Fauxology: Studying the Visual Magic of Faux Finishing and Interior Design (brought to you by Garay Artisans)

Here was the scene this morning…looking online…googling architecture…reading stuff…came across this video…and ran to my husband.  Me: “Dude!  You have got to see the most beautiful thing ever!” Him: “I am, right here.”  (Proceeds to give me a kiss.)  Me: (Blushing, enjoying the moment.)  “Uhm, wow, thank you.  But, really!  Run!”

So, I showed him this video — the coolest building ever: The Dynamic Tower in Dubai.  Unfortunately, he doesn’t want to move to Dubai. 

Thanks again, Home Rejuvenation!

One of my favorite blogs in the world is Home Rejuvenation.  It is penned by a design firm based in Singapore called KNQ Associates and it showcases the latest design trends from Asia and beyond.  Every time I go to their site, I find something else awe-inspiring.  Their latest post is a Dwell video featuring architect David Ling speaking about the Manhattan loft he calls home.

If I could do trackbacks, I would — so for now, I’m posting a video link directly.  (I really have to go learn the next level of blogdom.)  Mr. Ling is eccentric — and I usually love eccentric people.  Though I had to laugh at the whole “radiators were ugly, so I had them taken out” thing.  He had them put them back in when he “turned blue”.  LOL!   His space is…raw, grounded and beautiful at the same time.   I love how he describes the rustic or patinated areas as “layers of history”.  It’s fun for me to get lost in the musings of other artists and try to visualize what they see when they perceive and design a space.  It’s fantastic to get out of my own head for a bit, you know?  At about 4:00 minutes, the most beautiful blue wall comes along — I wanted to melt into it!  And then about 4:10 comes a truly unique “master bedroom” experience.  Wow!  (I believe it may include a version of this bed, which I’ve written about before.)   

I really likes how Mr. Ling talks about evolving a home’s design.  I believe he means to say that even if his tastes or needs change, he would probably evolve his home to tailor his new vision rather than moving out.  I feel the same way about my home — it would take a lot for me to leave this house.  I’d rather commit to it and just keep developing it as I go along life.  He also talks about his home being “a lab of sorts, things that I would do to myself that I would be hesitant to do to a client.”  Ah, we are kindred spirits in that regard!  Mr. Ling’s design and philosophy is not for everyone but I really hope you enjoy the experience of it!

We’re up to the third and last home in Fauxology’s online tour of the Street of Dreams Orlando 2008: Chica Margarita — and it is every bit as enjoyable as it sounds.  (Chateau d’Usse is the first home we profiled and Triana is the second.)  Chica Margarita was named to honor its “fun, female and Spanish influences”.  The builder is Martoccia Custom Construction and the talented designer is Anne Rue.  Chica Margarita is eco-friendly, with over 70% of the home using reclaimed or green materials.  The home was built to cater an active family — boasting a small golf course, exercise room, outdoor recreation area, a bowling alley (which glows in the dark — cool!), a theatre, a large playroom and 27 plasma televisions sprinkled throughout the house.  According to the catalog, the builder/designer team jokingly considered calling the house “Why Go Out?”.  It is priced at 8.9 million (furnished). 

Here’s the Entrance.  Not a favorite of many but I loved it!

One of the game rooms had a full-room mural.  It depicted shifting seasons and landscapes.  Really nice.

Some unusual textures - breakaway brick (left) and Venetian Crocodile (right)

One of the girl’s rooms was a favorite of mine.  Here’s the room and the bath.  The flowers in the shower are made of mosaic tiles and I love the frilly shower curtains.

Check out how cute this is - a funky, hip mural of a girl with real mirrors on the skirt and rhinestones on the cell phone. 

The infamous bowling alley.  It was created for a Gator fan (see “Gator Lanes” airbrushed in the back?).  It also has Yankee Stadium painted in the side mural.  (I guess it’s commemorative since this year is the last year that particular stadium will be used to host games.)

…and finally, the exterior grounds…

We were all floored by the beautiful pieces of art chosen by the designer and the truly original lighting fixtures.  Once again, this was a favorite among some of the group — the house favorites were pretty much evenly divided within our ranks.  Truly, isn’t that what the Street of Dreams is about?  A little something to inspire the interior designer in all of us. 

Some pictures courtesy of Street of Dreams.

Today, we continue with the second home in our Street of Dreams tour: Triana.  (To see the first home, click on Chateau d’Usse.)  Triana’s design is Art Deco flavored — though thoroughly modern.  The home has six bedrooms and all are outfitted with iPod docking stations and satellite radio — it also has five plasma televisions (with one cleverly hidden within a cabinet).  Throughout the house is a smart home system that will adjust your room temperature and home lighting, bring up video surveillance and order dinner for you.  (I wonder if we’ll even need our hands in the future…)  Triana was designed by Robb & Stucky Interiors and built by the Irvin Construction Company.

Our whole group really liked this home but our mutual favorite area was the Theatre Room.  It had an amazing sound system (which was only helped by the movie playing: Transformers) and the seating was not your normal theatre seating…it was large, lush sofas you could stretch out in.  (Sadly, none of those pictures came out well.)  It also had a beautiful wine cellar (monitored closely by security — I’m guessing they had advance notice of our arrival, LOL) and was the favorite house of some of our group. 

Here’s the Foyer:

Some of my favorite touches from the Foyer above are the cool chair (you can see it towards the middle in the pic above) and the marble stairs (lower left, above pic).

When you come up those nice marble stairs, you find this nice seating area for you and ten of your closest friends…

My mother walked into the library while I was still one room away.  She came back and told me to “contain myself”.  When I walked in, it was my complete dream room: books and a spiral staircase.  Delicious.

Some views of the top area of this library.  Aren’t those jumbo light fixtures gorgeous?

Here are separate guest rooms with nice touches: beautiful, dimensional pieces of pottery on the wall (left) and a cool ceiling fan with a ceiling that mimics the wall color (right)

Last but not least, the backyard.  So stunning it deserves two pics!

Some pictures courtesy of Street of Dreams.

Well, it has been a busy past few weeks.  In fact, I’ve been meaning to post these pics of Orlando’s Street of Dreams 2008 since our family and friends attended it not this past weekend but last weekend.  It was a fantastic afternoon — we toured each home at a nice pace and then we all headed over to Kata for fantastic sushi and Thai food. 

Street of Dreams is an annual tour of grande homes that draws about 45,000 people.  This year, three homes were showcased: Chateau D’Usse, Triana and Chica Margarita.  I will be posting pics of each home in its own little entry so that each gets a chance to shine on the Fauxology blog.  First up: Chateau d’Usse.  Chateau d’Usse is estimated to be worth about 9.25 million dollars (furnished).  I’m not sure if it was inspired by France’s Chateau d’Usse but this one was built by Hillcrest Homes and designed by CEC Interiors.  Chateau d’Usse was a favorite among many of our group.

Stepping into the home…breathtaking, no?

Love some of the cabinetry touches — different finishes, unusual shapes for doors…

A room with Venetian Plaster stripes

A girl’s room (love the corner ceiling accents) and a boy’s room (love how the clouds are taken from the walls unto the ceiling…

Two of my favorite areas: The Powder Bath with its unusual textured finish and the Guest Room with the painted cornice boards on the window.

Last but not least…the Pool!  It has a lazy river, a secret grotto, a fire pit, waterfalls, etc., etc….but my favorite area?  That hammock on the right — that’s where I’ll be with a fancy pina colada and the latest & greatest book on hand to read…or to shield my eyes from the sun while I’m napping, take your pick. 

This year the design of all the homes seemed to lean towards the more lighthearted and whimsical side of elegance.  This home was no exception, with fun touches to be found throughout – definitely a home to relax and have fun in but still be magnificent enough to show off to Jones’ next door.  If you’d like to see the homes in person, you need to hurry!  The last tour day is June 22nd…

Additional pics supplied by Street of Dreams.

Pattern — we see it everywhere yet most of us don’t fully realize how beautiful and uplifting its design and color variations can be.  (Or, in some circles, how important: case in point, the Fibonacci sequence, still used by artists today.)  I’ve been thinking a lot about pattern lately — from coming up with new techniques for clients to creating updated portfolio samples…I can’t help but be hopelessly fascinated by this important design aspect.  The word itself is attributed to the French word ”patron” and it refers to a reoccurring sequence of designs or elements.  Ahh, but enough introduction: our May Book-of-the-Month is Tricia Guild Pattern - Using Pattern to Create Show-stopping Interiors. 

Tricia Guild is an icon in the interior design world.  She established her company, Designers Guild, in 1970 and has since turned it into a multi-million dollar empire encompassing books, fabric, wallpaper, furniture, a paint line, flooring and home accessories.  (She employs over 250 personnel — that definitely helps in getting it all done, LOL!)  This particular book caught my eye because of its cover — it has an embossed flocked pattern on it and everytime I pick it up, I can’t help but rub my hand on the soft design.  Inside, it’s like walking into Willy Wonka’s factory (minus the sinister undertones): delicious, colorful, vibrant and full of new creations and inspiration.  It’s a wild ride!  She explains how to incorporate color and pattern to create sophisticated yet fun interiors — nothing that’s ever too precious. 

The book is broken down by sections including current and historical patterns.  She also explores different fabric styles (velvet, silk, tweed) and design elements (i.e., botanical, Asian, Indian, toile, geometric) — really, there is no stone unturned here in the 208-page book.  Even its size — perfect for a coffee table but a shame to just leave it there — is fulfilling.  Here are some views:

Pattern Kaleidoscope (L) and a perfect place to have a fresh, breezy breakfast (R)

I’m digging the mix of the somewhat similarly-colored patterns…

I like the “angel wings” (L) and the haziness of the stripes (R)

Delicious colors…

An unexpected mix of patterns at the window (L) and a burst of color against white (R)

There are so many more pictures and ideas — I hope you check out and/or purchase the book!  It’s perfect for a luxurious way to spend a Sunday afternoon planning out new details for your home.  Until next time!

Hello!  Although I subscribe to what seems like every design magazine, one of my very favorites is Budget Travel.  Budget Travel is the magazine for those who love to travel well at the best price possible — seems like that’s all of us, no?  I even signed up for their newsletter which had a cool article about the World’s Weirdest Hotels.  Some deserved that title but one of them caught my eye because it was so cool and well-designed for what it is.

The Harbour Crane is located in Harlingen in the Netherlands.  After two solid years of renovation, the hotel provides you great views of the Dutch landscape and is located right at the harbor docks.  Yup — the Harbour Crane is actually a massive crane that has been turned into a luxury hotel for two.  (It has a few nicknames: Blue Head, The Spider and Long William.)  It is located about 60 feet in the air and instead of oil and dirt you’ll find a surprisingly designed interior (mostly primary colors and retro modern) — with touch screen systems, insulated glass and Eames lounge chairs.  It requires two high-tech lifts to take you up to your quarters. The best part?  You can operate the crane and swivel 360 degrees to see any exterior view you’d like. 

I think I like this concept because 1) it’s totally unique and 2) I’m accustomed to stacked scaffolds and cherry pickers so the height issue doesn’t raise a red flag.  The hubster may be another story…I’m not sure how I’m going to get him to agree to travel to just outside of Amsterdam and oh, spend the night in a crane above the Wadden Sea.  He won’t like the $500/night price tag either…although I can always tell him it includes breakfast.  Here’s some pics:

Day and Night Views of the Harbour Crane:

If you go to the Harbour Crane website they also list two other guest spots, the Harlingen Lighthouse and the Lilla Marras lifeboat.  I hope you enjoyed this jaunt into unusual design…have a great day!

So, I went to another fabulous event last night!  It was Robb & Stucky’s presentation (along with Neiman Marcus) of Unexpected Style — an unveiling of their newest Showcase Rooms.  The wonderful Bill Griffin, Merchandise Director for Robb & Stucky, called them “design windows” and what a beautiful view they each had.  There were four showcased, each with a gorgeous color splash against the striking pair of black & white.  The event was held for the design industry and doubled as a benefit for the Junior League of Greater Orlando, SPCA of Central Florida and Femmes de Coeur.  (There was a raffle with fantastic prizes.  I didn’t win.  Let’s move on.)  The media sponsor was Orlando Home & Leisure Magazine (and wow, does their April issue looks gorgeous).  Neiman Marcus had beautiful models in chic clothes enhancing each room and providing information.  I think I should let some photographs speak on their own.

Red Design Window - love the relief on the fireplace and the mix of patterns

Yellow Design Window - featuring a showstopping DECO table by Jason Champion Outdoor

Lime Design Window - incorporating a unique panel idea

Aqua Design Window - love the whimsy of the accessories

The guests were privy to the paint colors used in each vignette

Towards the end of the night, my camera batteries gave in and I had to run out to buy more.  Upon my return, I ran into both Jason Champion himself and textile designer Laurie Jenkins — two of the most interesting people I met at the event.  Bless those dead batteries!  They truly love what they do and it was so nice to meet fellow artists who also get excitable about their work.  I look forward to introducing them to you further in future segments of Faux-cus on the Pros.  

If you do have the chance, please visit the Robb & Stucky in Altamonte Springs – see these rooms in person! They also have an amazing showroom filled with design ideas ranging from simply elegant to over-the-top amazing. While walking through the different areas, I saw furniture that made me smile, made me do a double-take or were just quietly elegant. It’s the pairing of these pieces, with just the right treatments, wallcoverings and accessories that give that effortless je ne sais quoi of Unexpected Style.

A big Thank You! goes out to Deborah Kreiger and Bill Griffin for their great information and hospitality.