George Verdolaga's living roomHandout
Interior designer George Verdolaga goes far afield in seeking out furniture and artwork for his clients, often supplementing his international finds with inexpensive pieces picked up close to his Vancouver home. When it comes to work-shopping his high-low design ideas, he turns to the 825-square-foot condo he shares with wife, using it as a lab for experimenting.
"I use my living room/dining room to show clients what I can do," says the Manila-born founder and principal designer of Flowform Design Group. "It's where a lot of stimulating conversation takes place concerning design ideas from around the world."
The flooring
"When my wife and I bought our place seven years ago, it was fully carpeted, which can create a lot of potential issues for allergy suffers such as myself, so I ripped out the carpeting and installed laminate flooring, which is a third of the price of engineered wood and supereasy to maintain. I picked a nice one that looks pretty much like the real thing."
The side chairs
"These are wonderful side chairs from French manufacturer Ligne Roset. They are probably among the most comfortable and smartest-looking chairs around. When they first came out, they proved to be so popular that they were shamelessly copied by custom chair manufacturers everywhere."
The walls
"My walls and baseboards are both painted in CC-320 Bar Harbor Beige from Benjamin Moore to create a warm feeling as you enter the space. It looks good with natural or artificial light."
The sofa
"This Michael Vanderbyl sofa from North Carolina-based HBF is the type of sofa that I like to specify for public areas in hotels. I liked the simplicity and timelessness of this piece, which is heavily influenced by the luxe elegance of the 1930s and 1940s."
The end tables
"I bought these end tables from Inform Interiors in Vancouver. They're designed by world-renowned furniture designer Niels Bendtsen. I like their open and see-through design, which makes them seem to almost disappear and which, in turn, makes the pair of table lamps almost seem to float."
The ottomans
"This comfortable pair was sourced locally from Caban, formerly on Granville St. They're great for putting up your feet after a long and tiring day and also for displaying my coffee-table books. I have a lot."
The rug
"I purchased this rope-weave rug at Pier 1 Imports. I like how it feels under my bare feet, as the natural fibre provides a gentle massage if you walk over it several times."