My Style Resolutions for 2008

I have been quoted in January's issue of Canadian House and Home on my Style Resolutions for 2008
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Postscript Jan 8 2008

Thanks for all your supportive comments!! I plan to do more posts this year on how I use green and environmentally friendly products in my Interior Design for clients. It is such a timely concern and if we can each start in a small way in our own environments it can go a long way to doing something positive for our world that we all live in.

amazing. mona. lisa. laptop. artwork.

I just came across this amazing laser etching of the Mona Lisa on a laptop. Now I want to get my laptop etched! You can see Mona and a bunch of other laptop etchings (Barry Manilow?!?) over here.And that will be my last post of 2007. See you in 2008! Happy New Year, and thanks for reading! I love all of you!

Lucite Lamp - My Kitchen

This Lucite lamp is one of those "Perfect" Christmas Gifts. It was given to me by my girlfriend Linda. She always knows exactly what I want, sometimes better than I know. I have to clarify that we have know each other for many years and met at Design School. Yes she is an Interior Designer also. Who else would give me something so perfect for my new kitchen. She has been my guiding light on the renovation of my home. When I was unsure if I was making the right decisions, I always consulted with her for her expert opinion. When I was on the search for the perfect hardware for my kitchen cabinets, I stumbled upon Lucite handles. Although I loved them I needed her opinion. Luckily she loved them and they are now a fait accompli (see the bottom 2 pictures). This is the lamp she bought me to sit on my antique 19th Century mahogany breakfast table to go with the Lucite theme. I don't know who was more excited as I unwrapped my Christmas gift - her or me!! Thanks Linda

Lucite lamp on top of my 19th Century English mahogany breakfast table with brass inlay.

My table is surrounded by my favourite chairs. The Louis XV Bergere Chair I have had for 25 years. It has a down seat cushion with a 1/4" flange edge, and is covered (in it's 3rd reincarnation) in a Scalmandre' damask fabric. The shield back chair is Georgian.

These are the Lucite handles gracing my pantry cabinets. My floors are 24" porcelain tile. I love it because it looks and feels like limestone without the hassles of limestone. Nicole, my little Yorkshire Terrier, and my grandsons like it because it is heated.

Postscript Jan 8 2008
Thanks for all your comments. I will post more pictures of my Kitchen as when it is finished.

Lucite Patio Bench

This is a fabulous new design for a lucite patio bench by the talented Jordan Capella in LA. What makes this bench perfect for outdoors is the lucite base and the fabric it is upholstered in, which is a solution dyed acrylic. Many companies are now carrying this type of fabric. I love the modern and fun way in which Jordan has used lucite to create his latest design. Good work Jordan!!

For a previous post where I have featured Jordan's work click here.

Check out the following web-sites for some companies that carry solution dyed acrylic fabrics for outdoor living. Tip: I sometimes use this type of fabric for indoor upholstery as it is very durable and cleanable.

Good for use in high traffic areas with kids and pets.

Kravet Soleil

Perennials Fabrics

Scalamandre Island Cloth Collection

Lulu DK Fabrics

Seacloth

Sunbrella

Weatherwize

Alaxi Fabrics

Nomi Fabrics

stomp. ashtray.

I don't recommend smoking and in fact advocate against it so I don't need an ashtray. But if you do smoke and do need an ashtray, I'd like to point out Stomp. The idea here is that most people are going to throw their butts on the floor anyway and then step on the them put them out (hopefully), so why not have form follow function and create an ashtray that works with smokers instead of against

Merry Christmas to One and All

This is a picture of Inigo, my client Elizabeth's beautiful son.

volcano.

Volcano is part sculpture and part table. It comes form Christa, a design house that "explores the roots of primitivism and modernism, the found and the sculptural in the everyday and the monumental." I get it. Er, sort of. There's not too much info on the site about Volcano so I'm not sure what it's made of, what it costs or even if it's for sale. But you can get the idea just by looking at

2008 Your Best Year Yet - Write it Down Make it Happen

For those of you wanting to get a head start on making 2008 Your Best Year Yet. I highly recommend this book - Write It Down, Make It Happen . I am deliciously writing in my new Moleskin notebook with my yellow Lamy fountain pen all the wonderful things I want to happen in my world in the New Year. Make 2008 your "Best Year Yet" by getting clear about what you want to happen.

Update Dec 27 2007
A reader has just informed me that there is a Blog devoted to the "Moleskin.
If you are so inclined you can check it out here.

Red Inspiration for Christmas 2007

Christmas is by far my favourite time of year. It is the time of year that I am stimulated both emotionally and visually. I love the decorations, the lights, the spirit of giving and receiving, and most of all this time of year makes me attracted to the color red more than any other time of the year. So in the spirit of the season and the mood I am in, following are some of my favourite red rooms and objects of decor. I wish to you all a season filled with the spirit of love, happiness and time spent with family and friends.

What a great use of a modern stripe on a traditional chair and the other touches of red in the room echoed in the roman shade and flowers.

Brian McCarthy Elle Decor Dec 2007

What about just one touch of red in your room in a wonderful and ornate mirror frame?

World of Interiors March 2007 James Mortimer

My favourite Interior Designer, Albert Hadley in front of his famous red bulletin board

A door covered in red felt that I adore by the fabulous Suzanne Rheinstein

A masterful use of red in this room. The touches of black in the bureau, art frames and accessories ground the space and act like punctuation marks.

Ward Denton and Christopher Gardner Elle Decor 2002 via Peak of Chic

The name John Stefanidis says it all. A brilliant combining of checks and geometrics in this monochromatic color scheme. And the dimensions of the room are so grand...to have the space to float a table in the center of the room. A perfect place to pile stacks of books.

John Stefanidis
A classic Chinese Bamboo chair painted bright shiny red is complimented perfectly with the matching red trim on the draperies.
Richard Mishaan Elle Decor June 2007


Check out the red piping on this sofa and the detail on the skirt, and of course you all know my fixation with zebra carpets.
Martyn Lawrence-Bullard via Cote de Texas

I love this beautiful ornate armoire juxtaposed with the clean lines of the contemporary chair. And of course the well photographed coffee table book - Cabinet of Natural Curiosities. 2007 might well be dubbed as the year of Red Coral and this book may go down in the Guinness World Book of Records as the most photographed book.
Picture source unknown


Everything is perfection in this room. My favourite chairs by Phillip Stark-The Ghost Chair
Elle Decor Nov 2006

Another classic chair by Harry Bertoia shown with a red leather cushion. A 1950's Chair designed for the Knoll Group

When I saw these dishes while driving by, in a window display at the Hermes store, I was so taken with them that I circled the block to find a parking spot and went into the store to check them out. What is there not to like about anything that Hermes does?

How cool would this be hanging in an entry foyer?

Neptune lantern by Vaughan Designs.com

A lacquered & stainless table by Vincente Wolfe for Ralph Pucci.net

Red lacquered candle sticks from Gumps.com


And last but not least my favourite sofa of the year designed by the late John Hutton and appropriately named the "Touche Sofa". Available through David Sutherland Showrooms

A Merry Merry Christmas to one and to all !

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A Merry Red Christmas Eve

I am planning my virtual outfit to wear on Christmas Eve. This year has been very special and there is alot to celebrate and to be thank-ful for. Red seems appropriate and just feels right for this time of year. In a perfect world this is what I would love to have in my closet and jewellery chest. What do you think?

Lida Baday silk skirt & Donna Karen turtle neck
Cartier "Le Basier du Dragon" 18K white gold & ruby earrings based on Art Deco style. The lucky thread is tied, as when making a wish.

Manolo Blahnik shiny red sequin heels trimmed with satin piping.

Cartier Ruby & Diamond Ring

Cartier Classic Diamond Watch with red crocodile strap

And to finish off the outfit Cartier Delices Perfume

Sweet dreams of a Merry Red Christmas

For another post on colorful Red for the Holiday Season visit Me, Myself & I

White Flowers for a White Christmas

There's something about white flowers at Christmas that I like better than at any other time of the year.
HAPPY WEEKEND & HAPPY CHRISTMAS SHOPPING

Best Present

"The spirit of Christmas lies in the beauty and innocence of youth"

This is from Pink Wallpaper...a picture of her daughter

Work in progress - Master Bedroom

Patron Saint Bridge 30" x 48"

This is a piece of artwork just purchased for a client's home . The artist is Gretchen Gammell. I particularly

like her newest work which is a whimsical tribute to the "transitions and narratives of modern female life". She uses a muted palette and languid, girlish characters. It is going to hang over the bed in the Master Bedroom on a concrete wall. The draperies are going to be full length silvery gray taffeta silk which will compliment the concrete wall. The bedding will be all white with throw cushions in a bright pink Designers Guild fabric to pick out the color of the flowers in the dress in the artwork. I found really cool lamps for the bedside tables. The bases are covered in birch bark and the shades are chocolate taffeta and sit on a clear lucite base.

The Soul of Interior Design

I have just come across a wonderful Blog Nunu Pepe, written by a South African artist, interior decorator & product designer. I was particularily struck by her post "Touch of Blue" and I have taken the liberty of reprinting the following to share with you as it touches a cord deep inside of me. I believe that your surroundings effect your world and everything you do. We may not be conscious of this, but on a deeper level life is better when we are happy in our homes. William Morris was quoted as saying "Have nothing in your homes that is not useful or beautiful." So in the spirit and soul of beautiful interiors.....enjoy.

"When you realise that a beautiful interior has very little to do with objects and a whole lot to do with spirit, general well being and upliftment you find the soul of interior design. If you have respect for your surroundings and everything has it's perfect place you interact with your world differently you carry yourself differently. My father used to say that the state of your surroundings is the state of your mind. (My bedroom was usually a mess at this point)Look around your home, let your home be the foundation of your aspiration!!"

Photos Frank Roop Interiors

Patricia Gray writes about Interior Design inspirations, emerging trends, and the world of Design.
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bizarre. chandelier.

I like a light that knows what it is. In this case it's a chandelier by Fambuena that looks, well, bizarre, and so it's been dubbed the Bizarre Chandelier. Nice and simple for all concerned. It's got a Polycryl body, a 20 foot suspension cable and comes in "ivory" or "white". I think that must be a misprint because it seems to come in red and white. It costs $2,335.50.

Chic White Bedrooms

Nothing is more chic or timeless than WHITE ON WHITE in a bedroom. I grew up in a white bedroom and I can still remember the quality of light that came through my white curtains as the morning sun was rising. Using white in a room can make it have surprising depth - I use several shades of white to bring out the architectural details in a room, or I layer the space with strong forms in different tones and textures of white and then use some strong contrasts to outline and bring the white into focus. Also every room no matter what colors are being used can benefit from a touch of black. Some of my favourite whites I use are are from Benjamin Moore - Cloud White, Simply White, Ballet White, Designer White. Not every white is snow white. Try using: ivory, cream, antique white, and palest beige, blue and yellow.

I like the way that Thomas Pheasant has treated this bedroom architecturally.
The wrap around tufted low headboard creates a unified feeling to a room that has angled walls.
Vincente Wolf is a master at juxtaposition.
His signature element in all of his rooms is a large over sized mirror, usually resting on the floor.

This is Nancy Corzine's very elegant bedroom.
The mirrored screen creates a lively play of light and images.

Super Luxe by Alberto Pinto.
I like the layering of the padded headboard on a padded wall.

Fun & whimsy by Antonia Hutt

Hotel Luxe Marrakesh

This is a master bedroom that I did for a bachelor in Vancouver's historic Gastown. There are recessed sliding glass doors on each side of the bedroom to close it off from the dining room and the ensuite bathroom.

Mimmi O'Connell

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Picture Credits for last 4 photos:
Thomas O'Brien
Mary McDonald
John Stefanidis
Tom Scheerer