Wednesday, April 28, 2010

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:





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,

41 comments:

Splenderosa said...

Love it, Catherine & Christina!
Wonderful idea, wonderful creation.
Well done, ladies. xx's Marsha

Allie and Pattie said...

Very well done! Love the accents and colors and really like the idea for the French doors- a dining room should feel intimate and elegant. Love it
xoxo Pattie

nelya said...

I think Christina's blog is truly one of the most beautiful out there. She never misses a step. Every time I visit, and that's daily, I find inspiration that makes me positively salivate. There's no shortage of oooh's and aaah's! So it comes as no surprise that I am drooling accordingly after seeing Christina's beautiful inspiration board for your space, Catherine!

I too love it that she worked with what you have and made it, well, shine! ;0). I'm a big believer in making the best of your belongings. I love the Oly mirrors. And the light is a beautiful piece that is both traditional and fresh and contemporary at once. I wouldn't be able to choose between the visions of these two super talented ladies either!

Pemberley said...

I really love those chairs! I think she did a great job expressing her style along with yours. Excellent job!!

The Buzz Blog said...

I love Christina's use of a neutral palette which would allow you to add a splash of color here and there, depending on the season and your mood. Beautiful!

A Perfect Gray said...

I'm a big Greige fan....great job...especially love the chairs and lighting...

Marija said...

One of my favorite sites for inspiration so I can't say I'm at all surprised by how much I love this! Of course I love that she used so much of your stuff but I also like that it's neutral enough to work with for years! Some classic pieces never go out of style! Love it!

Marija

Sandra said...

Beautiful! I love that she worked with what you have. The pair of the Astrid Mirrors, roman shades on the French doors, adding the hanging pendant above and deeper paint colors. I can totally see all this in your dining room.

Unknown said...

I love what Christina did here, what an eye! Very partial to the Jonathan Adler pendant fixture, since it actually hangs here in my house! :)
This was a great interview, and its always so fun to see the lovely jewelry addition at the end, very clever!

Emily said...

The paint color is amazing and I am in love with the chairs!

JEANNE said...

I love your post and Christina's design is awesome. A lovely interview and interesting post.
Hugs, Jeanne

North of 25A said...

Inspirational!

The Charm of Home said...

Love Christina's style. Very elegant but, with classics and a sophisticated twist. Some Asian influences here and there. Very nice.

Unknown said...

What an amazing post!Thank you for intorducing me to Christina and her Blog. She has ana amazing talent and a great eye for color and texture composition!

Unknown said...

Loving the intros to all these great designers!

Liza said...

Hi Catherine, that's SOOO PRETTY and SO FRESH ! Once again, Christina has done an amazing job. I love the fact she kept your big pieces and introduced some other timeless, neutral and softer pieces into the room. Very eco-minded, budget conscious, client oriented and yet...STYLISH, GREIGE and ELEGANT. The dining room is where we gather our family and friends to celebrate the most important dates of the year (holidays, birthdays, graduations,etc..). That will be the scenary for so many pictures of your family album. That's why is so great to have a professionally designed room where you're still able to keep your personal fingerprint. I've been having the privilege to utilize the GREIGE designing services for several different rooms of my house and, I tell you, GREIGE is the place to go ! Christina's sense of style, esthethics, excellent professional manners and lovely personality have totally changed my idea about designers ( I haven't had very positive experiences with designers in the past). Thanks, Catherine, for bringing this very fun designing challenge to us visitors.

joanna said...

I enjoyed this post classic and clean-- and I think SPLENDEROSA jewelery is stunning.

Joanny

The Shiny Pebble said...

Splenderosa - I loved the outfit you picked. I hope my readers go ck it out. And the jewelry...

Pattie - you always have the most insightful opinions.

Nelya - i would love to see your version of this room. Your aesthetics is soooo different from all of the designers I have lined up.


Pemberley - i agree and can't wait to see your magic

The Buzz - great point that I hadn't even considered. Including changing the floral arrangements. ;)

A perfect Gray - did you notice the wall colour?

Marija - being that I love your house, you opinion weighs a lot in my mind.

Sandra - I am considering getting those mirrors even if they don't end up in the dining room!

The Zhush - so cool that you have that fixture. We could end up being twinkies.

Emily - you need to start a blog, girl. I love your etsy shop.

Jeanne - thanks for stopping by and come back next wednesday for some more fun stuff.

North of 25 - I agree

Sherry - I love her elegant style as well. Thanks for stopping by

Couture Millinery - you would know it. Composition and texture are probably key in your art as well.

AB Home - you got me started. Thank you.

Liza - thank you so much for sharing your experience with Christina. This is wonderful. And I am sure you were a fabulous client as well.

Joanny - thank you for your comment. And I totally agree with you.

OneCraftyFox said...

I could totally feel comfortable in that space, what a wonderful project plan! And yes, I really like that the larger pieces are incorporated.

These designer challenges are too much fun, thanks for sharing!

Ann said...

Two elegant ladies with two elegant designs!

Catherine, thank you for such a fun blog. Greige and The Shiny Pebble are two of my favorites!

carissa said...

i love christina's style!!! it's simple but completely elegant at the same time!!! i think you are looking at your new dining room!

Helena - A Diary of Lovely said...

great interview!! going to check her blog

nelya said...

You're so sweet Catherine! I'm still on the fence about playing with the professionals, but I'm flattered that you wod put me in such talented company!

Jo said...

What's not to like ~ can she come to my home next?

Jo

Linda Merrill said...

Love this, and you're right, totally doable for you!

Christina @ greige said...

Thank you so much to everyone for the thoughtful and sweet comments! The paint colors are from Restoration Hardware {they currently have some of my favorites}Slate and Stone. The piece below that is the fabric from Romo but I think it is available as a wall covering also. I am not a huge fan of wallpaper in large rooms as I like to change color often and it is difficult to remove. Thank you again to Catherine for letting me participate and to everyone for coming by to see it!

Christina

Pauline Wiles said...

Yes, I like this one very much, especially the mirror and light fixture. This 'neutral' backdrop would work well with seasonal changes, too.

Style, She Wrote said...

Beautiful images. Loved the interview and your blog. Will check back soon! xo

Pauline Wiles said...

PS - am trying to email you but Gmail is misbehaving. The fault seems to be on my end...

Mary Ann said...

wow, i am in love with her designs! have a great weekend...verbena cottage

Millie said...

Oh too gorgeous Catherine, when can I come over & help you hang that glorious wallpaper! But we must save the Champers until AFTER, otherwise the project could resemble that old Marx Brothers movie where all things concerning wallpaper & glue went very pear-shaped! I'm smitten with the pendant light, it's a must have. Congratulations to Christina for a really creative response to her brief.
Millie ^_^

Karena said...

This will be beautiful, I can totally imagine how it would look! Fabulous!! Christina is brilliant...

Karena
Art by Karena

Leigha said...

Another lovely room. Christina never disappoints. Most amazing dining chairs. I am having dining chair envy!

Coryanne Ettiene | Kitchen Living with Coryanne said...

Another stunning room. I just love the feel of the tones and accents. Christina is very talented, just my style!

Unknown said...

i absolutely adore this series! i can't wait to see how it all turns out. great job, christina!

Charlotta Ward said...

Catherine / Christina - this is a great proposal and I love the ideas of a classic neutral base that allows some of your gorgeous pieces to pop out.
The dining chairs are to die for!

This is so exciting and I can't wait to see all the proposals to come. So much to look forward to.

Happy weekend lovely!

x Charlotta

fitty's pinky rose cottage said...

wow what a great designer! can't wait to see the outcome of this proposal..

Olivia said...

Oh wow! Beautiful! I am new to blogging stop by if you get a chance!
Hugs,
Olivia

Gwen Driscoll said...

Great interview Catherine. And just beautiful design from Christina. So calm and elegant. And, again, with every week I'm realizing I've got my work cut out for me! Hope you are well.

G

Cathy~Mille Fleur said...

What a beautiful design! She is obviously very talented! I love this post and look forward to your other featured designers!

Enjoy!
Cathy

Chari at Happy To Design said...

Hi Catherine...

Oooh...I just love the bedroom that Christine designed! Love, love, LOVE the colors!!! I do love Christine's design ideas for your dining room, however I must say that I think your dining room is gorgeous as is!!!

Thank you so much for sharing this fabulous post with us for Sunday Favorites this week! Welcome...it's sooo nice to meet you, Catherine! So sorry that I'm just now getting by for a visit...I was out of town yesterday!

Have a marvelous Monday, my friend!
Chari @Happy To Design

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