Arts Club Theatre Company Celebrity Chef's Event

In November, my husband and I hosted a Celebrity Chef's Cooking Class in co-operation with the Arts Club Theatre Company and Boneta Restaurant. It was an evening of wine, food and art.
Local artist, Katie Shocrylas, provided big, gorgeous painted canvasses, which helped create a special atmosphere for the event.
Visit the Arts Club Theatre Company at

http://www.artsclub.com/events/cooking-classes/index.htm, Boneta at http://www.boneta.ca/ and view Katie Shocrylas's work at http://www.katieshocrylas.com/

A view from the patio, looking into the dining and kitchen area.

Boneta Chef and co-owner Mark Brand describe cooking techniques.

The first step in the process in plating the beet salad.

Beet salad (loved the goat cheese Panna Cotta).

A delicious design of culinary finishes.

Mark plating the veal.

Fait accompli!

Dessert dynamics

Final culmination of flavours.

Fireside beauty by Katie Shocrylas.

2010 Gifts Guide

With Christmas comes Christmas shopping.  Not always easy to find THE perfect gift: different, original, a gift that says just how much I care about you.

Here is a little help: a select list of Christmas items, all sourced from local stores.

1 - Knit Cushion, $100, 18 Karat,  3039 Granville Street, Vancouver BC, www.eighteenkarat.com.
2 - Winter, giclee, 72”x54”, 810, Parliament, 115 Water Street, Vancouver BC,
      www.parliamentinteriors.com

3 - Element-Themed Crystal Garden, $14, Urban Outfitters, 830 Granville Street
      Vancouver BC , www.urbanoutfitters.com

4 - Kelly Green Ceramic Lamp, $695, the Cross Design, 1198 Homer Street, Vancouver BC, www.thecrossdesign.com

5 - Steel Measuring Tape, up to 10’, $37, Parliament

6 - Caleb Siemon Vase, $690, Provide, 529 Beatty Street, Vancouver BC,
      www.providehome.com

7 - Living with what you Love, $37, the Cross Design

1 - Monte Carlo Poker, $149, Restoration Hardware, 2555 Granville Street, Vancouver BC, www.restorationhardware.com

2 - Dream in Blue, Glass coat, Hand painted, $335, Parliament

3 - Sabine Desk Lamp, $445, Peridot, 1512 West 14th Avenue, Vancouver BC,
      www.peridot.ca

4 - Artisan Leather IPhone 4 Cover, $39, Restoration Hardware

5 - The French Laundry Cookbook, $61.95, the Cross Design

6 - Steel Measuring Tape, up to 10’, $37, Parliament

1 - Extremis Ice Cube indoor/outdoor cooler, Living Space, 188 Kingsway, Vancouver
     BC, www.livingspace.com

2 - Gaia and Gino - Valencia candle and tealight holder sandblasted designs by hand,
      Living Space

3 - Kartell Take Table Lamp, $131, Living Space

4 - Maharam pillows - letters by Gunaar Aagaard Andersen, 1955, Living Space

5 - Blomus squaro umbrella stand, $134, Living Space

6 - Blomus - squaro laundry bin, $318, Living Space

7 - Gaia and Gino - mistic candle holder, Living Space

What do you like?

Here are three seating areas from different projects and clients

Designed by McIntyre Cresswell Design.

Art Deco influenced room – custom chairs with mahogany wood, beautiful palm design wall covering and contemporary decorative mirror. Low lighting helps create this loungy environment.

Casual, comfortable, transitional styling. A family room with Rowe chairs, neutral palette and a touch of orange for colour.

Contemporary living room with eclectic decor and colour – Central Limestone fireplace, flanked by floor lamps by Jonathan Adler and Brent Comber. Florals by McIntyre Cresswell Design.

Who are we?

McIntyre Cresswell Design Group is an Interior Design and Landscape Design company in Vancouver, B.C. In our years of design experience here, in Asia, Europe, and the United States, we have found  design projects and challenges to be vastly diverse.But one universal subject that exists on every project is the challenge to clearly define what people like.  

We are all influenced by our surroundings, and we like to stay within our comfort zones. Sometimes what we think we like is just a reflection of what we are used to seeing; what is set in front of us.
Vancouver has many different residential architectural styles.

Existing since the early 1900’s the old heritage style homes stand tall and grand. These are beautifully detailed wood structures heavily influenced by the Victorians.

In the 40’s and 50’s smaller, practical, bungalow homes were built with their simple geometry and simple lines.

Vancouver Specials filled many of our neighbourhoods beginning in the early 70’s. “Specials” are easily spotted with their economical rectangular shape encased with vinyl siding and sheltered with low sloped roofs.

The 1980’s brought the large, three floor, pastel coloured, stucco homes.

Lastly, during the 90’s, the Craftsman style has found a strong following with their high peaked shingle roofs and stone siding, large entries are flanked by impressive beams and posts.   

All of these styles were, and are, built for different reasons; one may be cost, or a combination of cost and practicality, or there may have been cultural influences, or availability of building materials, or it could simply be that the contractor or developer only builds in that one style.  

Even though we have trends and materials that have lit a path to a certain style of home, those trends and materials are not always the best options. Our work, as we see it, gives McIntyre Cresswell Design Group the opportunity to research and understand as many options as possible to find the best solution for the project at hand. We try not to restrict our options to what the current trends are, nor do we consider one persons opinion, whether they are a builder, developer or architect, to be the only opinion that is correct. There are many, many choices in every aspect of design, and although the selections can be daunting, it is our task to find the best solution for each project. We do this by paying close attention to budgets, appropriate materials and palettes, and creating an aesthetically pleasing design that our clients appreciate and enjoy. After all, design is about what you like.

So,… What do you like?