The following is an interview posted today on me by Ronda Carman on her fabulous Blog: All The BestProfile: Patricia Gray by Ronda Carman
I adore the words of Jan de Luz, "Style…isn’t something that you apply like hand cream. It comes from within, as an emanation from your own being.” Vancouver based interior designer Patricia Gray is the perfect case in point. For those of us who follow her blog, we are well versed in Patricia’s inimitable style. Her designs are both studied and precise, while being completely livable and inviting. It is one of the main reasons Patricia never fails to excite and inspire. As I have alluded to numerous times, my design tastes run the spectrum. Patricia’s timeless and classic designs, with an undeniable modern edge, are the perfect prescription for my neuroses. Patricia received her training at the Parson's School of Design in Paris. She is a member of the Inter-Society Color Council of New York, the National Council for Interior Design, the Interior Designers of Canada and a certified Feng-Shui practitioner. Patricia's portfolio includes feature projects throughout the US and Canada, as well as in Japan, Singapore and Africa. A few notable design clients include John Travolta and Rob Feenie.
How would you describe your design style? I like furniture to have good lines, rooms to have good ‘bones', juxtaposition of good antiques and artwork with modern design.
What inspires your creativity and designs? Travel, being around young people, the ocean and the desert.
What is your most prized possession? I don’t know if you could call her a ‘possession” but my 4 ½ pound Yorkshire Terrier, Nicole.
What is the one thing in life you cannot live without? My cup of coffee in the morning. Who are your style icons? Interior Designers: Michael Taylor, Andree Putman, Antonio Citterio Fashion: Coco Chanel, Dianna Vreeland Who would you most like to collaborate with on a project? The great Albert Hadley. What is your favorite luxury in life? Travel. The best holiday I ever gave myself was a cruise from Rio to Barcelona. 10 days at sea crossing the Atlantic. It was the most relaxing time I have ever had. Nowhere to go, nothing to do….eat, sleep, eat some more.
What is your idea of earthly happiness? Clients that allow me be creative. Past or present who has most influenced your direction in life? My Mother for nurturing my creativity in childhood. My Father for teaching me good values: integrity, self reliance, and perseverance.
Who would you most like to meet and how would you spend the day? The dowager Queen Noor of Jordan. I have admired her for years from a TV interview with Larry King. Her style and humanitarianism left an indelible impression on me. However she would like to spend it!!
Profile by Ronda Carman To see this interview in full visit All The Best and please leave a comment for Ronda. Thank-you Ronda!!! Photos by Roger Brooks
The colors and subtle patterns of this room just would not work as well without the large bold pattern of this rug.
The subtlety of the rug under the bed grounds the room.
The soft colors and pattern of this room coincide with the upholstery and subtle colors on the wall. With out it, the contrast of a hard wood floor would take away from the beautiful furniture and the room just would not be the same.
Here, this rug makes a statement
Again, grounding the room.
The following three photos are from Catherine Martin. Amazing rugs!
This blog begins the first installment of the Snob’s Top Ten. Today's category covers rugs. So many times my clients have not given any thought about an area rug for the room they are working on. A beautiful rug can be the final touch for pulling a sitting area together. Often times a rug can be the inspiration for the design concept. I have talked a lot about inspiration lately. The pattern and colors of a rug can be the accent piece of an area and the rest of the room is comprised of solids, a range of tones mixed throughout the room on the upholstery, occasional tables and window treatments.
One of my favorite rug companies is Surya. My top ten rugs are featured from Surya rug company. Visit their website to view more rugs and to find out about the company. Surya rugs are available to special order out of What’s In Store, 125 N. Teon St, Colorado Springs, CO 80903. There are a number of rugs displayed in the store for you to see. If you have any questions, you are welcome to call at 719-375-9591.
Enjoy my favorites...
1. Amherst, a wide border wrapped around a poly sisal for a casual fashion statement. 2.Artist Studio, hand tufted high/low pile with texture & dimension, 100% New Zealand Wool.
3. Artist Studio, available in custom sizes and made in India.
4. Cosmo Collection, contemporary designs with a bright color palette.
5. Cosmo Collection, hand tufted from poly-acrylic fibers.
6. Concepts, machine made polypropylene and very durable for a teenagers room.
7. Jill Rosenwald, top designer of handmade ceramics, 100% wool in custom sizes.
8. Cosmo Girl/17 Collection, made in the U.S.A.
9. Cosmo Girl/17 Collection, hand tufted.
10. Shibui Collection, rich and elegant hand knotted 100% semi-worsted New Zealand Wool.
"Be faithful to your own taste because nothing you really like is ever out of style." ~Billy Baldwin
I thought the above quote by Billy Baldwin was very fitting to describe the exclusive outdoor furniture collection which was originally created by Walter Lamb for Brown Jordan in the mid-1940s. Just after World War II, the furniture designer Walter Lamb, began experimenting with bronze and copper tubing salvaged from sunken naval ships at Pearl Harbor and constructing prototypes incorporating canvas and yacht roping. The result was a collection defined by it's sculptural curves, sturdy construction and superb comfort. Today, Walter Lamb's furniture is still as timeless as ever and is still handcrafted to Lamb’s rigorous specifications by Brown Jordan. For modern use Brown Jordan has replaced the bronze pipe with weatherproof brass, which over time will develop a rich patina. Vintage pieces of Lamb's are now selling at starting prices of $5,000.00. Which goes to prove that nothing that is well designed and well crafted is 'ever out of style'.
Left: Vintage 1940's Walter Lamb Brown Jordan Rocking chaise in bronze, canvas and yacht roping. Right: Vintage 1940's Walter Lamb Brown Jordan Bronze chaise rewebbed in cotton yacht cord.
I recently received Michael Taylor's new book, Michael Taylor Interior Design. As most of you who read my Blog know, I was greatly influenced my Michael in my formative years in Design School. Not much has been published on his work outside of a few articles in Architectural Digest, so this has been a highly awaited book for me. Michael Taylor was dubbed the "James Dean of Interior Design" by Diana Vreeland and "the best decorator in the United States " by society and fashion photographer Cecil Beaton. Michael Taylor revolutionized interior design in the 1970's and 1980's with the "California Look". Taylor brought the outdoors inside with neutral palettes, natural light, large-scale furniture, and organic elements, especially stone, slate, wicker, and plants. His interiors expressed his love and appreciation of California and the outdoors. They were casual, comfortable, uncomplicated, and free of clutter. So much of what he created, we now take for granted, but he started it all.
Taylor believed that nature was man's best friend. His first shop was located in San Francisco and a notable neighbour on the same 500 block of Sutter Street was Williams-Sonoma (circa 1956). Taylor was particularly taken with the imported oyster baskets that were originally used to transport oysters from the coast of France to Paris. Their heavy natural weave appealed to Taylor. They had a profound effect on him. He began to use them as vessels for towering plants and trees - fishtail palms, ficus, and Zimmer linden - creating a look that became fundamental to his interiors. He believed that plants prevent "a room from feeling over-decorated", "soften the light" and "help a room breathe and feel alive" and thus initiated "the plant in a basket craze" with these baskets that he purchased from his neighbour - Williams-Sonoma back in 1956.
Above: The San Francisco penthouse Taylor designed for Al Wilsey and Pat Montondon, circa early 1980s. Michael Taylor Designs archives
Taylor was a proponent of white walls and ceilings. His interiors glowed with a specially formulated "Michael Taylor White". (Never pure white "Michael Taylor White" was a mixture of warm colors with a beige tone.) Although Taylor's rooms were known for their neutral palette, he always "advocated a strong secondary color and repetitive use of printed fabrics for a 'certain purity' and bold unified effect." He also clarified that "There is a tremendous amount of color in my rooms, but there are not many colors." In his formative years of his career he came to idolize the renowned decorator Francis Elkins (1888-1953), who has been quoted as being "one of the guiding forces in the whole development of what is the American style today". Taylor saw himself as Elkin's greatest disciple, and he believed completely in her genius. Michael Taylor died at the young age of 59 at the prime of his career. His work and the "California Look" that he invented continue to influence interior design today. The forward in this book is written by his good friend Rose Tarlow, herself a Design Icon in her own lifetime.
Michael Taylor was known for his extravagant shopping marathons which are legendary. When Taylor entered a shop, he always paused at its threshold and scanned the entire showroom. He had the reputation of being able to home in quickly and precisely on the finest pieces of inventory. He "never forgot beautiful things. He constantly absorbed everything he saw and banked it as a source of reference." He imparted his depth of sensitivity to his clients, and made them aware that "it's got to sing and talk back to you, and be A plus, plus if it crosses the threshold" of your house. At Taylor's death in 1987 he had amassed an enormous trove of beautiful objects. Their was an auction of 1355 lots, including his clothes, books and orchids. The following is the official auction catalogue with several color photographs of the furniture and objects in their rooms and in place in the garden with a nice foreword by Paige Rense, Editor-in-Chief of Architectural Digest. I got my copy from the Bill Hall at High Valley Books.
Interesting Statistic:House and Garden magazine devoted a record eighteen covers and more than one hundred articles to his work over a period of thirty years.
Reinventing Blue 
Turquoise Aquamarine 
Farrow & Ball Launch 18 New Colors 
Beige is Magic
The Color Purple
The Best Yellows 
Color of the Year 
Blue is the New Black 
The Color Orange 
Turquoise Bliss
Back to Black 
White Bedrooms
Beautiful Brown
Pink for Spring 
Green Chic
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