Monochrome Interiors

Monochrome is a term generally used to describe painting, drawing, design, or photography in one color or shades of one color. A monochrome object or image is one whose range of colors consists of shades of a single color or hue. NB. I have shown a monochrome interior in shades of white, but monochrome interiors can also be in shades of green, blue, red, etc. I particularly like this Monochrome interior - Blue Fin Restaurant at the W in New York, because of the way pattern and texture were used to give interest and drama to an otherwise all white space. I haven't eaten here yet, but I want to....I wonder if the food is as good as the design?

If anyone has dined at this restaurant, please let me know.

Photo: Monochrome Interior -The Blue Fin Restaurant W New York Times Square, Interior design Yabu Pushellberg via A Schematic Life

Patricia Gray is an award winning Interior Designer in Vancouver, Canada who blogs about WHAT'S HOT in the world of Interior Design.

French Decor from Aidan Gray

We have to confess--we're not flea-market or garage-sale or Craigslist- kinda people. To us, one's man trash is just that--trash! We think it's much easier just to buy new stuff. You know exactly what you get.

If you are like us, and if you like that Parisian, French-chic look without having to fly to Paris for the flea market and ship this stuff back home by yourself, you might want to check out Aidan Gray. They make very French home decor and accessories.

Here are some samples:

Aidan Gray has a great interactive catalog that you can browse through. You can also buy directly online.

Featured Home 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics

Architectural Digest's February issue has just hit the newsstands and they have done a section for the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics and my "Gastown" Project is featured as one of three highlighted homes in the “Olympic City.”

Click on above image to see entire project.

To view the slide show on-line click here.

Patricia Gray is an award winning Interior Designer in Vancouver, Canada who blogs about WHAT'S HOT in the world of Interior Design.

New Decorative Pillows from Ryan Studio

We just finished uploading the new pillows from Ryan Studio and we just love them. This is our favorite line of pillow to sell. It has such an elegance about it-- simple, clean-lined and well-designed.

Here are some of our favorites:

These pillows range between $125-200 per pillow. They are filled with down. You can find them in our decorative pillows section.

fireplace room

Fireplace Room

Modern Homes

Modern Homes

Modern Homes

Modern Homes

Modern Homes

When I first saw this image, a few descriptive words that came to mind sophisticated, timeless, calm, subtle, simple, modern, minimal ... This home showcased on Molteni & Co reminds me of why I love architectural interiors. It is the detailing of such architectural interiors as this one that makes me love the beautiful subtelty of what we do as a profession. For the sophisticated eye to appreciate a floating floor plate, flush drywall ceiling and floor details, recessed drapery tracks, frameless full height glazing, corner glass butt joints ... all breath taking. If anyone knows who the architect is of this amazing home or the stylist who has reflected an interior that speaks a carefully selected refinement of finishes. Some of my favorite designers work with this amazing company, to name a few of my favorites: the glove chair & clip bed by Patricia Urquiola, the 505 system by Lca Meda, the Less table by Jean Nouvel. A must see showroom in Vancouver is Italinteriors where Molteni & Co, meets Unifor, Dada Kitchens, Citterio, and Cassina.
(For those with a furniture & dsign fetish - FYI - during my last visit to NYC, I was excited to hear that Molteni & Co. will be opening up a flagship store in Manhattan.) - love this company!

White Paint and Other White Necessities

I have to admit a secret of mine...I am a white SNOB - okay now you know my innermost secret. I use only white candles, white dishes, white towels, white flowers (although I have been known to buy colored tulips), and white sheets. Nothing is more classic than white. White dishes set off the food on them perfectly. I cannot have a good sleep on anything other than white sheets, and white candles and white towels are absolute.

In interiors I love how white highlights good architecture, and any object in the room that has "good bones." White walls are a good backdrop for objects d' art and paintings that are placed in the room - white walls give focus to the lines of the items that are juxtaposed in front of them.

Painting a room white can make it have surprising depth. When I design an all-white room I use several different shades of white to bring out the architectural details, or I layer the space with strong forms in different tones and textures of white and then use some strong color contrasts to outline and bring the white into focus. My all time favorite white color is - Benjamin Moore paint Cloud White. It is a very soft white and easy to live with. It has a chameleon effect - taking on the colors of what is set next to it and changing in tone at various times of the day. Not every white is snow white. Try using whites tinted with: ivory, cream, antique white, and palest beige, blue and yellow. An interesting fact on the popularity of white is that Benjamin Moore has over 140 whites to choose from.

To maximize the light in a room I chose a paint with a semigloss finish rather than the latex matte finish more usual on walls. The "chalkier" matte finish absorbs light; the semi-gloss is more reflective.

Some of my favorite whites I use are are from Benjamin Moore: Cloud White, Simply White, Ballet White, White Dove, White Linen and Designer White.

Photo Credits from top: 1 & 2 MLK Studio via All the Best, 3 JK Hotel Milan, 4 David Schefer, 5 Helen Hennie, 6 Trevor Tondro, 7 Jennifer Post, 8 Jennifer Post, 9 Jennifer Post, 10 Ptithabibi Morocco

Patricia Gray is an award winning Interior Designer in Vancouver, Canada who blogs about WHAT'S HOT in the world of Interior Design.

CF Residence, by Thiago Bernardes and Paulo Jacobsen

Thiago Bernardes and Paulo Jacobsen have designed this ultra modern CF residence for their client, Carlos Firme. The house features 4 bedroom layout with en-suite bathrooms and the entire ground...

Make Yourself Happy-Cheaply!

The New York Magazine has a great article on 50 ways to make yourself happy.  And we're not talking about taking an expensive vacation, getting stoned- or drunken stupid...anything like that.  We're talking utterly simple things you can do to feel good.

Image from the New York Magazine

Some of the gems:

-Say yes everytime your partner wants to have sex.
-Eat dark chocolate everyday.
-Get a poor's man massage.
-Put down the Blackberry.
-Make your bed.

and more...

Click here to see the entire article. You'll love it.  We promise!

Designer Profile-Garry Hutton

San Francisco Chronicle has a profile today on Gary Hutton, a Bay Area designer.  Even though we never heard of him, his portfolio just blows us away.  The man is a genius! 

Seriously.  Take, for example, his design of a bookcase.

Images from GaryHutton.com

Now, doesn't that look like an idea worth stealing?

You can get this barstool here.

The dining chairs are available on our site.  It's slightly different but the looks are similiar.


If you visit his web site, you'll see some really creative ideas as well.  For the full article from the SF Chronicle, click here.

A Dreamy Bedroom of Soft Colors

We were working on a new bedroom project today for a client and we thought we'd share some of the items we are considering with you.   We wanted to do something soft and pretty, with colors and textures that look warm and inviting...

What do you think? 
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This bed is a custom-upholstered bed.  It shows here in a cream fabric but you can  have it upholstered with your own fabric.  It runs about $2800-3200 for a queen/king.  We like the fact that it doesn't require a boxspring.

We like this armoire for the TV or to store clothing.  It's so chic in person....

We just love this rug from Candice Olson.  We recently put this on sale.

And to add some colors, we love, love this flower arrangement.  It looks so incredibly real in person.

For bedding, this looks like it would be a great fit...

P.S. All of these items can be found at our home decor store.

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.

Patricia Gray is an award winning Interior Designer in Vancouver, Canada who blogs about WHAT'S HOT in the world of Design.

Hollywood Regency Mirrors

A while back we saw these mirrors at the Las Vegas home show and we thought they were really cool.  They are a group of individual mirrors hung together.  By themselves they are not that unique, but as a group, well, as a group they just POP!

Take this group of mirrors, for example. 

It actually consists of 12 of these:

These are 12 x12 and runs about $150 each. 

Here  is another one:

These are actually four of these:

These are 32 x 32 and costs about $360 each.

Our favorite is this one:

Which actually consists of this one, which costs about $280

and this one, which costs about $150 or so

As you can see, these can be made as into any size that you want. We like them big--the bigger the better.  The impact is more dramatic that way.

The mirrors are made of lacquer and take about 4-6 weeks. You can find them in our decorative mirror section.