The color of 2021 will be yellow/gold and pearl silver, says Pantone, Color Institute. We are coming out of a literally “Blue” year. In fact, the color of 2020 was blue and left us feeling the blues like no other times. I hope we will never repeat that experience. This year, we will be using yellow as an energizing and illuminating color, combined with pearl silver to add that sophistication a pearl has.
How did I know yellow was going to be the color of this year? I didn’t. I just love yellow for all the reasons, the most important one is, being the color of the sun, it’s a natural batteries energizer. Some people eat sugar as a “pick me up” I wear yellow to boost my energy. I wear yellow on rainy days and in the summertime. I wear yellow for formal occasions and casual dressing up. I surround myself with yellow flowers and plenty of home décor accessories. I bought this entire outfit last year and wore it only once due to lockdown. I hope to have the chance to wear it a lot more this year.
Yellow is a happy color, cheerful and inviting, I don’t understand why so many people resist yellow.
Remember, the word this year is “illuminated”. Whatever you do, bring light into your life, color yourself beautifully, staying positive will be a need. Ciao, Valentina Amazon Author’s Page
Valentina Cirasola is an Italian Interior Designer established in 1990. Often people describe her as “the colorist” as she loves to color her clients’ world and loves to create the unusual. Currently, she consults on colors based on clients’ personalities and lifestyles, she creates atmospheres using the proper lighting that is going to add harmony and peace to the homes and she helps clients creating fantasy rooms instead of typical rooms looking like furniture showrooms. She is the author of six published books, two of which are on design subjects. Amazon and Barnes&Noble
I cannot hide the fact that 2020 has been an “Annus Horribilis” for everyone, however, I can still say that something good came out of this year. It seems that unpleasant and good situations will always balance each other, it’s the law of nature, after the rain comes the sun. Traveling through life in this year 2020 has generated new friends, new contacts, new dreams, new collaborations, new plans, and the publication in November of my new book: “Design Nature For A Colorful Home”. My TV shows stopped for the entire year, but the lockdown didn’t stop me or anyone else. I transferred some shows online to tell anecdotes, curiosities, and share experiences. I started with the series “Stories Of A Home” and how our habitat started, including everything in it, chairs, stairs, bathrooms, and details that make our homes today.
Stories Of The Home – Talk Show Series
I continued with a new TV Series “Inspiration From…” A few people in different trades appeared on the show and shared their expertise. A chef, a ballerina, an author, a musician, a fashion lover, and more. They all had something in common one thing: Passion and it was a delight to listen to them.
Inspiration From… Series
Online TV interviews followed with an interview on “OrgOlio”, a show in Italy which deals with the production and benefits of olive oil. My talk delved into the color vibrations of yellow, especially for kitchens, and the use of olive oil in American cuisine. The author Cosimo Damiano Guarini, an agronomist, included my interview in his book in Italian “Il Pelo Nell’Olio” (A fur in the oil) released in September 2020. That was totally unexpected.
OrgOlio – Cosimo Damiano Guarini’s Talk Show
I was invited to talk on Elsie Kerns’s show about “Fall Challenge”. The talk enlightened the viewers on the reason some people have a seasonal disorder, like the Autumn depression, and how to overcome it by using colors and lights. Elsie Kerns is a wellness coach and an energy intuitive combining her expertise in Eden Energy Medicine, Brennan Healing Science, and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction.
The second time I was on her show, “The Divine Feminine Gathering” I talked about the meaning and importance of Christmas lights more than the Christmas decorations.
Fall Challenge – Elsie Kerns’s Talk Show
Devine Feminine Gathering – Elsie Kerns’s Talk Show
The Rotary Club in Cupertino, California, invited me to talk to their members. My subject was “The Arts Of Puglia” focusing on the Trulli Houses, the iconic cone-shaped homes of that area, an original architectural style, today patrimony of the UNESCO.
Electric Press – Colors and Emotions by Valentina Cirasola
In January and February, I produced two TV shows in the studio, before lockdown. One of the guests Aeriol Ascher, a holistic healer, talked about sound vibrations, positive thinking, and boosting confidence with vocalization.
At last, in November I published a new book “Design Nature For A Colorful Home” available in paperback and Kindle versions, on Amazon and Barnes&Noble.
It has been a busy year in lockdown, but I am grateful to all the new friends I made online and the people who contributed to the continuation of my design expressions. Let’s kick this Annus Horribilis to the curb and start a new year with new hopes and expectations. I want to wish all of you a splendid 2021 all the way through. Ciao.
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. Valentina is well-known for finding creative solutions. She now offers online design consultations through Skype or Zoom helping people with their design challenges anywhere in the world. She is the author of six books. Amazon and Barnes&Noble
Every year the entire world celebrates Christmas one way or the other. In some countries, it is a spiritual occurrence and in others is a commercial event. All the shiny things that make sparkles and reflections paired with a lot of white or colored lights come out from storage and embellish streets, homes, and stores. Everything looks so much better under the twinkling Christmas lights, the world seems a nicer place, people seem sweeter and open to give. Lights and colorful decorations in the month of December, around Christmas, is something very ancestral we have carried through centuries of generations. The reason to decorate Christmas with a lot of lights is very spiritual.
(Click on each photo to view it larger)
In the year when Jesus was born, there was violence, chaos, political and social unrest. It was a dark time. The three Kings found the baby Jesus following one star which was the union of three stars, Jupiter, Saturn, and Mars. They followed that very luminous star until it rested on the place where baby Jesus was born, and they began to worship him. That moment, the light was brought into our world. Jesus stepped into the chaos and brought peace in that dark time. An amazing occurrence that softened even the hardest stony heart then and now.
December 21st is the Winter Solstice, it is the shortest day and the longest night of the year. It’s literally the “darkest day” and the beginning of the cold, dark winter season. Many people suffer from depression for a lack of sunny days. Decorating Christmas illuminates and uplifts the spirits giving hope for a better year and a new guiding light that will follow us on a new path.
The star we put on top of a Christmas tree reminds us of that event in the darkest times…that star being the new guiding light of a Supreme Power will come in our chaos to make all things new and balanced again.
This year on December 21st, Jupiter and Saturn will be aligned again after 20 years. “These two planets are known as “social planets,” influencing broader themes that affect all of humanity. Their Grand Conjunction (GC) impacts the evolution of society and politics for the next two decades” says astrologer Astrologer Pam Younghans.
I am in love with lights and what they can do to my soul. At Christmas, I just play a lot with lighting, even more than the decorations, in fact, I keep the decorations minimal, because the colors are artificial, and don’t really reflect any spirituality. I rather decorate with elements of nature lit with candles and glass items. With lights I can create atmospheres, chiaroscuro (light and dark); I can create a halo glow on the walls from the bottom up by setting moveable lights on the floor behind furniture; I can light corners to add positive energy to the room; crystal chandelier drops are everywhere at charity shops, they will add the sparkles of the stars where ever you use them, and of course, warm candlelight flickering will complete the picture.
Crystal drops at Ballard Design
Trees and lights
If you can, set a nice dinner table with lights and reflections, then forget the pandemic of this year.
Create a splendid holiday all the way through and if you don’t celebrate it, at least celebrate your life. Ciao, Valentina Amazon Author’s Page
Valentina Cirasola is a designer, author, TV producer, and storyteller by nature. Stories told through shapes, lines, forms, and colors are very important to her design career to convey ideas that contribute to the making of a personalized home, reflecting the life’s experiences of people living there. As an author, she writes non-fictional books, about practical ideas to apply in the home, fashion, travel, and cooking. Find her books on Amazon and Barnes&Noble
As the cold weather approaches my relaxation drinks change from very chilled white wines to warm teas in the afternoon and red wines at night with dinners. Prosecco remains my most favorite bubbles throughout the year. Although tea is my winter drink, tea is the most popular drink in the world and every country has its own way to prepare it.
Tea room at Teatime, Palo Alto, CA
In England, King Charles II popularized tea in the 17th century. It was in England where I learned about “the agony of the tea leaves”. I didn’t know much about making tea, I didn’t know tasty, natural tea doesn’t come into those little bags sold by the box in the supermarket. I had never been to a high tea accompanied with a display of finger sandwiches, scones with clotted cream, There is a certain quality in loose tea leaves, they are agonized (the proper words) with care or steeped, if you will, at 100º for 3 minutes, then poured in individual cups. The aroma of tea leaves swirling in hot water is inebriating, all the flavors of tea leaves are released for pure enjoyment. Most British drink tea with a small shot of milk or sugar, rarely they take it with a lemon slice. Milk goes in the cup before tea only when the vessel is a cheaply made brand, otherwise, with expensive teacups, the milk goes after the tea. Teatime is always an occasion in England, all the bite-size morsels sure make a pleasant moment of the day. Once I tried loose tea leaves, I didn’t go back to tea bags and the bite size treats are always there.
Teatime, Palo Alto, CA
In the souks of Tunisia and Morocco, I learned that tea is a traditional drink handed down from generations of men from grandfathers to sons and their sons. The male of the house prepares tea and serves it. I was there in the Summer, their delicious tea was made of mint and loose black tea leaves served with sugar and always warm, no matter what the temperature was outside. There is nothing more refreshing than a warm drink in warm weather! The water and the tea leaves boiled together in a vessel over the charcoals, then the golden color drink was served in glasses decorated with golden designs.
Souk in Hammamet, Tunisia
In Japan, my experience with tea was totally different. I was fortunate one of my friends took me to a tea ceremony and experienced something I had heard about it for so long. The tea room is considered a sacred place. To enter the area for the tea ceremony, I had to bend down and pass through a small door opening. I was told the opening is made so low to make the guests feel humble and respectful towards the master. Sitting on my knees as the local Japanese do was impossible, westerners’ legs don’t bend backward. The tea ceremony happens in silence, it is a moment of body/mind relaxation and concentration on enjoying tea only. The tea master is always a graceful woman dressed in a kimono, who, with slow movements of the hands, prepares matcha tea for her clients in silence, other than saying the very few courtesy words, she speaks nothing else. Matcha tea is definitely an acquired taste. It’s very earthy, salty, and foamy on top. Many people rever this tea, I must be sincere, didn’t have enough time to appreciate it. The tea ceremony was exceptional, the master made me feel very special.
Arima, Japan – Tea ceremony room
Arima, Japan – Tea ceremony Zen garden
The tea ceremony room in Arima, Japan, was surrounded by a calming Zen garden, well maintained and very beautiful. My long time friend Chieko was so happy I wanted to experience her culture, I did the same when she went Italy to visit the country.
My friend Chieko and I after the tea ceremony
Tea is a social drink, it brings hearts and people together, everyone feels freer to talk about even intimate businesses when in front of a cup of tea, but that’s true about food in general. People become convivial and loosen up around food. It’s easy to forget hard moments in front of a carefully made cup of tea. Ciao, Valentina Amazon Author’s Page
Valentina Cirasola is an interior-fashion designer, author of 6 published books, a storyteller, and a blogger of many years. Her books are non-fictional practical ideas to apply in the home, fashion, cooking, and travel. She never gives up trying new things and doesn’t fear failure. Some years ago, Valentina became a TV producer/host producing shows under her label: Valentina Design Universe. The goal of her shows is to entertain, inspire, and inform, while she is living her passion. Get a copy of her books here: Amazon and Barnes&Noble
How many times have I seen this in my youth? This bucolic view is about slow cooking, cooking the natural way on the fire with natural vessels made of clay or iron. The aroma of slow-burning wood filled the air inside and outside the home. We had to wait fairly a long time for the food to be cooked, we sat by the crackling fire, with a glass of wine, roasted chestnut,s and warm nuts to snack on, we talked about life matters or told jokes and waited. Nothing was rushed. The Autumn and Winter were like this. In the Summertime cooking took a different style, it was often in the open space, and grills were arranged on a stack of stones under a canopy surrounded by green cultivation.
Potatoes cooking in a clay pot – Photo by Domenico Cafarchia
Many of my friends, thinking I miss the life I had in the past in Europe, keep in touch through pictures of food they eat daily. They know when they send me these pictures the thread to my roots doesn’t break and I love it.
Potatoes cooked in a clay pot – Photo by Domenico Cafarchia
These in the photos are common potatoes cooked in a clay pot, covered with water and some spices to flavor the potatoes during the cooking. The spices can be rosemary, thyme, and sage. The lid goes on and the pot is placed in the hot fire pit, not directly on the fire. At the same time, other food can cook in various clay pots all together in the same fire pit.
This wasn’t really my daily life in Europe, I lived in bustling cities, the same hectic lives everywhere in the world, but I had plenty of people who had homes in the country, including my grandparents and some relatives. Visiting them was like stepping back 100 years, but it was familiar, so peaceful and restoring. I searched endlessly for that atmosphere once I moved away. Today, I have a fireplace in my home, it’s not fitted for cooking, the city has so many rules and regulations, they even regulate how many bites we must eat 🙈. However, sometimes I go off track and I allow myself some of the ancient pleasure. Cooking potatoes in a clay pot full of water and spices is one of the few innocent things I can do. The kitchen smells heavenly.
This is a time to give thanks for everything we have and for our lives. Some people did not make it this year to see Thanksgiving. Let’s appreciate our family, friends, and supporters. Thanks to everyone around the globe who is a part of my community. I send you love and peace. If you are in the United States and celebrating, have a wonderful Thanksgiving. My table and food will be spectacular. Ciao, Valentina Amazon Author’s Page
Valentina Cirasola is an interior-fashion designer, author of 6 published books, a storyteller, and a blogger of many years. She has conceived a few new books of various subjects to which she is working simultaneously. Her books are non-fictional practical ideas to apply in the home, fashion, cooking, and travel. She never gives up trying new things and doesn’t fear failure. Some years ago, Valentina became a TV producer/host producing shows under her label: Valentina Design Universe. The goal of her shows is to entertain, inspire, and inform, while she is living her passion. Get a copy of her books here: Amazon and Barnes&Noble
How many times I wake up in the morning wanting to remember a dream and nothing comes to mind. “If you touch your hair as soon as you wake up, the dream will be gone” my grandmother told me. I don’t want to remember the bad dreams, I like to leave them in Morpheus’s world. Who wants to remember the bad dreams? But the good dreams….how can we remember them? One stone might do the trick: red jasper and its red vibes.
“We know that in Chinese culture brides wear red on their wedding day for prosperity, passion, and to stimulate the sex life; a red jasper is part of their attire to energize the soul and get increased courage to pursuit dreams. It is a stone that works on the soul and life purpose. I have read many interesting tales about this red stone, and I can’t decide which one I like the best. I strongly believe in the healing energy of stones, I like to believe these are not just tales.
Do you want to remember your dreams? Place a red jasper under the pillow.
Do you want your sex life to come alive? Place a red jasper at the foot of the bed.
Do you want to be protected from catching flu? Wear red jasper stone.
Do you want to find a new idea? Hold a red jasper in your hands.
I own a few red garnet stones I purchased in Bohemia. I have placed one in my wallet with the coins to attract prosperity and abundance. Wearing a garnet bracelet on the left wrist will create the new ideas one is looking for; wearing one on the right wrist will create life changes. The people of Bohemia taught me this.”
The book delves into the relationship between nature and the interiors of our homes. It also focuses on how to take advantage of nature’s colors and turn them into doable solutions.
“One of the first conditions of happiness is thatthe link between Man and Nature shall not be broken” ~ Leo Tolstoy ~
I have introduced the concept of healing stones based on the colors of the rooms and explained the reasons we might need them. Of course, people do what they want in their home, but when they suffer headaches, depression, or other ailments, never occurs to them it could be related to the colors or other elements missing in their home. The home has a spirit that will love you if you create an inspiring, healthy, vibrant home for the body, mind, and spirit. Everyone will feel comfortable in a home conceived with harmony and that’s when love grows.
I am honored to be featured on the D.G. Kaye, Writer, the Eclectic Memoirist and Conversationalist. Her Q&A today focuses on a bit of my life as a designer and an author. Thank you, thank you, Debby, much appreciate it.
I find it not so easy to talk about myself, first I don’t know where to start, my parents made me an adult, possibly as soon as I was born, and although my life as a child was a happy one, I don’t have many childhood stories that have shaped me in the adulthood. I was born a practical person, knowing what I wanted and pursued it to the best of my abilities. Without further ado, I leave you with the Q&A by D.G.Kaye, click on the link to read the full interview.
It’s always a fun time for me when I have the chance to talk about colors. Today, I was a guest on Elsie Kern’s show with an interesting topic: Fall colors and how to overcome a depression that usually occurs in certain people at this time of the year. What really makes people feel depressed in the Fall? Is it about colors, is it about the end of the year approaching, is it about grieving someone and not being able to let go?
My approach to colors is about sensations, emotions, and vibrations. Colors will help people who want to help themselves and are open to change the paradigm of their thoughts. There are people who don’t believe in the energy of healing colors and fall prey to medications. Before taking the hard path of medications, think of new types of natural healing.
Elsie is a naturopath, in this show she talks about some strategies we can all use to overcome certain issues and not just in this season. Watch the show here, it’s less than 30 minutes.
Elsie Kerns is a clairvoyant energy intuitive combining her expertise in Eden Energy Medicine, Brennan Healing Science, and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction to assist clients on their healing journey. She has been teaching and mentoring clients in the art of healing, Reiki certification, and VIP healing events for 30 years. https://overwhelmwarrior.com
I am new at this marketing effort with Amazon, I will try it for a while, maybe I will like it. I started a new reduced price campaign on all my ebooks only. This week “The Road To Top Of The World” will be offered at a reduced price. https://amzn.to/2H7ipGE
It’s a travel narrative about a trip I took to Puglia, Italy, with a group of American friends, who knew nothing about the region and ended up discovering a new type of life, full of emotions and new sensations.
Initially, I was going to Puglia by myself that year, it’s my native region, I have family and old-time friends there, it’s special, but not original. My American friends heard me talking about the plans and adventurously tagged along with me. For them, it was like going on a blind date. To say they had fun is an understatement.
During their stay in Puglia, they challenged me to write this book. I asked them: “what would be the tile if I accepted to write it?” I did not even wait for their answer, the title just came out “The Road To Top Of The World”. They looked at each other, nodded, smiled, and then said: “You took us to the top of the world”. That was the end, in my mind, the book had already been published. Five months later it was on the market.
This is a fun book and if you are thinking to travel to Italy in the near future, this book will guide you to a wheel of new emotions. Thank you. Valentina Amazon Author’s Page Goodreads
Valentina Cirasola is a designer, author, TV producer, and a storyteller by nature. Stories told through shapes, lines, forms, and colors are very important to her design career to convey ideas that contribute to the making of a personalized home, reflecting the life’s experiences of people living there. As an author, she writes non-fictional books, they are practical ideas to apply in the home, fashion, travel, and cooking.Amazon and Barnes&Nobles
Welcome! Immerse yourself in the colorful world of Modern Tropical, an eclectic lifestyle brand for people who love the retro-modern beach aesthetic. It is produced by independent award-winning artist Kristian Gallagher.
Valentina Expressions 