#InteriorDoors | Valentina Expressions

Birds Landed On A Door

Leonardo Da Vinci bought many birds kept in cages only to take them home and set them free.
I thought of the same thing when I painted one of my interior doors with birds.

Master bathroom door painted by Valentina Cirasola

The flowers I painted don’t exist in nature, they exist in my fantasy and have big seeds. The birds I painted are also fantasy birds, they resemble parrots and in my imagination, they talk. I made them a couple, in my world, living creatures do reproduce.

I know one thing, I painted a cage and set my birds free, because in my home everyone is free even those characters living in my fantasy.

Are you curious to see behind this door? This is a bathroom and this is the immediate corner.

I have the tendency of painting every white surface and also like to design only one interior door in a different color or paint a mural on it, just to create an element of interest. I don’t know where this habit came from, but I started this trend a long time ago, then my clients followed it. Now, almost every client I have served has one different color door in their home.

Doors do close and divide spaces for privacy and functionality. The way I conceive them is about one world set into another world. I like to learn how and what people see in their doors through this Thursday Doors Challenge hosted by Dan Antion. Ciao,
Valentina
Amazon Author’s Page

Valentina Cirasola is an interior-fashion consultant, author of 6 published books, a storyteller, and a blogger of many years. Her books are non-fictional practical ideas to apply in the home, fashion, cooking and travel. Get a copy of her books here: Amazon and Barnes&Noble

Artifact Door

I had the opportunity to meet the renowned Italian artist Gino Donvito whose art doesn’t reflect anybody’s fashion. The artist lives in the Puglia region, a southern part of Italy. Emperor Frederic II and the Medieval life of the Emperor’s time are the focus of his art. A common friend to the artist introduced me to Gino Donvito. He drove me to his home and a new world of art opened up to me. A sign outside the artist’s home grabbed my attention. It said “An artist lives here” almost like a warning. Gino Donvito, the man wearing glasses in the sign, is looking straight into the eyes of Emperor Frederic II, in a confrontational attitude. I felt the sign was a challenge, at least to me.

I couldn’t help, while I was admiring his art, to notice the décor of this very peculiar home. An antique Indonesian door was readapted into a coffee table, with a glass top protecting the beautiful design and the metal decorations.

Artifact Door at Artist Gino Donvito’s home

The mixed eclectic décor made this home masculine, but very interesting. Eastern furniture met Western furniture; modern lighting and old gas oil lamps beautifully illuminated each room; Egyptian fabrics and Persian rugs contributed to the elegance of the home. Nothing matched in this décor, brass and bronze statues, ceramic and carved wood objects, old books and a lot of music records decorated the home. One main area looked into a courtyard full of olive trees, stones and tall succulent plants. The exposed wood ceiling beams and a very tall fireplace made a warm inviting home. The artist’s paintings, brushes, the many boxes of colors, and his wines were scattered everywhere.

Usually, we are accustomed to seeing the same style of interior doors. This home didn’t have a lot of interior doors, but those few were designed with different crowns and everyone hosted books.

Outside his home, nature was rough, uncultivated, and virgin, therefore the architecture of the home communicated in that context. The wood entry door was very simple, a couple of signs portraying the artist and the Emperor created the excitement of what was inside. His family’s vineyard produces excellent wines and I got to taste them as well. Getting to know Gino Donvito felt very comfortable, I had the impression to have known this artist for a long time.

If you like to know about some of his art, he paints on wood Medieval faces and Medieval life views.
I wouldn’t mind having one of his faces painted on one of my doors.

This is in response to the Thursday Doors challenge, hosted by Dan Antion. Ciao,
Valentina
Amazon Author’s Page

Valentina Cirasola is an interior-fashion consultant, author of 6 published books, a storyteller, and a blogger of many years. Her books are non-fictional practical ideas to apply in the home, fashion, cooking and travel.
Get a copy of her books here:
Amazon and Barnes&Noble