A Meade Design Group Modern Fable - Happy Halloween ! (and also Happy B-day to me!)

Once upon a time ... at Meade Design Group in Victoria BC...

The beautiful Little Red Riding Hood was searching for a stunning new fabric for her little sofa, and of course it has to be red. She found a lovely swatch from a Barbara Barry Collection (Dreamplush - Lacquer) that she wanted to take to her designer extraordinaire Grandma to confirm that her selection was appropriate.

Knock knock - " Grandmaaaaaaaaaaaa.... designer extraordinaire "
" Are you there ? "
" Ok then I will just come in " Little Red Riding Hood called out to her grandma as she entered the design studio.

" What happened here " ...
"and who would knock over such a beautiful Philipe Starck Ghost Chair? "
" What a mess " Little Red Riding Hood said.

" Oh, it looks like grandma was working on a colour scheme, but why on earth is she using green instead of red ?

As Little Red Riding Hood was making sense of her Grandma' s selection she heard some foot steps behind her...

" Grandma you look so voluptuous... and hairy! "
" But your night gown matches the studio perfectly, you are such a design diva "

Little Red Riding Hood had no idea that grandma had actually been eaten by a Big Bad Wolf that wanted to take over Grandma' s design studio.

"Grandma your ears look so big " said the puzzled Little Red Riding Hood.
" The better to hear my clients design needs my dear " answered the Wolf in the Grandma's clothing.

" But why is your nose so big Grandma ? " asked the unconvinced Little Red Riding Hood
" The better to sniff out great design finds my dear " answered the Wolf
" You are not making a lot of sense Grandma " proclaimed Red

" Ok Grandma, then why are your teeth so big and pointy ? "
" I have had enough of this... " yelled the Wolf
" THE BETTER TO EAT YOU WITH !!! " He said as he devoured the Little Red Riding Hood.

Satisfied with his meal the wolf cleaned himself up with Red's hood and dozed off in the beautiful ghost chair.

Meanwhile, Red's uncle - The Hunter, heard the noises coming from the Grandma's studio and snuck in to make sure everything was alright.

When the hunter found the Wolf having nappies inside he realized what had happened and snuck up to seek revenge for his dead family members.

The Hunter successfully defeated the big bad Wolf and continued to run the Grandma's design studio happily ever after. ( Although Grandma's studio's aesthetic appeal became much more rugged from that day forward - he stuffed the Wolf's head and hung it next to the Framed Fornasetti to remind him of that sad day).

The End.

Credits:

Little Red Riding Hood - Echo Eaton
Big Bad Wolf - Ivan Meade
Hunter - Jeff Michaud

Set Design:

Meade Design Group

Products available through Meade Design Group:

Dreamplush in Lacquer - Mohair Fabric by Barbara Barry (Kravet)
Ghost Chair - Philipe Stark
Colour Selections in Grandma's scheme
Jute AF-80 Affinity Colours by Benjamin Moore
Wasabi AF - 430 Affinity Colours by Benjamin Moore
Fabrics in Grandma's scheme
David Hicks GWF-2723 York Castle
David Hicks GWF-2738 Brockholes
3 Form - Varia Seaweed
Wallpaper - Stacy Garcia luxury wallpapers - page 3

Inexpensive Nature Prints

Botanical prints can be expensive. A great way to have them (or any beautiful artwork for that matter) without paying a fortune for them is to find books with prints in them & tear out or photocopy the pictures & frame them.

I was lucky enough to find a beautiful book of botanical prints at a yardsale & have used lots of the prints in my home. I also scour second-hand stores for unique frames-usually with pictures I don't care for in them that I remove. I purchased all of the frames pictured (above &below) for $1.50- $3.00 each.

Here are some coral & lobster prints I used for a bathroom-in-progress in my dad's lake house:

I do mostly long-distance decorating since it's in Antioch, Illinois, but when I visit, I try to accessorize as quickly as I can on a serious budget. The prints are a great way to accessorize a lake house since they're so fitting and I only had to make 1 purchase so my dad doesn't gripe about me spending too much on decorating every time I come!

Here's a close-up of a fully opened page. You can see the fold in the center, but I think it sort of adds to the charm. Eventually I plan on matting all of the prints, but that's another project on another trip!

Happy hunting!

e-design

I'm now offering e-design services! I'm really excited to start it up & I'll keep you posted on how it's going. Check out www.thepurestyle.com/edesign.html for details.

E-clients fill out a questionnaire and then send in photos & room measurements. Pure Style creates a Design Plan accompanied by a Design Board (above) and a Shopping List. Everything the client needs to create the room is provided via email within 2 weeks.

Pass it on if you know anyone interested- thanks!!

In Conversation with Johnson & McLeod Design Consultants

Johnson & McLeod Design Consultants

There are magazine covers that are so memorable that they stick in your head forever, and this was the case with an issue of a Canadian House and Home on March 2002. The exact same month and the same year I officially started Meade Design Group in Victoria, BC Canada.

When I saw the stunning work of Vancouver interior designers Ian McLeod and Kerry Johnson for the first time I wondered if I had what it takes to pursue a career in interior design. That cover with an asymmetrical placement of 4 perfect square orange and yellow abstract paintings, a traditional freshly painted white mantle, white walls and a round concave mirror with an exquisite white frame inspired some of my first projects. Clean, fresh, simple and unexpectedly sophisticated; the work of this design duo has been on my mind ever since.

Ian McLeod and Kerry Johnson have been designing home and business environments for over 12 years. Their projects have ranged from eclectic Yale town law firms to sleek urban apartments, as well as the respectful restoration of historic houses. Johnson and McLeod Design Consultants work emphasizes clean-lines, good proportions and quality materials and craftsmanship.

Iván Meade - What was your first experience with design?

Ian McLeod - Making a playhouse out of a big cardboard box when I was about 6. I remember thinking that the box had a ton of potential as a private space.

Kerry Johnson - It sound trite, but my earliest memory is making the perfect house with those rubbery toy red bricks. I guess the writing was on the wall.

Photograph courtesy of Johnson & McLeod Design Consultants

Iván – Your interiors are not just beautiful and contemporary but they are also very livable. How do you achieve that?

Ian – We lay out and draw every detail of our work, as much for ourselves as for our clients. That process fixes the spaces in our minds, and tells us early-on weather the design provides visual coherence and good spatial flow for easy movement. We also shun surface materials that can’t take a beating. Why fear your home?

Kerry - When planning layouts or altering floor plans, I always start with what is most practical, and what will allow maximum usage. Once those decisions have been made, we are free to add more decorative elements that create the sumptuous atmosphere that our clients crave.

Photograph courtesy of Johnson & McLeod Design Consultants

Iván – I have noticed that in your interiors you paint the wood paneling with a crisp coat of white paint and this has become one of your signature styles. I definitely agree in painting wood paneling because the change leads to a cleaner, brighter, and more elegant room. However, designer to designer, I just have to ask this question– How do you convince your male clients to paint the wood paneling?

Ian – That’s a hilarious question, because it comes up so often. Men love natural wood. Women prefer to paint it all out. The truth is that most of the woodwork we design for our projects is built from ‘paint grade’ materials, which removes the need for reverential treatment. We reserve high-quality woods for use in floors and furniture.

Kerry - That is a great question. We've waged some pretty major campaigns to convince the husband that not all wood work is sanctified. Luckily, we do a lot of our work in contemporary structures that don't have any of these elements, so that when they are added, we can do so with paint grade lumber and mill work. It's a compliment to us that you think some of these wooden interior details are vintage, when in fact they are brand new.

Photograph courtesy of Johnson & McLeod Design Consultants

Iván – Talking about signature styles, one of the most clever things I have learned from your work is what I call the glass phone booth effect. I remember being surprised and impressed the first time I saw this architectural detail in one of your published projects in House and Home. How did you come up with this concept?

Ian – We invented it to create transparent separation between 2 spaces in our apartment. It defines a vestibule, yet preserves long sight-lines and allows for good light in either direction. We have since expanded on the phone booth idea many times. We also love the feeling that French doors add to a space, and it’s a great way to use them.

Kerry - Again, this decision was borne out of practicality. We were working on a media room that was accessed by a stairwell to the main rooms upstairs. Our first requirement was how to come up with a way to keep the sound downstairs. We didn't want to darken the room with solid walls, so it seemed that the answer was to use glass. It's a perfect example how something that had to be practical, actually ended up enhancing the look of the room.

Photograph courtesy of Johnson & McLeod Design Consultants

Iván – I believe one of your strengths is styling; your vignettes are always exquisitely well done –Any words of styling wisdom? Where do you get your inspiration?

Ian – I’ve been obsessively collecting and grouping objects all my life. I’ve come to think of it as temporary sculpture or 3D collage. It’s all about creating balance and contrast with a group of assembled forms. There’s usually a unifying element to the grouping in terms of color, shape or subject matter. I might gather and group blue glass, primitive wooden animals, or things that are all in shades of white. Styling is a temporary art form, and that’s part of the fun.

Kerry - We've always been magpies, and have cupboards and cabinets brimming with objects that we've collected all over the world. Our current faves are a set of silver articulated fish that we found in Siem Reap, while touring Angkor Watt. A good friend of ours refers to the constant re-arranging of objects as Chachkas Chess. We're always on the look out for things that sit outside of the ordinary. When displaying these objects, the basic rules of yin and yang apply...place something tall next to something squat, arrange things in threes, keep color and texture in mind, and if you're looking for inspiration, take a look at any European magazine...Marie Claire, World of Interiors...they just seem to have a knack for this sort of thing.

Photograph courtesy of Johnson & McLeod Design Consultants

Iván - I noticed that you always use beautiful contemporary art in your projects. While researching for this interview I discovered that Ian is the artist for some of that art. Ian, I have to say you are a master in colour theory and composition – How long have you been painting?

Ian – I’ve been drawing and painting since I could hold pencils and brushes. I made my living as an illustrator and painter long before Kerry and I developed our design business, and having a background in art helps with the design process in many ways.

Photograph courtesy of Johnson & McLeod Design Consultants

Iván – Continuing along the topic of art, I am curious to know if you select art pieces to work with a room or if it is it the art that inspires the design of the space?

Ian – We have a very open mind about art, and tour local galleries and websites regularly. The art we choose must work well within the completed space, but we try to create rooms that are spare and gallery-like enough to receive an eclectic assortment of art, and allow it to breath.

Kerry - Generally I defer to Ian when it comes to art work, though we have worked on a few custom pieces together for specific sites.

Photograph courtesy of Johnson & McLeod Design Consultants

Iván – My research also reveals that you both are published writers. Kerry, your articles for the Georgia Straight are full of humour, but also reveal an honest concern regarding what is happening in your surroundings – Do you feel especially attuned to the changes in your surroundings?

Kerry - When something new arrives in the house, it's a bit like introducing a new sibling to the family. It informs everything else, and can have a domino effect to the point where the whole place needs to be restyled. We can't live in a place without visual Harmony.

Photograph courtesy of Johnson & McLeod Design Consultants

Ivan – I still remember the front cover of the House and Home where your condo was featured. The blues and oranges of the square paintings made a very strong impression. I noticed today in your portfolio that your place has changed completely. The architectural details remain, but the furnishings and the rest of the elements have been updated. How often do you change the decor in your own place?

Ian – As the seasons change, we change the art and objects in our environment. I crave the coolness of whites and blues and transparency in the summer. I crave the warmth of gold, orange and red tones in the fall. Our place makes a great design-lab for such change, as it is all pure-white. Rooms based on a white or neutral palette are the ideal place to make low-commitment changes at whim.

Kerry - Hourly...I know that may sound crazy, but the tweaking never stops. This is a labour of love, so it's a source of enjoyment for us to play constantly with the interior. The basic structure of the house remains much the same, but the furniture, lamps, artwork and lamps are in high rotation. Then of course, there are wholesale seasonal changes that have to be made. Carpets come up for the summer, and go down in the fall, that sort of thing.

Photographs courtesy of Johnson & McLeod Design Consultants

Iván – What is next on your design journey?

Ian – This winter’s roster of design work includes residential projects in Maui and Antigua, which is very exciting. We are also designing a large, family-compound in the gulf islands and will be the architects, as well as the interior and exterior designers. It’s a big challenge, but a great opportunity for us to work without parameters, which is very rare

Kerry - This is a very exciting time for us, as we've been commissioned to plan our first house from the ground up. This has always been a dream for us. Our clients have signed off on the initial drawings, and after years of trying to fix and alter compromised places, it's a joy to start with no restrictions. The architecture of a house is very important, and it's a thrill to start with a clean slate.

Photograph courtesy of Johnson & McLeod Design Consultants

Iván - Lastly, you have already created a stunning body of work with many mediums and styles. What would you like your legacy to be?

Ian – That is very kind of you Ivan. We just keep working on each project in a consistent effort to create lasting elegance and value. There really is too much waste in the name of fashion. Things that make sense from a practical and aesthetic point of view don’t date easily. I’m proud that many years after we’ve designed a space, a new coat of paint and a change of sofa are often all it takes to bring it right up to date again. If you get the spaces and the lighting right, there’s no need to keep tearing it all down.

Kerry - I'd like to think that we've helped people maximize the potential of their homes, and that at the end of the day they get to live in a home that inspires them every day.

Photographs courtesy of Johnson & McLeod Design Consultants

To see more of Ian McLeod and Kerry Johnson stunning work please visit:

http://www.johnsonmcleod.com/

Eye Candy of the Week

Product: Long Neck Vessels
Designer: Vicente Wolf
Material: White Marble
Description: A collection of Indian custom marble vessels
Variety: Available
Website: VW Home
In Conversation with Vicente Wolf
Yummy Factor: yum yum !

Accessorize with Balls

I was looking around our house, doing a little rearranging and I realized how much I use balls in decorating. It sounds odd, but whenever I'm out shopping, I'm always drawn to all the differnt types of pretty balls I see. They add a little life & fun to a room & they're so easy to swap around & change the mood of a room. Check out all these different balls you can decorate with.

Moss Balls:

We had moss balls all over our wedding & now have a ton of them! They're great for the Spring & Fall: (Image above from Aidan Gray Home) I must say though, my mom thought they looked like moldy bowling balls-- I disagree... or maybe I just think moldy bowling balls would be pretty.

Our Wedding Centerpieces

My grandparents lived in Hawaii a while ago & the family used to collect Japanese Glass Bobbers that would wash ashore. They're unique & just show how old utilitarian objects can be really beautiful.

Antique Japanese Fishing Bobbers:

image from wikipedia

I like to put the aqua ones in bathrooms:

Twig balls: Tuck them around your displays for the Fall. They'll give your home a relly natural feel.

Aidan Gray Home

My house:

Here are some gorgeous wooden balls featured in Domino Magazine. They're so architectural & warm.

And these seashell balls from seahellworld.com have been around for ages. How pretty does it look on the wooden stand?






And terra cotta & porcelain garden balls don't have to stay outside. Bring them inside for a Garden-feel.

terra cotta graden ball from momui home

ceramic garden balls from Germes Online

And, of course, fruit! Everyone knows that a bowl of oranges on the table makes it look pretty & clean. Think of all the differnt fruits you can use in your home: (Perk: you get to eat these balls!)

Aidan Gray Home

On a final note, Aidan Gray Home offers so many beautiful wire baskets, topiaries & urns that go really well with balls of all shapes & sizes. The company has that Neoclassical-Garden feel I love.Got any more ball decorating ideas? I'd love to hear them!

Decorate With Colors that Make You Look Good

Want to look good at home? It makes sense that we should try decorating with colors that compliment us. You wouldn't wear unflattering-colored clothing, would you? Then why would you color your home in anything but what compliments you? Here's a quick little guide to colors that can make you look good.

Studies have shown that peach is the most complimenting color for women above the age of 50, but it's a great color for many people. Peach gives skin a pretty and youthful-looking glow. Try it in a bathroom so when you're looking in the mirror, being critical of yourself, there's less to be critical of!

Have dark brown eyes and hair? Go for the chocolate! You're one of the lucky ones that can handle dark, rich walls. You can also handle bold color choices such as reds & oranges & bright yellows. These colors will compliment your dark features.

Blue-eyed? Try grays, blues & aquas. They'll make your eyes stand out & look clear.

A red-head? Think about olives & greens. They provide the perfect contrast to your hair & make it look richer & more vibrant.

Fair-skinned? Think about using lighter colors & neutrals that will make you stand out. You don't want to get lost in a room with colors that overpower you.

Images from the Cottage Living Website.

All that aside, I'm not a stickler for rules, so if you happen to be a redhead who wants a pink room, then by all means, do what makes you happy!