what already exists. Real estate in Malta was quick to perceive the development of this new movement which manifested itself in various ways.
The tell-tale signs included a passion for collecting antiques, a craze for nostalgia, an interest in conservation while respecting (and studying) the ecology of the area involved, and of course the restoration and preservation of historically significant buildings.
After having spoken to various people involved in the Malta property market I was introduced to some tenants who harbour a love of the unusual, a desire for interesting architectural design and solid construction and who desire to live, and oftentimes work, in unconventional spaces. In a nutshell these are people who get a kick in frequenting places where the aesthetic and the practical are intermingled.
There are various reasons as to why, say a converted farmhouse, wholly satisfies its owner. This may range from the delight of inhabiting aged patina surroundings to the whimsy of entering a room through a massive arch once used to shelter some ancient aristocrat and his horse. It certainly provides an unusual living experience far removed from the increasing modern-day conformity that sometimes smacks of the artificial craftsmanship that characterises modern society.
In Malta, oftentimes unwittingly, the art of conversion has been turned into a veritable art-form. Some of the former  British Services’ quarters, or barracks, like those found in Pembroke or the Marshall Court in Gzira, have been converted into modern-day houses; or a Secondary School in the case of Sandhurst. Other former military venues have been artfully converted from instruments of war to touristic establishments like il-Fortizza in Sliema and the Gun-Post in Floriana.
Over the years Maltese architects have garnered some unique expertise in visualizing and actuating radical changes to old buildings. Suffice it to mention the fate of the Auberges in Valletta; which in the mid-sixteenth century used to host the various langues (languages) which made up the venerated Order of the Knights of St John of Jerusalem and Malta. Of course the most famous is the Castille, which originally housed the Spanish branch of the Order, and is now the Office of the Prime Minister.
From amongst the considerable number of old Maltese buildings mainly situated in Valletta, Mdina and the Three Cities; whose original role has been significantly transformed over the years, one cannot but mention the Mediterranean Conference Centre. Formerly known as the Sacra Infermeria it served right up until the Second World War as a military hospital, earning a lot of respect from the international medical community, both during the period of the Knights and the Crimean war. Its tasteful conversion, in 1979, to a top Conference venue, and a flexible exhibition space, had prompted the Council of Europe to award the coveted Europa Award for Restoration to the Maltese Government. Other remarkable conversion edifices must be the Arts’ Centre, at St James Cavalier, described by Architect Richard England as “a former citadel meant to keep people away; now re-designed to draw in the crowds in order to patronize the Arts” and the Maritime Museum in Cospicua, which from a derelict store now houses some of the country’s fine and unique maritime heritage.
I was pleasantly surprised to hear from the experts who are au courant with the Malta property market that houses of character are still sought. Sometimes such a request creates long drives to out-of-the-way places and plenty of detective work in order to trace the history of these abodes. However, according to these experts, there is nothing more fulfilling than the energy spent in such a “Rescue & Restore” operation.
Written by Tony Cassar Darien
Tags: Buying property in malta, Design, General, Selling Property in malta, Tony Cassar Darien
About a decade ago when I was still in the early stages of my career I was assigned as a marketing expert to a consulting project on the development of a major construction project spearheaded by John Lobee. John was an international  acclaimed British civil engineer who had worked throughout the world. Despite the age gap, friendship struck as we shared common interests such as a passion for innovation, art and music. John’s philosophy about life and architecture (which he perceived as intertwining) revolved around a sincere respect for the environment, simplicity, and space. Pointing to his loyal black cat which lazily slept all day in his office, John used to tell me that like cats, humans need to have their space to relax. And it is about space that in today’s blog I wish to share some thoughts with you.
In our modern, technological world, most of us spend a major part of our lives indoors. In the nature of things, home means an indoor place – a room, an apartment, a house, a mobile home, even a trailer or van. We study in schools and colleges, eat in restaurants, and work in shops, factories, or offices. We are born in hospitals and may die there, too. While most of us spend time out-of-doors, walking from one place to another, attending or participating in sports events, enjoying a garden, sailing, hiking, or even camping for a more extended period, these all tend to be brief interludes in lives spent largely inside human-created structures.
Indeed, if we estimate the portion of an average day spent inside some sort of enclosing space, we will probably find we typically spend about 90 percent of our time, with only 10 percent outside. However much we may love nature, most of us must face the reality that modern life goes on, most of the time, inside. If we are to be honest, we must also face the reality that many of the inside spaces where we spend our time are unsatisfactory. The rooms, corridors, and lobbies of typical schools, hospitals, offices, shops, and factories are often crowded, disorganised, unattractive, and depressing. At home, where interiors should be the way we want them, limitations often lead us to settle for compromises.
Obviously any enclosure serves several basic purposes. It protects us against the weather; it provides privacy; it gives us places where we can keep the things we need in some more or less convenient relationship. While enclosure is basic to these needs, it is only a first necessity. Within enclosure we need equipment; places to sit and lie down; surfaces where food and drink can be prepared and served; places for work, reading conversation, and entertainment. Increasingly, most of these activities demand special technology – for storage and communication; for cooking and refrigeration; for reproduction of sound and image.
Accordingly, in choosing a house, office or any other space it is critical to choose that Malta property which has enough flexibility in layout to adjust and fit to your space requirements. What’s good for me may not be good for you so it is very important that before falling in love with a property in Malta and hence taking the decision on buying a property in Malta, one must make a thorough self examination of what kind of space requires to lead a normal relaxed life. If you are an animal lover; if you enjoy having a library at home; if you love watching films; if you love cooking; if you have dependents; if you enjoy hosting, if you enjoy your privacy; and more, all have their implications on the type of property you require to buy. Buying a property in Malta or house which is nice but uncomfortable is definitely a bad decision which is not easily retracted. An uncomfortable home will lead to stress and the occupants seeking all type of excuses to get out of it and stay outside – leading to additional unnecessary costs and pressures. An uncomfortable commercial outlet will do injustice to the displayed products and also repel customers. An uncomfortable office will lead to a de-motivate staff and hence decline in productivity. So when speaking with your trusted Real Estate agent in Malta confide with him/her the characteristics of your life-style so that together you will identify that space which best fits you… to identify that space that you will enjoy and relaxes you … just as John’s black cat had found.
Andrew Agius Muscat
Business Management Analyst
Mr. Agius Muscat is a Business Management Analyst who has extensive back ground in the business world. He is presently the Chief Executive Offices at the Malta Institute of Management and has held several top management positions. He recently held the position of Group Strategist and Planner for Attard Bros Group, a real estate developement and construction company in Malta.
Tags: Andrew Agius Muscat, Andrew Agius Muscat, bright and spacious, Buying property in malta, Design, General, good entertainmnet space, Home improvements, News, Relocating to Malta
I vividly recall from my childhood my mother, while gently tucking the bed sheets around me in bed, telling me the old fairy tale of an old lady living in a shoe. Yes it is some time ago now, yet I still feel that sensation of amazement I used to experience as my mother described in detail how this old poor lady exploited, or better still using today’s jargon recycled  junk to turn it into a cosy little home; poor in materialism yet rich in ingenuity.
This experience was resurrected in my mind as during the past month I was following the debates held during the United Nations Climate Change Conference held in Copenhagen. What the old lady in the fairytale made look so easy our politicians in this day and age are still finding it difficult to embrace… and here I am referring to pure and simple logic – respect to our surrounding without which we will all be caput! More than logic, it is also economically rewarding. With sky rocketing fuel and energy prices our purchasing power is being aggressively eroded leading us to increasing pressures and discomforts.
My point therefore for this month’s article is investing in a facility that adheres to green building standards and performance efficiency is a smart and responsible decision. When considering the value energy efficient and environmentally friendly buildings can bring to the Malta real estate market, it seems as if going green is the wisest of investments. Indeed, the practice of “going green” has been gaining popularity within the last decade. Throughout Europe, the real estate industry is adapting a rating scheme for energy efficient homes. Eventually, the more energy efficient your home is, the less property tax will be owed. Understandably, in the Malta property market  there is no real estate tax, however Malta too will one day have to adapt to European standards. It is widely recognised that it is important to ensure that we do our best to lessen mankind’s harmful impact on the environment, and the government is offering tax incentives to those who take on environmental challenges with green building practices. Our society as a whole is changing the way it sees building, living and working. That’s why living and building “green” is more attractive than ever to both residential and commercial Malta real estate investors. Green building design consultants can help a facility reach its efficiency goals. Green design can alleviate and reduce exposure to toxic materials, as well as ensure the conservation of non-renewable materials and energy which eventually will save money either indirectly or directly.
When it comes to green facility construction, a green design consultant will make sure the building process minimises the ecological impact of building as well as oversee the construction to guarantee the protection of local water, soil, air, plants and wildlife. When designing a green facility, it is important to take into account the lifestyles of those who will be using the building. Make sure the facility offers support of transportation alternatives, such as walking, mass transit, biking and alternative fuels. Incorporating design features that will make it easier for commuters who use non-traditional transportation is a responsible and modern necessity. You may think that going green and increasing building performance efficiency would cost a lot of money. While this has been the case in the past in the Malta property market, it is becoming more and more cost effective. In fact, green design and building often costs the same as traditional building methods. And with all the money that can be saved through efficiency and recycling,  green building can actually cost far less than traditional methods over the long run.
Malta property owners and businesses are far more likely to invest in a green building if they understand that they will reduce their cost which at the end of the day spells out more profit if you’re in business and lower utility bills if you’re a property owner.
As green building continues to gain popularity, tax incentives will also increase. So if you are buying real estate in Malta confide with your trusted real estate agent about the potential of acquiring, converting or developing a green designed property. This indeed is a sound investment for the future both from a pocket and life perspective. Let’s learn from the wisdom of that old lady living in a shoe.
PS. Happy birthday dear mother…
Written By:
Andrew Agius Muscat – Business Management Analyst
Mr. Agius Muscat is a Business Management Analyst who has extensive back ground in the business world. He is presently the Chief Executive Offices at the Malta Institute of Management and has held several top management positions. He recently held the position of Group Strategist and Planner for Attard Bros Group, a real estate developement and construction company in Malta.
Tags: Andrew Agius Muscat, Andrew Agius Muscat, Buying property in malta, Design, development, General, green building, investment, malta-once-upon-a-time, old lady in the shoe, the old lady in the shoe, there was an old lady in a shoe
There has been more styles in current usage in the visual arts within the last three decades than ever before.
Travel and the modern mass media – cinema, television, colour photography and glossy magazines – have considerably widened our knowledge of foreign and ancient styles. Moreover, there has been an influx of new materials, either specifically produced or, what was previously regarded as unsuitable, has now been adapted to fit the artist’ s requirements.
It is possible today to have different style furnishings adorning the same room and resulting in a harmonious interior. A modern Scndinavian teak chair, a Victorian desk, on which an abstract sculpture of polished bronze stands next to a piece of Sicilian folk art pottery is possible. On the walls abstract paintings and 18th century watercolour landscapes may co-exist with an Art Nouveau clock and Jazz Age ornaments on a locally manufactured limestone mantelpiece. This eclecticism in taste would not have been possible a hundred years ago. Nowadays there is no one standard of taste.
Besides the musical revolution the spirit of the Sixties had enabled designers to create new shapes in furniture, ceramics and other products based more on the precision of geometric figures than the traditional forms. It’s interesting to note that the long-established shapes of furniture, like chairs for example, were never seriously questioned until the 20th century. John Wright and Jean Schofield were two young British designers who in the Sixties were responsible for  stripping furniture down to its basic essentials. They gave their chair a sweeping curve of the arm and used thick lacquered wood frames to give it a primitive quality. The Italian Osvaldo Borsani, in 1966, used black plywood and simple leather upholstered cushions fastened by large wooden bolts. His intention of giving the modern chair an informal appearance went down well with both the critics and the public.
In the meantime the Americans were experimenting with tubular metal and criss-crossed wire framing. Fibreglass then enabled designers to mould furniture pieces like chair seats any way they wanted to; from like an egg with one side scooped out, to segments of a sphere.
However when it comes to furnishings there is no escaping the standards set by the Swiss-French architect Le Corbusier and his ideals for furnishing the modern house. He is what Chaplin is to comedy, Diagheliv to dance, Shakespeare to drama and Beethoven to music. His maxim was that a house is “a machine for living”. Borrowing from the Francis Bacon immortal essay “Of Building” whose theme was: “Houses are built to live in and not to look on” Le Corbusier concluded that the best furnished dwelling was one which combines ‘commodity’ (or fitness for purpose), ‘firmness’ (or strength) and ‘delight’.
 In his widely read book, Towards a New Architecture, Le Corbusier refers to the house as “a machine for living”. He argues that with the machine being an event of such importance in human history, it should be allowed to perform a decisive role in conditioning modern man and the works around him. As a radical thinker he dismissed the use of past styles believing that they no longer had a living relevance but merely a historical interest.
Le Corbusier’s philosophy of furnishings which eventually gave way to the Jazz Age style to be later followed by the Modern Movement entailed leaving a room in its purest form. Devoid of almost any pattern or applied decoration, even of curtains which are normally used to soften the window’s outline should not inhibit the room. Blinds or shutters are preferable. In such a set-up Le Corbusier maintains that interior furnishings would be of severe rectilinear forms with no soft curves allowed to interfere. The furniture may be made of traditional materials such as wood, however sheet and tubular metal was preferred.
When it comes to paintings which adorn the walls most of the contemporary masters like Paul Klee, Kandinsky and  Rothko, seem to agree than rather than pleasing the eye, a work of art should strike the “vibrations of the soul”. This is done by stripping the painting down to its barest essentials. What matters is not the subject-matter, its movement or texture but only colour and feeling. This enables the viewer to become immersed in the work, oblivious to the surrounding distractions. According to the masters, a work of art’s distilled beauty should be a subject fit for deep contemplation. In fact one critic has called such abstract art: a Buddhist television set!
Whenever I am asked an opinion about any kind of furnishing, from a single room to a set design for a play or ballet, I inadvertently end up asking myself:
You think you can live with this thing?
Written by Tony Cassar Darien
Tags: Design, Home improvements, Tony Cassar Darien, wood striping malta
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