Patricia Gray | Interior Design Blog

Black and White Photography in Whistler

I have taken up photography. Is there ever a lot to learn. I started by taking a digital photography course at Emily Carr University. Then after much research and trial I decided on my camera and lens: a Nikon D7000 with a Nikkor 18-200 lens with polarizing filter. I wanted to get a full format FX camera but decided to get familiar with a DX camera first. I got Photoshop CS5 and Silver Efex Pro 2 as well as several books that I downloaded to my iPad 2 (BTW I love my new iPad 2 which was a gift from a client – thank-you very much!). All of this because I have a very curious mind and a very curious eye. I love the fact that when I look through the view finder of the camera I see the world differently from the way I view the world of Interior Design through my eye unframed. Looking through the lens forces my attention down to a small and very refined focus. I am also a believer of the value of life long learning and the fact that the appreciation of different  art disciplines enhances and broadens our experience of life.


The above photo was taken at a client’s home in Whistler just before sunset as I was standing on the edge of the dock. I went there to take photos of the lovely views from their home of the dock and lake, with hopes of getting some good images to frame and hang in their just completed home in Vancouver. Somehow the color version looks nice in a smaller format for viewing on the internet or in the photo album, but when I thought about enlarging it to a frameable size it didn’t look like fine art. I far prefer to hang black & white photography on walls. I converted the digital color photograph to black and white with a software program called Silver Efex Pro2 and quite like how the images below the water show up much clearer in the black and white photo then in the color version.

These are some of the other photos I took.

Fresh fruit for our morning brunch. The sunlight was streaming in the window and this setting was calling out to me to take the photo quickly before 1. either the sunlight moved on or 2. we sat down and started eating. So much of photography I am learning is to seize the moment. Thank-you Nora for the delicious and beautiful meals you prepared.

The picture above and below were taken at sunrise in one of the most beautiful places in the world Whistler.

The morning dew.

I will leave you with a quote by the brilliant French photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson.

“To take photographs means to recognize - simultaneously and within a fraction of a second - both the fact itself and the rigorous organization of visually perceived forms that give it meaning. It is putting one's head, one's eye and one's heart on the same axis.”

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™

My Vision of Heaven

A beautiful door, sunshine, a pea gravel garden path! 

Photo Credit
PATRICIA GRAY INC is an award winning interior design firm writing about the world of interior design, architecture, lifestyle, and travel.
2011 © Patricia Gray | Interior Design Blog™

A Glimmer of Hope

When I opened the blinds in my office this morning this is what I saw….could you hear me clapping my hands? I even did a little dance around my desk……. so happy, so happy. For those of you who live in Vancouver, you will understand. For those of you who live in more southern locations, you will think I have totally gone crazy. Yesterday I found myself on the internet looking up SAD to see if this was my problem, but today I know that I am just missing the sunshine. These beautiful crocuses that I planted last fall are my reminder that spring it is just around the corner! How strong and hardy they are pushing their way up and through the rocks. A testament to our northern spirit.

A view of the crocuses from my office window.

West Coast Homes & Design

This is an article that was just published in West Coast Homes & Design.

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

DIY Grace Kelly Hermes Bag

Kelly Bag

What woman hasn’t lusted after a Kelly handbag from Hermes. I know I have, but with a price tag over $10,000.00 I think twice. Even though the price tag is so high there is a waiting list to own one of these bags. Last time I was in New York I dropped into the Hermes store and enquired about purchasing  and was told that there was a several month wait and it was on a first come first serve basis. They were very vague about timing, color choices etc. and I was informed that they would not accept enquiries over the phone. Apparently you have to check in person in the store for the privilege of being able to buy one. Fine if you live in New York, have the time to hang around the store, and have the money to spend. The distinctive closure on the Kelly bag is what makes it so recognizable. I thought this DIY project was quite clever and could be fun to make if you are lusting after your own Kelly bag or know someone who is.

DIY Kelly Bag

Download the pattern and instructions from Paper Monkey. Please let me know if you decide to make one, or better yet send me a photo and I will post it.   Thanks to Content in a Cottage who suggests that this origami Kelly bag would be make fabulous place cards for your holiday table or fancy dinner party with a small gift inside for each guest.

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.
2011 © Patricia Gray | Interior Design Blog™

Lucite and Glass Faucet

This is one of the prettiest faucets I have seen. It would be a thing of beauty in a Powder or Guest Bathroom. It is made from glass with lucite handles. When the faucet is opened, the water comes out from the bottom and fills the vase up to the rim. A limited edition to bring an air of poetry to the bathroom.

Design Davide Vercelli for Hego Water Design Italy

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

To Kindle or Not?

The controversy for me is to read a book on Kindle, or to hold a book in your hands? Here is what I have decided. There is a place for both. There are certain books to read on Kindle. For me they are current best sellers that I usually devour, and having read them once they are cast to a separate and less prominent position on my bookshelf. It seems a waste of paper to me to have stacks of books that I will only read once. And another advantage of Kindle is that you can have that book instantly downloaded onto your Kindle wirelessly and be reading with no wasted time (and time is a precious commodity) standing in line at the bookstore or waiting for it to arrive by mail.

The new Kindle DX comes with a larger 9.7” display and I am debating on whether to wait until they come out with a color screen. I discovered that they now have Kindle for PC & iPhone (free download). I downloaded Kindle for PC last weekend and really enjoyed the ease of reading on my laptop. You can turn the pages in a nano second, which is good for speed reading certain types of books and I liked the illuminated screen for reading at night. I have read two bestsellers on Kindle for PC : The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande & Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell – both excellent books.

But then there are books that defy the use of Kindle for me, and those are the books that I want to hold in my hands, smell the pages, turn the pages, start reading from the back of the book, explore the beautiful pictures , arrange them in alluring stacks on my coffee table, line them up as works of art on my bookshelf. There is nothing as delightful to me as owning and reading a precious first edition.

1st Edition 1940 – I Married Adventure by Osa Johnson

So what do you think – to read a book on Kindle or hold it in your hands?

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

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.

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, Towels

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

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.

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.

Fabrizio Plessi’s Venetian Palazzo

Perfection!

Fabrizio Plessi's Venetian Palazzo

Fabrizio Plessi's Venetian Palazzo

Fabrizio Plessi's Venetian Palazzo
Interiors Magazine Photos: Paolo Utimpherger Magazine Cover: Photos Nathan Kirkman / Design Wendy Posard

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

Diary of an Interesting Year

A Rendering of my Living Room done by Michelle Morelan and given to me as a Christmas gift.

2009 is a great year to reflect back on, now that it is almost over.  Whew, what a turbulent year - full of challenges.  I am not one to buy into the doom and gloom of the economic climate (I have weathered others through the years: early 80's, early 90's, late 90's), but this year was a year of an down economic climate that has seemed to have escaped no one in the 'world.'   There is a saying that when the going gets tough, the tough get going.  It is hard to see when you are in the midst of chaos, until you have come through it.....hopefully we are through it!!!  One of the benefits for me was that I kept busy and was continually looking for ways to recharge and re-inspire. I was fortunate to have four wonderful trips this year to do just that.  It is very important when you are working in a creative field to be continually evolving and expanding your horizons, and travel helps me to do that.  I also full filled a life long dream this year and went back to school and took two Art classes in Mixed Media Painting.  I subsequently turned my garage into an Art Studio and have spent many glorious days there immersed in painting.

Palm Springs in the early Spring - where I became fascinated with and wrote a Blog posting on the Mid-Century Post Modern resurgence of 'screen block.'

Palm Springs Modern Architecture and the Use of Screen Block

A trip to the Okanagan with my Dad and a visit to the The Nk'Mip Winery and Resort in Osoyoss - where I was inspired by the use of Rammed Earth in Modern Architecture.

Rammed Earth Wall NK'MIP Winery Osoyoos

A trip to New York in September and another in December.  What can I say about New York, other than that it is one of the most exciting and visually stimulating cities in the world.  Being able to see the artwork of great masters at the MOMA, Georgia O'Keeffe at The Whitney, and Kandinsky at the Guggenheim - it just doesn't get better than that. I shopped for clients at the D & D Building, A & D Building, and the New York Design Center, explored Soho, Tribeca, the Meat Packing District, Canal Street, walked Central Park, 5th Avenue, tried the Subway, enjoyed live theatre, ate at wonderful restaurants, enjoyed the lights and shop windows all decorated for Christmas, met new friends, and connected with old friends.

  
Kandinsky at the Guggenheim / The Meatpacking district and Highline / South Pacific at The Lincoln Center 

Mixed Media Painting Classes at Emily Carr University of Art

Frottage 1  24" x 36" Mixed Media: Pastel, Acrylic, Gesso on Glassine

 
Experimenting with Mono Prints

Acrylic on Canvas

The Salton Sea, CA 23" x 36" Mixed Media on Paper

West Coast Landscape 24" x 48" Acrylic & Mixed Media on Canvas  

Triptych: Be Still My Bleeding Heart 72" x 36"' Chinese Ink on Bronze & Silver Metallic (left) / Diptych: Koi Pond 16" x 16" Gold & Pearl Opalescence (right)

 
My painting companion - Nicole


I am very honored to be on the 'Board of Experts' for LoftLife Magazine in 2009, and to have an article published in BC Home Magazine

I wish you all a very Happy, Healthy, and Prosperous 2010 and may all your dreams come true!!

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

Wrapping up 2009

I always revel in the week between Christmas and New Year as a time diverge from routine, and welcome the New Year in with a change in what I usually read throughout the year, which are books on Interior Design.  One of the ways I make a choices on what I want to read, is to leaf through several books and read the jacket covers or page through the book randomly to see if anything speaks to me.  That is how I choose, What the Dog Saw by Malcolm Gladwell. I had previously read his book, Tipping Point, and then saw him interviewed on a talk show on his third book - Outliers.  While paging through his most current book, What the Dog Saw, I was immediately hooked on his article entitled: The Ketchup Conundrum.  This book, What the Dog Saw, contains Malcolm Gladwell's favourite pieces that he has written over the last several years for the pages of The New Yorker.  "Good writing," Gladwell says in his preface, "does not succeed or fail on the strength of its ability to persuade.  It succeeds or fails on the strength of its ability to engage you, to make you think, to give you a glimpse into someone else's head."  It is a fascinating read.

Another favourite way to choose a book is to ask people what is their favorite book they have read.  Usually they are so enthusiastic in recounting the highlights of the book that it gets me excited to read it.  The outcome of my most recent enquiry was - the New York Times Bestseller by Muriel Barbery, The Elegance of the Hedgehog.  This book is set in Paris, which immediately attracted me, but the real focus of the book is about a woman who is a concierge at a bourgeois building in a posh Parisian neighborhood.  She (Renee) has a secret: she is a ferocious autodidact who furtively devours art, philosophy, music, and Japanese culture. Renee hides her true talents and her finest qualities from a world that she suspects cannot or will not appreciate them.  It is a story about living out her life in obscurity to hide this fact about herself, and how she reconciles herself to owning her brilliance. 

Last night on Charlie Rose I watched a fascinating interview with the brilliant Orhan Pamuk, a Turkish novelist and winner of 2006 The Nobel Prize in Literature, on his new book: The Museum of Innocence.  The story, which takes place in Istanbul between 1975 and today, is about obsessive passion and the great question: What is love, really?, as well as a look into the minds and culture of the Turkish society.  I am off to purchase this book tomorrow to wrap up my reading for these last few day left of 2009.

What is your favourite book that you have read lately?
Please leave a comment here, and let me know.

Patricia Gray is an award winning Interior Designer in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada who blogs about "WHAT'S HOT"
in the world of Interior Design: New and Emerging Trends, Contemporary Design, Modern Architecture and Travel,
as well as how your surroundings can enhance the world around you.
© Patricia Gray | Interior Design Blog™ 2009

Christmas Greeting

I got this from a friend, and I thought it might also get you in the Christmas Spirit...... Enjoy the spirit of Christmas, wherever you may be, and whoever you may be with!!! Patricia

P.S. And I add greetings to all the "beautiful men of this world."