Colin Kwok Sculptor

"Artists help us to understand what is around us."
Andree Putman

This a view of the master bedroom and ensuite bathroom in a home I recently designed. It was featured in Architectural Digest magazine December 2006. You can read the article here. I used a wonderful bronze sculpture on the bedside table which was sculpted by a dear friend and very talented Architect Colin Kwok. The title of the piece is Jeanne d'Arc and it is breathtakingly beautiful.
Trained as an architect but passionate as a bronze sculptor, Colin Kwok was trained at the Rhode Island School of Design. Read more about Colin at Intelligence Online

Ikat Textiles

I love using Ikat patterns in my design jobs. Ikats are available in a wide product range: fabrics, wallpapers, carpets, cushions, wallhangings. Ikats are classic and never date themselves.

Soane Co UK
Black lacquer faux bamboo chair in hazelnut daphne ikat fabric

Ikat chocolate runner
Various Ikat Pillows

Ikat fabrics made into pillows & carpets at
Madeline Weinrib Atelier

Teahouse collection by Thibaut

Ikat Textiles Traditional Weaving Method

Traditional Ikat weaving in Thailand.

Photos courtesy of Mekong River Textiles

Spinning
Local cotton is grown and handspun into thread using a teak and bamboo spinning wheel.

Tying Weft Ikat Threads
The designs in the ikat fabric are the result of using narrow pieces of plastic or banana fiber to bind groups of weft thread which when dyed will resist the color. Here the tying frame holds enough weft thread to weave a skirt or "phasin" about 3.7 yards. After completion of the tying, the threads go into the dye bath. Complex patterns involve adding more resists to preserve a hue, then overdyeing to create multiple colors.

Indigo Dyeing
The stems and leaves of the indigo plant are chopped, tied into bundles, then soaked in earthenware jars to ferment. Snail shells and male urine activates the dye bath. The dyer controls the depth of the indigo blue color by the number of times the cotton threads are dipped—the more dips, the darker the color. This dyer is holding the weft ikat threads in the air to oxidize, a process called "blooming". She continues dipping until the desired color is reached.

Ikat Resists, Untied Threads and Threads Wound onto Bobbins
This photo shows the weft pattern threads still bound in the plastic resists on the left. In the middle section you can see some of the plastic removed revealing the white undyed areas underneath. Once all the plastic resists are removed, the thread is wound on bobbins for weaving (as shown on far right of photo). These must be kept in order so that the design reappears when woven.

Thai WeaverIn N.E. Thailand
Women weave on teak looms kept under the house. This weaver is working on an indigo-dyed weft ikat cotton "phasin." Traditionally worn by upcountry women, this tube skirt can be easily adjusted to any size when worn with a large fold in the front and turned at the waist. As she weaves, she arranges the weft thread at each throw of the shuttle so that the pattern design emerges.

Here are two links for traditional weaving techniques of Ikats in India sent to me by Design Flute

Patan Patola

CBM Photo

Inspirational Quotes

"Style…isn’t something that you apply like hand cream. It comes from within, as an emanation from your own being.Life is the canvas and style is the grooming point of view.” Jan de Luz

It was Mrs. Vreeland who said "it is not bad taste I object to, it is
no taste that I'm against." via HouseofBeauty&Culture

“To not dare is to have already lost. We should seek out ambitious,
even unrealistic projects…because things only happen when we dream.”
Andree Putman

"I believe that architecture and decoration are art forms of the highest order…”
Mariette Himes Gomez

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

Turquoise Bliss

What girl doesn't love this little turquoise box?

Florence Broadhurst wallpaper

Who inspired who? The color for the Tiffany box and the Florence Broadhurst wallpaper look almost identical. I have recently been reading the book: FlorenceBroahurst - Her Secret & Extraordinary Lives. She has quite a few designs in turquoise for her wallpapers that were designed in the 60's & 70's. I like that this color is once again fashionable and is being used in interiors.

Refreshing and Sophisticated: A mix of blue and green, turquoise has a sweet feminine feel while the darker teal shades add lively sophistication. Some shades of turquoise have an old-fashioned 50s and 60s retro feel. Turquoise has the same calming effects as the mixture blue and green it is comprised of .

Culture of Turquoise: This in-between color represents water, thus the names aqua and aquamarine. It's also a valuable and popular mineral often turned into jewelry. Turquoise is closely associated with the Middle East and the American Southwest.

Dominio
David Hicks Carpet

House Beautiful

Burnham Design via Desire to Inspire
I like the effective use of painted stripes flowing from the wall across the ceiling.

John Stefanidis
Francis Elkins Chair via StyleCourt

Timothy Whealon

LaraHutton via Desire to Inspire

Florence Broadhurst wallpaper

Tiffany box via StudioWellSpring

Click here to see other Posts on Color

Staircase Inspiration

I have long had a fascination for staircases. They are one of the hardest elements I have to deal with and one of the most expensive to detail correctly. One of my pet peeves is wall to wall carpet on stairs. I prefer to use runners or leave the stairs bare if at all possible. I am just in the process of finishing a renovation of a home for a client and I have replaced the carpet on their open staircase with 2 inch thick pieces of 100 year old reclaimed teak from Asia. The teak is so beautiful and you see the solid thickness of it as you go up the stairs. The project isn't completed yet, but when it is I will post photos. The best book on staircases I have in my library is Staircase Design.

Suzanne Kasler
How grand this entry foyer is with the black and white checkered

floor. This is a staircase to walk down in a flowing ball gown

Lucyina via Desire to Inspire love the sisal stair runner

Madeline Stuart wall color Farrow & Ball 'Blue Ground'

so fresh & inviting

House Beautiful

Fotene Design via Desire to Inspire

Armenio Losa makes me want to run my hand on the curved hand rail, or slide down it.

Myra Hoefer conjures up images of Tuscany

John Stefanidis Greece is written all over this picture

House Beautiful

Steven Ehrlich
This is my very favourite staircase. Thanks Steven.
I love the cantilevered slabs projecting from the wall

and the rough concrete wall.

Chairs I Adore

Vincente Wolf updated slipper chair

John Saladino trademark quilted fabric

Thomas Pheasant for Baker updated slipper chair in the style of Elsie de Wolfe

House Beautiful Slipcovered Traditional English Roll Arm

Mariette Himes Gomez Notice the tassels on the arms

House Beautiful mixing several styles in one room

Antonia Hutt Klismos Chair dates from 5th Century BC Greece

Michael Taylor

Eames Management Chair Charles and Ray Eames 1958

Bikini Chair Charles and Ray Eames 1951- House Beautiful
Phillipe Starck Ghost Chair made of injected poly carbonate in the style of Louis XV

Ghost Chair (in foreground) photo BNO Design

Eero Saarinen 1948 Womb Chair - photo BNO Design

Womb Chair in rich saddle brown leather

Antonia Hutt love the purple velvet

Ruthie Sommers Vintage find that she reproduces

and sells on 1st Dibs