January | 2015 | Valentina Expressions

Step On Colors, Vibrate Your Day | Valentina Cirasola | Interior Designer

27 Jan 2015 Leave a comment

by Valentina in Home Designs Master Tags: #CementTiles, #CeramicTiles, #FloorDesigns, #FlooringSolutions, #GeometricFloorDesign, #HardwoodDesigns, #ItalianTiles, #StonePlanks

Oh, how many times I see homes made with a cookie cutter!!! I know, if a person has something, his/her friends feel they must have it too; if some magazine says hardwood floor is in style, everybody will have hardwood floor. It is called socio-acceptance. Some people think if they have the same things everybody else have, or look the same as everybody else, they are cool!

Sometimes ago, a friend asked me if a kitchen granite counter was still in fashion and if it was a yes, how long I foresaw it to stay in fashion. What a question? My answer was to make the kitchen counter in a stone or material she liked and not in a stone every kitchen from California to New York has.

The same I can say for floor covering. Wall to wall carpet is not hygienic. You have no idea what we find when we remove carpets during a remodeling. No wonder people are often sick, breathing all that stuff collected underneath the carpet affects your health. Real hardwood floor requires maintenance to keep it beautiful for long time. Engineered wood (man-made products) is cheap and fake, but affordable. Linoleum has improved but it is linoleum. Not very often alternative solutions come up and the world is full of new ideas.
Here I have solutions for stones and hardwood with attractive and stunning layouts, colorful tiles with geometric designs, stenciled floor and cement tiles, which are immensely overlooked.

White Wash-Wood planks design-Found on: https://www.servicecentral.com.au/article/22-unique-flooring-ideas-for-any-room

Cement tiles-Found on:http://www.theantiquefloorcompany.com/Products_for_sale/Carreaux_de_ciments_floors_less_than_5m2_53sq_ft_for_sale/3D_Hexagonal_Carreaux_de_ciment_floor_c_1910.html

Cement tile – Found on: http://www.coloursmorocco.com/cement-floor-tiles-breno.html

Italian floor – Mario Cuomo

Valentina Interiors & Designs

Mick-Haupt-unsplash

Vietri Italian tiles featured here by Romeo Cuomo https://www.facebook.com/romeo.cuomo
You might just need a small space to brighten up or to make an impression where you can keep expenses down and what an impression it will be!
If you can spend a little more for an upscale flooring that will add character to your home why not using imagination? Do it, your soul will like it and your day will vibrate. Ciao,
Valentina
http://www.valentinadesigns.com

Copyright © 2015 Valentina Cirasola, All Rights Reserved

Valentina Cirasola transforms and creates spaces realizing people’s dreams in homes, offices, interiors and exteriors. She infuses your everyday living with a certain luxury without taking away a comfortable living.  She offers design consultations on-line through Skype and the traditional in-house consultations, helping people with their design challenge any where in the world. She is the author of three books, all-available on
Amazon: http://goo.gl/xUZfk0
Barnes&Nobles: http://goo.gl/q7dQ3w

Serenity | Valentina Cirasola |Author and Designer

20 Jan 2015 Leave a comment

by Valentina in The Good Life Tags: #RedVoyageIntoColors, #Serenity, #ValentinaCirasolaAuthor, #WPPhotoChallengeSerenity, https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_photo_challenge/serenity/

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_photo_challenge/serenity/

What is Serenity to me?
Getting up and have a sense of direction.
Closing a colorful working day knowing that night will fall, but everything around me will still be colorful and illuminated.
Going to my garden/orchard to pick up oranges, fruit and vegetable that have not been sprayed with pesticides.
Looking a new life blooming in January under cold and grey days. My white paper lilies are very happy.
Growing an avocado tree from the pits of avocadoes I ate. If it worked with the pits of apricots, apples and vegetables seeds, it will work with and avocado, I thought.
Experimenting with plants I don’t know anything about. This summer Canna Lilies plants will be tall and bright orange.

My garden at night

My orange tree

My white paper lilies

My first avocado tree

My first canna lilies

Get inspired and create a great day 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

Mini And Cute | Valentina Cirasola | Author and Designer

20 Jan 2015 2 Comments

by Valentina in The Good Life Tags: #ItalianVegetables, #MiniBellPeppers #ItalianFood, #ValentinaCirasolaAuthor, #ValentinaCirasolaOnPinterest

It’s grey outside and on my table, there is always something colorful whatever the season. Today I played in the kitchen with stuffed peppers, and cabbage stuffed with chicken breasts. These are food that requires a few hours of execution. Once completed I put them away in the freezer for those busy times when I can’t cook elaborate food, and I still want to eat well. I chose to feature Stuffed Mini Peppers as the easiest of the two specialties I prepared today.

Stuffed Mini Bell Peppers

Ingredients for 4 people
Mini bell peppers to fill a baking pan
Garlic, ginger and fresh chili peppers to your liking
Cherry tomatoes split in half
2-3 teaspoons of lemon juice
A hand-full of capers and fresh basil leaves
Parmigiano and salt to your liking
Breadcrumbs
Extra-virgin olive oil

Development
Cut the mini bell peppers in half and align them in a baking sheet.
In a bowl prepare a mixture with all the ingredients mentioned above.
Fill each bell pepper half with the mixture.
Sprinkle breadcrumbs over and a generous swirl of extra-virgin olive oil.
Bake at 400° F until golden brown.

This is an easy vegetable dish full of colors, and flavor. Pair it with meat or fish for a complete meal, or make it as an appetizer and serve it with a Prosecco.
The smallest things are always the cutest! Ciao,
Valentina
http://www.valentinadesigns.com

Valentina Cirasola is the designer who cooks. She has a deep interest in food that led her as an autodidact in the studies of food in history, natural remedies, nutrition, well-being and learning food of the world. She wrote two books on Italian regional cuisine and one book on color theory, in which she included one recipe for each color. Get your copy of Valentina’s books on
Amazon: http://goo.gl/xUZfk0
Barnes&Nobles: http://goo.gl/q7dQ3w

Stand On A Platform | Valentina Cirasola |Designer

16 Jan 2015 Leave a comment

by Valentina in Friday Fashion Tags: #2015Colors, #2015DesignerShoes, #2015NewYorkRunway, #2015SpringShoes, #RedVoyageIntoColors

Welcome, it is Friday in Fashion! Are you tired of the ballerina shoes? Tired of being flat to the ground and no arch support? Tired of shoes that make short women look even shorter and large calves even larger?
Although ballerina shoes are very pretty and hip, they are not for everybody and especially they are not for women with puffy swollen feet spilling out of the shoes like a river in flood.

Here is the industry proposal of what we will see in the streets this coming spring and summer.

http://nymag.com/thecut/2013/09/best-flat-shoes-from-new-york-fashion-week.html

BURBERRY-SHOES-SPRING-SUMMER-2015

shoes: Calvin Klein

Source: IMAXTREE

Victoria Beckham Spring 2015

Shoes: Paul Smith

I like the comfortable look of 2015 shoes: chunky heels planted well to the ground, built on platforms, easy to wear, colorful and if it rains some of these shoes will help cross the high water.

Colors of men shoes are sexy this year! I am really curious to see how many men will wear the two tones, textured shoes.
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 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 and now she can remodel homes as well as personal images. To better help people in the world, she offers consultations online. 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
Barnes&Nobles: http://goo.gl/q7dQ3w

Embrace A New Beginning In A Cold Season | Valentina Cirasola | Interior Designer

15 Jan 2015 Leave a comment

by Valentina in Home Designs Master Tags: #2015NewBeginning, #FabricTextures, #LEDLight, #ValentinaInteriorsDesigns, #WhiteColorScheme, #WhiteWinterColors, Illumination

New year is a time for a new beginning and new home editing. Yes, the house needs to be edited every season, the same as everybody calls de-cluttering.

Spirit and Soul – If you believe in Feng Shui now is the time to consult an expert of this science or a book to make sure all the elements in a room are in harmony. Spring and summer are too far away and Christmas glitters are all gone. This is a time the Northern Hemisphere suffers most cold and it is grey or white most of the days, so why not embrace and celebrate each day of the year, not just the preordained November and December? This time of the year is perfect to celebrate the promises of something new and the life that is growing under the snow and cold weather. There is not much going on this month of January, why not clean inside all the closets, kitchen cupboards and free the spaces of old cosmetics, clothes and shoes? Feng Shui or not you should edit your environment to let a new energy in. Our home should reflect feeling and the mood of coziness of this season.

Colors and Paint – This is the time to refresh the paint of crown moldings and kickboards if a few years have passed since last time they were painted. The same applies to refreshing the paint of a few rooms, especially the most used ones, like kitchen and baths. A new paint job should be done every two years as a house cleaning practice and to update to current colors. Alternatively, to offset the grey and white of the outside, you might want to experiment with rich, deeper colors to add warmth or soft pastels to encourage spring.

Winter color combination

http://www.bellanottelinens.com/home/BNL-15/

https://www.modishstore.com/collections/coat-racks

Maite Onate – Unsplash

(photos via Pinterest)

However there are always people who will want to decorate with white and neutrals colors regardless of seasons. First thing to do is darken the floor to anchor the white colored décor and to make it not seem aloof. Then, create a warm ambience with special lighting that comes from corners, behind or underneath furniture and from inside the fireplace. In some areas burning wood is now prohibited and the beautiful, stylish, or carved antique fireplaces have become part of wallpaper décor. Well it doesn’t have to be like that, add a lot of candles or LED lighting inside the mouth of the fireplace and the dark hole will disappear giving magic to the room.

Textures – Anchor a white color scheme by experimenting with a mixture of white, ecru, beige and greige or a mixture of textures. Introduce wood furniture and wrought iron details, make imaginative pairings with layering fabric textures, raw silk with unbleached linen, mix ecologic fur with animal print, wool with voiles, lace, crystals and dry wood branches and if you want to introduce a couple of accent colors pillows you can.

Floating – I know that in American homes there is enough space to store various things, if nothing else, we can draw from our stockpile and re-hang paintings, redecorate with accessories that have been in store for a while and float furniture from other rooms. A new freshness and vibrancy will come out from the same objects and everything will look new again, while other items will go to Goodwill. That’s a good thing too.

It’s cold outside, but it doesn’t have to be cold and white in your home. Make it cozy and you will want to come home. Ciao,
Valentina
http://www.valentinadesigns.com

Valentina Cirasola, is the principal designer and owner of Valentina Interiors & Designs. She is a trained designer and has been in business since 1990. She works all over the world via Skype line and in the traditional in- home consultations producing concepts for remodeling, restoration of historical dwelling, décor restyling and home fashion. Vogue magazine and many prominent publications in California featured Valentina’s work. She has made four appearances on T.V. Comcast Channel 15 and has been interviewed on various Blog Talk Radios. Author of three books all-available on
Amazon: http://goo.gl/xUZfk0
Barnes&Nobles: http://goo.gl/q7dQ3w

Detox Yourself and Your Home After Holidays | Valentina Cirasola | Interior Designer

06 Jan 2015 Leave a comment

by Valentina in Home Designs Master Tags: #AfterHolidayDetox, #Detox, #HomeDecor, #January2015, #ValentinaInteriorsDesigns, #WinterColors, #WinterWhiteColorScheme

My holiday decorations are gone, everything went to sleep until next Christmas. Do you feel as if your home has lost its spark? All the shimmering lights are turned off, colorful decorations are gone, the glitters are not shining and everything looks opaque. Well it’s January, in most parts of the world is cold and white, why not enjoy the cold season and cooler colors of this month?

(photo: https://holawallpaper.com/wallpaper/hot-chocolate-17186-17186.html)

Let’s start with a cup of hot cocoa in our hands. Ideas come easier with something brown, silky and sweet. We need to fill that space where the Christmas tree was. I suggest a lamp in that corner, something we can borrow from other rooms for the time being, or a rope light disguised into a pot, a glass vase or behind furniture.

Winter colors

Winter color combination

Let’s play with all white color range. Between the cream colors, light beige, warm whites, antique whites and crystals accessories we can edit some rooms with real winter style to make it warm and cozy. Take out the fuzzy throw blanket and the ecologic fur pillows to feel in the mood for a crackling fireplace and a good book for companion.
To balance the white colors bring in some fragrant and colorful plants such as white paper lilies, a bright red Amaryllis, hyacinth, or a winter star plant. It will be like calling spring to hurry to show up.

White paper lilies

Wikimedia – Hyacinth in the formal garden at Anglesey Abbey. Taken Apr 2012

Winter star plant

Clean the interior of kitchen cupboards, get rid of some chipped dishes and bring to the front some glasses or dishes you haven’t use in a while. Add a sachet of dry rosemary, sage, thyme, and orange peel to give your cupboard a fresh smell. Clean the interior of bathroom cabinets and get rid of expired cosmetics, dust off clothes, shoes, and handbags, they also need a renewed energy after the holidays. You want to make everything sparkling again the natural way.

How about you, your person, how will you detox from the holidays?

I started with staying a couple of weeks away from the computer electromagnetism.
I got rid of all the sweets leftovers from the holidays, except chocolate, I need that. It seems as if I am ungrateful and throwing food away, but no, I am saving my body and being good to myself. The leftover good food is already in the freezer.
I am eating a lot of fruit, vegetables, high fiber food, drinking a lot more water and reduced my food portions. Exercising at least 30 minutes a day should help my detox and this is all, nothing strenuous, nothing difficult, everything doable I can do for many months.

I don’t particularly like winter, however, I celebrate it just the same with the things, food, and activities that make these few cold months so worth waiting for the spring. Ciao,

Valentina
http://www.valentinadesigns.com

As a designer in business since 1990, I am interested in helping people designing their interior and exterior spaces with an overall feeling of peace, relaxation and harmony that will draw them home eagerly. Find copies of my three books on
Amazon: http://goo.gl/xUZfk0
Barnes&Nobles: http://goo.gl/q7dQ3w

Unbridled Luxury | Valentina Cirasola | Designer

02 Jan 2015 2 Comments

by Valentina in Friday Fashion Tags: #AspreyHandbags, #AspreyInteriors, #AspreyJewelry, #AspreyLondon, #AspreyLuxuryItems, #LondonBondSt, #LondonLuxury, London

Welcome to my 2015 Friday Fashion and everything stylish.
During the past holidays I left the Internet for a couple of weeks to detox from electromagnetism and got a chance to watch the world and T.V. One night on PBS there was a story on Asprey, a luxury store in central London on Bond St, the epitome of luxury goods that attracts the wealthiest people in the world, nobles and royals alike. All jewelry is made on the upstairs quarters where a hand full of artisans work on exceptional masterpieces that only the most fortunate people will wear. There, also they produce stunning gold or silver figurines that will embellish ice buckets and many other home décor objects silver salt and pepper figurines in the shapes of awls. The price is £7,000 British Pound each and they will make a stunning appearance on someone’s dining table in Houston, Texas, so it was said during the show.

The store doesn’t care to sell mass-produced luxury goods, there, everything is hand-made keeping an old fashion business alive in a modern world. Asprey became its activity producing elaborate dressing cases and not as a jewelry store, but during the course of the century jewelry became the most important part of the store trade, their clients come from all over the world to buy into the British luxury.

Asprey has occupied the same site on Bond St. for over 160 years spread over five Georgian townhouses. It was recently renovated for only £50 million, just a snip!!! However, the new open space and the glass ceiling make the store look grand, modern and inviting. This is a place where no price is showing in the windows. The old adage goes like this:
“If you have to ask how much something costs, you probably can’t afford it”.

In the T.V. story, something really struck me. It was the handbags private collection, made exclusively for Asprey in crocodile, with 18 Kt gold clasps encrusted with diamonds. The lowest price of the stunning handbags started at £33,000 and went up to £80,000. The price wasn’t necessary based on the size of the bag, a simple pavé bag could have been easily priced at £80,000.
Asprey’s clients buy exclusivity, knowing there is only one in the world of that particular item they want. That’s what the sense of luxury is all about.

A lot of planning went on behind the scenes. Asprey planned a month to sell all the handbags by inviting royals and wealthy people of the Middle East to a lavish tea. The store management was sure some of the powerful clients would have bought at least 3 or 4 bags each. However even Asprey sometimes can go through miscalculation of sales like many other stores. After two weeks into the private collection show, only a few women accepted the invitation and purchased a few handbags. Until one day a visiting Middle East Princess responded to the store’s invitation, requested the store to close the doors to the public and purchased 12 of the most beautiful handbags, I would say one for each month of the year.

The private collection was a great success and the store employees can rest assured their jobs will be still there one more year. It would be hard for the salespeople to come down from that high pedestal if the royals and wealthy didn’t shop there anymore.

Hey, if we have to dream, let’s dream big.
Happy 2015 all the way through and I wish many beautiful things will happen to you this year. Ciao.

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

It’s my hope that through my writing and stories I am enriching your aesthetic sensibility towards design, style and inspiring you to live in beauty. I have loved my profession as a fashion/interior designer since 1990. I am here ready to offer consultations on-line if you need or in the traditional in-home consultations. Check out my latest book on colors ©RED-A Voyage Into Colors, available on
Amazon: http://goo.gl/qNxXrB
Barnes&Nobles: http://goo.gl/q7dQ3w