Welcome Christina Fluegge

The lovely Christina Fluegge, Greige

Please, help me welcome to The Shiny Pebble Desinger Challenge the lovely and talented Christina Fluegge from the wildly popular, Greige (which I have learned is actually a color!).  She defines it as "greige: ( gra, grège, gray) adj. not bleached or dyed; unfinished; raw."  When I first arrived at her site, I thought it would be dedicated to the Belgian look.  Boy, was I wrong...  Christina has a keen talent in mixing greige elements with gorgeous black pieces and a little sparkle here and there.  I am in love...

To check out her portfolio, please go HERE.  You will love it too!

Christina Fluegge's Background:

"Coming from a family of creative and design oriented women Christina Fluegge has found her spot in the design world. Since graduating with a degree in Interior Design in 1998, Christina has worked with a successful custom furniture and bedding manufacturer as well as an award winning California Interior Design firm. In 2002 she started her own company, Fluegge Interior Design, Inc. which has completed projects ranging from Leasing office design, Model Merchandising, Club room design, Residential design, Custom home design and Interior Specifications.

After 10 years in the Interior Design field Christina has created greige design. Greige is a division of Fluegge Interior Design, Inc. that offers the residential client access to a different type of interior design, one that allows them a kind of creative freedom in the completion of the design process."   [They even offer online design services... how cool is that?!]

I also got to ask Christina a few questions, and here are her insightful answers:

The Shiny Pebble:  How do you define your style?
Christina Fluegge:  Humm that is hard- I would say that it is a transitional eclectic mix. I like just about every style mixed together in some way.

TSP:  What inspires you?
CF:  Everything. I love to see spaces that are a true reflection of the person who lives/works there. I have a couple of best friends who are designers also and to go into their homes is like walking into my own home (minus the kids). We gravitate towards the same things, even when we are not together and going into their houses makes me have an amazing new feeling of inspiration each and every time because I feel like I can see them in every item they have. Everything has a type of purpose and special ness (is that even a word). I also love to travel and I find that old cities make everything new again to me.

TSP:  What designer or life experience has influenced your design aesthetics?
CF:  I think that my biggest influence in design has to be my Mom. She has always taught me the value of your surroundings. Where you live should always be special and a reflection of what you love. She also helped me appreciate antiques as she has been buying and selling them for the last 30 years.

TSP:  Where is your go to resource?
CF:  Is it bad to say the internet?? I do most of my resourcing online and at shows. The pictures are at hand and that makes it so much easier to express what I want for a space. People need to see things to want them in their home or space.

TSP:  Tell me about your ideas when designing my dining room:
CF:  I fell in love with the lifestyle photo and thought it would be a great way to dress up/dress down Catherine’s dining room a little. I think that the dining room can be a little bit fancy and fun at the same time. Adding the hanging pendant above would give you a chance to use the dimmer for this space which is a necessity in the dining room and draw your eye to the woodwork. The deeper paint colors would help to bring out all of the wood detailing in the room too. I am not really big on matching pieces so I thought it might be nice to change up the dining chairs a bit by adding these great Louis XVI chairs from Paris 1st dibs in there. Switching out the smaller art pieces with a pair of the Astrid Mirrors from Oly will really put a wow on that wall and draw your eye into the room. Adding in some less traditional accessories makes for great dinner conversation too. Switching the traditional plaid chair for a leather piece from Oly with a fun pillow from Romo paired with a garden stool makes the corner area more interesting. Finally, I think I would add some rich texture by putting some stacking roman shades in a thick linen on the French doors- for looks or for privacy either one and always fresh flowers in the room.

I absolutely love it that she let me keep all of my big pieces.  This is a totally doable option, don't you all think?  I can totally see the pendent light floating over the table, appropriately dimmed, and the gorgeous pair of sunburst mirrors flanking the china cabinet (minus all of the stuff above it).  The lighter chairs and accessories should really make the warmth of the woods pop, all set against the deeper wall color.  Love it!!!!  I think my favorite item is a toss between the gorgeous ombré lamp and the Oly chair.  Please, go visit my guest at greige and peruse through the list of businesses and services that her entrepreneurial and talented family purveys.

Christina, please give us some insight into the color chips and gorgeous wallpaper you selected.  I am sure we all would love to hear more about it.  You did such a fabulous job... I am so glad I don't have to pick a favorite between yours and Raina's design.  It would be like picking a favorite child!

Tourmaline Bracelet by Splenderosa

I have asked the very talented jeweler, Splenderosa, to put together an outfit to celebrate the occasion... Imagine a semi-casual cocktail and hor d'oeuvre soiree in this beautifully lit room,  this bracelet would totally sparkle.  Go check out the rest of the outfit at Splenderosa's.  It is gorgeous and very fitting to the occasion.


If you all enjoyed this makeover as much as I did and would love to see more entries and related posts, please check out the links below:

The Shiny Pebble Designer Challenge, or: Please, Make This Pebble Shine Again!

Amanda Burdge's Creating a Hip Space from a Traditional Place

Raina Cox's (If The Lampshade Fits) Boho Contempo Style

Mark your calendars for next Wednesday, when Beth Connolly will be doing her Chinoiserie Chic version of this room.  It will be gorgeous, you will see!

Once again, thank you  The Daily Basics for helping us spread the word of the challenge.

Hugs and Kisses,

Catherine

Linking to Woo Hoo Wednesday and Tablescape Thursday and Show and Tell Friday