Valentina

Symmetry | Valentina Cirasola | Interior Designer

20 Feb 2015 Leave a comment

by Valentina in Home Designs Master Tags: #ArchitecturalSymmetry, #BariPuglia, #DecoratingWithSymmetry, #ItalianSymmetry, #Symmetry, #TeatroPetruzzelli, #WPPhotoChallengeSymmetry, https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_photo_challenge/symmetry/

WordPress weekly challenge is Symmetry – https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_photo_challenge/symmetry/
by: CHERI LUCAS ROWLANDS

When I think of symmetry the first image I see in my mind is the symmetric Italian architecture. Clean, orderly, calming and easy on the eyes, Italian architecture has been copied throughout the centuries and all over the world. Wherever there are government buildings, banks, museums, houses of nobles and wealthy people or places where history happens, there is a symmetrically designed building in the classic and neo-classic style. I grew up in my Italy and before I became an expat, classic architecture was all I knew. I spent three years studying fashion in a 400 years old Neo-Classic style fashion school, my University was built in the classic order and my first job was in a Palladium style building. I was fortunate to live in classic beauty!

BTW, as the promoter of Puglia, I accompany small groups to Italy every May. You can be just as fortunate to see all the beauty of Italy if you join us. Check out my trip page: https://valentinaexpressions.com/trips-2/

Architecture is not the only place where we can admire symmetry. If you like to go to the Opera House, you will notice that all the seats and balconies are centered around the stage with a balanced uniformity and symmetry: the view is just about the same from every angle, the red velvet seats are aligned like soldiers and the décor is the same on every floor.

Palazzo Downtown Bari, Italy

Symmetrical buildings in Bari, Italy

Palazzo Mincuzzi in Bari, Italy

Old Bari view

Inside Teatro Petruzzelli, Bari, Italy – Wikipedia Photo

Symmetry in home interiors, where everything is beautifully proportioned and balanced, assures calmness and harmony. It naturally forces people to be organized and coming home to a space that has symmetry is restful, but only if it is clean. Symmetry and cleanliness go hand in hand, one cannot exist without the other.

Cauliflower and veggies

Sea Urchin

Of course if you put symmetry on your plate, what do you think is the natural thing to do? You feel encouraged to eat the food well presented versus a messy plate. Look around your home, is everything symmetrical and is it what you really want? Ciao,
Valentina
http://www.valentinadesigns.com

Valentina Cirasola is a trained  Interior-Fashion Designer  in business since 1990. She is the owner and principal designer of her company: Valentina Interiors & Designs. Being Italian born and raised, Valentina’s design work has been influenced by Classicism and timeless style. She will create your everyday living with a certain luxury without taking away a comfortable living. Find Valentina’s three books on
Amazon: http://goo.gl/xUZfk0
Barnes&Nobles: http://goo.gl/q7dQ3w

Timeless Venetian Style | Valentina Cirasola | Interior Designer

17 Feb 2015 Leave a comment

by Valentina in Home Designs Master Tags: #LaSerenissima, #ValentinaInteriorsDesigns, #VenetianCostumes, #VenetianDécor, #VenetianFlooring, #VenetianInteriors, #VeniceStyle, #VenitianColors

We are in full Carnival time, a short period of the year to be licentious until Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday) when all will end. This joyful celebration inspires me to create some Venetian interior. In decorating a home interior we can choose from so many styles: French, Asian, American, English, contemporary, antique, just to name a few, or we can have a theme like beach, country, eclectic, Bohemian, shabby chic and so on. If celebrations inspire us for instance we can decorate in the mood and colors of 4^th of July, Thanksgiving or Christmas. However a lot of the styles I mentioned are seasonal, Venetian style is a timeless style and not only for Mardi Gras. Have you seen Joan River’s home?

(John_OBrien_Artist)

To understand a particular style it is important to know the history of that period to gain some insight of what shaped a particular style and why people accepted it.

The story of a Venetian style happened many centuries ago when Venice was a very wealthy republic, peaceful and productive. Venice’s name was La Serenissima meaning the Very Serene, because Venetians were financially stable, politically powerful and did not fight with neighboring countries. Instead Venetians people traded goods with foreign countries and the Far East, especially after Marco Polo went to China through the Silk Road and brought back to Venice a new way of decorating with silk fabrics for interiors, Oriental vases and potteries, new spices to enhance food and new fabric for both men and women fashion.

The result of Venetians being peaceful and wealthy people was that they embrace lavish parties, hence the introduction of dressing up with elaborate costumes and masks at Carnival time.

The homes of wealthy Venetian Republic were highly luxurious decorated with valuable material and furniture. One of the items that still goes strong is a particular red marble called Rosso Verona used for flooring. It grows in the area and it has been largely used through the years in monuments, churches and museums. Venice sits on water, the colors of a Venetian interior reflect all the colors of the water, blues, light greens, aqua and as the sun rises or falls the warm sunrays reflect on the water, which at time becomes light pink, light purple or light blue and even light grey.

(photo: http://medievalwalltapestry.com)

Fashion had a lot of influence on the interiors as well. The silk fabrics that Marco Polo brought back were also used for the upholstery. Men and women used the same colors. It was common to see a man with a light pink jerkin, yellow silk stockings and cream ruffled shirt, as much as it was common to see a woman in a purple dress with Chartreuse shoes.

(photo: http://www.artlib.ru/index.php?id=11&idp=15&fp=2&uid=10833&iid=137048&idg=0&user_serie=0)

Venice is mostly a grey foggy and cold town, to counterbalance the grey colors of the outside a traditional Venetian interior is cheerful but delicate, it reflects the colors of the water, delicate pastels, mix of floral and a lot of cream colors.
A traditional Venetian interior is not complete without bombe’ and hand-painted type of furniture, heavy upholstery in burgundy colors to echo the wines Venetians drink and gold accessories and home trimmings to echo the gold of the jewelry they once traded on. Fabrics are usually brocade, damask, silk and velvet. Flooring is often a very dark hardwood, or a very common Rosso Verona marble, or checkered designs and heavily composition of mosaics. The windows are always embellished with panes of stained glass.

(Above photo found on: http://www.marblerome.com)

In modern Venetians interiors, the décor changes dramatically. We might still see a beautiful decorate marble floor, but with modern, industrial lighting, light-colored walls, colorful seating and contrasting color pillows, rug and accessories. Another modern decor might be an all white interior with silver-grey faux finished walls with pastel accessories and colorful paintings on the walls, artistic masks and oversized Venetian blown glass here and there. Let’s not forget Venice is the capital of extraordinary blown glass creations. The modern Venetian curtains might be made of sheer material in pastel colors or totally white.

(Cristiani-Marmo)

Even though time in Venice has remained still, the interiors have evolved. A Venetian interior today can have the features of Venice like the light colors and pastels, the fabulous floor of marble work and stunning blown glass without the heavy velvet, damask and brocade fabrics.

Transforming a space in a period style or in a particular theme takes knowledge. The first step in any design project is gathering inspiration. How can you know which elements to choose for your space if you do not know history?
Happy Mardi Gras. Ciao,
Valentina
http://www.valentinadesigns.com

Valentina Cirasola is a trained  Interior Designer  in business since 1990. She is the owner and principal designer of her company: Valentina Interiors & Designs. Being Italian born and raised, Valentina’s design work has been influenced by Classicism and timeless style. She will create your everyday living with a certain luxury without taking away a comfortable living. Find Valentina’s three books on
Amazon: http://goo.gl/xUZfk0
Barnes&Nobles: http://goo.gl/q7dQ3w

Scale | Valentina Cirasola | Interior Designer

11 Feb 2015 1 Comment

by Valentina in Home Designs Master Tags: #ArchitecturalScale, #LargeAccessories, #RedVoyageIntoColors, #RoomDesignWithScale, #WPPhotoChallengeScale, https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_photo_challenge/scale/

A scale is a proportion used in determining the dimensional relationship of an item with its environment. A scale on architectural plans serves to calibrate lines indicating a proportion. Composers write melodies and build chords to harmonize melodies using the scales notes. Designers use the concept of the scale to create spaces that communicate with each other in harmony, with emphasis and rhythm, then we can say the space is balanced.

The world of design is beautiful and volatile, it changes with the mood of people and fashion of the moment. It is very common today to see large and out of scale accessories in a small room. Here are some examples of how to use tall tree branches as room divider, or take a large wood/stone architectural capitels and turn it into a small coffee table and room decoration. A large chandelier today might be placed over a small sofa in a small space and suddenly the room does not seem small anymore. A large wall clock hanging over a small console table, will fill a small wall and tall candle holders will give the height your table needs to feel grand.

(Above photos were taken in Home Decor Shop in Los Gatos, CA with permission granted)

Feel free to try new things. Your scale is however you perceive your world.

This is in response to WP photo challenge: Scale https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_photo_challenge/scale/

Ciao,
Valentina
http://www.valentinadesigns.com

Copyright © 2015 Valentina Cirasola, All Rights Reserved

Valentina Cirasola is an Italian Interior and Fashion Designer, working in the USA and Europe. She blends fashion and interior well in any of her design work. She loves to remodel homes and loves to create the unusual. She needs your story to design your dream. Check out her books on
Amazon: http://goo.gl/xUZfk0
Barnes&Nobles: http://goo.gl/q7dQ3w

Sagging To The Knees | Valentina Cirasola | Designer

06 Feb 2015 2 Comments

by Valentina in Friday Fashion Tags: #Codpiece #Flappers #1800'sCorsets, #CulDeCrin, #HistoryOfFashion, #MaryQuant, #RedVoyageIntoColors, #SaggyFashion, #ValentinaCirasolaAuthor

Welcome to a new episode of my Friday Fashion!
It is so amazing to see how through centuries fashion shifts its attention to various parts of a human body and attributes a sexy role to those parts to keep us interested. In the Renaissance, for instance, a woman forehead was considered very sexy only if it was exposed really high. To achieve that look, women shaved the front hairline and then gathered all the hair in the back of the neck like a skein of wool enclosed in an elegant net.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the attention shifted on the woman’s breast. Tight corsets pushed up the breasts to enormous proportions, reducing the woman’s torso into a funnel look with a tiny waist and bulging boobs, making breathing very difficult.

Piero del Pollaiolo – Portrait of girl 1467-70

Tight Lacing, or Fashion Before Ease, John Collet, 1770-1775

In the 1800s through the era of La Belle Époque, the “Cul De Crin” came into fashion to emphasize the woman’s derrière. It was a puffy cushion made of horsehair tied in the waist, laid on the derrière and worn under the skirt. Older women carried a larger and stuffier cul de crin. It threw the woman’s figure onward as if she walked on tiptoes.

1800’s Dress with a concealed cul de crin

Cul de Crin – circa 1820 – Found on: http://www.abitiantichi.it/collezione/biancheria/crinolina12.html

In traditional Japanese culture, the nape of a woman’s neck held a strong attraction for many Japanese men. Face, hands and nape were the only parts of the body left uncovered.

Gaisha-Bitai – the willowy – Found on http://kienthuc.net.vn/phong-thuy/huyen-bi-nghe-thuat-lam-dep-cua-geisha-266620.html

Flapper Dresses- 1920-30’s – Found on http://www.cafepress.co.uk/+paris+postcards

Mary Quant ‘s Mini Skirt

During the ’20s and ’30s legs came into full attention, women got rid of corsets, shorten the dress and exposed the legs for the first time. Mary Quant, British designer conquered the world in the 60’s with her new invention: the Mini Skirts. Legs are now in plain view from top to bottom, often starting as high as the crotch.

I could go on and on with these examples on how fashion extrapolate parts of the human body and turns them into the subject of sex from era to era.
Don’t think for a minute that men are not subjected to the ferocious scrutiny and volubility of fashion. Men have had their fair share through times, although men’s dress style has not changed much in the last 100 years.

Going to the Renaissance Fair last Autumn I was reminded of the “Codpiece” worn during the 15th and 16th centuries. It was a time of economic and territorial expansion, a period in which the display of virility exaggerating the masculine attributes in any form of public life played a major part in a competitive culture. A codpiece (braguette in French) is a covering flap or pouch attached to the front of the crotch of men’s trousers to accentuate the genital area. Men enlarged the codpiece with padding, it served as a protection of men’s precious jewels and as an accent of their best points. Basically, they advertised what nature gave them.

Henry VIII in codpiece

Giovanni Battista Moroni – Portrait of Antonio Navagero 1565

Lanzichenecchi Soldier

The men’s jewelry is still in great attention, just the wrong attention, now we have the sagging pants. The sights of young lads wearing sagging pants down to their knees, showing their boxers in plain view overwhelm us. When are they going to understand this dressing style is not sexy and their walk resembles more the walk of troglodyte cave men. The worse part of this trend is to see women showing their undies through a low-cut jeans.

Girls if you think to be sexy looking like that, think again! The art of showing and not showing, to see and not to see, the art of making yourself mysterious is sexy, revealing everything you have is cheap. Make the mirror your best friend.

Guys, when you go to a job interview with your undies showing and your pants sagging to your knees, do you really think you will get a job? Kings and nobles did not need a job, with their power they did what they pleased and if that meant wearing a large stuffed up codpiece to magnify their virility, they did so and set the trends for others. You are not in the same power! 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/xUZfk0
Barnes&Nobles: http://goo.gl/q7dQ3w

Depth | Valentina Cirasola | Author and Designer

03 Feb 2015 3 Comments

by Valentina in The Good Life Tags: #AntoniGaudi, #BarcelonaArchitecture, #BarcelonaTravel, #CatenaryArches, #GaudiSerpentineSeating, #ParkGüell, #WPPhotoChallengeDepth, https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_photo_challenge/depth

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_photo_challenge/depth by BEN HUBERMAN

I cannot think of a person, designer or architect who has put so much depth in his work more than Catalan Architect Antoni Gaudi. One thing is to see his work on books and pictures and another thing is to see it in person. Finally when I made it to Barcelona, the depth of minute details in all his work really mesmerized me. Even the street pavement Gaudi designed outside the Pedrera building was outstanding, Gaudi’s work is recognizable by colorful broken tiles and organic material, undulating building, catenary arches and unusual columns, nature references, religious expressions and a load of colors.

Park Güell is colorful, there is a lot to absorb, the depth of games of architecture with nature is amazing! I sat on the mosaic serpentine seats for a long time admiring the detailed mosaic work and imagining how long it took the tile setters to put together all of that beauty. The seats are not just a pretty creation, they are ergonomic and even if they are built with stones, they are very comfortable, in fact I sat and watched the tourists, enjoyed the Mediterranean Sea out there beyond the city in the depth of the mist and fantasized how it could have been to work with Antoni Gaudi.

Walking under the columns of Plaça de la Natura, a public covered market that never made it, I felt the heaviness and the playfulness of Gaudi’s architecture. From the distance the ceiling covered with millions of tile chips resembles a snake skin and four medallions also made with colorful tiles tell the story of the effects the sun has on nature and people. Enjoy the slide show.

Plaça De La Natura

Park Güell – Columms Under Seating

Under the stone pillars

Park Güell Garden

Organic Arches

Colorful Serpentine Seating

Ciao,
Valentina

http://www.valentinadesigns.com

I am writing a travel diary with some of my new experiences and sharing with all of you my notes of feelings, observations, food-wine tasting, history, architecture and anything that really strikes my fancy. I organize trips for small groups of people who want to live it up in Italy and Puglia! In my books about Puglia cuisine, readers will find many easy recipes to follow at home. Check out my books on
Amazon: http://goo.gl/xUZfk0
Barnes&Nobles: http://goo.gl/q7dQ3w

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