May 2009

Home › Archives for May 2009

1,500 homes burned. Nine lives lost.Half a million acres scorched.

: : I came across this poster on the top, and fell in love with it. Turns out it's all for a good cause. I decided to buy it .here.

"Donated by designers and artists around the globe, posters sold at the So-Cal Fire Poster Project raise funds for victims of the wildfires that devastated Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, and San Diego Counties. All proceeds will be given to the Salvation Army, for the 2007 California Wildfire fund."

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Passion - That is the Key

"Passion - that is the key in Interior / Exterior: the urge to beautify and capture reality and to inspire others."

This is an excerpt taken from the book: INEX by Wolterinck. It is one of my favourite books as it features the interiors of homes and shows how the surrounding gardens have been designed to compliment the interiors, creating a total lifestyle concept. This concept is especially more relevant at this time of year when the weather is warm and invites us to spend more time outdoors, thereby extending our useable living spaces. In 1986 Marcel Wolterinck opened a flower shop in the village of Lauren, Holland. His concern for perfection and versatility later resulted in his own furniture range and his passion developed for incorporating the interior of the home with the gardens.

The above pictures are part of the garden that surrounds an updated 70's house. Both the garden and the house breathe an Oriental atmosphere. The garden by the bamboo planting around the house, and a Japanese touch is provided by the oak fence which turns gray when weathered. The garden fountain is lead produced by W, and the table in the upper left is a work of art in bronze by the Dutch Sculptor, Huub Kortekaas. The garden chairs are teak and metal.

This Provencal Villa (above and below) is situated in St. Tropez. where the emphasis is placed on the exterior life. This is expressed in an outdoor room and outdoor terraces. How very pleasant to sit at the large, wooden table with a zinc base underneath the pergola overgrown with Wisteria. The presence of an outdoor kitchen provides an additional dimension to being outdoors and can be used as an exterior fireplace lit on summer evenings. The planting is a combination of old and new. An age-old olive tree dominates the view (below) and is surrounded by a row of box trees and a wealth of plants such as Santolina, Pittosporum, Senecio, Helichrysum, Laurus nobilis, lavender, thyme, and Westringia fruticosa, all creating a subtle interplay of greens and grays and a perfect match for the various local types of stone.

Paradise in Algrave: This beautiful villa (above) is located in Portugal. Wolternick arranged the seating areas surrounding the villa like rooms. The floor lamps, tables, and chairs with cloth upholstery have been assigned a permanent place in these comfortable outdoor areas. Taste and rhythm also apply to the exterior kitchen with its fireplace to grill dishes. Meals can be prepared on the worktop that flanks the fireplace on either side. At right angles with the fireplace is a bold U-shaped zinc table surrounded by delicate director's chairs.

The above photos are part of a 20-hectare estate in Bremen, northwestern Germany. The 16th century farmhouse on the estate is surrounded by ancient trees and hedges. The farmhouse court, where horses once stood, was all stone, but was given an intimate character by Wolterinck by means of 60 year old beech hedges, walls, and trained box trees. The garden has many exotic varieties of plants. "The people who used to live on estates like these traveled extensively and brought back with them plants from distant places. This is how many exotic varieties ended up here, like Brugmansia, Hibiscus trees, Agapanthus, lemon trees, figs and Plumbagos. In summer these are put outside in pots, in autumn they find shelter in the orangery". The teak bench from the Lister Collection in the top right picture is in the style of the English Architect, Sir Edwin Lutyens (1869–1944) who collaborated with Gertrude Jekyll the renowned English artist and gardener.

What is your most favourite garden?
What makes a garden special to you?
Please let me know by leaving a comment.

Photos and excerpts from: INEX Wolterinck
Photography: Sigurd Kranendonk

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

marimekko-sanna annukka

: : I love .sanna annukka's work. Now she has a series of textiles out with .marimekko. What a great combination. Lovely idea.

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doilies

: : anyone who's been to our house in the recent weeks, has observed my fascination with paper doilies. doilies are so delicate, feminine, almost magical and there are so many things you can do with them (currently I'm using them as place mats). We don't have doilies in Sweden. Maybe it's because I didn't grow up painting on doilies and using them for craft projects as a child, that I like them so much. I really do. people laugh at me here.

I love the idea of using doilies as art, stenciling on the doily (via .ohjoy.), or placing doilies of different sizes on the wall (via .apartment theraphy.)

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kurbist inspiration again

sweetheart pillow by .lucky fish. via .nonchalant mom.

.moustache ape. skateboards with kurbits, via .below the clouds.

alexander girard illustrations on bikes, via .below the clouds.

: : I can never get enough of kurbits! and finally I've set up our studio at home, and am hoping to get back into designing some new patterns. while browsing the web I came across pieces of inspiration in several different places. hope you like kurbits as much as I do!

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esthex

: : and of course the .esthex. dolls and musicboxes are irresistible!!

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brio

: : there are little ones on the way among family and friends (one due any day now).
it's hard to stay away from browsing for baby stuff. .Brio. is a Swedish company. I used to play with their wooden trains when I was little. they have a new series called .my first. stuffed animals and trains. happy, colorful and playful.
(via .below the clouds.)

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sköna hem

: : oh no, it's happened again, work has taken over my life. and when I'm not working I'm outside enjoying the glorious sunshine. my bike ride in this morning was so, so nice. it's days like today that gets me through freezing cold days biking through the snow in the winter.

on the topic of summer, here is my 3rd magazine that could potentially fill the domino void. it's another Swedish magazine,. sköna hem. My mom always buys a few issues for me when she comes to visit. they have a great gallery section, and a good range of different types of homes and styles.

I chose a few pictures of balconies. We have two balconies at home, the one in the front has been filled withpotted herbs, veggies and flowers ( a very special rosebush) and is our favorite place to hang out. for the balcony in the back we are planning to build a bar, put up lights and add a barbecue. maybe it will happen this weekend, we'll see....

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Making Orange Work with Sherwin-Williams Paint

Making Orange Work

The following is an article I was interviewed for in this month's issue of Sherwin-Williams Stir on how to
successfully incorporate orange walls in your home.

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:

Husky Orange Sherwin-Williams 6636: "Husky Orange features rusty tones with more brown in it, and I find that this color is a lot more acceptable to a broader range of people. It is one of my favorite colors for using in living rooms, libraries and family rooms."
Tango Sherwin-Williams 6649: "Tango Orange is what I would call more of a mid-range orange, a current and hip color. I would use it for a focal wall in the living room or dining room; it would also be fun for an entryway."
Kumquat Sherwin-Williams 6648: "Kumquat is beautiful because it tends to go into the peach tones, but it’s an upbeat and livelier tone than what we were inundated with in the ’80s. I find that Kumquat is very relaxing and soothing, which makes it ideal for a bedroom, sitting room or anyplace where you want a quieter mood."

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.

Category › Color , In the News , Making Orange Work , Sherwin Williams Paints

Defining Space in an Open Floor Plan

Many of today's home designs incorporate open floor planning - with kitchen, dining and living areas all very open to one another. Open planning is great for entertaining and family gatherings because it allows people congretating within these "zones" to remain connected with one another.

One problem with open planning however is that sometimes the combined space becomes too large and begins to lose a sense of intimacy. Also, how about that kitchen clutter? Many clients want to remain "connected" with their guests while in the kitchen, but do not necessarily want all of that kitchen clutter exposed to their guests.

There are a number of ways to combat these issues. I will try to illustrate in the following examples designed by Ron Brenner Architects in Stillwater, MN.

Photo below illustrates dining area and adjacent front foyer. A dropped soffit in the foyer and hallway helps to define the edge of the dining space (ceiling elevation changes are a great way of defining space). Cabinetry placed between the hallway and dining serves as china cabinet and buffet counter. The position of the cabinet also reinforces the edge of the dining area. Windows on two adjacent walls help to define the center of the space, where the dining table is positioned.

Photo below illustrates a dining area and adjacent front entry foyer beyond. The cabinetry is now engaged between walls. This method provides a little more "enclosure" for the dining space. Double thick wall with "bulkhead" opening provides space for ductwork and creates a more dimensional separation from the adjacent kitchen and stair.

Here you can see that double thick wall opening between the dining and kitchen areas. Kitchen island has 3 surface heights. The 42" high eating bar and 48" high display cabinets conceal the primary kitchen work / clutter surfaces behind. The island itself defines the long edge of the kitchen.

In this example a kitchen is separated from the dining room with a full height cabinet. The cabinet has a "hole" in the middle to provide space for a serving counter and to maintain visibility between the spaces. Circulation flows around either side of the cabinet. The cabinet engages at the top with a bulkhead which further helps to define each of the two spaces.