In pursuit of happy endings……..
I have been published this month in HOMEFRONT magazine Pages 16 – 20. Thank-you to Homefront’s Editor-in-Chief, Caroline Tapp-McDougall and writer, Lindsay Jackson.
Photos courtesy Natasha Duff of Meade Design Group
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™
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™
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
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™
“An upfront interview process allows this Vancouver design firm to meet
all the design needs of busy professionals”.
Luxury Home
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.
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.”
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.”
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.
Creating elegant, personalized spaces will no doubt continue to be Gray’s métier. 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.
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™
This is an article that was just published in West Coast Homes & Design.
PATRICIA GRAY INC is an award winning international 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™
Architectural Digest's February issue has just hit the newsstands and they have done a special Travel section for the 2010 Winter Olympics and my "Gastown" Project in Vancouver is featured.
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.
Patricia Gray in BC Home Magazine
Talks about Design 101
BC Home Magazine Design 101
BC Home Magazine Design 101 cont.
BC Home Magazine Design 101
View article in Adobe Reader
BC Home Magazine Design 101
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™
For those of you who haven't checked out the magazine LoftLife Magazine - The Loft Style Guide to Life in the City, it is a must read. And I don't say that only because I am on their 'Board of Experts' - the Editors and Creative Directors at LoftLife Magazine are top notch. Their style and editorials are fresh, relevant and timely. Last fall Kyra Shapurji, Managing Editor and Linden Hass, Photo Editor of LoftLife Magazine paid me a visit at my office in Vancouver to firm up a feature they were doing on favourite shopping spots of mine and a few other Design Professionals in Vancouver. Linden Hass shot a few pictures of me and the drawing below is what resulted.
You can successfully incorporate orange walls in your design by choosing the right rooms, complementary colors and accessories.
Orange is a vibrant, happy, social color. An orange wall can bring a dynamic energy to any room. It can simultaneously brighten a space while warming it up. Paired with the right colors and accessories, a large swath of orange can make a room really shine. But orange walls haven’t always been an easy sell to homeowners. An orange wall need not look like a giant homage to the citrus fruit; many different hues of this inviting, invigorating color exist in the paint world. Patricia Gray of Patricia Gray Interior Design in Vancouver, British Columbia, has selected three Sherwin-Williams paint colors that she feels illustrate the diversity of orange:
Like any dramatic color used abundantly, orange needs its counterparts.
"White or cream help balance the heat of the color," Gray says.
"Chocolate browns and charcoal grays are also accents that balance and coordinate nicely."
Sherwin-Williams Husky Orange 6636
An example of what might look like on a wall in a living room or family room.
Photo Jeffery Bilhuber
Sherwin-Williams Tango Orange 6649
An example of what Tango Orange might look like on a wall in a dining room. in a dining room.
Photo Antonia Hutt
Sherwin-Williams Kumquat Orange 6648
An example of what Kumquat Orange might this color might look like in a kitchen on a backsplash of back painted glass.
The glass gives this color more vibrancy.
Photo Jennifer Gilmer
** Colors may show differently on computer monitors than in real life. I always recommend painting a sample test.
Have you used orange paint in your home?
Do you think that you are likely to use orange in your home in the near future?
If so please let me know about it by leaving a comment.
Read full article at Sherwin-Williams Stir
Read another article on The Color Orange where I give examples of Benjamin Moore Colors.
Patricia Gray writes about 'WHAT'S HOT 'in the world of Interior Design, new and emerging trends, modern design,
architecture, and travel, as well as how your surroundings can influence the world around you.
© Patricia Gray Interior Design Blog, 2009
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™
Click on image for a larger view
This is a penthouse project that I recently completed for a couple with two small children in downtown Vancouver. It has a fantastic view that was a little overwhelming when I started on the project. There was nothing to keep your focus inside the space. I decided that I needed to be bold in my choice of finishes. I grounded the space by adding teak panelling to the raised ceilings to mirror the teak of the floor. The furnishings & accessories were kept to a minimum to not detract from the view. The finishes had to child 
friendly. The dining table and countertops are Caesarstone, which is virtually indestructible. The dining room chairs were upholstered in white leatherette. I put studding on the chairs at the top of each leg. The chandelier was picked for its fun and whimsy. The sofa is real leather and the area carpet is wool from Belgium. The ottoman is upholstered in Cashmere, which isn't exactly child friendly but my client fell in love with it. The back wall of the cooktop is a wonderful piece of Granite that I hand picked from the supplier, and it was with much difficulty, that they were able to install it as a slab - in one piece with no seams. It weighed approx 600 pounds and had to be taken up to the top of the building. It looks fabulous, and hangs on the wall like a magnificent piece of artwork. I also 
wanted to use warm coloring & natural products to connect the space with the earth energy. The color of the granite picks up the color of the teak and has these beautiful charcoal grey veins running through it. I matched the paint and carpet color to this gray veining in the granite to further accentuate the granite. The effect is better when you are in the space. You feel like you are on top of the world but at the same time the space is very warm and enveloping. The clients are happy with the end result and they are finding it very family friendly and good for their frequent entertaining.
