Home Designs Master | Valentina Expressions

No Globalization For Me | Valentina Cirasola | Interior Designer

05 Nov 2011 6 Comments

by Valentina in Home Designs Master Tags: #AltamuraBread, #AltamuraPuglia, #ComeMiaNonnaReturnToSimplicity, #FocacciaBlues, #ItalianCulture, #NicoCirasolaProducer, #PugliaFood, #PugliaTravel, #SinsOfAQueen

(Photos above and below Altamura bajers: http://www.visitsitaly.com/puglia/altamura/altamura-pix.htm)

Last week, at the Italian Cultural Institute of San Francisco, I concluded the series of events dedicated to the celebration of “October Month Of Italian Style” Second year. Last event made in symbiosis with Italian filmmaker Nico Cirasola, my homonymous and not related, was aiming at shining the light on the southern Italian region of Puglia, where both Nico and myself were born and bringing to America our roots, culture and food.
As a self-proclaimed ambassador of my land of Puglia, I centered my talk on the reasons why being an interior designer I didn’t write a design book first, instead I turned to writing two books on food and cooking.

The reason is simple, I explained. I had the feeling when I arrived in USA that not many people in America knew about Puglia as much as they knew about Rome, Florence, Venice and Cinque Terre or Tuscany. That is understandable, tourists always have limited time during traveling, thus they select well-known spots to fill their trips and satisfy their knowledge. However, it irritated me every time I had to explain where Puglia is located and it seemed that if I had come from Mars it would have not made any difference.

(http://www.comuni-italiani.it/072/004/foto)

Italy is made of 22 regions and everyone has contributed to the history and the making of the republic of Italy. My talk continued with flashes of history, architecture, traditional costume and new habits. It ended with the presentation of my books and the benefits of the southern Italian cuisine, so much appreciated in the world without the world even knowing it. In fact most of the Italian cuisine abroad is based on the southern cooking with our olive oil, the “green gold” of our land, as we call it.
My talk was about amusing and informing my audience and as the ambassador the only thing I wanted to do was to encourage people to plan a trip to Puglia and experience my roots and my culture.
That’s why I felt a mission toward my country region to write two cookbooks before a design book.

Nico Cirasola showed his docu-film entitled “Focaccia Blues” with English subtitle.
Nico’s documentary is a hilarious recount of how a small bread bake house in the small town of Altamura was able to induce McDonald, the American fast food giant, to close its doors after only a couple of years of operation. The only McDonald in the world that has closed business!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4x_kCavFsbE&feature=related

The small town of Altamura in Puglia is renowned for its tasty, succulent focaccia and bread. For its inhabitants was almost an offense to their traditional food. Of course at first McDonald drew attention to its joint, it was a new food in town, it was yellow, red and big and it was American! Kids flocked to the big M, attracted by the games and French fries in a paper basket. After watching American scenes on T.V. or at the movie theatres, the big Mac now was a reality in their life too. The adult population of Altamura was willing to try it, but with a reservation. In their minds the aroma of fresh-baked focaccia next-door at Digesu’s bread bake house was unsurpassable. After a few times of trying McDonald’s food, people just decided to abandon it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WantccqAFwM&feature=related

The filmmaker Nico Cirasola, who is an interesting and fun person, did not intend to criticize the fast food giant, but to tell a story “a cuor leggero” lightly and heartfelt on how simple food won a silent battle against processed food. The filmmaker’s dry view of the flat land of Puglia mixed with the dry local humor resulted perfect to describe the simplicity of people who have drawn for centuries from the land the resources of their healthy cooking and diet.
As the N.Y Times reported when McDonald closed:
“McDonald’s didn’t get beat by a baker. McDonald’s got beat by a culture.”
And that to me is the essence of what I am expressing here. My southern Italian food is excellent, simple, healthy, once you get used to it, it is difficult to stray away.
My Puglia style of cooking keeps people young, energetic and spunky, with that comes all the positive energy you need.
Focaccia eats hamburger, Puglia food versus processed food wins 10 to 0.

I have embraced globalization even before the word was coined. I have learned to accept other cultures and to be part of the moving world. However, traditions need to stay alive and when it comes to my identifying origins, I know who I am and what I can give to the globalized world. I prefer to keep myself Italian and Pugliese in my cooking and in my style.

The evening in Puglia with Cirasola & Cirasola and Focaccia Blues Film at the San Francisco Italian Cultural Institute concluded as I said earlier the 2011 events of “October Month Of Italian Style”.
Next year events will be bigger and better and will mark year number three.

If you ever need to know more about a trip to Puglia, or even how to decorate in Puglia style (it will be the subject of next article), I shall be here prompt and ready to tell you all about it, just leave your name in the box below. Ciao,
Valentina

http://www.valentinadesigns.com

Valentina Cirasola is an Italian Interior Designer with a passion for kitchens and cooking. 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. She is the author of two Italian regional cuisine books available on Amazon

Robert Taitano, a friend and business associate of http://www.wine-fi.com says:
“Valentina – an International Professional Interior Designer is now giving you an opportunity to redesign your palate”.

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

Country Style for City Life | Valentina Cirasola | Interior Designer

22 Oct 2011 2 Comments

by Valentina in Home Designs Master Tags: #2011FallColors, #CountryFashion, #CountryLiving, #DecoratingTips, #EuropeanHomeFashion, #FashionNaturalFabrics, #HomeNaturalFibers, #RedVoyageIntoColors

This year’s fashion reflects the sluggish economy. This winter we will go back to learn crochet, knitting and heirloom waving, because that is what I am seeing as proposals for the coming winter. Fashion industry is offering a no non-sense fashion, practical, wearable at the office and to hang round, all basic colors to combine with everything existing in the wardrobe and very affordable.

I have noticed many corset laced garment ideas from sweaters to boots along with many pointelle, oblique ruffles even on peacoats and serpentine scarves.

I love the large cowl necks this year worn with a shirt collar coming out from underneath, looks very comfortable.
The ¾ length coat with an enveloping shawl neckline and much gathering from the shoulders down to the breast and around the waist is so reminiscent of the austerity of the ‘40s. Back then the same coat complemented a ¾ length skirt, today we can get away with wearing a pair of fuseaux and a pair of sling back shoes.

Shoes and boots this winter have gone back to the chunky heels that make you feel well planted on the ground, the embellishments such as belts, buttons, buckles and flowers distract the eye from the bulkiness of the shape. The style of the shoes is quite dismissed, but the color block gives it a better appeal, in fact exalts the comfortable shape of the wide toecap. To wear these types of chunky shoes, Braced Oxfords or Lacebark Booties, a woman must not be necessarily tall, but she must have slim legs, otherwise these shoes will contribute to add heaviness to her body.

Still continuing on the sweet and very feminine side, roses and flowers made of felt and fabrics over abound on garments as on bed duvet and curtains. In designing interiors we are bringing the outside inside, in fashion we are adorning our clothes with echoes of nature, organic fibers and fluid designs. In my interpretation of the next winter fashion style, I feel a sense of fusion of nature with the human body and the fusion of cultures with their colors.

I believe every home interior should have a touch of eclecticism just for added interest. All natural material dress the home of my liking, which is often designed with a lot of wood details, it doesn’t matter if the species differ from one another, juxtaposed with natural stones, natural dyed fabrics and glass. To inject a dose of personality, architectural salvage yards, estate sale and Internet auctions are good places to find several unique vintage pieces.

The country fashion of this winter is very wearable for city life and not only for a weekend in the country. The shoes are wide toes and comfortable even for going up and down between tubes and stairs, or walking to the office. Coats have a fitted appearance, but they are loose enough to wear layered clothes underneath and the fabrics are lightweight.

There are seasons when only one color is particularly in vogue, this coming winter colors are gorgeous, they range from golden-yellow to papaya and mustard, from red or green apple to marine blue, from rust to chocolate. Nobody will have any difficulties finding the right colors for their own skin and still be in fashion.

Even in the home fashion we can have some fun mixing hand-made kilim rugs with pied-de poule, velvets and Prince of Wales fabrics. I know this might sound too confusing to people who are not familiar with fabric names or textures, but it is not that difficult to match so many fabrics with a distinctive character. The important thing is to find a common denominator and carry it through many areas, especially through open spaces.
(All photos found on Anthropologie)

If this is helpful to you, let me help you playing the tune of fluid and natural design in your clothes or in your home décor, just leave your comment and your name in the box below. Ciao,
Valentina
www.Valentinadesigns.com

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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.

Check out her books on
Amazon: http://goo.gl/xUZfk0
Barnes&Nobles: http://goo.gl/q7dQ3w

Small, Cute, Functional | Valentina Cirasola | Interior Designer

11 Oct 2011 4 Comments

by Valentina in Home Designs Master Tags: #ContainerFurniture, #DecoratingSmallPlaces, #DecoratingTips, #HomeRemodeling, #OrganitazionalTips, #SmallSpaces

Living in small spaces is challenging, but small spaces teach us how to stay organized and how to save money too. Due to so much market offer, I think it is very easy to clutter up small spaces that we use to live in and therefore buying everything we see in stores should be out of the question. Buying a lot, stuffing each space with unnecessary items, might results in an excuse to want to stay out as long as possible to avoid seeing the problem. Let me tell you I have seen a few stories in my design career!
(Sofa from Wayfair)

In a small space every little inch counts and every piece of furniture must have a double function for storage and living tasks. Sofas must turn into beds for visiting family and guests.

Coffee tables, ottomans and sofa tables must have a storage space inside. Just to give you an idea, these pieces are ideals to store a couple of tablecloths and napkins sets, or a few dinner mats as most of the time a small space will not have a formal dining room, still you want to eat on something pretty.

(Source: BH&G) In the kitchen, storage might be limited also. The best way to have everything handy is to hang most skillet and pots or pans in convenient, reachable areas. If you are not a renter, it would be wise to install a few deep drawers under the kitchen counter to keep plates and silverware all together, it will be money spent well for sure.

Consider the versatility of a baker’s rack. (Photo: baker’s rack – Wayfair) In the eating area it can function as a storing place for dishes, glasses and wine bottles. A baker’s rack also function as a bookshelf or media center in the living room. Place it in the bathroom to display in plain sight bath towels and a few bath supplies. However you want to use it, a baker’s rack is an open “showroom” sort of speaking, make sure to display pretty items.

In the bedroom it is not a good idea to store shoes and seasonal items in boxes under the bed, as positive energy must flow freely in the room to impact positively your sleep or your quiet hours. This is where saving money comes into play. Buy only the necessary fashion clothes and accessories to keep at a minimum the need for storage, thus avoiding the so much feared clutter.

Bedroom closets or any closet in small spaces should be organized with plenty shelves and drawers to contain everything that is necessary for a good living.
The extras are called “extras” because are not needed. If space is limited and not just in the bedroom why keep buying more items? Get rid of something old, or that doesn’t have much use anymore before buying new items. Getting rid of stuff is a way to give a second life to items someone else will want. Living in today’s difficult economy is all about recycling and repurposing.

In the entry a small étagère (shelf) with baskets will function as a last stop box, for library books, outgoing mail or DVDs to grab as you head out the door and as an inviting area where it will be easy to apply the last touch before going out.
(Photo left found on: http://www.shelterness.com/55-mudroom-and-hallway-storage-ideas/pictures/9901)

Hanging paintings and wall art in small spaces is not that difficult. The gallery wall is made of small paintings or photographs, or a mixture of both. It adds character to the walls, tells the story of your life or of your likings and it is interesting to look at the variety of the artwork. On the other hand, large paintings, prints or photographs will save money in buying many frames and many artworks. You only need one for each empty wall, but that one lonely artwork, unless it is a Miro’, Chagall, or Matisse, just to name a few, after a while, might keep you bored, just something to consider.

Of course there is so much more to cover when creating a cute small space. A functional order should be a priority for a good living. Ask me about space planning and organization, I am a master. Leave your name and comment in the box below, I will answer in 24 hours time. Ciao,
Valentina
www.Valentinadesigns.com

Valentina Cirasola is an Italian trained Interior Designer and a former 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 established her company Valentina Interiors & Designs in 1990. Being Italian born and raised, her 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. She is a published author of three books.
Amazon: http://goo.gl/xUZfk0
Barnes&Nobles: http://goo.gl/q7dQ3w

Renaissance Canopy Bed | Valentina Cirasola | Interior Designer

27 Sep 2011 Leave a comment

by Valentina in Home Designs Master Tags: #1600sFurnitureStyle, #BedroomStyle, #CanopyBed, #EuropeanFurniture, #HistoryOfFurniture, Avaliving

It is a pleasant surprise to start the week with a project featured on Avaliving.
Thank you Avaliving for choosing my projects among all the very talented designers hosted on this site. Avaliving is a site for experienced designers who want to showcase their work to consumers and help them decorating or restyling their homes through on-line consultations.
This week’s theme was a timeless canopy bed. I presented my Renaissance Canopy Bed, which I designed for a teenager who enjoyed the room until it was time to leave the nest to go to college. This is still her room when she returns home and she is still enjoying the timeless décor.

Four-poster beds became very popular around the early 1600. They usually had side curtains, which afforded a great measure of warmth, as well as privacy to their occupants, although personal privacy concept was taking off as an idea, it was relatively unimportant at that time. Small kids still slept in the same room with the parents, as they did in the Middle Age time, while the older kids slept in one room all together. A desire for a greater measure of privacy was evidenced by the separation of the masters from their servants, who usually had beds in the smaller adjacent rooms, or near the kitchen.

Furniture was to be admired and to convey the wealth of its owners, but the primary function was to be used, just like today. Tables, chairs, containers furniture such as credenza and cupboards, curtained four-poster beds were of oak or walnut with elegantly turned legs and often hand painted with the application of gold or silver foil. Canopy beds, when they were very ornate, found their place in the middle of the bedroom as a focal point just to add style and character, or against the largest wall in the bedroom.

Today we have kept the same custom. In my room featured on Avaliving, the canopy bed takes the center stage in a very colorful room. It was custom designed accordingly to the girl’s taste. The frame at the feet of the bed was hand-painted on wood in the style of a Renaissance bucolic theme. A local metal worker, who executed my design, forged the metal posts beautifully.

https://valentinadesigns.com/portfolio-view/girl-bedroom-and-bath-palo-alto-ca/

A canopy bed can fit in any style décor, even in a contemporary style with straight lines, dark wood and neutral colors.
I like the spicy colors in this photo (below). I find it very relaxing and vibrant.
Vintage pillows on the coral velvet settee that sits at the base of this bed bring a splash of colors, while bringing life to a neutral color bedroom.

Have fun with a canopy bed, take inspiration from the past, or look around in stores to adapt elements that might be used for something else and make it your own. Not everything we see is meant to have one function only.

As the professional who is always ready, I shall be prompt and ready to help you with any of your needs, whether it will be decorating, designing, or remodeling. Ciao,
Valentina
www.Valentinadesigns.com

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A Design Success Story Video:

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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.
She is also the author of two books. Find her books on

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

Animal Attraction | Valentina Cirasola | Interior Designer

17 Sep 2011 2 Comments

by Valentina in Home Designs Master Tags: #AnimalPrintColors, #AnimalPrintFashion, #AnimalPrintFurniture, #AnimalPrints, #DecoratingTips, #DecoratingWithAnimalPrints, #HomeFashion

Year after year, I am fascinating with the “animalier” look, even when animal prints were not so much the vogue, I have always worn at least one item in those prints. I believe my attraction comes from the visual rhythm in the movement an animal pattern can imprint in my mind, more than the animal magnetism I might feel.

Animal prints can stir feelings of vulgarity, just as much as feelings of elegance. In the ‘50s the elevated elegance was to wear one or two strings of pearls around the neck and only one small garment in animal print, perhaps a bill box hat, a pair of gloves, or a pair of ballerina shoes and never all together.

Today, animal prints are over used and produced in all colors. Being aware of how to use or wear them will put us on the path of elegance. Animal prints when paired up with a sober look, will give an extra touch of highly seductive femininity. In fact, today the animalier prints are a symbol of high-class fashion, no longer for sexy bombshells that want to make a lasting impression. Ethno-chic and retro styles are the rage in this year 2011 fashion, just as much they have been in past collections.

Pop animal prints spotted in blue, green, or red (confess it, you have one of those too), are fun to wear, but bordering vulgarity is easy to do when the pop colored animal patterns are matched with sequins, bright shiny stuff, or with the wrong colors.

It is not good to mix or match all the prints together, just because they are the same theme or color.

As an interior designer it happens often that I am attracted to animal prints in home décor.

It is good to provoke and create some strong emotions, when designing an interior. This zebra ottoman is not zebra skin, it is a printed leather and it looks so real!
(Photo found on catalog.sourcecollection.com https://www.pinterest.se/pin/196469602468482265)

In this interior, the client is a young woman with a super traditional taste. It took a lot of convincing to mix a racamier seat dressed in animal print (foreground in the photo) in her very traditional living room furnishing. I wanted to lift the heaviness of the rest of the room by adding a new dimension with one contemporary piece and a contemporary throw rug. An extravagant piece, as she called it was too scary for her, but it turned out her favorite piece in the entire décor. I am glad she saw what I saw.

Animalier prints have conquered thousand of women because it is young, transgressive, elegant or….less pretentious; it is a good fit for any age, or in any décor and above all it is fun for any occasion.

I am here to help if you need to lift the image of an area in your home with animal magnetism. Ciao.
Valentina

http://www.valentinadesigns.com

Valentina Cirasola is an Italian Interior Designer since 1990 and a former 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 turn unattractive spaces into castles. Fashion designing has been her first career choice that made her happy in her own fashion company for fifteen years before settling in the interior designing business. Find her books on

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

Organize Your Kitchen To Please Your Soul | Valentina Cirasola | Interior Designer

05 Sep 2011 Leave a comment

by Valentina in Home Designs Master Tags: #CustomMadeKitchenCabinets, #kitchenDesign, #KitchenOrganization, #PreparingDiningTable, #SmallKitchen, #Tablecloth, #TableCustoms

Most of you know the kitchen is my favorite room, I like to design it and I like to live in it. In my family, the kitchen is the place to resolve our difficulties and the place where we invite the real friends to sit. (Click on each photo to view it larger).
I executed my schoolwork on the kitchen table, where I could be part of my family life, instead of being closed in my room alone.

Most of the kitchens of today are conveniently located near the garage or entry door and just because it is convenient turns into in a dumping ground for mail, bills, magazine and stuff.

Nowadays we got so complicated we must have Feng Shui in the kitchen too, but when I was growing up we called it common sense. Here you will find some of my life habits on how to keep the kitchen in harmony with the soul.

* September is the month of cleaning the kitchen cupboards inside and out. Prepare the kitchen for the coming holidays, make room for new serving dishes and cooking equipment you might buy this Fall. Some are so inviting!
This is the time you will get the opportunity to throw away or donate all the items you don’t want anymore. Get rid of those non-matching plates and glasses that have lost their companions. Cupboards need to be completely emptied out of contents at least every change of season to keep a clean positive energy in the kitchen. If the job feels too overwhelming, get help, there are plenty people out there who want to do this kind of work.

Keep all the bills in the home office, study, or any room dedicated to office/school tasks, but please don’t take the bills in the bedroom. Kitchen functions are for cooking, tasting, and conversations. Keep everything else out of it, unless you have a dedicated desk in a corner of the kitchen.
Today we see mail with suspicion. Mail is no longer welcomed, as when a letter arrived from far away, or we received friendly cards from people we knew. Today we get bombarded with emails and our post mail is filled with advertisements and junk mail. Stand by a fireplace or trash when reading the mail of the day and don’t even let it in the kitchen.
Recycle all the store plastic bags you bring home with food or other items. I reuse them as garbage bags and I have no need to buy more plastics. Recycle also any paper bags for other uses, such as packaging wrap, for more shopping, or to keep in the car as garbage bags. In my garage, I have two containers, one for recycled plastic bags and one for paper bags rolled up neatly.
Organize all the food plastic containers, find the matching lids and keep them together in one place. Throw away containers without lids. The same applies to cooking tools. There is nothing more irritating than being in need of a cooking tool ready for the task and instead finding a tangle up mess of tools in the kitchen cabinet drawers.
(photo: BHG)

If kitchen space will not allow to store large pots, baking pans or slow cookers, take these items to an adjacent closet.
Appliances garage and roll out shelves are designed on purpose to keep small appliances out of sight and counters neatly clean.
I like to keep my expensive chef knives in a drawer with a magnet to keep the knives from sliding back and forth and to protect the tips.
To have a fresh lemony air in the kitchen, put lemon peels in the sink garbage disposal, lemon peel in the dishwasher utensil tray and lemon potpourri sachet in each kitchen drawer and cabinets.
I don’t like my kitchen steamed up with cooking vapors, not only it creates condensation, but the odors will stay in the house, especially if the kitchen has an open floor plan communicating with other rooms. The vapors and grease will go up to ceiling and will come down on the upholstered furniture. Keeping windows opened during cooking will redirect vapors outside and you might hear the wild birds singing at you for the good aroma you are producing in the kitchen.
Have you thought of a calendar for family activities and one for weekly menus? My mother added a comment at the very top of our weekly menu calendar:
“If any of you don’t like this week menu, there are plenty restaurants that will take your money”. Needless to say we, teenagers kids ate at home all the time.
Prepare your table with a tablecloth and napkins, every time you eat at the table, even if you eat alone. Feeding your soul with beauty and comfort will distract your stomach from overeating.

Enjoying fresh food prepared in the kitchen, to me this is an important ritual. Kitchen and food nourish and bound the family together.
Kids who grew up with good food and pleasant kitchen atmosphere will always want to return home even after they have formed their life.
(Photo right found on: http://www.magazyndomowy.pl/przechowywanie-w-kuchni/zdjecie/14971/)

I am here ready to help, if you need to organize your kitchen and feel really overwhelmed with the task, just leave your name in the box below.
Ciao,
Valentina
www.Valentinadesigns.com

Valentina Cirasola is an Italian Interior Designer with a passion for kitchens and cooking. She operates in the USA and Europe. She loves to remodel homes and loves to turn ugly spaces into castles, but especially loves to design kitchens and wine grottos, outdoor kitchens and outdoor rooms, great rooms and entertainment rooms. She is the author of two published books on regional Italian cuisine, available here in this site on the Books page and in various other locations:

http://outskirtspress.com/ComeMiaNonna

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lnq8baaAq0M

http://outskirtspress.com/SinsOfAQueen

Cafe’ Life | Valentina Cirasola | Interior Designer

02 Sep 2011 2 Comments

by Valentina in Home Designs Master Tags: #1700sStyle, #CafeDécor, #DamaskFabrics, #DecoratingTips, #EuropeanFashion, #ItalianCafe', #ItalianCafeLife, #VeniceCafeFlorian, ItalyTravel

How many times have you sat at a café in Italy enjoying the restful moment that a cup of coffee can give you? You were observing people around you, occasionally and without being invited into the conversation you heard all that people were saying at the next tables. The colorful street life took all your attention and you wondered if people sitting at the café ever worry about anything. The atmosphere does feel as an outdoor living room, conducive to relaxation. But this is what café life is all about, leaving the worry behind to enjoy a small part of the day by ourselves and regroup, or connect with friends and cultivate relationships.

In Europe and Italy coffee shops have always been the cove to go to, often during the day, to stay, relax, meditate, discuss with friends and like-minded people and to make work deals. News and gossips came from the local cafés; often people asked what was going on in the cafés at the start of the day. One more important aspect of the café life is to find a love match. Why not? At least the catch is right there in front of your eyes, in all the details and with no surprises. In the past women were not permitted entry in the cafés, thus strolling by, was just good enough to be noticed.

(Cafe’ Florio)

Part of the Italian history was written in the cafés of Torino, the first capital of Italy, an elegant city in the Piedmont region.

Camillo Benso Count of Cavour frequented Caffè Florio where he met often with Italian officials to talk about the fate of the country. In this café we can taste the excellent pâtisserie production and appreciate the elegant atmosphere as we can in all of the city’s historic cafés. The huge and complicated coffee machines of the past make the focal point in the Italian historic cafés. Such a beauty on display!

(Cafe’ Grilli)

From Torino, going down on the Italian peninsula we can enjoy Caffe’ Gilli in Florence built in 1733 during the reign of Gian Gastone de’ Medici, decorated in the Liberty style of early 1900s. For two and half century of history the café has been the cove for artists, painters, literates and political people. Its sophisticated décor, complemented with frescoed ceilings and glass chandeliers from Murano, never allowed fistfights and flying chairs or dishes, as it happened often in other cafés, where the décor was not so sumptuous and invited boisterous behavior.

(Cafe’ Gambrinus)

At the elegant Café Gambrinus in Naples, the art of making coffee doesn’t stop at a cup of coffee. I tasted the finest baba, tiramisu’ and a lemon sorbet served in a hollowed out lemon peel that was the end of this world.

Naples is proud of the heritage left by the famous coffee shop, Caffe’ Molaro in Piazza Dante, whose origins go back to early 1800s.
The brewing of the coffee was simple family style: coffee ground was boiled in water in a clay pot and served in small clay containers. The fortune of Caffé Molaro came with other ideas that had nothing to do with coffee. The Café offered pastries, a variety of gelato flavors and a new sophisticated atmosphere with piano music. It attracted the upper classes that locked to the Café to experience the nightlife.
However, the creation of a new elixir, a digestive after dinner drink to serve with an improved coffee drink was the real novelty of Neapolitan Caffe’ Molaro and brought much success to the Café.

(Cafe’ Florian)

My favorite of all coffee houses in Italy has been forever Café Florian in Venice, in Piazza San Marco. Opened on December 29, 1720 under the name Alla Venezia Trionfante (To Triumphant Venice) was soon called Florian after its owner’s name Floriano Francesconi. This year Café Florian is celebrating its 291st birthday. What a fun place this is! I visit it every time I am in Venice, as I try to land there on purpose when I fly home to Italy to spend two-three days in the mysterious town.

Through the centuries this café too has been the hangout of artists, painters, literates, actors and actresses, political people and nobles of all casts, rich merchants and foreign visitors. Situated under the porticos of Piazza San Marco, this elegant café carries all the secrets of a rich and peaceful Venice of the past.
If walls could talk, they would tell us the stories of Goethe, Lord Byron or Casanova’s dangerous liaisons, always in search of new female lovers. Casanova, a gentle soul, really loved his women, cultivated their beauty, placed them on a pedestal and made them feel appreciated. Don Giovanni, au contraire, a young, arrogant, sexually prolific nobleman, abused and outraged all the women he had an encounter with. Casanova is my icon I had to defend him.

(Sala Uomini Illustri – Photo above – https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sala_Uomini_Illustri_Caff%C3%A8_Florian.jpg)

The typical Venetian interior style décor of the 1700s is the reflection of a secretly permissive era, during which coquetries and affected manners were the reach of the day. 1700s décor was very ornate, as Venice was one of the five wealthy Republics in Italy, independent from the rest of the government.

Café Florian is the summary of Venice’s wealth. It shows in the intricate details of mosaic floors, coffered or faux painted ceiling, rich colors on the walls, Damask upholstery of the chairs, expensive carved wood details and large gold foil mirrors. Today we can still admire all the artistic works made by hand by the masters of that era.

Café Florian was and still is the cove of gossips, fashion talks, political discussions, but especially the center of cultural, music concerts and art events, as the famous Biennale of Venice, organized the first time in 1895 in honor of King Umberto and Queen Margherita of Italy.

Starbucks tried to recreate the same atmosphere of Italian cafés in its franchised establishments, but sorry guys, the charm, the mystery and the magic is not there! Starbucks clients are the new yuppies, or professionals with a home based businesses that want to escape the boredom and solitude of their home office and find themselves even more alone inside of Starbucks with their computers and wi-fi.
Café’ is for relaxation and free the mind for a short while, not to develop work!!!

Now going back to my interior designer profession. Often, I have recreated tasting room in kitchens and wine cellars for homes, why not design a café corner in any part of a home, even in the garden. It would be so special and dainty! I have mine and it is perfect for me, let’s design yours!
Let me know if I can help you creating your cafe’ life in your home by leaving your name in the box below. Ciao,
Valentina
www.Valentinadesigns.com

Valentina Cirasola is an Italian Interior Designer in business since 1990 and a former Fashion Designer. She has been developing projects in the USA and Europe serving a variegated group of fun people. She blends well fashion and interior in any of her design work. She loves to remodel homes and loves to turn unattractive spaces into castles. Being Italian born and raised, Valentina’s design work has been influenced by Classicism and stylish, timeless designs. She will create your everyday living with a certain luxury without taking away a comfortable living. Find her books on

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

A Watchful Eye | Valentina Cirasola | Interior Designer

22 Aug 2011 Leave a comment

by Valentina in Home Designs Master Tags: #EcoFriendlyDesigns, #HomeRemodeling, #HomeSafety, #HomeSecurity, #HomeVideoSurveillance, #InfraredNightVision, #SecurityDevices, #WirelessSecuritySystem

Economic recessions and depressions are often a cause of violent riots, insurgency and disobedience of law. Growing differences in socio-economic classes are creating dissatisfaction among the working people who are seeing their purchasing power diminished day-by-day and witnessing an unstable future with no return.
The latest riots in Vancouver in June, riots in Italy and London in August arose precisely from these feelings of resentment towards richer and well-to-do classes. I don’t want to be alarmist, but it could happen in this country too, after all we have our hands full of economic problems and we are certainly not exonerated from these occurrences.

I have studied security systems for a while and I have collected much precious information from manufacturers of these devices. I feel an urgency to bring you tips on how to protect your home, your valuable, but above all, your loved ones, not only in case of riots, but to protect yourself against burglary, vandalism, fire and other accidents.

Your attention should go to the front entry first! I suggest keeping your front door closed and locked at all time, even if you are inside the home. The door should have a deadbolt lock, which is not easy to open with a simple ID card and a peephole that has 180º view. The front door must be well lit with wall sconces on both sides of the door and above lighting.

Install lights around your home, in critical or dark areas install exterior sensor lights and make all the pathways bright and pleasant to walk through. Set economical timers for the interior of the house to turn the lights on and give the appearance that someone is at home when you are not. Intruders don’t like lights or noises.

Shrubs and bushes should be trimmed, especially around windows. Overgrown bushes will protect burglars and criminals from being seeing while they are gaining easy access into the home. All the windows should have the same type of locks and pins, so once the mechanisms are memorized, they will be easy to use.

Security System is one thing you should not try to do on a discount, spend the money!

(Photo above: http://www.securitysales.com/news/adt_nearly_half_of_new_subscribers_buy_pulse_home_automation/slideshow/0)

A well-designed security system should protect you against burglary, vandals, fire, carbon monoxide poisoning, household flooding and other dangers. Experienced, trusted local authorities such as police and fire brigades should monitor it.

A wireless security system offers a better protection, in that it is easy to conceal, will not interfere with the beauty of a curb appeal and there is no hard wires the burglars can cut.

Wireless security camera is a must. In combination with other wireless security devises, cameras are also a way to monitor children playing in the yard.
Make sure the wireless security system you are going to purchase is easy to operate for everyone in the house, it must have a maintenance plan to cover parts and service and that it will not go off by a dog walking by your home, winds or heavy rain. Night vision is not only for war actions. Infrared technology allows you to record your house at night and guard you against night intruders.

Every day simple actions to protect yourself:
1. Don’t ever hide the keys of your house under plants, doormats, or above the door.
2. Leaving boxes of recent purchases such as computer, HD T.V., or appliances outside your door is a good way to show that you have made an expensive purchase. Cut up the box in small pieces and place it in the trash.
3. Photograph and make a video of all your valuable, retain the receipts of those purchases and deposit everything in a safe deposit box along with valuable documents, insurance policies, wills and all that pertain your life.
4. Keep house keys and cellular close to you at night.
5. How about Neighborhood Watch Association? This is where you can get informed on what happens around your community. Join a group near your home.

Some things in life are replaceable, but certain others when they are gone, they are lost forever. Are you willing to lose them?
Should you need advice on security systems, I shall be here to help with your needs, just leave your name in box below. Ciao,
Valentina
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 on consultation and produces design concepts for remodeling, upgrading, new home, décor restyling and home fashion. “Vogue Italy” magazine and many prominent publications in California featured Valentina’s work. She also has made four appearances on T.V. Comcast Channel 15. Find her books on:

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

Emptiness And Serenity In Japanese Décor | Valentina Cirasola | Interior Designer

12 Aug 2011 3 Comments

by Valentina in Home Designs Master Tags: #JapaneseGarden, #JapaneseHome, #JapaneseHomeDecor, #JapaneseRockGarden, #JapaneseStyle, #JapaneseTemples, #VerticalGarden, #ZenGarden

I have gone into many homes in my life, some very attractive, some less interesting, every one with its own particular style but not always reflecting the homeowner’s personality. The other day I had lunch at a Japanese friend’s house. It is not my first time visiting a Japanese home, in fact, a few years ago I was in Japan where I had a taste of the original Japanese décor.

(Click on each photo to view it larger).

Strangely, I find that Japanese-born people living in the western world tend to appreciate the western décor more than their own traditional style. Is it because they want to blend in with the hosting country, or because the western décor is new to their eyes and want to embrace it? Probably, I will never ask them these questions, but one thing I felt in my friend’s home: a certain serene atmosphere and subdued colors.

Colors in Japanese décor are never too strong or too visible, ranging from browns to beige, from light green to light pink or peach, their function is to balance the environment and provide a resting place for the eyes. Although red is a perfect color for the coloration of their skin, therefore it can be found often in their garments, Japanese hardly paint walls in their homes in red or place huge pieces of red furniture in their décor. Red might be present in a small amount inside of a painting or blended softly with other colors in throw pillows.
Furniture is sparse, barely the minimal even in large homes, leaving wide unused spaces for a free flow of positive energy.

After lunch my friend served a gentle lemon grass tea in a British blueish-green porcelain cup with gold designs rolling in a white background, accompanied by white linen napkins and brushed stainless steel flatware for tea and dessert. In this home white is the color that pulls the soft colors together. White interior doors and frames, white window panes and frames, white marble floor in the foyer and corridors, white kitchen and service areas floors, white ceilings and some upholstery all play that role, in some cases even table and bed linens.

Fresh flowers and natural plants are part of the Japanese interior décor, but they are graphic, mixed with stones and kept in one color scheme. I have never seen a flower arrangement in a riot of colors, as I see it often in western homes. Japanese people like the gentle simplicity of nature, they will never recreate what nature does not create. They keep the shapes organic and natural even in garden arrangements.

Rocks are an important element of a Japanese dry garden “Karensansui”, designed for meditation and to restore heart and mind. It is meant to be contemplative while sitting down in one place and seeing it at eye level. By gazing at different size rocks, sand and gravel, one is to imagine ocean water flowing and waterfall cascading down hills and mountains. My friend told me that the rocks resemble the island of Japan, sand and gravel placed around the rocks are designed as ripples resembling the movement of water. The gardener will use a rake to create this movement.

She gave me a little insight on what kind of rocks to choose for a dry Japanese garden and the meaning of each rock called Ishi. There are only five types of rocks to choose, very important for keeping the equilibrium in the mind and soul:
• Vertical rock or “soul rock” as it is called. It gets interspersed randomly in the landscape.
• Body rock is a tall rock, which is placed towards the back of the garden because is the tallest stone and also represents a God.
• Heart rock is flat, almost like a stepping-stone and balances all the vertical rocks.
• Branching and Reclining rocks balance all the forms and shapes, vertical and horizontal.
• Rocks to avoid are the broken ones and the Dead Rock, which are long and can only be used horizontally, making a figurative dead person.

Spaces in the garden must be empty, not crowded with plants. Empty spaces will create something in the viewer’s imagination. The contour of all the elements around will create a sense of time in space, a sense of solitude and a cure for the spirit.
As the rule demands, my friend’s Japanese dry garden is well enclosed on all sides by a wood fence and surrounded by tall trees and maples.

Her rock garden was designed outside a traditional tatami room with shoji doors, complete with a spa room, soaking tub, steam shower, lanterns, silk kimonos and bamboo fabric bathrobe and slippers. Particularly I admired the exquisite herringbone woodwork on the ceiling. This Japanese wing of a French Chateau house in California (what a mixture!) was detailed to the letter to make a real, traditional and original setting. It was a surprise to see it, as it is not visible from any part of the house. I was impressed to see all this beauty and serenity created as a secret island in a home that vibrates with everyday routine as all the busy homes do.

Leaving any Japanese home, don’t forget to thank the host for the courteous hospitality and to bow down to show your appreciation for being in their home and for the special care received. Japanese hospitality and courtesy always leave me astounded.

Has my experience in a Japanese home been useful to you? Do you feel you need a serene secret island for your mind and soul? Sometimes it might take a little study, but any décor can be recreated anywhere, let me know what you need by leaving a comment below. Ciao,
Valentina
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 on consultation and produces design concepts for remodeling, upgrading, new home, décor restyling and home fashion. “Vogue Italy” magazine and many prominent publications in California featured Valentina’ s work. She also has made four appearances on T.V. Comcast Channel 15. Find her books on

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

Rotate Your Art, Rotate Your Mood | Valentina Cirasola | Interior Designer

18 Jul 2011 2 Comments

by Valentina in Home Designs Master Tags: #ArtForHomeDecor, #ArtFrameRotatingDevice, #ArtSelection, #ColorfulArt, #SydellLewisPainter

July 20th is Moon Day, I feel like celebrating all the lunatics in my life. I wished, but no, I am joking.
There is no doubt we are under the influence of planets and moon phases. I am wondering if the artist Sydell Lewis (http://www.sydellart.com/) featured here was guided by a fabulous moon when she decided to paint them.

Her art is not only vivid in colors, but my eyes perceive a certain mysticism when turning the painting in different direction. In the back of some of her paintings there is a revolving mechanism, an innovative, brilliant idea, which turns the artwork upside down, or side ways, thus changing the image altogether and offering a completely different interpretation. Not all her artwork comes with the said rotating mechanism, some are still in frames as we are accustomed to see art.

The artist was telling me that the idea of the rotating mechanism came one day while she was hiking. She realized that the path she was on looked so much different coming back than the way it looked going up. Coming back she noticed more views and more details, just because she was crossing different angles.
All artists’ goal is to create an emotional and visual impact, but Sydell, also wants to create a stimulus for the viewers and open more possibility to their imagination. To that thought, I would add that she paints energy in a multi-striate form, which by turning it in many directions helps changing the viewer’s mood and fantasy.

Energy is exactly the positive or negative element which runs in our home or office spaces, it depends on how harmoniously the furniture arrangement flow with colors and light, order or clutter, cleanliness or dirtiness.

Chinese people celebrate endless series of festivals during the course of a year. Most of the festivals take place on important dates in the Chinese lunar calendar. Their furniture arrangements and the direction of a home when is in the building phase also have a lot to do with positive and negative energy.

I remember when my mom changed the furniture arrangement at least three times a year, when we were lucky. Sometimes coming back from school, my room had changed location entirely and not just the furniture.
I don’t know if my mom was guided by lunar changes, she was a fashion designer and a pretty creative type, but she sure allowed herself to be playful with the arrangements of furniture, accessories, fabrics and colors. She even used the backside of a fabric to create an original dress.
Today, in smaller doses, I do the same in my house, but only because I don’t have a huge block of time to play with my furniture. My wall art is in constant rotation, according to my mood. In the spring I put up bright and cheerful paintings, in the autumn I put up painting with warmer colors and other times, I take down everything and hang only mirrors. Accessories and accent chairs also go from room to room and find a better place to shine every time. This is called floating the furniture, a technique I use when I stage a home for resale. Moving furniture around from room to room will save my clients’ money while achieving a good decorating result. Even small objects will change the energy in the house when we place them in a different location, actually they will look even newer.

Nowadays we designers break rules more often than not. A portrait will always be seen with the person’s head up (I think), but an abstract painting leaves so much to the imagination.
Aside from the fact that I never see the artist’s interpretation, why not hang the art on the walls the way I see it, or the way it satisfies my mood in a particular day. Now we have the rotating mechanism to help us feel free to express ourselves even more without incurring in the situation of offending the artist.

As the lunar phases are created by changing angles (relative positions) of the earth, as our mood changes according to the angles of happenings in our life, the same way we should allow the energy of your home to change according to our likings. If you feel to hang a paintings upside down it’s OK, it is no longer considered “lunacy”.

(All photos are property of Artist Sydell Lewis)

As the professional who is always ready, I shall be prompt and ready to help you with any of your needs, whether it will be decorating, designing, or remodeling, just don’t forget to leave your name in the box below. Ciao,
Valentina

http://www.valentinadesigns.com

Valentina Cirasola is an Italian Interior and former Fashion Designer, working in the USA and Europe. She blends well fashion and interior in any of her design work. She loves to remodel homes and loves to create the unusual. She is the author of three books available on