colorful & summery scenes

Country Living UK July 2007

 previous two photos from Joanna Henderson

Though in no particular grouping or arrangement, I liked these vignettes because they capture the summer feel. The past few days in London have not been so summery, but today seems like a turnaround! I love laid-back and relaxed sunny rooms that look like they could have come from a country home. (top three photos from UK Country Living, fourth photo from Living Etc.)



The last three photos were from the April/May issue of Lonny magazine, from Deborah Lloyd's home in upstate New York- that was my favorite feature in this issue!

Furniture IS Lifestyle - DEDON LAUNCHES “COMING HOME”, A LIMITED-EDITION BOOK BY BRUCE WEBER

 
DEDON LAUNCHES “COMING HOME”, A LIMITED-EDITION BOOK BY BRUCE WEBER

I love the new lifestyle advertising campaign that the Dutch company Dedon, a manufacturer of outdoor furnishings, has launched.  You may have seen the ads for this Dedon campaign in some of the recent Design magazines - Dedon is selling their furniture as lifestyle.  DEDON takes its collaboration with legendary American fashion photographer Bruce Weber to a next level with the publication of a new book Coming Home, a sumptuously produced, limited edition book. Building on themes that Weber developed for the current DEDON advertising campaign, Coming Home is an exploration into the meaning of home and the feelings we hold for it. Personal, poetic and eclectic, the book weaves together exclusive imagery by Bruce Weber with artwork and illustrations specially commissioned by the photographer. Watch the Dedon movie in large format here, or on YouTube here.  The music and imagery are spectacular.  The movie starts with a quote from the movie Out of Africa - the words of Denys Finch Hatton, played by Robert Redford: “I don’t want to live someone else’s idea of how to live.”

DEDON “COMING HOME”, A LIMITED-EDITION BOOK BY BRUCE WEBER

DEDON “COMING HOME”, A LIMITED-EDITION BOOK BY BRUCE WEBER

DEDON “COMING HOME”, A LIMITED-EDITION BOOK BY BRUCE WEBER

 
DEDON “COMING HOME”, A LIMITED-EDITION BOOK BY BRUCE WEBER
A multilevel treehouse, a cast and crew of 60 people with legendary fashion photographer Bruce Weber keeping it all together.

DEDON “COMING HOME”, A LIMITED-EDITION BOOK BY BRUCE WEBER

When I first saw the Dedon ad campaign, by Bruce Webber I was mesmerized by it.  Some people I have talked to just don’t get it. 
After all Bruce Webber was the photographer for the controversial ad campaign for Calvin Klein in the 90’s, and
Webber also photographed a shirtless Chris Isaak in bed for a fashion spread in Rolling Stone. 
Dedon says about Coming Home “…….it is an exploration into the meaning of home and the feelings we hold for it.”
I say that ‘Furniture IS Lifestyle’ and has as much of a message to say about how we live as Fashion does!

What do you think about ‘Lifestyle Advertising?’  Leave your comment here.

  

DEDON “COMING HOME”, A LIMITED-EDITION BOOK BY BRUCE WEBER Architectural Digest Spain - May 2010
Postscript:  These are scans from a Spanish magazine that my friend and fellow blogger Ivan Meade sent to me after I published this article.

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

Whats Hot? Fuego Outdoor Living Grill

I am in the process of designing an outdoor patio for clients. It is a challenging project as well as being very exacting, with a lot of technical details to take into consideration (gas lines, water lines, electrical panel load limits, permit approvals, etc), before I can even start on the ‘pretty stuff.’ This outdoor patio is on the roof of a penthouse, with a spectacular view of the ocean, mountains, and city of Vancouver. It is a breathtaking 130 feet in length, and is probably larger than most people’s back yards. 

Every once in awhile I come across a new and innovatively designed product that causes me to stop and take notice, and with a sigh of relief, that I have found an esthetically pleasing alternative to a category of product design that generally leaves my visual sensibilities assaulted. Finally an outdoor grill (notice that it is not referred to as a BBQ - ‘Grill’ is the operative new terminology), that shakes up tradition, and is beautiful to look at. “A campfire for modernists,” “a social magnet with a great sense of style.” Attaching a label to this Fuego outdoor living grill is trickier than throwing a salmon – wild, rubbed with herbs and spices – on an open flame. As well as Fuego being a top rated grill, it has a modernist design aesthetic with sleek-lined minimalism. One that I wouldn’t mind gracing my clients’ patio.

 
Fuego Catalogue

 
Fuego Grill 01

What do you think?  Would you like to have this Fuego grill gracing your patio?
I’ll take the pool!

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

Home in the Kenyan Rift Valley + one of the coolest nurseries ever

the nursery: check out the lovely foldable baby crib!

I don't post dwellings like this much. Truth is, I don't often find them in the magazines I read. This is the kind of place that wouldn't work as a living situation for most people. But the few who could learn to navigate living in the wild would reap scenery like few people ever experience, along with other rewards that may come from putting your life at nature's mercy (you can tell I don't even know what those might be). This couple is Carolyn Roumeguere and Simon Douglas-Dufresne, who both grew up with rather nomadic lifestyles, so it suits them. She designs jewelry and he sells electrical fences to game reserves.  On the edge of an escarpment overlooking the Kenyan Rift Valley they live with their baby daughter. Their home is composed of a series of detached rooms, as opposed to one large building. They enjoy the contrast of open-air rooms, but they also have modern-day conveniences like the decent plumbing, hot water and the internet! Dreamy, isn't it? (photos by Simon Upton, from Vogue, year unknown)