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Design with a West Coast edge

KELLY DECK

From Friday's Globe and Mail

Latest comment posted at 11:09 AM EST 10/09/08

West coast design is more than the stereotypical post-and-beam cedar home overlooking the ocean. In her first column for The Globe and Mail, Kelly Deck explores all aspects of true west coast style. ...Read the full article

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  1. Maie Richards from London, United Kingdom writes: I'm impressed. I often am disappointed by the quality of prose in 'style' features. It's far too often lacklustre and cliche-ridden. I enjoyed your piece, especially as a native Vancouverite currently living in another temperate, grey-enclosed country (which has a landscape, though not as dramatically monumental as Vancouver's, just as green and lush and inspiring).

    I'm looking forward to reading more.
  2. Ken Jeffries from Canada writes: Thoughtful, intelligent and nuanced --- nice addition to the G&M roster of columnists !
  3. Angel C from Ottawa, Canada writes: Very well written -- I enjoyed reading this article and appreciate your writing style and choice of words. I am a big fan of "Take it Outside" on HGTV and look forward to reading your future articles in G&M.
  4. Vivian Moreau from Victoria, Canada writes: Cautious and measured would be better descriptions for Kelly's writing style, but still informative. I disagree with her restrictions on colour. On the umpteenth grey February day the last thing you want is to be looking at muted walls. My condo's interior was painted pumpkin when I first moved in. I thought it would overwhelm me but I look forward to coming home to my cheerful, vibrant home. Your environment can, and should strive to, ward off the overcast blues - pun intended.
  5. Carolyn Gotay from West Vancouver, Canada writes: I've taken my cues for interior design from the traditional First Nation palette. Black, red, and natural cedar wood suit the environment perfectly. The vibrancy of red also contrasts beautifully with deep green woods and - yes - even gray skies.
  6. Woman of Reason from London, UK, Canada writes: I really enjoyed the article. The writing was good and I couldn't agree more about the inappropriateness of Mediterranean colours and themes for West Coast architecture. I found the ideas about the unique design challenges oor the West Coast interesting and insightful. That said, I found the interior featured in the photos to be really quite bland and generic. It reminded me of a hotel lobby, albeit a very nice hotel. I'm sure there must be a way to add a bit more panache and personality into an inteirior while still maintaing a spirit of non-contention.
  7. Miles Palmer from Calgary and Kootenays, Canada writes: How refreshing to read about design that considers reality and logic. So often we just see photos and read articles that incorporate trendy design features without regard to the landscape and weather. In Calgary we see too many plain, boxy designs with dark exteriors and bland office like interiors. Is no one prepared to design out of the box?
  8. Tom H. from Vancouver, Canada writes: I am glad to see western sophistication represented here on the Globe. Keep up the good work.
  9. A Nichols from Canada writes: The ideas may be good... but was I the only one who found this article verbose and confusing? Even so, I would give this column another try.
  10. J D from Vancouver, Canada writes: Great piece - two thumbs up! Looking forward to the column on a regular basis.
  11. Bob McDonald from Canada writes: The interiors shown in the slide show with this article are boring, colour-less and old fashioned - 1950's Scandinavian at best.

    Where is the creativity in that? If you are really interested in advanced interior design, do a Google search for Johnny Grey, a British designer or Karim Rashid, a Cdn designer in New York. The G&M is not a good source for info about design.
  12. Joseph Whistle from Canada writes: I think she should become VP of something. Write her a few speeches, and people will love her, for no reason. Just like Palin.
  13. beach s from United Kingdom writes: "Design" and the words "Vancouver" or "Westcoast" housing rarely seem to co-exist. Palid pink boxes with wretched etched glass features over the main entrace, concrete paths across tree-denuded lots, aluminium framed windows and white steel railings seem more the norm than the excpetion. There are of course some wonderful exceptions but they are few and far between (and expensive). Also, why would one draw on "the colour palette of the surrounding landscape" using walnut and oak? Cedar, fir and hemlock are more prominent constiuents of that palette than these hardwoods.
  14. K Knull from Calgary, Canada writes: As an old client and friend, I was delighted to see your name pop up while reading my G&M this morning. Your thoughtful and sensuous article was better than my morning latte.

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