11.12.10

A Dog's Rules for Christmas

Santa Dress

#1 A big man with a white beard and a very loud laugh may emerge from your fireplace in the middle of the night. DON'T BITE HIM! Believe it or not, he comes bearing gifts.

#2 Don't pee on the tree.

#3 Be tolerant if your humans put decorations on you. They seem to get some special kind of pleasure out of seeing how you look with fake antlers.

Wishing you a happy holiday season filled with love and laughter with your dear ones two-legged or four!

Courtesy of Barking Babies

Patricia Gray Inc is an award winning Interior Design firm in Vancouver who blogs about Lifestyle and WHAT'S HOT in the world of Interior Design. 2010 © Patricia Gray | Interior Design Blog™

28.11.10

Home for the Holidays Christmas Tree

 

Patricia Gray Inc is honoured to have participated along with Linda Sale Interior Design in their 3rd Annual “Home for the Holidays” fundraising initiative benefiting Canuck Place Children’s Hospice at Sutton Place Hotel. This festive fundraising initiative partnered with local Vancouver businesses to create signature trees that are showcased in the lobby of The Sutton Place Hotel for the month of December.  Please drop by and feast your eyes on the beautiful trees and cast your vote for your favourite.  Thank-you to everyone who voted for their favourite tree and helped us raise proceeds for this important cause.

2010 Sutton Xmas Tree 0032010 Sutton Xmas Tree 004
 2010 Sutton Xmas Tree 0072010 Sutton Xmas Tree 009  2010 Sutton Xmas Tree 013

The tree is decorated with handmade Canuck Jerseys for each team member, and Gingerbread Cookies to represent the Children of the World dressed in their native costumes with each holding the flag of their Country. Click here to see more pictures of the decorations. For more information, please visit Canuck Place Children’s Hospice or Sutton Place Hotel Home for the Holidays.

Photos top left to right: Patricia Gray with clients Arnold & Audrey Armstrong; Patricia Gray with client Linda McGibbon; Patricia Gray with Sara Tye, Creekside Tile; Patricia Gray with Hanan Arabatlian, Aura Interiors.

Patricia Gray Inc is an award winning Interior Design firm  in Vancouver, Canada who blogs about Lifestyle and WHAT'S HOT  in the world of Interior Design.
2010 © Patricia Gray | Interior Design Blog™

25.11.10

These Pictures Make Me Smile

I just couldn’t resist posting these pictures and words of wisdom I got in an email from my Dad today.  I usually do not read these types of emails when I receive them other than from my Dad, as he always forwards me the Best of the Best.  It made me smile and feel good, for our little furry friends really do give so much to us.  I hope that it will put a smile on your face also!

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A Dog's Purpose?   (From a 6-year-old).
Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish Wolfhound named Belker. The dog's owners Ron, his wife Lisa, and their little boy Shane, were all very attached to Belker and they were hoping for a miracle. I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family we couldn't do anything for Belker and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home.

As we made arrangements Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for six-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt as though Shane might learn something from the experience. The next day I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker’s family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes Belker slipped peacefully away.

The little boy seemed to accept Belker's transition without any difficulty or confusion. We sat together for a while after Belker's Death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives. Shane, who had been listening quietly piped up ''I know why.''

Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me. I'd never heard a more comforting explanation. It has changed the way I try to live.
He said  “People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life -- like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?''
The Six-year-old continued “Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don't have to stay as long.''

Live simply
Love generously
Care deeply
Speak kindly

ENJOY EVERY MOMENT OF EVERY DAY!

Patricia Gray Inc is an award winning Interior Design firm  in Vancouver, Canada who blogs about Lifestyle and WHAT'S HOT  in the world of Interior Design.
2010 © Patricia Gray | Interior Design Blog™

20.11.10

First Snowfall in Vancouver

View from my terrace 001
View from my terrace

We had our first snow fall in the City last night. I woke up to extreme quiet and looked outside to a winter wonderland.  It is unusual for us to have snow this early in the season if at all downtown……so if this keeps up we will have fantastic ski conditions in Whistler!

Have a wonderful weekend wherever you are.

Patricia Gray Inc is an award winning Interior Design firm  in Vancouver, Canada who blogs about Lifestyle and WHAT'S HOT  in the world of Interior Design.
2010 © Patricia Gray | Interior Design Blog™

4.10.10

The Erickson Vancouver

These are some preview pictures of a current project I just completed the Interior Design for in the newest luxury development in Vancouver, The Erickson building, situated on the most treasured waterfront location in Vancouver overlooking False Creek. It was designed by the late Arthur Erickson(1924 – 2009), one of the masters architects of our time. 

“Beauty in a home conveys a sense of harmony and wholeness….created with the end experience of the owner in mind”
The Erickson Building Vancouver

www.patriciagrayinc.blogspot.com 
The Erickson Building Vancouver

 Patricia Gray | Interior Design
The Erickson Building Vancouver Dining Room silver leaf ceilings  

Patricia Gray | Interior Design  
The Erickson Building Vancouver
view from living room Patricia Gray Inc. 

Patricia Gray | Interior Design 
The Erickson Building Vancouver looking south across False Creek  
 
 Patricia Gray |  Interior Design    
The Erickson Building Vancouver looking east across David Lam Park
 
Patricia Gray |  Interior Design
The Erickson Building Vancouver onyx counter Powder Room

Patricia Gray Inc The Erickson

“Powerful design has a lasting and profound impact on the imagination. 
It sparks change, shapes our world and inspires our future.” 
Bottom Photo Credit: Albarosa Simonetti

PATRICIA GRAY INC is an award winning interior design firm writing about lifestyle and
WHAT'S HOT in the world of interior design, architecture, art and travel.
2011 © Patricia Gray | Interior Design Blog™

14.9.10

Somewhere Over The Rainbow

This song is for a good friend who has just undergone major surgery! You know who you are...take care and best wishes for a speedy recovery. xoxo YouTube

1.8.10

5 iPhone Apps for Interior Design

I got a new iPhone in December and I have been getting familiar with iPhone Apps. These applications or Apps (for short) are wonderful software programs that are installed directly on the screen of your iPhone - most are free to download, or have a nominally small fee.

These are the iPhone Apps that I have downloaded so far that are proving to be very helpful:

1. Flashlight iPhone App - This App fills the screen of your iPhone with bright white illuminating light. I used it on a job-site last week to look behind a wall to check the position of the gas line in a kitchen renovation. I will also have it handy next time I am in a dimly lit restaurant and can't read the menu!

2. iHandy Level iPhone App - very handy for leveling pictures on the wall, checking that a table is level, etc.

3. Digital Mag iPhone App - great for magnifying those hard to read dimensions on floor plans....also works great to read small print disclaimers, menus, etc.

4. Ben Color Capture iPhone App - I love this one. You take a picture with your iPhone and it matches it up with the exact Benjamin Moore paint color.

5. MacBox Units iPhone App - Units is a really useful app for the iPhone that lets you easily convert from various units into lots of others. Units can convert Area, Currency, Energy, Temperature, Time, Length, Weight, Speed, Pressure, Power, and Volume. As an added bonus Units also has a built in ruler, for doing small, quick measurements when the need arises.

*Best of all Flashlight, IHandy, Digital Mag, Ben Color Capture, and Units are all free iPhone Apps

Please let me know what iPhone Apps you have found helpful by leaving a comment here.
Comments

PATRICIA GRAY INC is an award winning interior design firm writing about lifestyle and
WHAT'S HOT in the world of interior design, architecture, art and travel.
2011 © Patricia Gray | Interior Design Blog™

30.7.10

Plein Air Painting: Taking Your Paints Outside

Last week I was gifted with a ‘plein air’ watercolor workshop given by Lynn Onley. Plein air painting is a familiar concept today, but in the late 1800s when the Impressionists ventured out of their studios into nature to investigate and capture the effects of sunlight and different times of days on a subject, it was quite revolutionary. We met at Porteau Cove, which is situated overlooking Howe Sound, 38 km north of Vancouver on the Sea-to-Sky Highway on the way to Whistler. Interestingly, I learnt that an old ship has been sunk in the bay, so as well as attracting outdoor enthusiasts, scuba divers and marine biologists come here to explore  the depths of the ocean. A pebble beach slopes gently into Howe Sound in Porteau Cove. On summer days when the tide is low and the sun high, the warm rocks heat the incoming waters, making swimming here a pleasure. Lynn Onley who gave the workshop, is the daughter of Toni Onley, one of Canada’s most celebrated artists. His landscapes have always provided a special significance for Canadians in reviving an appreciation for our surroundings. Lynn Onley following in her father’s footsteps is an accomplished artist herself. I felt very privileged, and excited to have the opportunity to learn the art of watercolor from Lynn Onley as passed down to her from her celebrated father Toni Onley.

 Lynn Onley Porteau Cove 2010  
The view of the scene I painted with instruction from Lynn Onley
Lynn Onley Porteau Cove 2010
Lynn Onley painting Plein Air in Porteau Cove using her father, Toni Onley’s paint box

Lynn Onley painting Plein Air in Porteau Cove using her father, Toni Onley’s paint box and his wood and canvas folding chair.  The first step is to lay in the color washes for the sky, and while still wet take tissue and blot to make the clouds.  The next step is to paint in the mountains, using the ‘soup’ as Lynn calls it, which is the remaining mixture from the sky as the base to add the next colors to.  Lynn showed us how to mix Alizarin Crimson with Sepia, to tone it down, to paint in the slab-like chunks of red granite showing in the mountains.

 Lynn Onley Porteau Cove 2010 
Lynn Onley demonstrates watercolors techniques

Then Lynn added in the ocean, and next the shore, and then trees.  At this point you can continue to add more detail, or take the painting home to finish.  I had to leave at this point with my water color still needing more work.  I took it with me on my trip to Desolation sound and added in more detail, working from memory and being further inspired by the colors and light in the more northern atmosphere of Desolation Sound – Desolation Sound is at the 52nd Parallel, while Porteau Cove is at the 49th Parallel.  Thanks Lynn for the inspiring day!!

Porteau Cove 2010 Patricia Gray 
My finished watercolor of Porteau Cove after a morning of instruction from Lynn Onley.
11” x 15” on 140 lb watercolor paper , Windsor Newton paints

A pebble beach slopes gently into Howe Sound. It was low tide so the green moss on the rocks usually below the water line was showing.  We started painting at 10:00 AM, and the sky, cloud formations, and shadows on the water were constantly changing as the sun and tide line changed.

Porteau Cove 2010
The dock at Porteau Cove.

Porteau Cove 2010
The granite mountains above Porteau Cove on the highway to Whistler.
 

 Porteau Cove 2010Porteau Cove 2010

These pictures are of the beautiful tree I sat under while painting at Porteau Cove.  I took these pictures as inspiration – possibly for my next water color.

Van Gogh, in a letter to his brother, claims to
“devour nature ceaselessly,”
and finds himself  
“in surroundings which entirely engross me,
which so order, fix, regulate, renew and enlarge my thoughts
that I am quite wrapped up in them.” 

Toni Onley Toni Onley

Toni Onley 1928 – 2004, one of Canada’s most celebrated artists, painting Plein Air.

Porteau Cove 2010
Map of Porteau Cove

Patricia Gray Inc is an award winning Interior Design firm  in Vancouver, Canada who blogs about Lifestyle and WHAT'S HOT  in the world of Interior Design.
2010 © Patricia Gray | Interior Design Blog™

8.7.10

Weekend In Paris

Hervé Pierre,Toast Soldiers, Three Minute Boiled Egg, Homemade Blackberry Jelly   
Toast Soldiers and 3 Minute Boiled Egg
This picture is my inspiration for Sunday brunch, when I like to take my time and read the New York Times,
over a leisurely breakfast of three minute boiled eggs and, toast soldiers with homemade blackberry jelly. 
I am going to cut my toast into strips like this and serve on my best china!

Postscript comment from Herve Pierre the owner of this plate: The plate was made on Bastille Day 1789 !!!! its in the back of the plate ! the man who made it signed and put the date, didn't know at the time that it would became eventually a famous day !!!

Hervé Pierre, Sevres Porcelain / Laduree Macaroons 
Macarons from Ladurée in Paris
And then for Sunday afternoon tea, this silver tray of goodies looks delightful. 
This tea-service porcelain is from the Manufacture Nationale de Sèvres and is an exact replica
of those made in the eighteenth century. The macarons are from Ladurée in Paris. The best thing
about them, as well as being delicious and melt in your mouth, are the beautiful colors.

Macarons: Small, round cakes, crisp on the outside, smooth and soft in the middle,
are made every morning in Ladurée’s "laboratory". 
Hervé Pierre, Evian, confiture, foie gras, Céte d’Or chocolate 
To live as if you were in Paris, in your refrigerator, you need Evian, confiture, foie gras, and
Céte d’Or chocolate, which friends know to bring back for Pierre from France.

con·fi·ture (n) A confection, preserve, or jam
foie gras (n) A pate made from goose liver (marinated in cognac) and truffles

Credits & Photos: The Selby, NY Mag  - The New York lower Fifth Avenue condo of Hervé Pierre, the creative director of Carolina Herrera.

Patricia Gray Inc is an award winning Interior Design firm  in Vancouver, Canada who blogs about Lifestyle and WHAT'S HOT  in the world of Interior Design.
2010 © Patricia Gray | Interior Design Blog™

1.7.10

TriBeCa Interior Design

TriBeCa Interior Design PGB
How beautiful is this! 
This screen has captured my attention. I love how the light shines through the colored glass.  To fabricate the screen,
artist Susan Woods sawed blackened-steel tube into segments, welded them together, and inserted rounds of
colored glass.

image 
Credit: Interior Design Magazine, TriBeCa apartment
Photo by Eric Laignel

Patricia Gray Inc is an award winning Interior Design firm  in Vancouver, Canada who blogs about WHAT'S HOT  in the world of Interior Design.
2010 © Patricia Gray | Interior Design Blog™

29.6.10

DIY Tables by Goncalo Campos

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image   image

I love the genius of product design. The series of tables designed by Goncalo Campos, are made only using two basic materials, fabric and wood, the most commonly used materials in most households They are designed to be assembled with no glues or external fixtures, other than fabric, using a simple construction technique - they look primitive but at the same time very elegant. I can see the possibilities using beautiful woods, such as ebony, walnut, or perhaps fumed wood, and coordinating the fabric to match the colors and mood of your room. They would make wonderful conversation pieces for a wedding, or summer lawn party.

Images Courtesy of Gonçalo Campos. Goncalo Campos is a Portuguese designer, born in 1986. Graduated in product design in 2008, after which joined Fabrica team, for a year and created a series of  of tables which were featured in the exhibition Mais que Partes (More Than Parts), shown in the Fabrica features shop in Lisbon.

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Fumed wood veneers – White Ebony

Patricia Gray Inc is an award winning Interior Design firm  in Vancouver, Canada who blogs about WHAT'S HOT  in the world of Interior Design.
2010 © Patricia Gray | Interior Design Blog™

Furniture IS Lifestyle - DEDON LAUNCHES “COMING HOME”, A LIMITED-EDITION BOOK BY BRUCE WEBER

 Dedon Lifestyle Advertising What are you doing this summer
DEDON LAUNCHES “COMING HOME”, A LIMITED-EDITION BOOK BY BRUCE WEBER

I love the new lifestyle advertising campaign that the Dutch company Dedon, a manufacturer of outdoor furnishings, has launched.  You may have seen the ads for this Dedon campaign in some of the recent Design magazines - Dedon is selling their furniture as lifestyle.  DEDON takes its collaboration with legendary American fashion photographer Bruce Weber to a next level with the publication of a new book Coming Home, a sumptuously produced, limited edition book. Building on themes that Weber developed for the current DEDON advertising campaign, Coming Home is an exploration into the meaning of home and the feelings we hold for it. Personal, poetic and eclectic, the book weaves together exclusive imagery by Bruce Weber with artwork and illustrations specially commissioned by the photographer. Watch the Dedon movie in large format here, or on YouTube here.  The music and imagery are spectacular.  The movie starts with a quote from the movie Out of Africa - the words of Denys Finch Hatton, played by Robert Redford: “I don’t want to live someone else’s idea of how to live.”

Dedon Lifestyle Advertising  
DEDON “COMING HOME”, A LIMITED-EDITION BOOK BY BRUCE WEBER

Dedon Lifestyle Advertising
DEDON “COMING HOME”, A LIMITED-EDITION BOOK BY BRUCE WEBER

Dedon Lifestyle Advertising
DEDON “COMING HOME”, A LIMITED-EDITION BOOK BY BRUCE WEBER

Dedon Lifestyle Advertising 
DEDON “COMING HOME”, A LIMITED-EDITION BOOK BY BRUCE WEBER
A multilevel treehouse, a cast and crew of 60 people with legendary fashion photographer Bruce Weber keeping it all together.

Dedon Lifestyle Advertising
DEDON “COMING HOME”, A LIMITED-EDITION BOOK BY BRUCE WEBER

When I first saw the Dedon ad campaign, by Bruce Webber I was mesmerized by it.  Some people I have talked to just don’t get it. 
After all Bruce Webber was the photographer for the controversial ad campaign for Calvin Klein in the 90’s, and
Webber also photographed a shirtless Chris Isaak in bed for a fashion spread in Rolling Stone
Dedon says about Coming Home “…….it is an exploration into the meaning of home and the feelings we hold for it.”
I say that ‘Furniture IS Lifestyle’ and has as much of a message to say about how we live as Fashion does!

What do you think about ‘Lifestyle Advertising?’  Leave your comment here.

 PG Dedon 1 Article AD SpainPG Dedon 2 Article AD Spain 
PG Dedon 4 Article AD SpainPG Dedon 3 Article AD Spain
DEDON “
COMING HOME”, A LIMITED-EDITION BOOK BY BRUCE WEBER Architectural Digest Spain - May 2010
Postscript:  These are scans from a Spanish magazine that my friend and fellow blogger Ivan Meade sent to me after I published this article.

PATRICIA GRAY INC is an award winning interior design firm writing about lifestyle and WHAT'S HOT
in the world of interior design, architecture, art and travel.
2011 © Patricia Gray | Interior Design Blog™

24.6.10

Whats Hot? Fuego Outdoor Living Grill

I am in the process of designing an outdoor patio for clients. It is a challenging project as well as being very exacting, with a lot of technical details to take into consideration (gas lines, water lines, electrical panel load limits, permit approvals, etc), before I can even start on the ‘pretty stuff.’ This outdoor patio is on the roof of a penthouse, with a spectacular view of the ocean, mountains, and city of Vancouver. It is a breathtaking 130 feet in length, and is probably larger than most people’s back yards. 

Every once in awhile I come across a new and innovatively designed product that causes me to stop and take notice, and with a sigh of relief, that I have found an esthetically pleasing alternative to a category of product design that generally leaves my visual sensibilities assaulted. Finally an outdoor grill (notice that it is not referred to as a BBQ - ‘Grill’ is the operative new terminology), that shakes up tradition, and is beautiful to look at. “A campfire for modernists,” “a social magnet with a great sense of style.” Attaching a label to this Fuego outdoor living grill is trickier than throwing a salmon – wild, rubbed with herbs and spices – on an open flame. As well as Fuego being a top rated grill, it has a modernist design aesthetic with sleek-lined minimalism. One that I wouldn’t mind gracing my clients’ patio.

Fuego Outdoor Living Grill 
Fuego Catalogue

Fuego Outdoor Living Grill 
Fuego Grill 01

What do you think?  Would you like to have this Fuego grill gracing your patio?
I’ll take the pool!

PATRICIA GRAY INC is an award winning interior design firm writing about lifestyle and
WHAT'S HOT in the world of interior design, architecture, art and travel.
2011 © Patricia Gray | Interior Design Blog™

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