#ValentinaCirasolaDesigner | Valentina Expressions

Reblog From Campbells World | Valentina Cirasola | Author and Designer

30 Jul 2020 3 Comments

by Valentina in Books Blog Tags: #AuthorPattyFletcher, #AuthorValentinaCirasola, #CampbellsWorldBlog, #RedAVoyageIntoColorSecondEdition, #ValentinaCirasolaDesigner

Valentina-Books-Photo-Collage

It is so nice to wake up in the morning and find someone talking about you, isn’t it? I am honored to be featured on Campbells World Blog. Author Patty l. Fletcher was so kind to interview me yesterday about my life and in general about my character as a designer and author. Dorothy Atkins, an artist and one of my followers on Facebook said: “very interesting interview. I got a real sense of your drive, creativity, and love of life”.
I am very shy if I have to talk about me, actually, I don’t like it at all. Some people follow me because I show beautiful things in life we can all do to have harmony and serenity in our days but would like to know more about me as a person other than what I do in my work. However, I get interviewed often in various forms, then it comes out I am a strong, disciplined person, my business made me even stronger as I had to deal with difficult and demanding people, and having my family on the other side of the world, made me realize I only have me to lean on and a few close friends.
Enough of me, here is the interview – https://campbellsworld.wordpress.com/2020/07/29/wordpress-wednesday-featured-author-of-the-week-meet-valentina-authorinterviewdesign/

Read about Patty here – https://campbellsworld.wordpress.com/about she an amazing woman who lives her life with a seeing-eye dog and a caring family. She is a writer/author and owns her marketing company supporting authors in their writing needs, as well as offering other networking services.

Patty Fletcher

Please visit Patty L.Fletcher, she will be delighted to see your comments and check out her books while you are there.
Thank you Patty L.Fletcher for this interview, I am so very grateful and happy I met you. “There are no strangers only people you haven’t yet met” -William Butler Yeats- Ciao,
Valentina
Amazon Author’s Page

Valentina Cirasola is an interior-fashion designer, author of 5 published books, a storyteller, and a blogger of many years. She has conceived a few new books of various subjects to which she is working simultaneously. Her books are non-fictional practical ideas to apply in the home, fashion, cooking, and travel. She never gives up trying new things and doesn’t fear failure. Some years ago, Valentina became a TV producer/host producing shows under her label: Valentina Design Universe.
Check out her books on Amazon and Barnes&Noble

Become Friend With Your Closet | Valentina Cirasola | Designer

25 Sep 2016 Leave a comment

by Valentina in Friday Fashion Tags: #DressingUpMistakes, #RulesOfDressingUp, #SecretsOfDressingUp, #ValentinaCirasolaDesigner, #ValentinaCirasolaImageConsultant, #ValentinaCirasolaSeminars, Fashion

….and I will add become friend with your body as well. I want to bring some novelties in the way women dress, show them rhythm and how to sculpt with accessories, how to create color combinations they never thought possible, I want to show them how to highlight their body’s beautiful features and how to hide those parts less attractive. For this and juiciest designer’s secrets, I have organized a special fashion seminar directed to women who want to look good at any age, anytime of the day, in any situation even when they go to bed.

(Graphic Source: Fashion cliparts.co)

My attitude towards fashion has been always one of respect, first because fashion is an art, an expression of one’s body through clothing. Second because it makes us feel good when we are dressed up and look ourselves in the mirror, or when we receive compliments from a total stranger. It boosts our confidence. There will be people who don’t care about fashion and don’t care to dress up ever, I don’t want to change a country, that’s not my goal. As a designer, I only want to show women who are willing to listen that transforming their look is fun and improving a personal image is easy and painless.

The knowledge women acquire at my seminars will empower them to shop confidently for the rest of their life in a way they will finally buy only the best clothes for their body and not the entire store just because something is on sale, or the offer buy one get two is too good to pass up, or because fashion dictates.

On Sept. 29, 2016, I will host a seminar in Los Gatos, CA – Dinner is included in the price.
If any of you out there lives close to Los Gatos, CA and is interesting in sharing an evening of fashion with friends, please register here through Eventbrite:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/become-friend-with-your-closet-and-your-body-tickets-27764193450
I hope to see you there Sept.29, 2016 at 4:00 pm.

“Beauty begins the moment you become yourself” ~ Coco Chanel

Ciao,
Valentina
https://valentinadesigns.com/services#fashion-services

Valentina Cirasola is a trained Fashion and Interior Designer, born in Italy in a family of artists. Style surrounded her since the beginning of her life. Her many years of experience led her to offer consultations in both specializations and now she can remodel homes as well as personal images. She is passionate about colors and encourages her clients to express their individual style in their homes and with the clothes they wear. To better help people all over the world she offers consultations online. She is the author of three books. Get your copy of Valentina’s book on colors: ©RED-A Voyage Into Colors.
Amazon: http://goo.gl/qNxXrB
Barnes&Nobles: http://goo.gl/q7dQ3w

Woven Illusion | Valentina Cirasola | Designer

26 Mar 2016 Leave a comment

by Valentina in Friday Fashion Tags: #2016Knitwear, #2016KnitwearFashionWeek, #FiberArt, #Knitwear, #TexturedFibers, #ValentinaCirasolaDesigner, #ValentinaExpressionsEtsy

Welcome to a new Friday Fashion episode.
The pleasure of creating something with hands, something that came out of my creativity is immeasurable. Knitting, crocheting, fabric art have returned strongly and I am happily riding the current.

For 2016 knitwear fashion we will see cropped knitwear layered with blouses, high-rise tailored pants and beautiful shirts. We can wear poncho over preppy skirt in the look of Chloe’.
(Click on each photo to view it larger).

or oversized knitted pieces with voluminous sleeves for comfort and coziness. Try to layer them with slim jeans and architectural statement jewelry that will really speak geometry. Large pendants over sweaters are the rage this year and hats with glittering embellishments. Fringes will dance around you when you walk. Lots of knitwear with fringes this year.

We like fur, but we don’t want to kill animals to decorate our body with their fur. Ecological, faux fur has been the solution for many years. This year at Pitti’s fashion week in Florence Italy some interesting knitwear have been presented, showcasing Bio Fur Yarn that perfectly reproduces the fur of animals in the wilderness. I like the furry knitwear designer Laura Biagiotti created to wear with sheer long skirts.

The secret this year is in the heavily texture yarn fibers, almost like taking a surprising journey through undisclosed mines. With smooth surface revealing unexpected metallic sparkles we can create stunning design of gems in the earth and soft nuances of semi precious stones.

(Textured Fibers)

(Sophie Steller)

We can easily match tribal patterns, floral or geometric designs, but we can’t forget about colors. If you knit or crochet let your fantasy go wild and combine all the colors that most appeal to you. I did and I am happy of my 2016 knitwear collection.

(Valentina -Expressions -Etsy – https://goo.gl/JtCp1T )

Valentina Expressions – Etsy – https://goo.gl/7a9H73 )

(Valentina Expressions – Etsy – https://goo.gl/VRv1kV )

Be original, be yourself, create some stunning pieces. Ciao,
Valentina
https://valentinadesigns.com/services#fashion-services

Valentina Cirasola is a trained Fashion and Interior Designer, born in Italy in a family of artists. Style surrounded her since the beginning of her life. Her many years of experience led her to offer consultations in both specializations and now she can remodel homes as well as personal images. To better help people in the world she offers consultations online. She is the author of three books. Get your copy of Valentina’s book on colors: ©RED-A Voyage Into Colors on
Amazon: http://goo.gl/qNxXrB
Barnes&Nobles: http://goo.gl/q7dQ3w

Ditch The Black And Dress In Red | Valentina Cirasola | Designer

31 Dec 2015 Leave a comment

by Valentina in Friday Fashion Tags: #NewYearEve, #PropertiesOfRed, #RedDress, #RedFashion, #RedVoyageIntoColors, #ValentinaCirasolaDesigner, #WhatToWearNewYearEve

Welcome to my Friday Fashion episode.
In less than 24 hours 2016 will be here and we will celebrate the new energy of the baby year. My suggestion for this end of the year is RED.
“Red is predominantly an action color since the beginning of time. It has been found in caves of primitive people as the main color to express a desire to hunt (…). Many primordial tribes and cultures have used red as the color for body paint to express beauty or admiration and have used it for their rituals. (…)
Red is a winning color for active people who like to lead (…)
Red has the power to increase enthusiasm, to stimulate energy, to increase blood pressure and heartbeat, to encourage action and confidence.
Red demands attention and will bring out the extrovert in you (…)”. This is an excerpt from my book ©RED-A Voyage Into Colors.

With all these attributes Red is the perfect color to welcome the New Year. If you are going to a formal party with dinner and dance I suggest a layered red dress short in the front and long in the back. Anything with high-low length the rage this year.

For conservative women who want to look very chic without revealing much, one shoulder and a flowing dress is a good solution.

(Kerr, One Shoulder Red-Aliexpress)

For a less formal party wear a crisp, smart short red dress, close toes pump and a studded pave’ with pearl or glitz.

(Vuhera.com)

(GM Collection-Imelda Seashell Pave’)

I don’t believe in the perfect black dress, muffin tops and large body size will still be there. Black is slimming only for women who are already slim. If I go to a party and everybody is dressed in black, it feels more like a funeral than a party and I want to leave. Why not then stand out with originality and pick one of 5000 Pantone colors that look good on you?

However if you must wear black or beige, I suggest one of Nordstrom layered beaded fringe tops or an eyelet lace top. This year lace is allowed but no sexy transparencies.
In my country in Italy, we believe all women of all ages must wear a pair of red undies for good luck at New Year’s Eve. Go ahead, you have one more day to get that pair. Have a blast in red and a splendid 2016 all the way through. Ciao,
Valentina
https://valentinadesigns.com/services#fashion-services

To Have Cuffs | Valentina Cirasola | Designer

14 Nov 2015 Leave a comment

by Valentina in Friday Fashion Tags: #LaceCuffs, #ValentinaCirasolaDesigner, #ValentinaExpressionsEtsy, #WristCuffs, #XVIIICenturySleeveCuffs, #XVIIIFashion

Welcome to my Friday Fashion episode.
Have you noticed how various parts of our body come into fashion from time to time and must be highlighted in every possible way? In the last twenty years lips and breasts have taken a center stage, augmented to exaggerated proportions with the help of plastic treatments. In the ‘60s the legs took all the spotlights with Mary Quant mini skirt. Fashion doesn’t dictate only what to expose, it dictates what to cover as well.
Once the arms have been under scrutiny.

In the roaring “20s, women could not go anywhere with bare arms, long gloves covered their arms up to the elbow and even higher. A respectful woman without gloves was considered vulgar, untidy, impudent and of easy virtue. Both men and women have worn gloves through the centuries. They were highly decorated or simple in style, with lace, pearls and bejeweled with precious stones, made of leather and fabrics, short and long.
Gloves completed the garment, which covered the arms from scrutinizing eyes.

Sleeves also had the same functions as the gloves. Often they were overly decorated to establish social status, rarely made for functionality unless they belonged to dresses for the working class. One of the details for both men and women was the ornamental cuff attached and hanging at the end of a sleeve, considered also a hand protector. In the German culture of the XVIII century to wear large cuffs at the end of the sleeves was incompatible with the use of the sword, thus the provenance of the expression, which is still in use today that “to have cuff” meant to be scared. No wonder duels were carried out wearing a simple white shirt with no frills.

Court gentleman with Lace Cuffs

Kenneth Sanderson’s 18th Century Dress

Women of higher status whose daily job was only to look beautiful wore cumbersome cuffs with delicate lace, stacked in layers and since the cuffs moved at every little movement uncovering the forearms, the gloves was the companion that completed the garment.

I took inspiration from the French “engageantes” the large lace cuff of the XVIII century and I designed my creations for the modern woman. My cuffs are not for the “want to look beautiful” only, but for every dynamic woman.

Scarf_Cuffs_Set

Lame’ cuff set

Diva Forearms Cuffs

Find them in my online shop https://www.etsy.com/shop/ValentinaExpressions

These cuffs will embellish a simple t-shirt, the sleeves of a simple dress and basically they are versatile garments for any moment of the day. Slip them on to change the look from common to fabulous! Ciao,
Valentina
https://valentinadesigns.com/services#fashion-services

Valentina Cirasola is a creative master in the art of living who makes little distinction between work and play. She expresses her creativity in the homes she designs and decorates, in her book on colors, in the accessories she designs, in her cookery books, when she talk about setting style and in the way she influences people with her energy. Check out her three books on
Amazon: http://goo.gl/xUZfk0
Barnes&Nobles: http://goo.gl/q7dQ3w

Transporting Colors Of 2016 | Valentina Cirasola | Designer

07 Nov 2015 Leave a comment

by Valentina in Friday Fashion Tags: #Fashion2016, #LilacGreyColor, #PantoneColors2016, #RoseQuartzColor, #SprinColors2016, #ValentinaCirasolaDesigner

Welcome to my Friday Fashion.
I looked and looked again, I studied and studied again, I thought a lot of the next Spring 2016 season. Some colors are exciting, some have potentials and some are really not my favorite colors. All colors are beautiful, I just prefer some colors over others.

The colors in 2016 will transport us in nature and calm places, quiet and soothing will prevail in the next season. One of the quiet colors to be with us in the Spring 2016 will be Rose Quartz. “It is a persuasive yet gentle tone that conveys compassion and a sense of composure” ~ says Pantone.

Knowing how to combine dull colors to make them come alive is a secret and a skill. Getting dress in vibrant colors makes our soul happy and the eyes of others as well. Every so often we might have the need to dress with muted colors to express a mood, an interior quietness and a subdued elegance.

The color scheme I chose for Spring 2016 is made of Lilac Grey, Rose Quartz and Snorkel Blue, all very muted colors for those of you who want to keep a calm color scheme for the work environment. At the end of your working day, you should come alive with vibrant colors, because the night is dark and you want to be seen. Get rid of the blue skirt and boots. Change into a Fiesta pants with red shoes, change your makeup lips and eyeshadow to bright red, you are ready to go from work directly to a pub.

Kadin Live

Rose Quartz Sweater

Lilac-Grey Bag. Bagzone UK

Jeans Pencil Skirt – Aliexpress

Jessica Simpson

Rose Quatz Necklace – Novica

(All photo credits given to the respective owners)

Colors must change every year to keep things new and businesses going, don’t stress over too much.
If these colors don’t look good on you don’t wear them. As I always say, Fashion dictates, we choose what to wear. Ciao,
Valentina
https://valentinadesigns.com/services#fashion-services

Valentina Cirasola is a trained Fashion and Interior Designer, born in Italy in a family of artists. Style surrounded her since the beginning of her life. Her many years of experience led her to offer consultations in both specializations and now she can remodel homes as well as personal images. To better help people in the world she offers consultations online. She is the author of three books. Get your copy of Valentina’s book on colors: ©RED-A Voyage Into Colors on
Amazon: http://goo.gl/xUZfk0
Barnes&Nobles: http://goo.gl/q7dQ3w

Catching Rays | Valentina Cirasola | Interior Designer

06 Nov 2015 Leave a comment

by Valentina in Home Designs Master Tags: #DramaticLighting, #LightingEffect, #LightingLayering, #LightingTemperature, #NaturalLight, #ValentinaCirasolaDesigner

Sun fuels plants. Plants know how to transform sunlight, water and carbon dioxide into the energy they use to grow.
Let’s think for one moment of our interiors. The few items that make an interior beautiful are: space, light, colors and material, of which lighting is the most fundamental of all. With lighting we can obtain a serene space, or change a dull environment into a vibrant space. Don’t think lighting is all about the electrical parts, bulbs, sockets, wires and difficult wattage calculations.

The best lighting is the daylight because it enriches our homes and has a positive effect on our health. Human are drawn to light as much as plants are drawn to sun. We blossom when we are exposed to the sun. Natural light entering our eyes affects our entire nervous system, which determines how excited or relaxed we are and how awake or lethargic we feel. Natural light is more than we see, it influences our mood and the way we feel about things.

Italians (me) have a fantastic expression:
“A house where there is no sunlight is a house where the doctor will soon enter”.
To maximize natural lighting, make sure there isn’t much going on around the windows to allow the light to come straight in without dodging objects. Usually a mirror placed across a window amplifies the amount of light in the room and creates illusion to please the eye.
Often people install skylights in the ceiling thinking the volume of natural light coming in will increase, but skylights creates an enormous pool of light in one spot only. To correct this, it is important to know the geographical position of the room and know which reflective finishes to use to bounce off light.

A carpet placed near a window will absorb natural light, but a glossy wood or ceramic floor will diffuse natural light, reverberate it on the walls and make the room brighter. Consider that the outside light reflects and bounces off buildings, grass or surroundings and comes in filtered making a huge impact on the quality of light inside the room. Weather and geography make an impact as well on how natural light reacts with interior colors. A hot color in a grey weather in the Northern Hemisphere will look murky, but a hot color in a warm weather in the Southern Hemisphere will look like a jewel.

(Homeowner granted permission to photograph this home)

The second best lighting is how we illuminate with electric light to energize our spaces. Electric light has a warm and cool effect. In colder climate is best to use warm tone light and cool tone light in warmer weather.

Dramatic lighting games and layering lighting can transform any room instantly. We can’t reproduce the effect of the sun, but we can get quite clever with electric light. Central lighting only illuminates half of the space leaving the rest of the room in the dark. It is hard to relax with that one light, thus we layer lights with shadows, texture and brightness, it’s like painting with lighting. Adding sidelights, up lights, down lights, gracing lights, task lights, table lights, floor lights, diffuse lights, directional lights and behind furniture lights, we create a fantastic layering effects, a mood and a convivial atmosphere. However, don’t think all this light layering must be turned on all at once. To create a cozy ambiance, light layering must have individual or group switches, otherwise the showroom effect is assured.

Cutting and preparation area in the kitchen need to be in bright light, but in the dining, please do create shadow of atmospheres and do illuminate a bottle of champagne with a warm temperature – down light as all the expensive merchandise in stores.

Light is good for us! Afraid of painting with lighting? Don’t be, send me an email, or call me, we will do it together. Ciao,

Valentina
http://www.valentinadesigns.com

As a designer in business since 1990, I am interested in helping people designing their interior and exterior spaces with an overall feeling of peace, relaxation and harmony that will draw them home eagerly. I am always looking to add that special touch with original findings to the spaces I design. Find copies of my three books on
Amazon: http://goo.gl/xUZfk0
Barnes&Nobles: http://goo.gl/q7dQ3w

Orange’s Friendly Energy | Valentina Cirasola | Designer

24 Oct 2015 Leave a comment

by Valentina in Friday Fashion Tags: #EnergyOfOrange, #OrangeAndGreen, #OrangeAndTurquoise, #OrangeColor, #ValentinaCirasolaDesigner

Welcome to my Friday Fashion episode.
A few days ago talking with a girlfriend I realized something about colors I should have known all along. In this country (USA) colors have a seasonal flavor:

Red is for Christmas and end of the year holidays – every woman dresses in red during November and December as if they are wearing a uniform.
Green is for St. Patrick’s Day – Of course everybody who don’t want to be pinched will wear green.
Orange and Orange with Black are for Halloween – No other time of the year I see people in orange.
Red, White and Blue are the patriotic colors of 4th of July.
Then there are colors such as yellow only certain ethnic groups will wear.

What other color is left? Actually the Pantone color wheel includes over 5,000 colors we can swim in. However people limit themselves to beige and grey in all tints and tones, black, blues and purples, very little browns and white, forgetting that the choice of colors is endless. White keeps off the heat of summer, unless people are at a resort, have a maid laundering the whites, not many people will wear it. Visually, white enlarges the shape of a person and shows even a minute stain. It is not very practical for some people.

The color orange likes the energy of green, turquoise and blue, all the cooler colors of the spectrum and that is well-balanced. Orange likes yellow and red, however this combination is truly hot for some people to take. Brown and beige will tone down the energy of orange and if you want to look like Halloween colors, please wear black with orange.

I found a great orange wrap during my latest trip to Austria. The grey and cold weather of those parts encourages people to wear vibrant colors that will envelope them in a positive energy and make the winter easier to cope. Colorful clothes are not just for women, in Europe even men don’t have a problem wearing an orange or red pair of pants. They add a darker jacket or coat and feel very comfortable.

This is how I will wear this wrap made of silk and wool, cotton ruffles and organza trims. For a top to wear over the rust color jeans, I will find some pretty green like the gloves and the vintage necklace. The zebra shoes is the only accent note I want to add. Other times I will wear beige ankle boots.

Don’t be afraid of colors. In nature colors coexist without rules, they can coexist in your life and in your wardrobe as well. Ciao,
Valentina
https://valentinadesigns.com/services#fashion-services

Notes From Fashion Masters | Valentina Cirasola | Designer

09 Oct 2015 Leave a comment

by Valentina in Friday Fashion Tags: #CocoChanelQuotes, #DesignerQuotes, #FashionQuotes, #IrisApfel, #KarlLagerfeldQuotes, #ValentinaCirasolaDesigner

It’s Friday Fashion.
In this era of globalization and uniformity, where everyone must look the same to fit in, I rebel. I want to see more people interpreting originality and I want to see more people inventing their own style. Don’t let anyone flatten you to the point of non-existence. Stand out from the crowd, be the crowd leader and you will have followers. The masters of fashion did and that’s why the world recognizes their exceptional work and creativity even after their passing.

“The woman who wears no perfumes has no future”
~ Coco Chanel ~

Think of what bees do. They are attracted by the scent of flowers and that’s why they pollinate them. The scent of a woman attracts men and opportunities and doors will open.

“Sweatpants are a sign of defeat. You lost control of your life so you bought some sweatpants”. ~ Karl Lagerfeld ~
Totally agree with Karl. Sweatpants belong in the gym only.

“Think pink, but do not wear it” ~ Karl Lagerfeld ~
I will add “Wear it only when it means something” like this outfit in the photo below.

“The most important piece in the house is the garbage can”
~ Karl Lagerfeld ~
Get rid of clothes that don’t bring out your beauty, or don’t accentuate your personality. Get rid of colors and lines that don’t suit your texture. Reassess your body every five years and make changes accordingly.

That’s right, fashion market will impose, it’s up to you to find your own personal style.

About Black – If you want to disappear in the background and want be part of the wallpaper keep wearing black all day long and nothing will happen to you. Colors instead will vibrate a positive aura around you and people will respond well to you.

Pretty versus Elegant – No words needed here.

“A Good woman with good shoes is never ugly” ~ Coco Chanel

Shoes will tell a story about you:
Are your shoes cleaned and polished? You respect yourself.
Are your shoes plastic or leather? You might like to buy inexpensive items to change often or expensive items to compliment your outfit.
Are your shoes fashionable or outdated? You might care or not at all about your look.
Are you wearing shoes taller than your height? You might have identity problems.
Do you walk like a duck when you are in high heels or fall off the shoes often? You need to take a class on how to walk in high heels.

Iris is a fun woman, she never stops having fun with clothes.

I think a woman’s goal is not to introduce as many plastic treatments in the body, age is inexorable and it will come. The goal is to keep staying healthy as late as possible, eat well and good food that will help the skin staying elastic and supple as long as possible. Use colors suitable to the changes of life and have a great attitude.

“La seduzione si vende in vari colori e sempre a maniche lunghe perché lo charme non abbia età”
~ Lina Sotis, Italian Journalist ~
Translation from Italian: Seduction is sold in various colors and always in long sleeves so that charm will not have an age.
I will never stress enough how important colors are for our living spaces and for the clothes we wear. Colors account for up to 90% of the impression we make on others. Colors vibrate energy, they can uplift our mood or make us feel down. As far as the long sleeves….well, when certain parts of our body are not perfect anymore, it is better to cover them up in style.

Classy and Fabulous – Become friends with mirrors. Keep them everywhere. Look at yourself in the mirror often. Before leaving the house take one more look at you, are you missing something, or maybe do you need to take something off? That last touch will make a difference.

“I think everyone should go to bed like they have a date at the door” ~ Karl Lagerfeld ~

I can’t argue with either one of the last quotes.

“Life is too short to wear boring clothes” . Happy dressing up and not only for Thanksgiving. Ciao,

Valentina
https://valentinadesigns.com/services#fashion-services

Copyright © 2015 Valentina Cirasola, All Rights Reserved

Valentina Cirasola is a trained Fashion and Interior Designer, born in Italy in a family of artists. Style surrounded her since the beginning of her life. Her many years of experience led her to offer consultations in both specializations and now she can remodel homes as well as personal images. To better help people in the world she offers consultations online. She is the author of three books. Get your copy of Valentina’s book on colors: ©RED-A Voyage Into Colors on
Amazon: http://goo.gl/qNxXrB
Barnes&Nobles: http://goo.gl/q7dQ3w

Cloaked In Color Green | Valentina Cirasola | Interior Designer

30 Sep 2015 Leave a comment

by Valentina in Home Designs Master Tags: #GreenColorPalette, #GreenKitchen, #PantoneFall2015, #RedVoyageIntoColors, #ValentinaCirasolaDesigner, #WaveTilePattern

“Could green be the most important color on Earth? Plants and algae fuel the planet, and a lush, green pigment plays the starring role. This pigment captures the Sun’s rays, harnessing light’s energy to power life”~ says one of boards at the exhibit in the Museum of Science in San Francisco, California.

How do you feel about green in your home? Green is hope, is freshness, is relaxation, why wouldn’t you feel good in a green décor? Oh by the way, green is not only for bathrooms. Take a look at this concept board I prepared as a suggestion of a living room. (Click on the picture to view it in larger size).

I know I am not the traditional decorator, I don’t design my homes with a cookie cutter, that’s why in my décor it’s easy to find textured walls, stones or bricks, these elements always find their way in. The living room in my concept board has a brick wall opposite to a wall colored in Dried Herb color, Pantone 17-0627 (see photo with hanging lamps), then a load of green colors goes in the furniture, in the leather and upholstered chairs. Accent other items with opposite colors, such as tobacco leather chair and a stack of Marsala, gold pillows with a mixture of hand embroidered jute or natural fiber pillows to scatter around the room and on the floor. To this setting, add artistic lighting that can be dimmed to suffuse lights and you will have a relaxing ambient.

Let’s move on to a green kitchen. I think an interesting backsplash lays in the pattern of the tiles. Don’t choose the usual straight subway, as everyone would do, but go with the wave or ogee pattern tile design, it will make an original backsplash. – Wave Pattern below.

Ogee Pattern

Green likes to play with the warm side of the color spectrum. This is how how I envision a kitchen with green backsplash: Marsala Red professional range (La Cornue in the photo), stainless steel all other appliances, reddish countertop, either a red marble or red granite with an open pattern. Stones are not fragile, that’s why they are called stones, they live under all kinds of weather and they will outlive you. Don’t be afraid of stones. A simple white wash, or a desert sage finish would be the color of the cabinets and for originality I would mix randomly the two cabinet colors.

La Cornue Range Burgundy

Desert Sage Color-www.PaintedKitchenCabinets

Red Travertine

White Wash on Oak-Found on: k1kitchens.com

Take a look at the next kitchen and how someone else has interpreted the green. This kitchen has a lot of natural light, don’t forget that green likes light.
I will have one green kitchen too coming up shortly.

(Photo: BH&G)

(All images are property of the respective owners)

In short green is not the color to hide in your own skin and blend into your habitat like a lizard. You are not supposed to camouflage in a green room and looking to be left alone. You can be cloaked in green to relax with your loved one and discuss life solutions. Give me a shout, if you are thinking of remodeling any part of your home. Ciao,
Valentina
http://www.valentinadesigns.com

Valentina Cirasola is an Italian Interior Designer working in the USA and Europe since 1990, specializing in kitchen, bath, wine cellar, and outdoor kitchen designs. Often people describe her as “the colorist” as she loves to color her clients’ world and loves to create the unusual. “Vogue” magazine and many prominent publications in California featured Valentina’s work. She also has made four appearances on T.V. Comcast Channel 15. Author of three published books, the latest ©RED – A Voyage Into Colors is on the subject of colors.
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