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Collection by Jacqueline Leahy

How to Design with Gray

Modernists love to play with color, and the absence of it. Gray, the color of steel and concrete, has participated quietly in countless facades. But inside these homes, the cool hue moves into the spotlight.

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In the master bathroom, the couple traded an outdated tile tub for the BOV 02 from Wetstyle and added fixtures, towel bars, and hooks from Vola. The hallway, which retains its original black granite floor, leads past paneled walls to a deck.
In the master bathroom, the couple traded an outdated tile tub for the BOV 02 from Wetstyle and added fixtures, towel bars, and hooks from Vola. The hallway, which retains its original black granite floor, leads past paneled walls to a deck.
Small kettles and metal pots rest and hang on a wooden shelf in the kitchen.
Small kettles and metal pots rest and hang on a wooden shelf in the kitchen.
The family shares one main bathroom, which is outfitted with Vipp’s new line of products: 982 bath furniture, a 906 faucet, and a 992 mirror. The shower sports a Raindance Connect showerhead by Hansgrohe, and there is a wall-mounted toilet by Villeroy & Boch. The Nomad light fixture is from Modular Lighting Instruments, and the floors are topped with ceramic tiles by LaFaenza.
The family shares one main bathroom, which is outfitted with Vipp’s new line of products: 982 bath furniture, a 906 faucet, and a 992 mirror. The shower sports a Raindance Connect showerhead by Hansgrohe, and there is a wall-mounted toilet by Villeroy & Boch. The Nomad light fixture is from Modular Lighting Instruments, and the floors are topped with ceramic tiles by LaFaenza.
Vermont slate covers the area around the True North wood stove. Wide-plank Yanachi Carbonized Strand Woven Bamboo covers the floors.
Vermont slate covers the area around the True North wood stove. Wide-plank Yanachi Carbonized Strand Woven Bamboo covers the floors.
A trio of resin skulls works as manly wall art above a burly end table from Urban Hardwoods and on a wall painted with ICI Paint’s Noble Grey.
A trio of resin skulls works as manly wall art above a burly end table from Urban Hardwoods and on a wall painted with ICI Paint’s Noble Grey.
White prefabricated cabinets and countertops make for a streamlined kitchen.
White prefabricated cabinets and countertops make for a streamlined kitchen.
“There’s a soulfulness in this small house that’s impossible to replicate in something completely new. The sweetness truly lingers," says architect Michael Lee.
“There’s a soulfulness in this small house that’s impossible to replicate in something completely new. The sweetness truly lingers," says architect Michael Lee.
Custom furniture rubs elbows with catalog pieces in Michelle's home. "Nobody wants their house to look like a cut sheet. It's really important to pick the pieces that speak to you and not worry about where they come from," says Michelle. Ikea chairs surround a table Michelle designed and built from lumber left over from the renovation.
Custom furniture rubs elbows with catalog pieces in Michelle's home. "Nobody wants their house to look like a cut sheet. It's really important to pick the pieces that speak to you and not worry about where they come from," says Michelle. Ikea chairs surround a table Michelle designed and built from lumber left over from the renovation.
The kitchen is the entrance point for the Collettes’ home and its functional core. The warm colors of the house’s wood-and-brick exterior are continued in the felt covers of the Face chairs in umber, red, and rust—a vintage 1983 design for Montis by Gerard van der Berg. The cupboards are gray (“but a warm stone gray, not a cold corporate gray,”Dedy emphasizes). Dark stone was planned for the countertop but looked far too heavy. The couple chose Duropal, a stainless steel lookalike that’s easier to maintain.
The kitchen is the entrance point for the Collettes’ home and its functional core. The warm colors of the house’s wood-and-brick exterior are continued in the felt covers of the Face chairs in umber, red, and rust—a vintage 1983 design for Montis by Gerard van der Berg. The cupboards are gray (“but a warm stone gray, not a cold corporate gray,”Dedy emphasizes). Dark stone was planned for the countertop but looked far too heavy. The couple chose Duropal, a stainless steel lookalike that’s easier to maintain.
Wenes and Lens conceptualized a gradation of white to gray hues for the walls of the 1,500-square-foot gallery into the 4,000-square-foot home, culminating in a deep gray for the master bedroom. The room is reserved for meaningful pieces from the couple’s collection, such as a figure they found at a market in Beijing and lamps by artists Wenes represents.
Wenes and Lens conceptualized a gradation of white to gray hues for the walls of the 1,500-square-foot gallery into the 4,000-square-foot home, culminating in a deep gray for the master bedroom. The room is reserved for meaningful pieces from the couple’s collection, such as a figure they found at a market in Beijing and lamps by artists Wenes represents.
Idée Concrète To get a concrete look for the floors throughout the house, the team first considered Pandomo flooring, a slick treat-ment that would be even more expensive than a standard finish. Instead, says Winterhalder, they experimented with raw materials. “I’d call the suppliers and say, ‘Do you have something grayer?’ They thought I was crazy.” In the end, instead of a concrete look, the couple went with actual concrete—at a fifth of the price. pandomo.de
Idée Concrète To get a concrete look for the floors throughout the house, the team first considered Pandomo flooring, a slick treat-ment that would be even more expensive than a standard finish. Instead, says Winterhalder, they experimented with raw materials. “I’d call the suppliers and say, ‘Do you have something grayer?’ They thought I was crazy.” In the end, instead of a concrete look, the couple went with actual concrete—at a fifth of the price. pandomo.de