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First Snowfall in Vancouver

View from my terrace 001
View from my terrace

We had our first snow fall in the City last night. I woke up to extreme quiet and looked outside to a winter wonderland.  It is unusual for us to have snow this early in the season if at all downtown……so if this keeps up we will have fantastic ski conditions in Whistler!

Have a wonderful weekend wherever you are.

Patricia Gray Inc is an award winning Interior Design firm  in Vancouver, Canada who blogs about Lifestyle and WHAT'S HOT  in the world of Interior Design.
2010 © Patricia Gray | Interior Design Blog™

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new & improved red.house







 
.after photos above
 .before photos below.



: : Welcome to the new & improved red.house.design!!! I've been doing a few updates to the blog this week and finally getting my .etsy shop. up and running. Jippiee!

I hope you like the new look and logo. I am continuing to work on updating the blog.

I have also given my little studio space a new look. Check out my before and after photos.
I am so happy in my new yellow studio!

Lots of new things happening in my life. All very, very exciting!

Thank you for all your support and for all of those who have already purchased from and visited my etsy shop. I am thrilled to be able to share my designs with you!!
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MY ETSY SHOP!!!!



: : Finally, I have my own etsy shop!! Squeeaaaals! I'm so excited. Click here or on the images at the top of the column on the right to be directed to my brand spanking new shop.

But it's well past midnight and I'm pooped, I'll have to tell you more about it tomorrow. And oh, stay tuned for information about a Holiday Bazaar that I am participating in together with 5 other lovely artisian ladies. Dec 5th, SAVE THE DATE!
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Blog updates

: : working on a few updates to the blog in between cups of tea. stay tuned....

Photo-my favorite teacup (from my grandma) and plate (from Swedish flea market).
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Ron Brenner Architects creates new Cottage House Plan


Ron Brenner Architects is creating a new design for the Cottagewood division of Kyle Hunt & Partners. The design is characterized by a dramatic steep front gable roof line and will feature a modern open floor plan. Design refinements are still in progress but the video below illustrates its current state.


Cottagewood specializes in crafting Architect designed homes. They have created strategic partnerships with several Architects including Brenner to provide services for their clients. This design will be featured at their Palmer Pointe neighborhood in Minnetrista, MN.


I just thought I would give you an update on this design we are working on. We have done some "tweaking" of the exterior. The image below is the latest.

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Hövding-revolutionizing the bike helmet market





: : For months now Iz and I have been talking about ideas for creative marketing strategies that would be aimed at convincing more people to wear bike helmets. Why people don't wear bike helmets I can't understand. A simple solution that will save your life one day. Let's just say it's a very unwise decision not to wear a helmet, one of the worst decisions you can make in your life.

Then today I get some great news from my Swedish friend Tina. A couple of her  classmates from the Design program at Lunds University, Sweden have been working on developing a new bike helmet which started as their thesis project while in school. Today,  6 years later they are launching their bike helmet, .Hövding.,  which looks like a collar and functions like an airbag for your head. A brilliant invention! Watch the video on their website to see how it works. Not only will it save your life, but it's a style statement as well, with interchangeable sleeves to match your outfit. Check out their available styles.

Congrats to the .Hövding. team, a great accomplishment! Let's hope this is the solution or at least the direction for the solution of this age old problem.

PLEASE WEAR AND ENCOURAGE THE ONES YOU LOVE TO WEAR A BIKE HELMET!
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Architects Suck?

I had quite a long conversation with a very nice fellow the other day. I’ll call him Tom, the owner of another pre-designed house plan company. His company specializes in the sale of architect designed houses that were originally designed for a real client. Anyways, Tom talks to people every day that are interested in purchasing his plans. Based on these conversations he believes that Architects have gained a bad reputation amongst the general public. Over and over again he hears a long list of complaints:
  • Architect did not listen to client
  • Architect ignored the construction budget
  • Architect ignored the design budget
  • Architect took forever to get anything done
  • Architect did drawings that were not “buildable”
  • Architect is not cooperative with the builder
  • Architect does not communicate
  • Architect has “attitude”
  • Architects Suck!
All of this is a bit disheartening; but I happen to know the complaints are all too often true. I have heard similar complaints from the builders and contractors I have worked with. In my primary residential architecture business at Ron Brenner Architects we have taken on a fair number of new clients that came to us after having a bad experience with another Architectural Firm.
I am certain that none of my fellow CORA (congress of residential architecture) members fit into this “bad egg” category. But there seems to be a small component of the Architect family that does not put client first. We have a tough enough time out there without having to deal with a bad rep.

Solutions?
Most of us provide a great service for our clients and add value to their projects. We simply need to find more ways to get the good word out. Architects need to start generating some new ideas on how to do that.
I believe the internet is providing architects with more and more opportunity to reach out. One such example is Flickr. Here, Architects can post images of their projects, thus exposing more examples of good architecture to the general public. You might check out the CORA Flickr site which is beginning to post many good images of residential architecture.
You could also explore my own Ron Brenner Flickr site where I have posted images of projects completed by Ron Brenner Architects.
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