Home Designs Master | Valentina Expressions

Can You Be Bold? | Valentina Cirasola | Interior Designer

11 Dec 2010 2 Comments

by Valentina in Home Designs Master Tags: #DecoratingTips, #FurnitureLayOut, #HomeDecorating, #HomeStyle, #HomeTrends, #InteriorColors, #UrbanStyle, Furniture

November and December are two fabulous months for me to get inspirations from stores and their displays. Being the curious person that I am and always with a camera in my hands, I shoot at anything that attracts my eyes. The other night, after I had taken a few pictures, I started to notice a pattern in my photos. Everything in my camera view was big, bold, large, oversize and not for any particular reason. Ok, nothing wrong with that, I guess my eyes needed to sweep in wide spaces, but how do we fit oversize items in small spaces, you might ask? Let’s start by saying that one does not need to have tall ceilings and ballroom type of space to host large objects.

Two bulky bookshelves (as in the photo) will look massive in a small room, but adding a large picture, print, or canvas in between will break the bulkiness, the monotony and will fill the wall nicely. The horizontal lines must be kept on the same level for the eyes to rest peacefully and send a message of harmony to the brain. The same two bulky bookshelves placed side by side in the middle of the wall in a large room will not look so massive any more and it will allow floor space perhaps for a pair of chairs, or a pair of floor lamps on each side of the bookshelves.

I love clocks on the walls, whether they are antiques, contemporaries or reproductions, they are timeless objects of décor. A Grand Central Station wall clock, a Parisian country clock, or a Grand Father’s clock, they all need to be surrounded with the right accessories. An oversize clock hanging on the wall needs a large base, a console, or a credenza under its own weight to eliminate the feeling of “hanging” in space, then the wall feels balanced. Of course to match the right kind of style of chandelier and lighting to the style of the clock would be ideal, but today’s décor permits to go outside the rules and allows personal expression to make a statement and to define the character of the home.

Mirrors: consider them as another kind of windows opened in the walls. They reflect the light and they reflect the beauty, so place them where you can see the beauty elevated to higher power. Mirrors must not be all the same style and look, nobody said that, as matter of fact, more they are different in sizes, shapes and style, higher the interest they will bring to the décor of a room. And if one of the mirror is so large that would be even too heavy to hung, lay it casually against the wall, it will actually give a perception of height and everything reflected in it will look slightly taller. A mirror combination will fill a large wall graciously and a large mirror in a small room will change the status of the room from contained to grand.

(All photos taken in the store by ©Valentina Cirasola with permission)

Lighting finishes the room like jewelry on a woman’s dress. This is one item of furnishing where we can all go to town due to a wide variety of choices, but remember that the eyes find repose when they meet shadows. It is very nice to have bright light and light beams when we need to see clear, but in some special moments a light glow coming from various planes is so much more refined.

Large items have one advantage: they fill any space magically, clutter is eliminated instantly and so is the desire to accumulate more items.

As seen on Affluent Living:

Go out there and find the boldest, largest items for your decor and then set them in the most unusual way. Ask yourself what this item makes you feel, what is the emotion that it exudes in the room and how it dictates its presence. If you like to send me pictures, I shall be here to help with any challenges. Ciao,
Valentina

http://www.valentinadesigns.com

Valentina Cirasola is a trained Italian Interior Designer in business since 1990. 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 your comfort. She loves to restore old homes, historic dwellings and she focuses on remodeling.
Check out her books on
Amazon: http://goo.gl/xUZfk0
Barnes&Nobles: http://goo.gl/q7dQ3w

Hot Fireplace | Valentina Cirasola | Interior Designer

07 Dec 2010 Leave a comment

by Valentina in Home Designs Master Tags: #Fireplace, #FireplaceDesign, #HomeInteriors, #HomeRemodeling, #LivingRoomColors, Avaliving, Decorating

©Valentina-Interiors & Designs

I am so happy to start my Monday with the news that one of my project is featured on Ava until next Monday, a site where designers can interact and connect with potential clients anywhere in the world without having to travel. Ava’s site is a place where anyone looking for home solutions can find it there and learn from the experts. Every week AvaLiving has a theme and based on that it features the best submitted designs.
This week theme is: Hot Fireplaces.

I presented my project in Foster City, California of an interested fireplace in the living room with attached built-in unit.
This room was part of the entire home remodeling. Clients had no preconceived idea of any style, or decor. They were open to any suggestions. The only request was that the T.V. would not be on top of the mantel, as it is usually seen in most homes. A fireplace is for enjoying fire, while reading a good book, or sipping wines in company of friends. A crackling fire should be a cozy background for watching T.V.

©Valentina-Interiors & Designs

In designing this fireplace I had a few challenges: two windows on both sides of the fireplace and not enough clean walls to place a larger plasma T.V. as the client requested.
The result of my studies of the room was to design a built-in unit attached to the mantel to make it visually looking as one continuous wall. The built-in unit would include a short bookcase, a smaller plasma T.V., storage for DVD/CDs and the fireplace itself.
The fireplace’s stones came from the work done in other areas of the house. Being budget conscious I make sure no material goes to waste, as usual in all my projects. The iron stone was very expensive, it was a good thinking to use the left over for the hearth application. As the professional who is always ready, I shall be prompt and ready to help you with any of your design needs, whether it will be decorating, designing, or remodeling.

I am honored to be featured on AvaLiving, thank you Ava for your support. Life is good at Valentina Interiors & Designs. Ciao,
Valentina
http://www.valentinadesigns.com

Valentina Cirasola has been in business as a designer since 1990. She has helped a variegated group of fun people realizing their dreams with homes, offices, interiors and exteriors. She is a designer well-known to bring originality to people’s homes. As an Italian designer and true to her origins, she provides only the best workmanship and design solutions. Check out her books on
Amazon: http://goo.gl/xUZfk0
Barnes&Nobles: http://goo.gl/q7dQ3w

Caressing The Past | Valentina Cirasola | Interior Designer

26 Nov 2010 4 Comments

by Valentina in Home Designs Master Tags: #1920Architecture, #1920Style, #ChristmasDecorating, #ChristmasThemes, #HistoricAinsleyHouse, 1920Fashion, Avaliving

This year I feel very honored to have been one of the designers selected to decorate Christmas at the Historic Ainsley House in Campbell, CA.

The owner, John Colpitts, a British native, built the House in the 1920s as a retirement home. John came to California in the late 1800s and made his fortune canning food, which he exported to England to his brother.

This year Christmas theme was “Christmas Around The World”. Being Italian born I thought of bringing a bit of the Amalfi’s flavors into my decorations, with citrus fruit, grapes, roses, camellias, and the typical poinsettia. My color scheme has been platinum, green, white, with a touch of purple and gold as accents throughout the guest bedroom, boudoir, closet, and cosmetic parlor.

Cosmetic Parlor

The guest quarter is a very delicate room, with powdery pastel colors fit for an elegant woman. Original 1920’s dresses are kept beautifully on mannequins and inside of the closet, while originals accessories peek through an original traveling trunk resting in the boudoir. I was so surprised to see a cosmetic parlor in the boudoir. It is a simple pedestal sink with a lighted mirror above and monogrammed face towels hanging on the bar, all concealed beyond a door when not in use. What a nice feature! Small features and details such a cosmetic parlor have ceded the way to large bath spaces, which, at times, I feel they are totally sterile and without a soul.

While I was in the attic of the House selecting the items for my Christmas decorations, I felt so much part of that era. The director was telling me that J.C. the owner, kept his liqueurs in the basements beyond some wood panels. The Prohibition Law marked the era, but we all know that when something is forbidden, we want exactly the object of sins. The story goes that the highlight of the Ainsleys’ parties was to turn all the lights off and make the guests find the door to the basement where the liqueurs were kept.

Going up and down the stairs from the attic, I could not help admiring the hardwood floor beautifully concerted almost as inlay work, the type of setting that would require the artistry and clinical eye of an ebonist. Custom flooring is another area of designing that has ceded the step to a less expensive and faster application.

The House was designed with 15 rooms in a style of Tudor Revival architecture with the influence of Arts and Crafts movement of the 1920s. The most striking feature is the English style thatched roof, remade in 2007 as a faux thatched, but one can also admire the half-timbering façade, the interior wood paneling, the multi-paneled windows and the bay windows, especially the corner one at the breakfast room.
During my conversation with the curator/director, I learned that in 1990 the House was lifted up in its entirety and moved about 1.5 miles to the present location in Campbell, CA. One would think tiles would come apart, the floor would open up and walls would create cracks during the house moving, but nothing came undone. The workmanship was really a mastery, I can adduce.

Boudoir

The modernity of the guest bathroom style really struck me, the entire bath is quite spacious. The tub is enclosed in a Tudor style alcove surrounded by Nile green tiles, the shower is separated from the tubs, enclosed with a glass door and finished with the same color tiles with three water jets, a very avant-garde detail to find in bathrooms of that era. A deep linen closet and an enclosed W.C. make this a desirable spa, just as we intend it today.

Christmas_in_Amalfi

Alcinda was in love with John Colpitts, who was a workaholic with a strong character and played hard to get. The only way to get him to pay attention to her was to accept a job in his firm as his bookkeeper. Alcinda was 17 years younger than John, but she became his wife at last. A medium, while visiting the house a few years ago, felt a massive male energy, so I was told. I felt the same while I was decorating the upstairs guest bedroom, an enveloping warm male presence, perhaps he was a woman’s charmer. He had many visitors from Europe sojourning in his house. I can see the care that was given to the guest bedroom, made delicately elegant and comfortable for a woman. For the same reason, I wanted to give the room the same gentleness using soft Christmas colors and a certain daintiness with the flavors of romantic Amalfi.

The Ainsley House will be open every day from Nov. 20th to Dec. 19th. Calendar of events will include Holiday Teas and Tours, Holiday Boutique, Photo with Santa and Holiday Open House.
I have enjoyed the experience of caressing the past in a prestigious historic home and especially have enjoyed the comments on my upside-down tree.

Perhaps next year, I can be called to decorate your Christmas with a special theme at your home. Ciao,
Valentina

http://www.valentinadesigns.com

Valentina Cirasola is a trained Italian Interior Designer in business since 1990. 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 your comfort. She loves to restore old homes, historic dwellings and she focuses on remodeling. Check out her books on
Amazon: http://goo.gl/xUZfk0
Barnes&Nobles: http://goo.gl/q7dQ3w

Floors To Trample and Knocks You Out With Warmth | Valentina Cirasola | Interior Designer

20 Nov 2010 2 Comments

by Valentina in Home Designs Master Tags: #DecorativeTileFloor, #FloorDesigns, #FlooringSolutions, #HardwoodFloor, #ItalianFloor, #ItalianHomeStyle, #MarbleFloor

What do you think of the hardwood floor that looks like a chopping block? Do you like to see short wood planks in light and dark coloration laid-out in the chopping block fashion? I don’t. There is nothing elegant about it. The look of a kitchen should stay on the kitchen counter.
A few days ago, I was looking at an Italian fashion magazine, but I could not help noticing more the hardwood floor than the clothing. Yes, the clothing were attractive, but the floor they were casually thrown on was sexy, warm, inviting, onto which the fashion clothing seemed even more interesting in their casual lack of concern. The picture to me spoke about the hardwood floor, as if the wearer had trusted the beautiful hardwood floor to take a gentle care of her precious jewelry and the fancy garment.

Italian floors have been the most remarkable floors in history. Italian people like to trample on beauty because what is under their feet is as important as what they wear on their feet. Floors in Italian homes can be very decorated, or have an understated elegance, both ways will affect and determine the ambiance of a home. It is a common practice to blend and mix various wood species to create attractive pattern designs, which at times do not follow any direction and at times will take the eye in a state of ecstatic admiration.

Hardwood floor focus on the emotion it evokes and the dreams that surrounds the wood itself. Designed hardwood floors are for sitting on, for rolling while playing and to allow us to be enveloped by its natural warmth. Cushions, crackling fireplace, a glass of wine, scented candles, a good company with an elegant music and I have just created a relaxed glamour right on the hardwood floor.

Another common practice is to design a floor with marble or tiles inserted in the hardwood as accents, but the classic and long-lived solution remains the mixture of intricate designs of stones communicating beautifully with each other, both in contemporary and classic forms. Mosaics made of various stones and wood inlays are not only for churches and museums, but they are vastly appreciated in most homes in Italy.

Travertine and tumble marble cover the floor of my house in Italy. Although these are kind of warm stones, in super hot days this type of stones can provide an instant pleasurable refreshment and I love to roll on the floor. As a kid I loved to go down the stone stairs not with my feet walking down, but with my butt sitting and feeling the steps one by one until I reached the floor. I was a little rascal and…. still I am in so many ways.

The floor setters in Italy are artists of their own kind. Being exposed for centuries to beautiful floors they are a delight to work with, they are original and knowledgeable and they are the best people to ask for suggestions when clients have no idea of how to compose a floor. As a designer, I like to guide them around my design concept when I compose certain hard surfaces, but their expertise is of a superior quality that not much guidance is needed once the designs is laid out on paper.

(Floor left: Romeo Cuomo)

To create a composition of marble with various stones to me is a divertissement.
Any area of a home can do without area rugs and be defined with a stone design instead, as in photo. It will save on rug cleaning expenses and the room will be more hygienically breathable. Stones only need water and mild soap and they will be dressed again.

Find this beautiful hand painted tiles flooring shown here at Officina Ceramica in Italy: http://www.officinaceramica.com

Whether you are thinking of hardwood floor, or stone floor and whether it will be installed in a home on the Amalfi Coast, Côte d’Azur, California, or any urban flat in the world, I will suggest to employ any material intelligently, create the beauty even under your feet. Beauty and luxury have a vital role to play in the most intimate and important moment of a person’s life.
Originally designed hard surfaces will endure the test of time, will add value to your home and above all will continue your dream and legacy, as we still dream today when visiting historic homes and buildings around the world.

If you are ready to step onto dreamy flooring and if you ready to invest into long-term beauty, I am here to help you. Should anything like this strike your fancy, I would like to be the designer to provide you with these special solutions ready and available to me. Ciao,
Valentina

http://www.valentinadesigns.com

So Rich Poor Art | Valentina Cirasola | Interior Designer

11 Nov 2010 2 Comments

by Valentina in Home Designs Master Tags: #ArtePovera, #CountryStyleDecor, #HomeDecorating, #HomeInteriors, #kitchenDesign, #TuscanStyle

I like to fantasize about a period décor, the antiquity, traditions, elegant woods, beautiful but simple furniture, how about you? Perhaps you see yourself sipping a glass of aged Bordeaux wine while sitting by a carved stone fireplace, you know, that kind which has a large mouth and a very tall mantel. I remember one of those in my grandmother’s home when I used to stand in it and feel completely tall. It is a nice feeling to go back in time and sense the enveloping of classicism and the warm atmosphere of the past. Do you like to smell the wood and do you appreciate looking at the craftsmanship of artisans who worked on wood like a sweet poetry? Then you would like “Arte Povera” in your home.

Arte Povera, literally “Poor Art” is a movement which started in Italy in the decade between 1960 and 1970 by the Italian art critic and curator Germano Celant. It sprung up as a rebellion and as a rejection of the convoluted and massive Italian furniture used before World War II. Urban artists from Genova, Milano, Torino and Roma exhibited their works in various galleries showing a new concept of making art using poor and recycled materials and bringing art into a new dimension. The ‘60s in Italy were turmoil times, every level of culture was attacked by cynicism, skepticism and rejection of the past, but it was also a time which a new consumerism was embraced. Italy, as the whole Europe was enjoying a new post-war wealth, consuming every possible merchandise was a very attractive idea. I remember the first Vesta and Lambretta (mopeds) and the first, very exciting Fiat 500. What a jewels they were! Contradiction, modernity and simplicity marked the ‘60s in Italy.

Arte Povera as I said started as a rejection of the heavy and classic bourgeois art of the past. The new concept of furnishing in the ‘60s was conceived with simplicity in mind, taking inspiration from the simple woods and linear shapes of the farms and country life, but some other furnishing were made with new everyday materials, interchangeable, vibrant colors, anything and everything was used as the new material, making Arte Povera so modern and surprisingly contemporary even for this new millennium.

Last year I went on vacation and spent a few days at a B&B in the Salento area, a southern Italian region. The architecture was a typical farm-house with stone walls and vaulted ceiling also made of stones. Furnishing was made of decape’ farmer’s pieces and soothing colors. My room was beautifully elegant in its simplicity of Arte Povera, it was very homey and cozy, but the price was not at all poor. I must say that since in Italy furnishing in the Arte Povera style is in high demand, it has become very expensive.
Decape’ style, or Shabby Chic is one style comprised in the Arte Povera. This is the perfect style to renovate old furniture that has little value. With a few paint techniques, it is possible to exalt the simple beauty of an old piece and to create a romantic retro environment.

In the kitchen I have designed for one of my client (photo), the kitchen cabinets were made of oak stained in dark walnut, the client brought in an old dining table from a farmer that really added character to the kitchen room. The look we were after was that of a country Italian kitchen, but every detail was well-studied and executed with the same care and passion characteristic of the poor farmers making their own furniture by hand. (Click on each photo to view it larger).

My experience of decades in interior designing allows me to rebuild or restore any décor by taking care of the small details that will change your home into a master piece, even if it is decorated as a “Poor Art”. If you have a creative vein, you can tackle a project of refinishing a piece of furniture in the decape’ or poor art style, but if you want a well-researched and sophisticated look in the Arte Povera you should consider working with a professional. This is why many people are discovering the benefits of working with me as their trusted interior designer and consultant, someone who can make you feel at home in all of your dreams and decisions. Ciao,

Valentina

http://www.valentinadesigns.com

Valentina Cirasola is an Italian Interior Designer in business since 1990. 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 your comfort. Check out her books on
Amazon: http://goo.gl/xUZfk0
Barnes&Nobles: http://goo.gl/q7dQ3w

Ritzy and Spiffy | Valentina Cirasola | Interior Designer

04 Nov 2010 2 Comments

by Valentina in Home Designs Master Tags: #1920Architecture, #1920sStyle, #ArtNouveau, #LibertyStyle, #LouiseBrook, #Vintage, 1920Fashion, 1920PartyCostumes, Modernism

Vintage, what a passion! The flapper girl loved all that allowed her to be and feel free in her behavior.
Louise Brook, the diva of silent movies adopted the short hair cut à la garçon that every woman copied. The short bob emphasized the sensual curve of the neck, while the facial features under a cloche hat were enhanced with a well-studied maquillage. The flappers girl loved very red lips and nails, lunar skin, very long eyelashes, marked the eyes with a smoky black eye liner and completed the look with long pearls necklaces. She loved to wear short dresses above the knee, showing them off for the first time in the history of fashion. Designers Coco Chanel and Paul Poiret, in Paris called “Le Magnifique” liberated women from corsets or other body traps and put them in chic sexy gowns.

This past Halloween I was invited to a 1920’s party. The house was so beautifully staged in that period style that I felt prompted to write about how to reproduce the same style in today’s home.

In Europe, the 1920s’ style had a different name in each country. It was Liberty Style in Italy, Art Nouveau in England, Style Guimard in France named after designer Guimard, Modernism in Spain, Secession Style in Austria and Youth Style in Germany. Regardless of how it was named, Art Nouveau flourished between two World Wars and it was a celebration of youth style and liberation from fussiness and constrictions. Key words to describe 1920s’style were simplicity, functionality, efficiency and cleanliness of lines and forms. Colors choices of that time are so modern even for today’s living:
Black, White, Ivory and Gray for the neutral palette, Nile Green and Navy Blue for the cold palette, Canary Yellow and Mandarin Red for the warm palette.

‘

There was a certain flavor of world style design, traveling was popular, discovering treasures of different countries was exciting and decorating with traveling memories was fashionable.

Steamer trunks with travel labels in lieu of coffee tables, Oriental rugs for the living room and scenic prints on the walls, legendary beasts as accessories and floral art glass were all the rage, along with subjects of lavish birds, flowers, insects and femme fatale details. Abstract lines and shapes were used widely as a filling and mixed in with all subjects.

The new concept of open spaces was born with the Bungalow Style architecture, which essentially was the new style home for the middle class, small but functional and comfortable. To create a visual effect of larger spaces, rooms opened up into each other, kitchen into family room and into dining and to avoid a cluttered look most of the furniture was built-in, such as bookcases, breakfast nooks, sideboards, china cases and window seats. Furniture was made to last and with sturdy luxurious woods such as mahogany and cedar and was designed in simple lines and simple carved details.
(Photo Bungalow right found on: http://www.angelfire.com/retro2/lisa3/20shome.html)

As you see, the 1920 ‘s style fits so perfectly in today’s living. Keep it simple and clean. Built-ins will substitute many furniture pieces that generally stand on the floor, allowing you to free floor space. Keep all the shapes linear, but splurge on accessories and sexy lamps to create several light points to suit every mood. Emphasize colors. Combine rich hardwood floor with retro chic’s bold wall colors and contemporary forms to achieve a fresh cheerfulness and whimsy. Reproducing with paint a typical 1920’s wallpaper motif is an easier alternative to wallpaper that might not exist anymore. Complete the décor with ornamental glass work on doors and divider panels; some metal/chrome features like sinks on chrome legs, or fireplaces brass façades; mirrors, Murano glass chandeliers and graphic art.

The 1920’s style is very current and conducive with my living. I like stylish décor nobody has, I like to set moods with attractive period pieces and I like to surprise people visiting my home. How about you? Tell me what is your style, I can reproduce it ritzy and spiffy without taking away your comfortable life and any of your habits. Ciao,
Valentina

http://www.valentinadesigns.com

Valentina Cirasola is an interior designer well-known to bring originality to people’s homes. As an Italian born and true to her origins, her design work has been influenced by Classicism and stylish, timeless designs. She provides only the best workmanship and design solutions.
Check out her books on
Amazon: http://goo.gl/xUZfk0
Barnes&Nobles: http://goo.gl/q7dQ3w

To Each His Own | Valentina Cirasola | Interior Designer

27 Oct 2010 2 Comments

by Valentina in Home Designs Master Tags: #ChoosingPictureFrames, #DecoratingWithPhotos, #PictureFrames, Decorating, How ToCareForPictureFrame

Choosing a picture frame is not that complicated, the selection must follow a simple kind of dialogue between the picture subject and the décor of the space where the picture will be placed.
Pictures dress the house and just like the dresses we wear they do not have to be expensive to look good. One can choose to display collectible art and valuable art, prints and posters, vintage images and photography, or even display one’s own work of art. What really dresses the house with class and elegance is the selection of picture frames, the particular way they are positioned on the walls and how they are illuminated.

©Valentina Cirasola

It is a common habit to select picture frames to chromatically echoing some pieces around in the décor such as the colors of pillows, walls or rugs, but that’s not the end of the story. Few elements play a high role in the beauty of picture displaying, the first is the subject of the picture itself.
Is there a perspective point in the picture? In this case it is best to choose a concave frame to envelop the eyes and bring them inside the picture. The opposite effect is obtained with a convex frame for a picture which does not have a perspective point. The eyes will go to the frame and will be distracted by the flatness of a picture without a perspective.

The dominant color and tone inside of the picture is important for the coloration of the frame. Generally warm colors inside the picture – red, yellow, brown, purple – are suitable for golden tone frames and cold colors in the image – blue, green, grey, white – go well with silver tone frames.

Modern art, abstracts or geometric representations require a light frame with a linear structure; traditional, classic and valuable art almost always require an important, massive and convoluted frame as shown in one of my client’s home who likes antiques mixed with some contemporary art. I designed for her a variety of gallery walls with different picture frames which live together very harmoniously.

To maintain the quality of classicism, a traditional frame always need a passepartout, which is an interior band, generally made of canvas or velvet, wraps around the frame and balances the luminosity of a picture, the chromatic tones and keep the picture away from the glass.

There is much to say about shaping a wall with pictures. Your eyes will determine the rule, the only thing you must remember is to design in scale. If dealing with botanical prints, photographs, magazine covers, or vintage images, their frames look great if they are all the same size, shape and colors, then you can produce a gallery wall, just like an art exhibition. Examples of places for a gallery wall are a long staircase, a large, or long wall, a study room, a corridor, just to name a few.

Add life to both pictures and frames with grazing lights, wall washers or small directional spotlights. Light is life, as I always say, the least unpretentious picture will feel interesting on stage with the right light shining on, but be careful with neon or fluorescent lights, they will change the feel of the picture. Also direct sun light on the picture and frame will damage and change colors and life of both. To avoid the mirror effect which will hide the image in the frame, it is suggestible to have a non-glare glass.

©Valentina Cirasola

Selecting picture frames is a fun activity, indulge in your creativity and make it personal, the choices are endless and so is your fantasy.
So, OK the top and bottom pictures are the views of some corners in my studio, not exactly falling into the common decorating rules, but I can afford to be different.
I am ready to help and offer you my services if you like to be different.

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 on consultation and produces design concepts for remodeling, upgrading, new home design, décor restyling and home fashion. She also offers consultations on-line. Check out her books on
Amazon: http://goo.gl/xUZfk0
Barnes&Nobles: http://goo.gl/q7dQ3w

Style Between The Sheets | Valentina Cirasola | Interior Designer

13 Oct 2010 4 Comments

by Valentina in Home Designs Master Tags: #BedroomFashion, #BedroomStyle, #DecoratingBedroom, #FretteSheets, #ItalianBedSheets

I am back in the bedroom again! Back in June, I co-blogged about the effects a good bed has on one’s posture with an image consultant, who wrote about the positive impact a good night’s sleep has on one’s personal image. When it comes to the bedroom though, there’s much more to consider.

The ideal bedroom is a harmonized space. It serves your needs, comforts, and tastes. When those three elements are incorporated and balanced together, then there is harmony in the bedroom and you can fully enjoy it.

Harmonizing a bedroom space should be important to you because a bedroom is not only about color, line, and design. It is about the hidden things that most people don’t see, such as electrical live wiring in your ceiling and surrounding walls. It’s about the wired clocks and cellular technology sitting on the nightstand next to your bed. It’s about the electricity emanating from the television sitting across from your bed while you attempt to sleep.

We don’t think about how our bodies are filled with so much water and minerals that attract electric current, but yet we surround our sacred sleeping spaces with all of these electric accouterments! It’s no wonder we’re all running around like live wires all day, and leaving people a potentially strange impression of ourselves due to a lack of good sleep and rest.

Your bedroom can easily be accessorized just like you accessorize yourself or other parts of your home. The bedroom should not become filled with “dust collectors” that detract from the calm energy of the space. To create a space of understated elegance, maintain a line of simplicity, and a soothing color palette of a minimum of three colors. The colors should be complementary and pleasant to look at together.

Often people are lured by the notion of a high thread count sheet; however, the most important consideration is how well the bedding fabrics are finished. Did you know, for instance, that Egyptian cotton is not only grown in Egypt but also here in the U.S.? The Egyptian grown cotton grows longer and is more durable, due to the climate and growing conditions, making it the ultimate in luxury. Mixing fibers, like wool and silk or silk and cashmere, are so pleasant and elegant to look at. When those fabrics envelop your body, they make you feel like royalty.

Going to bed isn’t just about what happens between the sheets. Why, after creating such a sensuous room, do so many people wear T-shirts and sweat pants around the bedroom and into the bed?

This incongruous behavior is a total disconnection from the harmonized concept of the bedroom and from your brand. Even when there is no one else around but you and your mate (or even just yourself), and you think this is the time to let yourself go, think again. In fact, this is the time to be at your best to relax, unwind, share intimate moments and dreams. Indulge yourself with the pleasure of owning loungewear, pajamas, and robes that are compatible with the quality of your bedroom space for relaxing, napping, and sleeping.

(Photo was taken inside Frette Store by Valentina Cirasola with permission).

Tomorrow evening, Wednesday October 13th at 6:30 p.m. we will celebrate 150 years of the House of Frette and their elegant collection of linens for the home and body. Join us at Frette Palo Alto, located in the Stanford Shopping Center. Ciao,
Valentina

http://www.valentinadesigns.com

Valentina Cirasola has been in business as an interior designer since 1990. She helps people realizing their dream homes, offices, interiors and exteriors. The focus of her business is remodeling old homes. Check out her books on

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

The Distinctive Direction Of Italian Fall Home Fashion | Valentina Cirasola | Interior Designer

05 Oct 2010 5 Comments

by Valentina in Home Designs Master Tags: #FallColors2010, #HomeFashion, #HomeRemodeling, #ItalianColors, #ItalianKitchen, #ItalianStyle, #KitchenColors

A few months ago, I had the idea of declaring the month of October the month of Italian style. Many presentations will occur this month in the Bay Area, one of them will be the event I have organized with Frette store in Stanford Shopping Centre, Palo Alto, CA. Frette is an Italian house producing luxury bed and bath items since 1860.
In October Frette is celebrating its 150th Anniversary with a new collection simply called “Anniversario”. It is my interest as a designer, to present the new Fall line and show my audience how to use it, in addition to talk about the distinctive direction Italian home design is taking this Fall 2010.

Fashion and home design are two separate disciplines always intertwining and taking oxygen from one another.
Since the beginning of time, the human body has determined any project of building. The reflection on the human body has been the vehicle that made people want to paint the body, to dress it, to build cities, to build homes and their interiors and to design our entire surroundings.

The Italian word “abito” (English: dress) takes from the verb “abitare” (English: to live, to inhabit). The dress is the first place our body lives in and the body offers infinite possibilities to relate ourselves to the surrounding space. Fashion gives us the freedom and fantasy to dress how we want and the freedom to compose our own style in homes.

To dress a home goes far beyond colors and fabrics, it is the thread, which resolves the human body’s architectural spatial challenges and satisfies the human desire to be surrounded by functional and beautiful objects.
Dressing an Italian home interior is quite simple as long as lines and forms are kept at a minimal. As an Italian born, I can say that Italians live in antiquity, we open our windows and history surrounds us, but in our homes we are very modern, we like simple, straight lines and very few bold colors.

(Photo ref leather floor: http://www.stonepeakceramics.com/products-collections-tiles.php?coll=TOUCH&linea=FIRE)

A leather red floor would be perfect for a home studio with satin chrome furniture frames mixed with glass, as much as a white/beige striped closet doors would look so elegant on a white marble floor. Play it tone on tone and never go wrong.
Italian kitchens are not at all fussy, but functionality is a must, color is optional, they are either very colorful, we like Ferrari red by the way, or very black, greige (combination of grey and beige) and rivers of white. Forget the kitchen knickknacks all together.

Italian living rooms are made for “fare bella figura” – an Italian philosophy to present a good image, to make a good impression. Our guests, when entering an Italian home, musty be greeted by beautiful things and be seated in an even more elegant room, which in some cases, the family hardly uses for themselves just to keep it new as long as possible.

Baths must have the minimal essentials and powder rooms do not exist.

Space in Italy is the essence. Italy is a small country, its homes reflect the restriction of space. In comparison with American homes, I must say Italian homes are very small, but they are very fashionable and efficient. If you visit a building with eight apartments, you will see eight different home styles, each one being very creative and á la page. In one of those eight styles, you bound to find a classic antique décor too.

Fashion and home design are two sides of the same creative coin, they both thrive on ideas and innovations.

Dress your home according to your character and personalize it as you would put together your fashion ensemble in the morning.
Carry a color scheme from room to room, mix modern with antique pieces, play with patterns, make art out of your memories and cherished moments, show your personality, be extravagant in small spaces, don’t forget to decorate cozy outdoor corners and make a “bella figura” with the main entry.

Hiring a professional designer, especially an Italian designer like myself will assure you the perfect look of an Italian home. I am ready to offer you my services, if you are. Ciao,

Valentina

http://www.valentinadesigns.com

Valentina Cirasola is an Italian Interior Designer in business since 1990 and a former Fashion Designer. 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. Check out her books on

Amazon: http://goo.gl/xUZfk0
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Hollywood Lives In Cookie Wonderland! | Valentina Cirasola | Interior Designer

23 Sep 2010 4 Comments

by Valentina in Home Designs Master Tags: #EatPrayLoveFilm, #FilmInItaly, #ItalianArchitecture, #ItalianStyle, #JuliaRoberts, ItalyTravel

Love to go to matinees, especially when the expectation is high. Good film, good stories, attractive images, fantasy flies high, resulting in a few hours of daydreaming. That is time well spent.
I cannot say all of this about the film I saw last Sunday Eat Pray Love, a two hours and half wasted in the cinema. As an Italian born, I am totally offended about the view of Italy that Hollywood portraits.
Take a look of that scene in Rome when Liz Gilbert (Julia Roberts) is looking for a place to stay for a few months. She enters a dilapidated building, with no hot running water.

The owner of the house tells her to boil the water three to four times to fill up the bathtub. Liz responds the water will not be enough for a bath and the Italian woman rebuttals that she will have enough to wash the most important parts. What an absurdity! There is no house in Italy, old or new that doesn’t have hot running water. Italians don’t live in dilapidated homes, nor they rent them to travelers. We might be surrounded by antiquity, we open our windows and often see the beauty of history all around us, but Italian home interiors are very modern with sleek lines, chic décor, valuable furnishing and most of the time very avant-guard style. Where has Hollywood gone on vacation and experienced no hot water bath?

Another stereotype is the scene of a boisterous group of young lads going after the women tourist pinching their bottoms and vocalizing their pleasure. Italian men might have done that in the 18-1900s when education was a privilege of the élite, but that custom no longer exists in the civilized Italy. Italy is a very modern and vibrant country. We have everything the world wants from style and beauty to good manners and to the art of knowing how to live well, but we also have all the problems of every modern industrialized country. Italians have a high level of education, men don’t have time to spend their days pinching ladies’ derriere, they are too busy keeping up with the tough demands of the European Union as much as Italians in general don’t loose their days eating spaghetti and pizza all the day long. It is an archaic myth, Hollywood!

In the film Julia Roberts is in search of herself and her purpose. For one year she takes a yuppie vacation around the world, her hair is well highlighted for the entire trip and she is somewhat well dressed. That is not what people do when they are lost in life and want to find a new direction. I believe when people are questioning their life is because they want to find a deeper meaning and discover their soul again, certain futile aspects of their life might and will pass in second order, but not in this film. Ok, I forgot, this is Hollywood and I want to be critical.

All in all the scenery is OK, Hollywood could have done better with the means it has, it feels more like a travel log than a film with a spiritual meaning. It teaches us that anytime there is an obstacle in a marriage, it is better to break it up and go on a world trip, instead of understanding each other and work it out. Good teaching for the young generation……!
OK, so last Sunday I spent my two hours and half in a very boring seat, I guess Hollywood needed my $11.00. Ciao,
Valentina

http://www.valentinadesigns.com

Valentina Cirasola is an interior designer, in business since 1990 and a former fashion designer. She helps people realizing their dream spaces in homes, offices, interiors, exteriors, restaurants and more. Author of three books available on:
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