January | 2014 | Valentina Expressions

Gold Rush | Valentina Cirasola | Designer

31 Jan 2014 12 Comments

by Valentina in Friday Fashion Tags: #DolceGabbanaSpring2014, #GoldColor, #GoldFashion2014, #RedVoyageIntoColors, #ZuhairMuradDesigns

Fridays will be dedicated to a different topic: fashion in the world. Today I am serving GOLD.

Gold is a color of royals in any country, the color of winners, success, and abundance. At the Olympics, winners receive gold medals. Gold is associated with elegance, sophistication and wealth. It is the power of the sun and represents masculine energy. At important events is a must to wear something gold.
This spring 2014, there is no limit where and when to wear something gold, we can wear it even in the daytime without appearing vulgar with an inflated sense of self-worth.

Gold Nails – ES Nail

Swan ring – Ali Express

Gold and silver shoes – Latest Fashion Today

Lebanese designer Zuhair Murad, described as the designer who “makes women feel like goddesses” presented in Paris his spring collection based on floral and gold. His dresses envision gardens of heaven and femininity.

Dolce & Gabbana Haute Couture portrays an abundance of floral fantasy dresses topped with fantasy gold jewelry. Some of their creations are reproductions of paintings from Van Gogh and Renoir for which copyright reproductions had to be negotiated. I absolutely adore their haute couture collection this year!

Wearing gold jewelry will attract the power of the sun to you, silver jewelry will detract that energy from you and put you under the spell of the moon, a feminine energy.

What do we do in the home? Empower yourself with some gold accessories and the energy of the sun, bring in the sophistication of gold and its magnetic positivism.

(Photo below: One Kings Lane)

Ciao,
Valentina
https://valentinadesigns.com/services#fashion-services

Valentina Cirasola is a trained Fashion and Interior Designer, working in the USA and Europe. Born in Italy and in a family of artists, style surrounded her since the beginning of her life. Her many years of experience led her to offer consultations in both specializations. She is the author of three books. Get your copy of Valentina’s book on colors: ©RED-A Voyage Into Colors on Amazon
http://goo.gl/qNxXrB

Friday Fashion | Valentina Cirasola | Designer

24 Jan 2014 4 Comments

by Valentina in Friday Fashion Tags: #EthnicFabrics, #TribeFabrics, #TribeFashion, #ValentinaInteriorsDesigns, #ValentinoSpringFashion2014

Fridays will be dedicated to a different topic: fashion in the world.
I will bring you some curiosities, trends, novelties, ways to wear garments or how to adapt runways fashion to everyday life. I will start with Valentino, the king of stylists and a magician with a pencil.

His inspiration or I should say the inspiration of the two designers working under the name of Valentino, came from imaginary tribes. In Paris Fashion Week they displayed magnificent fabrics and really showed that their fantasy flew towards far away ethnic groups. The coiffes on the models’ heads seem to have a Tudor’s resonance. The mixture of eras and tribal inspiration is stunning. However, colors are quite dark for being spring and summer garments. In the video, you can see the entire collection.

Au contraire the Haute Couture autumn/winter 2013-14 is regal, with Medieval inspiration, characterized by opulent rich fabrics, but very wearable, in my opinion.

If you have a remanent 70s fashion in your closet, gypsy fabric, ethnic patterns, chunky jewelry, this might be the right time to bring it out and give it a second life with a refreshed look. Ciao,
Valentina
https://valentinadesigns.com/services#fashion-services

New Beginning | Valentina Cirasola | Author and Designer

21 Jan 2014 2 Comments

by Valentina in The Good Life Tags: #DalyCityCityHallArtShow, #MajorDavidJCanepa, #NewBeginningArtExhibit, #ValentinaInteriorsDesigns, #WomeCaucusForTheArts

New Beginning is the title of the art exhibition I visited last Thursday at its inaugural day. It coincided with the inauguration ceremony for the new Mayor David J. Canepa taking a new post in the City Hall of Daly City in California.
The exhibit “New Beginning” will be open from Jan. 16 through Mar. 31, 2014 featuring twenty-two artists, members of the Peninsula Chapter of Women’s Caucus for Art. Many of the exhibitors are painters and a few others are fabric artists, photographers, sculptors and mixed media artists.

All the creations are vibrant, so different from one another and so characteristic. The furniture pieces are extravagant and colorful showing the strong artist’s personality; the water colors are serene and showing limpid waters; the abstracts painting are… yes, very abstract and pull the viewers into the canvas; the acrylic painted grass has a natural movement; the photographs freeze moments in time; the fabric art is highly expressive and there are even ex-rayed chess pieces transferred on canvas. The whole collection is amazing and it will really put some rhythm in the stark hall of the City Hall office building until March 31, 2014.

It All Begins Here-Nancy Woods

Seated Woman-Rebecca Lambing

Elevation – Beate Amler

White Crossing-Marie LaPrade

New_Beginnings_Poster- Maryan Yap

Waves-Annamaria Kusber

Blue Beach-Alysanne McGaffey

Making Friends-Ellen Lee

Onward-Rebecca Lambing

Hollyhocks-Yvonne Newhouse

As a foreigner I can’t help thinking about what mature but young-at-heart women can do in this country, they are unstoppable! But this is me coming from a different latitude, always making comparisons with my country, where most of the women in their 50s are done with life and do not push themselves to strive for more. It is an inspiration to all, our fantasy has no age, it can only grow better, stronger and colorful. My grandmother Pasqua, to whom I dedicated my first book said: “Life evolves until the last moment”.
With this in mind and the inspiration from the art exhibition, I will make sure my life and the life of people I touch is always a “New Beginning”.

Note: The Women’s Caucus was found in 1972 in connection with the College Art Association, WCA a national organization of multi-disciplines and multicultural artists, museums professional, art historians and educators, with the mission to expand opportunities for women in the arts. Marian Yap www.marianyap.com and Bonnie J. Smith http://bonniesmith.vpweb.com are the curators for the “New Beginning” art exhibition.

If you are closer to Daly City, please visit the City Hall on the 3rd floor. The art is for sale and the contact information of each artist is next to each art piece. Wishing Mayor David J. Canepa many terms in his post and Ad Majora to all the artists.
Valentina
http://www.valentinadesigns.com

Valentina Cirasola is an Italian interior designer in business since 1990. She is passionate about colors and all expressive arts. She is a “colorist”. To her, selecting art means to bring out the best energy of her clients and nourish their soul. She is the author of her book on the subject of colors: ©Red-A Voyage Into Colors available on
Amazon: http://goo.gl/xUZfk0
Barnes&Nobles: http://goo.gl/q7dQ3w

Xhilaration Ruffle Curtain | Valentina Cirasola | Interior Designer

15 Jan 2014 4 Comments

by Valentina in Home Designs Master Tags: #homeDesignsMaster, #MyPersonalAToZChallenge, #ValentinaInteriorsDesigns, #XilarationBedSet, #XilarationRufflePillow, #XilarationRuffleWindowPanel

Welcome to my personal A to Z Challenge on the subject of Home. The goal, in a year time, is to elaborate and dissect topics regarding the Home not as containers of stuff, but as a cocoon for the soul, mind and heart. I will touch on decorations, style, trends, history of the home and sometimes technical information. My challenge is now over!

To find a topic for the letter X was hard, there isn’t anything in home décor starting with X that suited my taste, thus I left it for last to close the series of my challenge Home From A To Z. I found instead a very inexpensive and fun way to cover windows.

Xhilaration Ruffle Window Panels-https://www.target.com/p/xhilaration-ruffle-curtain-panel-50x84/-/A-14565711

Xhilaration Ruffle Window Panels-https://www.target.com/p/xhilaration-ruffle-curtain-panel-50×84/-/A-14565711

Xhilaration Jersey Ruffle Pillow-https://www.target.com/p/jersey-ruffle-throw-pillow-xhilaration-153/-/A-14864584#lnk=sametab

Xhilaration Zebra Bed in a Bag-https://www.ebay.com/b/Comforters-Sets/45462?Brand=Xhilaration&Color=Black

The Xhilaration Ruffle Window Panels. They have been designed to add a soft feminine touch to any window with five ample ruffled layers that create a soft texture. They are transparent gauze to let to sunlight in and still show the view of the outside. If privacy is needed, add the light block fabric behind it. Colors are limited, only white, black and rosy color are available. They are available on Ebay for the magic price of $16.99. Ruffle pillows make a nice parure with the ruffle curtains.

Xhilaration Zebra Bed in a bag twin set is available in hot pink with zebra print, on eBay $49.99, or scroll design for $59.99. Altogether it would make a perfect ensemble for a teenage girl room.
There is good décor out there for everyone, every budget and every style. The important thing is to coordinate all the items in a room and to layer textures with an artistic touch. No one will ever know the décor is inexpensive. Your home begins with your story, tell it in your own fantastic way.

I wrote 26 posts, one for each letter of the alphabet. I had fun in the process and at times I felt the pressure. I hope to have kept you interested and inspired to create a home that is only yours and not a copy of a magazine.

I want to thank Julie Dawn Fox http://myatozchallenge.com/author/juliefox – a British expat in Portugal for being a gracious host of this wonderful idea of anything from A To Z Challenge. Now, I will return to my comfortable one time a week blogging. Ciao,
Valentina

http://www.valentinadesigns.com

It’s my hope that through my writing I am enriching your aesthetic sensibility towards design, style and inspire you to live in beauty. I have loved my profession as an interior designer since 1990. I am here ready to offer consultations on-line if you need it. Check out my latest book on colors ©RED-A Voyage Into Colors, available on

Amazon: http://goo.gl/xUZfk0
Barnes&Nobles: http://goo.gl/q7dQ3w

Riser With A Skirt | Valentina Cirasola | Interior Designer

14 Jan 2014 6 Comments

by Valentina in Home Designs Master Tags: #MyPersonalAToZChallenge, #NewelPost, #RedVoyageIntoColors, #StairHandrail, #StairRisers, #StairsBuildingCode, #StairTreads

Welcome to my personal A to Z Challenge on the subject of Home. The goal, in a year time, is to elaborate and dissect topics regarding the Home not as containers of stuff, but as a cocoon for the soul, mind and heart. I will touch on decorations, style, trends, history of home and sometimes technical information. One more post and my challenge is over.

Lucky are the people who have a staircase in their home! If I had stairs in my home I would never go to the gym again. Going up and down the stairs, every day and many times during the day is a good cardiovascular exercising and the best way to stay fit. Besides, the staircase offers a good opportunity to turn the space underneath the stairs into extra storage for shoes, wines, books, or a small room for some activity as writing.

In Europe where building code is not so strict people can get away with open stairs, but in America is not possible, stairs must have a handrail. Stair rails installed after March 15, 1991, must not be less than 36” in height.
However, one very important rule is that if a rail has balusters, also called spindles made of stone or wood and sometimes of metal, it cannot allow the passage of a 4” sphere between balusters/spindles. This rule was made to avoid small children to go through the spindles and make a long fall to the next floor. It happened to me when I was five years old in Europe in my grandmother’s ancient home. Playing with my brother on the stairs, I went through the rail, flew from a height similar to the second level of today’s home, hitting the marble floor so hard that I was in a coma for 45 days. I can’t even begin to think about how devastated my parents must have been.

©Stair By Valentina Interiors

Contemporary stair skirt – http://uniquecustommouldingsandtrim.com

Classic stair brackets-http://www.invitinghome.com/Stair_Brackets/Stair_Brackets_List.htm

Stair railing and decorative skirt – http://freeportwoodworking.com/project/interior-trim/

Nick-nack shelving under stairs -BH&G

(Photo credits are given to the respective owners)

Each part of a stair has a name and a rule.
The handrail with the fundamental rule already described.
The tread is where we put our foot to start the climbing. The minimum tread depth must be 10”. I like the 12” tread for better comfort.
The riser is the vertical area between treads. The maximum riser height must be 7-3/4”. This part can be very decorative and one can have fun with tiles, wallpaper, hand drawings and whatever fancies the homeowner, or it can be left plain, while the tread can emphasize beautiful material.
The skirt or bracket is the decorative design created on the exposed wall between the riser and the tread. Is it important to have it? Not really, but it exalts and glorifies a staircase made with beautiful material, sinuous form, and interesting rail. Skirts are for both traditional style or contemporary style homes.
Newel posts are the post supporting one end of a handrail at the top or bottom of a flight of stairs. There is no limit to fantasy designs, the newel is the end of the stairs, make it attractive.
If you go to my Pinterest board Up And Down the Stairs, you will see some glorious staircases. http://www.pinterest.com/vcvalentina/up-and-down-the-stairs/

Stairs make the focal point of the house, especially if they start in the entry. It is of the utmost importance to design them with flair, otherwise, they will be only an imposing presence in your home. If the stairs are straight, soften them with plans, color, lights, and water features. Ciao,
Valentina
http://www.valentinadesigns.com

Valentina Cirasola has been in business as a designer since 1990. She has helped a variegated group of fun people realizing their dreams with homes, offices, interiors, and exteriors. She is a designer well-known to bring originality to people’s homes. As an Italian designer and true to her origins, she provides only the best workmanship and design solutions. Author of three books all-available on

Amazon: http://goo.gl/xUZfk0
Barnes&Nobles: http://goo.gl/q7dQ3w

It’s A Lowboy! | Valentina Cirasola | Interior Designer

13 Jan 2014 4 Comments

by Valentina in Home Designs Master Tags: #AntiqueFurniture, #ChippendaleStyle, #LowboyFurniture, #MyPersonalAToZChallenge, #QueenAnnStyle, #RedVoyageIntoColors, #TallboyFurniture

Welcome to my personal A to Z Challenge on the subject of Home. The goal, in a year time, is to elaborate and dissect topics regarding the Home not as containers of stuff, but as a cocoon for the soul, mind and heart. I will touch on decorations, style, trends, history of home and sometimes technical information. In two days my challenge will be over.

It’s a boy or it’s a lowboy has the same assonance, no, no newborn in my household, just playing on words.
Lowboy is a low dresser on legs and a few drawers that was so much in fashion in 18th century England. The function of a lowboy started as a dressing table with a mirror, side drawers to keep cosmetics, facial utensils, and accessories for hair, open in the front to allow a woman to sit on a small chair and prepare herself for the day. The most valuable pieces have the typical details of Queen Ann furniture, cabriole legs, pad foot, shell decorations and brass drawer pulls. It continued in the same style through the Georgian era and later Chippendale furniture maker produced it in large quantity. This has been a style forever popular in American homes decorated traditionally in Queen Ann, Georgian and Chippendale style. Are you wondering if there is a Tallboy to go with a Lowboy? Yes, there is and it’s a very tall chest of drawers on legs, sometimes with a wardrobe attached.

Serpentine Front Dutch Walnut Lowboy

Mid-Century Low Boy Dresser

Pied de poule painted Lowboy- Found on The Paris Apartment-Pinterest

Exclusive for Sundance

Pompanoosuc Mill American Vergennes Lowboy

(Photo credits are given to the respective owners)

In modern homes, an antique lowboy might be found in foyer or in empty corners as a filler and seldom is used as a dressing table. Modern master bathrooms inclusive of all the finest amenities, built-ins and stations for each activity have reduced the need for filling rooms with so many small pieces of furniture. Modern versions of lowboy look more like a credenza than a dressing table, especially in the style of mid-century pieces. Their function has changed as well, we might use them for storing linens, tableware or electronic equipment and that’s why their place now is in dining and living areas and not in the bedroom. The container furniture used today for storing clothes is simply called dresser drawers.

If you have an old piece of lowboy and feel the urge to refurbish it, hold that thought for a while. Show it to a furniture appraiser, you might have something valuable, but if it’s painted it over, the value will be gone. Ciao,
Valentina
http://www.valentinadesigns.com

Zodiac and Design | Valentina Cirasola | Interior Designer

12 Jan 2014 4 Comments

by Valentina in Home Designs Master Tags: #DecorantingWithZodiacSigns, #DesigningWithColors, #RedVoyageIntoColors, #SpaceSavingFurniture, #StackableFurniture

Welcome to my personal A to Z Challenge on the subject of Home. The goal, in a year’s time, is to elaborate and dissect topics regarding the Home not as containers of stuff, but as a cocoon for the soul, mind, and heart. I will touch on decorations, style, trends, history of the home and sometimes technical information. In two days my challenge will be over.

Decorating with zodiac signs is the same as decorating in any situation. A successful designer must know the client’s personality, needs and wants before starting a project and romancing a room. Knowing the traits, character and colors of each zodiac sign will help a designer planning a suitable and harmonious life for clients. For the month of January, the sign is Capricorn, Dec. 22 – Jan. 19, but January is not finished yet, therefore Capricorn takes some traits of the next sign or vice versa. Aquarius starts from Jan. 20 to Feb. 18. As you can see every sign towards to end takes some traits of the next sign. Let’s see what are the traits of a Capricorn and what colors this sign likes to thrive in.

Capricorn – Dec. 22 – Jan. 19

Element: Earth
Ruling planets: Saturn
Symbol: Goat

This is the sign of the high rollers, proud business achievers, but also like a quiet life. A Capricorn must balance work and play; otherwise, work can literally replace their personal life. The ruling planet is Saturn, which represents hard work, responsibilities, and ambitions. Saturn makes a Capricorn a great organizer. Decorating for a person under this sign is important to plan an environment where he/she can feel totally organized and orderly. Success, money, status, and authority motivate them. Love doesn’t take a second place, everyone needs love, but a Capricorn’s idea of love is to have someone taking care of him/her.

Black colored clothes, stark and plain colors fill the closet of Capricorns. Perhaps because they are born in the middle of winter when days are shorter, the light is not very bright, it’s cold and rainy and in some parts of the world snows heavily. Capricorn is an earth sign, therefore, likes earthy tone colors as well: brown, khaki, beige, terracotta, burgundy and green, then hues of white, white and black, white and blue. This is valid for fashion they wear and for home décor colors. No weird colors for this person! As an earth sign, Capricorn also likes stone floors, bricks, terracotta tiles, slate but they must be all polished due to that sense of organization and the clean look Capricorn likes. Being a serious, traditional person, always elegant and aware of time as an entity not to be wasted, the style best suited for this person is classic and antiques. A soul of a Capricorn is fulfilled when in the room there is a grandfather’s clock and mahogany, oak and walnut furniture, carved pieces, velvet or heavy upholstered furniture.

The sign of Capricorn ends on Jan. 19 and on Jan. 20 Aquarius starts. Let’s see what Aquarius likes.

Aquarius – Jan.20 – Feb. 18

Element: Air
Ruling planets: Uranus
Symbol: Water Bearer
Character: Aquarius is high frequency, unique and original people

People of this sign are outgoing and amiable. Aquarian attract friends and stay loyal to the friends they make. They are innovative and non-conformist people, often described as eccentric. Aquarius’s symbol is the “Water Bearer”, obviously Aquarian lean toward bluish/green tints and all the colors of the ocean and sky. They prefer these soft colors because are calming and encourage inspiration.

The color blue has cooling healing properties, it will calm angry emotions and reduce elevated blood pressure, just like when we look at the sea we feel immediately relaxed. The color green is a color used to balance emotions and restore harmony with the mind and body. As a soothing color, it helps healing conditions of the heart. Aquarian should incorporate these colors into their home décor and in their wardrobe to counteract any negative energy surrounding them and stay away from bold, bright colors that will put them off-balance.

(Free wallpaper zodiac signs)

Being a very social person who likes gatherings with friends and family, an Aquarian needs to plan a space that seats as many people as possible. Therefore a sectional sofa is better than a few single seating and a round dining table to seat a lot of people because the shape of the circle is very convivial. What if an Aquarium for various reasons chooses not a large space to live? The better solution will be to find space-saving furniture, stackable furniture, tables with extensions, sofa bed and chairs that function as stools as well. This solution suits Aquarian well, as they like minimal furnishing and uncluttered spaces, glass, metal furniture, quirky style, gadgets, and the latest high-tech equipment.

I purchased the coffee table in the photo below for a client with space restriction. The glass table comes with 4 wedge stools that tuck underneath the coffee table and come out when needing extra seating.

coffee table with stools chairs

In the bathroom, which is the natural room for water, the blue hues can be mixed with complementary colors like pale yellow, pearl gray, pale green and light pink and all the colors of the under the sea world. Aquarian is also very creative and needs spaces with a lot of natural light, give them unblocked views where they can see the infinite of the horizon and they will be very happy.

Knowing the zodiac sign of each new client helps me doing a better job like magic things come together without frictions or arguments and the question at the end is always: “how did you know?”. Ciao,
Valentina

http://www.valentinadesigns.com

Valentina Cirasola is an Italian Interior Designer working in the USA and Europe since 1990, specializing in kitchen, bath, wine cellar, and outdoor kitchen designs. Often people describe her as “the colorist” as she loves to color her clients’ world and loves to create the unusual. “Vogue” magazine and many prominent publications in California featured Valentina’s work. She also has made four appearances on T.V. Comcast Channel 15. Author of three published books, the latest ©RED – A Voyage Into Colors is on the subject of colors.
Amazon: http://goo.gl/xUZfk0
Barnes&Nobles: http://goo.gl/q7dQ3w

Setting Hard Style With Hardware | Valentina Cirasola | Interior Designer

10 Jan 2014 Leave a comment

by Valentina in Home Designs Master Tags: #DoorKnobs, #EntryDécor, #HomeHardware, #InteriorHardware, #MyPersonalAToZChallenge, #WristBladeDoorHandles, Foyer

Welcome to my personal A to Z Challenge on the subject of Home. The goal, in a year time, is to elaborate and dissect topics regarding the Home not as containers of stuff, but as a cocoon for the soul, mind and heart. I will touch on decorations, style, trends, history of home and sometimes technical information. On Jan. 14, 2014, my challenge will be over, I am almost ready to reach my finishing line.

Do you think the kitchen, the bath or the bedroom are the most important rooms in the house? If you ask me, I could say that a chef pantry is very important as much as a walk-in closet. People’s needs are so variegated that it’s almost impossible to determine the importance of rooms in order of entry.

I can say for sure that the landing outside the entry door and the foyer are like a business card of you, your family and lifestyle. These spaces have a split of a second to make a good impression. Guests invited to the house for a few hours don’t go roaming around in all the rooms to check if everything is clean, orderly and stylish, they will never see the master bedroom or master bathroom. They will be directed to a living room, maybe a dining area or kitchen and the powder room.

Lovers Door Knocker-Found on: Picmia

Flower Stake

Oil Rubbed Wrist Blade Handle-http://shop.360yardware.com/Interior-Door-Hardware_c263.htm

unison inox-https://www.atgstores.com

Gabriella Clare Marino-unsplash

The areas guests will see first will be the entry door landing and the foyer, these are the areas that will give them the prelude of what the rest of the house looks like. Perhaps there is a garden pathway before arriving at the house and give them time to admire a well-cared pathway or dislike what they see. Approaching someone’s home for the first time and with fresh eyes, guests see things they have not seen before and probably will try to stick some adjectives to describe the picture forming in their mind of the house and the people living in it: clean, messy, stylish, old-fashion, outdated, contemporary, artistic, eclectic, wacky, original and so on. That’s because the eye wanders and rests on the shiny objects before noticing all the other details. The eye sees the outdoor light fixtures, sculptures, and creations that stick out from the ground with an imposing height, house numbers, mailbox, doorbell, door knockers, hardware attached to gates and doors and the color of the door. Then they will notice vegetation, smell, sounds, and texture.

“God Is In the Details” said Mies Van Der Rohe. A well-studied, well-planned and architecturally pleasing home needs exceptional details, after all hardware is the jewelry of the home, but even a modest home needs its fair share of beauty. Impress your guests with hardware that make strong statements. In the end, when selling a house, every little thing counts for adding value to the property, even hardware and how well the house has been maintained through the years.

As far as interior door hardware, I suggest selecting wrist blade door handles versus the turning doorknob balls. The wrist blade hardware is easy on people suffering arthritis and it is available in any finish and any style. If planning on staying in the house for a long time and want to remodel the home, think about the mature age when you are young, making plans to live an easier life free of impediments.

A little touch of whimsy doesn’t hurt; I have a door harp hanging on my entry door greeting people with a piece of pleasant harp music and a rooster sitting on a bell in the kitchen that calls my people when food is ready. If in doubt call the expert, my Skype line is always on. Ciao,
Valentina
http://www.valentinadesigns.com

Embraced In A U-Shaped Kitchen | Valentina Cirasola | Interior Designer

07 Jan 2014 8 Comments

by Valentina in Home Designs Master Tags: #ErgonomicKitchen, #ErgonomicKitchenFloorPlan, #KitchenTriangle, #MyPersonalAToZChallenge, #RedVoyageIntoColors, #UShapedKitchen, #ValentinaInteriorsDesigns

Welcome to my personal A to Z Challenge on the subject of Home. The goal, in a year time, is to elaborate and dissect topics regarding the Home not as containers of stuff, but as a cocoon for the soul, mind and heart. I will touch on decorations, style, trends, history of home and sometimes technical information. On Jan. 14, 2014, my challenge will be over, I am almost ready to reach my finishing line.

Do you have cooking abilities? Can you cook without cursing, burning the food or cutting yourself? If the answer is yes, then you can cook even in a hole in the wall. If you are not in the class of people who can make wonders and miracles in any space, getting a minimal knowledge of how to work in a kitchen and what is the best floor plan is of the utmost importance.

The ruling factor is the space between appliances, cabinets and the person/s working in the kitchen. For convenience, the dishwasher sits near the sink. Are you a left-handed or right-handed person? How you rinse dishes and load the machine is a simple fact that will determine the location of the dishwasher on one side of the sink or the other.
The choice of flooring will make or break your desire of wanting to be in the kitchen for long hours. Cooking is a pleasant activity of the day, which feeds stomach and soul thus flooring should alleviate the chore. Hardwood floor, bamboo or cork floors are the best choices for the legs and of course in the wet areas (sinks, stove) the use of some tile is appropriate.
Lighting is the next and most important factor for a successful kitchen design. Kitchens and baths are the two places in the house where the best accidents happen. Light the kitchen well with style, create shadows and highlights, place it in the right areas and avoid the showroom look, I truly dislike it!

I could talk about kitchen details from now to the year 3000, not only because I cook and understand the needs of a chef, but because I am trained as an expert in kitchen designs. The purpose of this post is to elaborate on a U-shaped kitchen floor plan, which is the best workable floor plan for small kitchens and because I needed a topic for the letter U in my challenge Home from A to Z.

In this floor plan a peninsula is easier to incorporate than an island in the middle of the floor, however many roll-out leafs for cutting, mixing and preparing can come out from under the countertop in various areas. Refrigerator in this floor plan is never placed in a corner, as it will waste space, hit and block cabinet doors, but near the sink, if possible. It’s convenient to take produce out of the refrigerator and place them in the sink for washing. Allow a minimum counter space of at least 18” between refrigerator and sink and of course more if the floor plan allows it. The next best place for the refrigerator in the U-shaped kitchen is near the stove/range for easy accessibility to food, when something quick inside of the fridge is needed during cooking.

Refrigerator, sink and the range are the three areas of this floor plan that must create a “triangle” for workability and extreme functionality. The sink needs the stove as the stove needs the sink. It’s a formula that gives the best results when carrying hop pots/pens from the stove to the sink, like draining pasta or transferring wet vegetables from the sink to the stove. The vicinity of the stove to sink will avoid spillage, messy floor, and dangerous slips.
Not more than two people can work in a U-shaped kitchen. Keep in mind that appliance doors open and occupy a space of at least 24″ therefore must not hit each other and a person of a normal size occupies a space of 18″. All of this must be added to the dept of cabinets and appliances to create an ergonomic kitchen. Admire a couple of my work in the photo gallery.

©Valentina Interiors & Designs - San Francisco, CA

©Valentina Interiors & Designs - Menlo Park, CA

U-Shaped Kitchen Floor Plan

(photo credits are given to the respective owners)

Once you have a perfect working triangle, it’s time to think of the finishing touches that will give a U-shaped kitchen a lovely look. As I said before, cooking is a pleasant activity of the day. Before start cooking I put on either classic music or Opera, you choose your own music, open a bottle of wine and feed your stomach, soul and mind. In the meantime, you have controlled sugar, fat, salt intake and controlled your portions, because you cooked for your palate and not for what any restaurateur wants you to eat. In the end you will feel like a million-dollar.

I am here and always available if you need consultations on kitchen designs, my Skype line is on. Ciao,
Valentina
http://www.valentinadesigns.com

Valentina is an Italian Interior Designer with a passion for kitchens, cooking and extensive knowledge of food. She operates in the USA and Europe. She loves to remodel homes and loves to turn unattractive spaces into castles, but especially loves to design kitchens and wine grottos, outdoor kitchens and outdoor rooms, great rooms, and entertainment rooms. Check out her books available on
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Au Revoir Holidays | Valentina Cirasola | Author and Designer

06 Jan 2014 Leave a comment

by Valentina in The Good Life Tags: #ChristmasFood, #ChristmasGifts, #EpiphanyDay, #ItalianLifeStyle, #ItalianTableCustom, #RedVoyageIntoColors

Last night, I closed the holiday season celebrating Epiphany day, which falls on Jan. 6.
Epiphany Day in my native Italy was the day when kids received their Christmas gift, note I said a gift in the singular form and received nothing for Christmas day. Christmas was only a religious celebration, a time to spend in holiness, reflecting on spirituality, with family cooking, laughing, loving and enjoying one another.

On the evening of Jan.5th, my parents told us kids to go to bed earlier than usual to allow the Befana (Epiphany) to come down through chimneys or other ways if there was no fireplace and leave one gift for each kid of the house. They also suggested leaving a little something to eat for the Befana. Flying on a broom from home to home, delivering gifts, made the old woman very tired, thus she needed to replenish her strength. A reminder of possibly receiving black charcoal at the Epiphany Day instead of a gift loomed over our head during the year, it kind of forced us to be good kids all the time. Black charcoal was only a chunk of sugar colored with black food coloring, but still, receiving it, was such an ordeal.

We went to bed early than usual, but we stayed awake listening for any noises indicating the Befana was in the house. In the morning, the food we left on the table for her was gone or half eaten and the gifts we found were exactly what we asked in the letter we wrote in December and gave to our parents to send to the Befana. It was so sweet, innocent and gratifying, because the Befana listened.

Until one day, I was eleven years old, I peeped through a keyhole and saw my parents arranging the gifts for us three kids in the usual place in the kitchen. The next day, we opened the gifts and of course we were very happy to receive just what we had asked. Then I told my father that I saw him and mom putting the gifts in place the night before. His answer was: “Oh yes?! Then you are too old to get gifts.” I never received one more gift at Epiphany Day, only some clothes for Christmas, a sweater, perhaps a pair of shoes, a skirt, but not all of them together, only one, until I was eighteen. Nothing else after that. I started working and gave them a gift instead.

Befana – Found on http://solidarietatv.altervista.org/tag/villaggio-solidale

Bell Peppers Medley

Fava Beans and Dandelions

Roasted Vegetables Tart

The night of Jan. 6th was for a fun day for the adult too. They invited a bunch of friends with kids and together we took down all the chocolate decorations on the Christmas tree. It was another occasion to celebrate with food, a lot of love and laughter, or an excuse to organize the first party of the year. Kids plaid with their new toys.

Yesterday, as I do every year, I celebrated Epiphany Day my way, took down my Christmas decorations and cooked all bunch of food to share with a few friends. Reflecting on what really Christmas means these days, I don’t look forward to the holidays stress and spending. We should call the Christmas Season the “Stores’ Season” instead. In this part of the world, everything we do in the last three months of the year is about increasing stores sales, alleviating our bank account of a few thousand of dollars and stir ourselves crazy trying to enjoy the holidays in a frenzy way. People never receive gifts in their wish list, or receive useless gifts with no meaning, thus recycling the gifts received for the next occasions, or the next Christmas is a thing to do, while some other people pay their Christmas debts all year around. This is not the way to enjoy Holy Day, only a backward way of doing things!
During the holidays enjoy spending time with people you love and care about as long as they last, share food and fun with them. That’s the best gift.

I can officially say Au Revoir to the holidays. No resolutions for me, only continuing living life in colors and doing the best I can for others and me. I hope you have a splendid 2014. Ciao,
Valentina
http://www.valentinadesigns.com

Valentina Cirasola has been in business as an interior designer since 1990 improving people’s life by changing their spaces. Often people describe her as “the colorist” for a reason. She lives in a colorful world, wrote a book on colors ©RED-A Voyage Into Colors and loves to color her clients’ environments by creating the unusual. Her deep interest in food led her as an autodidact in the studies of food in history, natural remedies, nutrition and well-being, then finally she wrote two books on Italian regional cuisine. Find Valentina’s three books on
Amazon: http://goo.gl/xUZfk0
Barnes&Nobles: http://goo.gl/q7dQ3w