42 more sleeps

only 42 more sleeps until Amsterdam...and my little apartment off the Kinkerstraat...time to work hard and make some money!

new penthouse project in Ucluelet

black rock

renderings from Black Rock's website

Architect Ron Lea of Vancouver's VIA Architecture, and Sharon Bortolotto of the interior design firm BBA Design have collaborated on Black Rock Resort in Ucluelet. The Westerly News (local paper) has posted pictures of the wave shapped bar, and I hope they plan on cladding it in mini mosaics. I love this place...ever since hearing about it, I knew it was going to be amazing. This is Ucluelet's first resort hotel. It sits above a surge pool and blowhole, which we used to go to as teenagers to watch.

After my night at the Wickinninish and it just winning the best spa in North America by Travel and Leisure; I am interested to see what level of hospitality Black Rock will bring to my sleepy home town.
















Ucluth Lodge and Spa
rendering by Michelle Morelan, BID

What a dream project this would be for me...with hospitality design you can really push the envelope when it comes to concept; and this place is dripping of unique concept. Ucluelet has a past of fishing, logging, you are inspired by the forests and beaches, the weather conditions of fog and wind. I still haven't given up hope that I will develop the Ucluth Lodge and Spa...

trades party

Check out Patricia Gray's blog for tales of her architectural tour and classes in Italy. She is now in Venice, but has great pics of the great walled city of Ferrara where she is taking classes at the renowned University of Architecture for the month of July. My dream.

My Ucluelet residential clients had a trades party on Saturday...the food was amazing, and was catered by a chef. Yum.



It was also my 12th wedding anniversary this weekend. We had dinner at the Wickinninish Inn and I surprised my husband with a room with a view of the moonlight...very romantic.

Tidbit blog entry

Upper Kennedy Lake; highway to Ucluelet from Port Alberni


The eagle in an old snag tree; it was being buzzed by hummingbirds, but did not move for hours; a delight with my morning coffee while staying at Eaglerock.
Closer shot of the Eagle; neither the blue jays, finches or hummingbirds could get him to move.

Raylene and Spencer

New garden doors

New wrought iron doors to the protected morning garden. Residential project- Ucluelet.

The doors were purchased in Coombs at an architectural salvage yard, and are Egyptian. They were reworked by a local artisan to fit the opening.

Moorage Display Suite

I did the install at the Moorage in Ucluelet this weekend. I am starting to realize, as my sister says "I need a team". It was brutal. We cleaned for 5 hrs in order to install, so it toke much longer than it should have. Contstruction dust was everywhere, at the same time the furniture and accessories are being installed.

It looks great though; and this was a budget project. Some things that helped keep on budget were doing my own canvases, borrowing furniture, renting out some of my own items, creating a mirror in driftwood and a driftwood sculpture.

I hope they sell quickly so we can get started designing Phase 2.

Check out the Moorage website...and contact judy@judygray.com for sales.

Life is Good

Just when I was thinking about how much I wanted to spend more time in Ucluelet, and how I can move back here in the future, two things happened. First, I got more work! The best news is that I am being brought into the project at the planning stage; every designers dream. The second thing is that I am staying at EagleRock by myself. It isn't very often, as a designer, you get to live in a house you design. Last night I had a spa bath, breathed in late misty air on the balcony before bed, and climbed into the most comfortable down quilt I have every slept under. Heaven really. The eagle sits on the stonehenge rock in front of the house in the morning and evening.

Let's face it, as women, we question the projects our men make for themselves to get out of doing other work, but Carl was right when he installed built in speakers with seperate room controls. The sound of the ocean was piped in because of the energy efficient windows. There are even speakers in the fireplace area downstairs. Just imagine the lighting on dimmers, white heated marble, a spa bath, bubbles, view of the ocean, Blue Rodeo and a warm fire. Hmmm.

So I have lived in a project I have helped design, and this in turn will make me a better designer.

The eagle just flew from his rock.