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The Essentials of Fabulous

I just returned from a �fabulous� six days in New York. It really is a special time at Christmas with all the lights and excitement�..more of my adventures in a later post. I just wanted to share with you a must-get book for Christmas gift giving. I have just placed an order for a dozen to have on hand for last minute gifts for all the fabulous girlfriends, guyfriends, relatives, and for all the fabulous people you haven�t met yet.

�No one is born fabulous,� author Ellen Lubin-Sherman writes. �You have to decide to do it�to transform yourself into one of those amazing creatures that infiltrate our lives and ignite our dreams with their swagger, energy, pizzazz, and soign� charm.� The Essentials of Fabulous guides you to set yourself apart in this �whatever� world by paying scrupulous attention to detail. It shows you how passion, enthusiasm, attitude, superior manners, and a terrific personal style will catapult you right into the fabulous pantheon.

So I recommend that you definitely get a copy for yourself and while you are at it get as many as you can for all the fabulous people in you life.

Happy Fabulous to all of you!!

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

First Impressions

I was meeting with a client recently about a new home they are building and I was discussing my philosophy of the importance in creating an environment that nurtures and supports the needs and lifestyles of the occupants. There is so much more than meets the eye when designing a home. I am reminded by what I was taught by my feng shui instructor and mentor Grandmaster Professor Thomas Lin Yun: �when you enter a space it takes your body and psyche tens seconds to adjust to the space � either in a negative or a positive way.� Our homes are living and dynamic vessels that either optimally support us, or support us in a diminished capacity. Is your home all it can be?

Photo: Patricia Gray Inc; Artwork: Martha Sturdy, Tom Burrows; Photography: Roger Brooks

A Perfect White Geranium

To my delight and surprise this morning I found this last perfect white geranium in my garden as the nights are turning cold and crisp and we are rapidly approaching winter. It is hardy and pure.

HOMEFRONT

In pursuit of happy endings��..

I have been published this month in http://www.patriciagrayinc.com/docs/Homefront-Patricia-Gray.pdf magazine. Thank-you to Homefront�s Editor-in-Chief, Caroline Tapp-McDougall and writer, Lindsay Jackson.

Photos courtesy Natasha Duff of Meade Design Group

Click on the PDF icon to read the whole article.

5 iPad Apps for Interior Design

I got a new iPad this summer as a gift from dear clients on the completion of their home and it has changed my life and the way I do business. No longer do I have to carry around my laptop � the iPad does every thing for me and more when I am out of the office that I used to bring my laptop for. With some clever apps I have a virtual box in my hands. These are some of the iPad Apps I am using that are proving to be indispensable:

1. Dropbox is a service that lets you bring all your photos, documents, and videos with you. After you install Dropbox on your computer, any file you save to your Dropbox will automatically save to all your computers, your iPhone and iPad. With the Dropbox app you can take everything that matters to you on the go. It is very easy to use � you just drag the file you want to transfer into the Dropbox folder on your computer and it almost instantly shows up on your iPad. Magic! You can share folders on line by giving others access by email. I have used it recently to transfer photos and drawings to a client and my contractor. It saves sending numerous emails and you can send high resolution images seamlessly.

2. Evernote turns your iPad into an extension of your brain, helping you remember anything and everything that happens in your life. From notes to ideas to snapshots to recordings, you put it all into Evernote and it instantly synchronizes between all your devices � iPad, iPhone and Mac or Windows desktop. No more having to plug your devices into each other.

3. iBooks is an Apple app that comes on your iPad. You can read books on it much like Kindle, but what I really use it for in business is downloading PDF documents such as CAD drawings, specifications, manuals etc. What makes the iPad so unique is that you can enlarge just the areas you want to see by dragging your fingers over the screen � it works like a magnifying glass. I recently downloaded the PDF of my camera & lens manual and it is now always with me.

4. Flipboard was named Apple�s iPad app of the year and rightly so. It is a fast, beautiful way to flip through the news, photos, videos and updates on social media sites. It is now my preferred way of bookmaking and browsing my favourite websites.

5. Microsoft Tag lets you instantly connect to a whole new world of information. there is not need to type long URLs, you simply scan the Tag. Microsoft Tag multicolored barcodes transform traditional marketing, such as print advertising, packaging, LDC displays etc. into live links that immediately access info, videos, and other material online.

*Best of all Dropbox, Evernote, iBooks, Flipboard and Microsoft Tag are all free iPad Apps
Check out my Post on 5 iPhone Apps for Interior Design

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

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

Interior Design Russia

Well I have just been published in Interior Design magazine in Russia. We really live in a global world and it is exciting to be so connected by the internet, blogging, Facebook, Twitter and all the new and evolving forms of social media. For those of you who don�t read Russian I have included a translation to English at the bottom of this article. Click on the PDF icon. You can read the magazine here. It is very interesting to see what the design trends are in that part of the world. I think that they are very contemporary and �cutting edge.� My article starts on Page 90. Let me know what you think.

Click on the PDF icon to read the whole article with translation.

Williams-Sonoma 5 Interior Design Blogs We Couldn�t Live Without

Thank-you Williams-Sonoma for picking this blog!
5 Interior Design Blogs We Couldn�t Live Without

By Jay Johnson
It�s easy to smell a phony when reading a blog; the words don�t ring true, they sound contrived, and the advice isn�t from the heart. But a great interior designer�s blog can be inspirational and helpful � and even funny. As bloggers, Irwin and I appreciate the extra work it takes to step outside of your everyday design projects and communicate to people you might never meet about what you love, what you hate, what resources you�ve just used on a job, and what elements of taste and style make you see the world in your own unique way. Here are some of our favorite interior designer blogs.

Patricia Gray This cleanly designed and beautifully photographed blog is the creation of a generous designer. Vancouver based Patricia Gray shares her keen eye for style, takes us on trips around the world (and points out her �favourites�), and points out the resources and materials that she enjoys using on a job. The latter is particularly useful for interior designers. It�s great to see a master designer work, look at resources as they appear in finished spaces, and get an analysis of why and how they function beautifully. You also get the bonus of a well-trained feng shui student, layered on top of the interior designer, and you can better understand why Patricia�s interiors exude calm, serenity, and strong flow.
Read full article

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 (a program that converts color digital photography to black and white photography) 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 photography with a software program called Silver Efex Pro2 and I quite like how the images below the water show up much clearer in the black and white photography then in the color version.

This image was converted from a color digital to black & white photography using a program called Silver Efex Pro 2.

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.�

Qualicum Beach Smiling Rock

I was visiting Qualicum Beach this weekend and someone put this rock down on the beach path. It put a smile on my face. Thank-you � whoever you are!

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�

10 Things to do in New York in the Summertime

1. Sit on the grass roof terrace at Lincoln Center. This stylish sloping green lawn is situated on top of a restaurant at the recently remodelled Lincoln Center and overlooks Lincoln Center�s reflecting pool and Henry Moore sculpture. The night I was there was a perfect summer night and the bonus was it was a full moon which hung in the sky with the city scape of New York below it. I had a hard time leaving.

2. Visit Vicente Wolf. I met Vicente when he was in Vancouver this Spring and he invited me to drop in and see him when I next in New York. He showed me around his office and then his showroom which is packed with treasures that he purchases on his yearly trips to exotic locations.

3. See a play in the theatre district. This time I saw Wicked at the Gershwin Theatre. It is the story of the Wizard of Oz long before Dorothy drops in, and the relationship of the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch. It was a great show. Be sure to dress up and have a nice dinner before the theatre, as I think it makes the experience all the more special.

A close-up picture I took of the curtain before the show started
4. Have dinner at:
La Esquina in Soho
You have to walk down a flight of stairs and through the kitchen to get to the restaurant. Book well in advance as it is very popular. It is the best Mexican food I have had outside of Mexico. I was told by a friend to try the deep fried Crickets. I was happy when I was told that they were no longer on the menu so I didn�t have to lie and say I had them. They also have a selection of over 200 premium tequilas. The waiters wore red t-shirts with �SEXICO� on the front.

Le Colonial in the Upper East Side
The ambiance of French Colonial Vietnam (Indo Chine) of the 1920�s has been recreated in this two storey townhouse, decorated with black and white period photos, ceiling fans, lush potted palms. I had one of their signature dishes - Vietnamese crisp-seared whole red snapper with a light, spicy and sour sauce. Yummm!

5. Have lunch at Bergdorf Goodman�s restaurant, decorated by Kelly Wearstler and overlooking Central Park.

6. Shop, shop, shop
My favourite street is Madison. I start at Barneys at 61st and walk up to 70th and then down 70th to visit one of the most beautiful galleries in New York - the Frick, with a stop at the Nespresso Boutique between 65th & 66th for an Iced Latte and the best quiche outside of Paris. This trip I also �did Soho� and discovered some new stores:

7. Walk Central Park South East
I never knew this pond was here in Central Park. As we were walking back to our Hotel after our shop, shop, shop afternoon, I saw the trail lead into Central Park � you enter off of 5th Ave and 60th Street. In a few short moments we were transported into another world � a perfect escape from the hustle and bustle of the city. It is situated below street level, and the noises of the city are left behind. We were able to walk through the lush park almost all the way back to our Hotel.

8. Visit Francine at Interieurs. Francine is a friend of mine that I met through the Blogosphere. One of the highlights of my visits to New York is to visit her at her wonderful store and then go out to dinner together. Francine has one of the most outstanding roof decks in all of New York where she hosts many parties in the summer. There is never enough time to catch up on everything. She is busy working out with a personal trainer to prepare herself for climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in September.

9. Have drinks at the Empire Hotel which is where Gossip Girls is filmed and has the official drink Cocktail List of the �Gossip Girls� TV show with catchy names like: I�m Chuck Bass � Dewar�s Scotch, Red Apple, Ginger Bites and Apple Cider. You can read the Cocktail list here.

10. Visit MoMA
Get there early especially if you go on the weekend. We arrived at 10:30 on Sunday morning with a short line-up and by the time we left at 12:30 the line-up outside was down the street and around the corner. I head up to the top floor (and work my way down) to see my favourite painting � Monet�s Water Lilies which I could feast my eyes on forever. It is an amazing 42 feet in length. Tip: This trip I purchased a membership which is very cost effective and means you don�t have to stand in a line-up.

Luxury Home

�An upfront interview process allows this Vancouver design firm to meet
all the design needs of busy professionals�.
Luxury Home

PATRICIA GRAY INC
story by Romy Schafer
photos by Roger Brooks

For nearly 30 years, Patricia Gray of Patricia Gray Inc. has been creating one-of-a-kind residential installations for individuals too time-pressed to contemplate their design wants and needs, much less deal with the inherent challenges of renovating a room or entire home. �Most of the clients I work with are busy professionals, so I handle all the details for them,� says Gray, principal of the Vancouver-based design firm, which has executed projects in the United States, Canada, Japan, Singapore and Africa.

�All the details� typically range from ascertaining a client�s needs and wants to designing custom furnishings to arranging amenities. �I offer a complete service for my clients�everything that�s required in making a space personalized for them,� she says, noting that she also does full design-build project management.

Thousands of sheets of silver leaf were hand applied to the recessed ceiling, reflecting the crystal chandelier, sunlight through the floor-to-ceiling windows and the water of False Creek.

Gray�s recent installation at Vancouver�s The Erickson�a 17-storey residential tower designed by and named for world-renowned architect Arthur Erickson�illustrates her complete-service approach. When a busy San Francisco couple commissioned Patricia Gray Inc. to turn their spacious two-bedroom, three-bath condominium into a second home for impromptu visits, the designer looked to a luxury, five-star hotel for her inspiration. �They wanted a home that they could come to on the spur of the moment and everything would be ready for them,� she explains. �I set up flower delivery, maid service, laundry service and concierge service, so the clients can just send emails [to these service providers] when they decide to come to Vancouver. When they leave, the maid service cleans everything up.�

Limestone countertops and backsplashes, SieMatic cabinets and Miele appliances give the kitchen a modern, European look.

So how does Gray, an award-winning designer who studied at the Parsons School of Art and Design in Paris and the University of Ferrara in Italy, determine clients� design preferences and needs�something they often don�t know themselves? �I arrive at that through my extensive interview process,� she explains. �I ask them how they�re going to live in their space, what their entertainment requirements are, what their family requirements are [and so on]. Then, I get to know them, and the style evolves by osmosis.�

Thoroughly acquainting herself with clients� lifestyles at the project�s onset enables Gray to develop a complete design concept for them, �so they know exactly what their home is going to look like when it�s finished, before we even start,� she says. �Everything�s designed and priced. Then, they approve the concept and the budget, and I proceed from there,� ultimately handing over a completed, customized new home.

But, as every experienced designer knows, the journey from the initiation of a project to its completion can be filled with challenges. �There�s a lot of coordination to do with all the different suppliers and sub trades involved,� Gray explains. �It�s one thing to be able to design something very beautiful, and it�s another thing to be able to execute it. The great challenge is in the execution�it�s like putting together a gigantic jigsaw puzzle. All the pieces have to fit together, and everybody�s got to work together to bring it to fruition.�

Adjacent to the kitchen, accordion-style doors open the entire 20-foot width of the balcony. Views of the downtown Vancouver skyline and the mountains can be seen in the distance. Patricia Gray Inc. custom pillows in Sunbrella fabric.

For Gray, working with high-level tradespeople and artisans is key to a successful, problem-free renovation. �I have quite a wonderful group of people that I�ve built up over the years that can execute my designs,� she says. �I think that�s one of the bonuses my clients have in me�my intellectual knowledge, all the years of experience I�ve had and having the right people working with me. I have a wonderful contractor who I can totally count on. Everyone I work with shows up when they�re supposed to and completes their jobs on time and on budget.�

Creating custom-designed furnishings like tables, seating, media and wall units, pillows and artwork further enables Gray to create personalized spaces for clients. �I have a millwork company, an upholstery workroom, a drapery workroom,� she explains, adding, �What I do is very unique and very specific for each client. I like to think of my design as couture. Everything is custom-designed and made specifically for each client.�

This penchant for designing home furnishings has led to a new business venture for Gray: a line of custom furniture based on some of the limited edition, custom pieces that she�s created for past projects. At press time, possible manufacturing partners and marketing initiatives for the line were still being worked out, according to Gray.

The master bedroom is on a corner, with windows along two walls. Patricia Gray Inc. custom motorized silk draperies and roller shades control the natural light reflecting from the silver leaf ceiling. The linens are by Frette bedding with an Hermes throw and Patricia Gray Inc. pillows made with Jim Thompson fabric.

Creating elegant, personalized spaces will no doubt continue to be Gray�s m�tier. When asked what she considers the most rewarding part of her job, she quickly responds, �When I hand over the completed project to my clients�when all the months of work are finished, and they see everything in its beauty and perfection.�

Discover more about Patricia Gray.

White Paint and Other White Necessities

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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

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

Ottomans, Benches, Foot Stools

Ottomans have become a favourite of mine to use in family/media rooms and dens. I like using them for several reasons. First and foremost they serve as the indispensable coffee table. I like to make mine with tight tops and rather flat as opposed to padded with a pillow effect. This way you can set things on top of them without worrying about them toppling over. Secondly you can comfortably set your feet on them and be in a semi-reclining position to watch TV, read or maybe even fall asleep. Thirdly I can have them made any size to fit the requirements of the room. This is a real benefit because large coffee tables are hard to find. In the space below the ottoman is made out of deep chocolate brown faux Ostrich. This family has two young daughters and they use the ottoman to color on and do their craft projects and have snacks. Spills can be wiped up easily, and the deep brown faux ostrich adds and a nice textural interest and makes a dramatic center focal point for the room.

This ottoman is large by ottoman standards 5 feet by 3 1/2 feet. It is covered in Holly Hunt, Hair on Hide Leather, in a creamy butterscotch color. It was made long so 3 people sitting on the sofa could all put their feet up on it, and I made it deep enough to that there was still room at the back for the inevitable books, magazines, remote controls and trays for snacks and drinks. It also doubles as extra seating for parties. What coffee table has that much versatility?

The Ottoman in this penthouse I had made in charcoal gray Beacon Hill "Pashmina". It is soft and luxurious like a Cashmere blanket and makes a nice warming contrast to the leather sofa. It sits on top of the same color of Belgium wool area carpet. Facing the sofa is the view with the TV hung and framed between the windows. Where else do you put the TV in a room that is all windows & view.

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