WHEN Ralph Lauren began his distressed fashion concept,
Grace Carrey was part of the research and development team based in Hong Kong
that sourced materials and processes for the Italian fashion icon.
Years later, having built up considerable R&D knowledge
of Asian textile and manufacturing industries,
Grace struck out on her own to bring Phuket a range of furniture that
can adorn a home both inside and out.
Grace’s company, Blume Living, has a keen following from
Hong Kong residents with Phuket Property who buy her designs and have them
shipped here to decorate their holiday homes.
Buying a Junk to live to in Hong Kong posed Grace the
dilemma of how to decorate such a restricted space internally and exploit
exposed deck areas on board.
The idea of using outdoor furniture was her solution.
Durable, lightweight and strong, the rattan designs also complemented the
vellsel’s wooden construction.
Now, Grace’s home doubles as a showroom for people to visit
and see a working model of her furniture designs.
My strength is in interpreting a design concept into a
language that factories can understand and ensure nothing is lost in
translation.
Many of our designs use the concept of what we call blurring
the line between indoor and outdoor living. So our furniture is suitable for
outdoor use, but doesn’t look out of place when put indoors.
“In additional, when you tie indoor and outdoor furniture
using colors or the same material, you bring your outdoor space inside.”
There are two standard design types available from Blume;
high density polyethylene (HDPE) used for both the rattan look with a sturdy
aluminum frame, and a teak wood effect with stainless steel frame which offers
a sleek contemporary look, popular in the European market and therefore
suitable for design projects here in Phuket.
My design last year was all about making the material look
natural, and i used rosewood and bamboo effects in keeping with that concept.
This year I am playing on the face that the rattan is synthetic, so I am using
colors to highlight this. By combining
a few colours in a single chair the finished products give a very fresh ‘Bistro’
look which can be customized with other colour combinations to suit different
thems
Rosewood is the most popular finish in Grace’s catalogue
with a texture and color that are strikingly similar to the real material.
I have come up with some very unique finishes that nobody
has. The first time a rosewood piece went through customs, the officer was so
convinced that it was real wood, he held the shipment back until we literally
set fire to a price of furniture to show him it was not real wood.
My bamboo finish is especially designed for the Phuket Market. I believe, it matches very well with the natural ropes or bamboo
material being used indoors.
Blume Living furniture already complements many Phuket Residence including those in Layan Garden, Anchan Villas, Laguna Villas and
many other private villas.