Garden Romance from Vogue

While I enjoy seeing great buildings and interiors, I do especially like a great garden. I have been spending many walks this summer in Wellington's Botanic Gardens - I believe it is good for the soul to walk in such lush surroundings.

Here is an exquisite and romantic English garden that I couldn't help but stop and admire. Read the interesting article by Bella Pollen to how this garden came about here.

Photographs by Francois Halard for Vogue.

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advertise with greige

 

Interested in advertising on greige? 

I am now accepting sponsors for February. 

For more information on advertising please check here. 

 

image via glen proebstel

 

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Jason Wu For Target

Starts this Sunday!! Let the raging begin!! xo Amanda

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Parking in Paris – How do the French do it?

This is a street on the Left Bank in Paris in Saint-Germain-des-Prés. It is not unlike parking on other streets in Paris. I was continually amazed at how the French managed to park their cars so close together and then how they managed to get out of such a tight spot. Surprisingly I didn’t see a lot of damaged bumpers.


Parking in Paris – how do the French do it?

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.
2012 © Patricia Gray | Interior Design Blog™

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Inspirational Office

Lot's of homework to get through in the next few days, so I'd post a pretty office space to get me motivated. Now if I had a workspace like this I might actually be excited to do my assignments! I love the bright floral rug and the cool art deco archway. Enjoy! xox Tiffany Leigh

via Apartment Therapy (Thank you to Jessica from The Aestate for helping me locate the source)

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New Sponsor AND A GIVEAWAY

It's February....

How in the HELL is it February????

and why does it go so fast....

Anyways,

I have some REALLY GREAT new sponsors that I will be introducing you to over the next few days..

First up Elise Allen

She is one talented lady....see for yourself

Beautiful!

Elise has graciously offered up one of her pretty paintings.

 A 6" x 6" venetian plaster and acrylics on wood panel painting.  

It is valued at $125!

How beautiful would this be nestled amongst your books on a bookshelf, or on your bedside table?

Loves...

It's yours if you win, so you better get entering!

How To:

1. Go "like" Elise Allen on Face Book HERE

2. Join Elise's mailing list HERE

3. Follow Amber Interiors here on the bloggy!

4. Tweet the giveaway and follow Amber Interiors on Twitter HERE

5. Go "like" Amber Interiors on Facebook and post the giveaway on your wall HERE

I'll have my fingers crossed for you.

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Arched entry...

 

These doors are gorgeous and the green garden is not too bad either.

What a whimsical beautiful entryway.

image via pinterest

 

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Design Crush: Amy Lau

As I mentioned yesterday, my latest design crush is Amy Lau. I was unfamiliar with her by name but once I started flipping through her book, I immediately recognized her work from shelter magazines. Here are some hot points from her bio: she worked under Thomas O'Brien, she studied at the Soetheby's graduate program in New York, she's been in a zillion magazines and she has a zillion product lines including a limited-edition line for Showtime inspired by the show Dexter. Amy clearly specializes in Mid-Century Modernism as you will see when we take a look at her portfolio....now. 

I love the mix of modern and natural. Hard to pull off but she does it well. 

To see more of her work click here or buy her book!

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Year of the Dragon 2012

Sorry for the radio silence yesterday.  We had a whirl wind of a weekend!  Like everybody else, sometimes life gets in the way.  We ran the entire time between kids sports, yard work (hard to believe it's already time for that), laundry, celebrating my husband's birthday, a 6th grade dance (yikes!), finishing up all the AV programing for our new media area and getting my den put back together (for a full explanation of the media area click here).  Yes!  The media area is finally finished, and I'm thrilled with it.  I promise to take some pictures to show you later this week.  Sorry for the tease, I just have not had time to photograph it.  

What I wanted to share with you today is a recent find.  A couple of weeks ago I was sourcing accessories for a design job I've been working on and ran across these very cool dragon plates.  

The price was great (around $40 for a set of six), and I loved the shape of the dragons along with the gold/brassy tones.  Also, I don't have a single dragon in my house.  So, I snagged them - (thinking at a minimum they would be a fun addition to my dining room for a dinner party).

Then, last week I took a look at the February/March issue of Traditional Home.  To my delight, there was an entire five page spread on all things dragon!  I did not realize 2012 is the year of the dragon (not sure where I've been?).  

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I do think it can be a bit intimidating to incorporate dragons into your interiors.  So, I thought it would be fun to give you a little inspiration.  Here are just a few fun ways to celebrate the year.

Schumacher Chiang Mai Dragon in Mocha (one of my favorites)

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A sweet photograph of a newborn.

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Green Jade Pendant

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Wallpaper for a child's room  - great as an accent wall; or, for a smaller punch, add it to the backs of a bookshelf or hutch.

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Wallpaper for a grown up space.

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Plates for either display on the wall or worked in with your current china pattern.

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Graphic Long Dragon Print (another great piece for a child's room).

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For the man in your life.

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Boxes are such wonderful accessories for any space.

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These are a statement.  I could see a pair of these in a kitchen for open shelving.

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Still not sure about having a dragon in your house?  Well, maybe the solution is to paint your doors Ben Moore Dragon's Breath!  

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Hope your week is off to a great start.
I am working on a redesign all this week, so posting will be light!  M.

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Portugese Holiday Retreat

In yesterday's post, we saw the work of Parisian interior designer Jacques Grange's collaboration with Francis Ford Coppola on the Palazzo Margherita hotel in Italy. Since then, I have come across Grange's Portugese holiday home, which it is quite different from his usual luxurious work.
Relaxed and casual, 'Casa Nina' is located within a collection of houses in the Alentejo region, on the Portugese coast. I like the mix of French furniture, African fabrics and Morrocan rugs, alongside the Portugese objects and crafts - it comes together beautifully and simply.
Photographs by Martin Morrell via W Magazine.

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Highlights from Paris - Maison et Objet 2012

I have just returned from Paris where I attended Maison et Objet. Maison et Objet is Europe's biggest décor show where I got the first look at the products, colours, and styles that will set the trends for the world for 2012 in interior design. 

      
The Spanish furniture Company Baltus regards the creation of a piece of furniture as a work of art. They create avant-garde pieces with simple geometric shapes in amazing lacquer finishes. Maison et Objet 2012

        A new line of bedding from Diane von Furstenberg. Maison et Objet 2012

Missioni - bright, colourful, and fun! Maison et Objet 2012

Ideel Contemporary Furniture incorporates salvaged antique teak ceiling beams and posts from Indian architecture into unique furniture pieces. Maison et Objet 2012 

An coffee table from Fendi that is lit with battery powered LED lights. Maison et Objet 2012

A TV incorporated into a mirror in the Fendi showroom. Maison et Objet 2012

Charlotte Moss and me at a presentation of her new line of fabrics for Fabricut. Maison et Objet 2012

A show stopping display by the Italian stone company, Antolini Luigi. The models were painted to blend into the slabs of granite and marble. Very evocative and very Italian! Maison et Objet 2012

   
Lighting by the German Company Anthologie Quartett. Maison et Objet 2012

I wish Kitchen Aid would offer sleek products like this for the North American market. Maison et Objet 2012

Hay Shop from Denmark – a climbing wall of towel rings. Maison et Objet 2012

 
Designed by the French designer David Turpin this contemporary styled Bluetooth handset has an integrated iPhone charging dock. Check out their web-site as they have some very innovative products. Native Union Maison et Objet 2012

From Tokyo porcelain cups by Ken Noborumurata. Maison et Objet 2012

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.
2012 © Patricia Gray | Interior Design Blog™

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