#ValentinaInteriorsDesigns | Valentina Expressions

From Italy To America | Valentina Cirasola | Interior Designer

16 Nov 2011 Leave a comment

by Valentina in Home Designs Master Tags: #ComeMiaNonnaReturnToSimplicity, #PhilippeMatthewsShow, #SelfImprovement, #SinsOfAQueen, #ValentinaCirasolaAuthor, #ValentinaCirasolaDesigner, #ValentinaInteriorsDesigns, PMShow

The PM Philippe Matthews Show aired my interview yesterday on the Blogtalkradio:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/thepmshow/2011/11/15/valentina-cirasola–from-italy-to-america

The homepage of his website says: “If You Like O You You’re Gonna Love P” and I truly do. Philippe is a wonderful, caring person.
Considered the Oprah of the Internet, Philippe Matthews is the owner of the PM Show and PM Blog Radio Talk Show, Internet entrepreneur and a Philanthropist.
He is the Author of: “SHOCKPhilosophy” book on mindset for massive manifestation, “Developing the Mindset to Be Rich Before Becoming Rich” and “How To Make Millions When Thousands Have Been Laid Off” books.

Philippe Matthews on all of his T.V. and radio shows features Bestselling Authors, Thought Leaders, Change Agents, Entertainers and World Class Experts in Personal, Spiritual and Professional Development such as Marianne Williamson, Dr. Wayne Dyer and Dr. Deepak Chopra. Best selling Financial Authors Robert T. Kiyosaki, Robert G. Allen and Suze Orman. Media and motivation moguls such as, Stedman Graham, Russell Simmons, Zig Ziglar and countless more!

I feel so fortunate to have been interviewed on his blogtalkradio and to be part of his Internet family of many respectful, well-known people.
The interview was a pleasant casual encounter between Philippe and myself as if we were in his living room talking about my experience of coming to America and make a 365 degree life adjustment. Philippe doesn’t ask questions that are different, he asks questions that make a difference.

In this interview I wanted to be an inspiration to young adults and to people who feel lost in the unfriendly economy we are currently living. Philippe touched on many points one of which was spirituality and business.
I am in a design service business and a tough one! I must sell my ideas, which are real to me, but intangible to my clients. I sell my services and my ideas without being salesy, with love, friendliness and a lot of humor, never as a pushy salesperson. I never forget to be grateful to my Supreme Being for what I have, for all the great people I meet everyday and for the opportunities I can create just by asking the Universe.
In fact, I made a joke that I have a direct line with my Supreme Being and when I want something it is easy enough to dial number one on my real telephone.
There is always that “Someone”, that “Presence” next to me ready to listen and never feel alone in this world, even though, I crossed the ocean by myself to set up a new life in America.

To have a spiritual guidance is very important, but to have a mentoring guide is equally important. I really never knew what mentoring was, other than having my parents as a guide and teachers. But when I arrived in America, I discovered a whole new way of thinking and it felt as if everyone I met had something more interesting to say than the person before. I followed very famous people, read their autobiography, their successes or non-successes, tried to understand their motivations and I stored the best examples they had to give.

Daydreaming was another point of my interview with Philippe. I had a vision of becoming an artist since a tender age, but it wasn’t well taken in my Italian family. I left my doors opened to all kinds of opportunities and when the time came, I took actions. No dream will ever come alive and take shape without actions!
It is has been a fun journey ever since I started daydreaming, a journey that will continue as long as I can with fun, humor and more opportunities.
In my design business, I don’t know when I stop having fun and when my work starts.
That to me is success!

I also have a column on ThePMShow website under the title: The Good Life, from which I publish my thoughts once a month.
http://thepmshow.tv/category/more/the-good-life/valentina-cirasola/

Much obliged Philippe to be enumerated among your high-caliber people. 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 homes, décor restyling and home fashion. “Vogue Italy” magazine and many prominent publications in California featured Valentina’s work. She has made four appearances on T.V. Comcast Channel 15.
She is also the author of the forthcoming book on the subject of colors and two Italian regional cuisine books available on

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

A Rustic Fascination | Valentina Cirasola | Interior Designer

02 May 2011 2 Comments

by Valentina in Home Designs Master Tags: #KitchenDecorating, #kitchenDesign, #KitchenFurniture, #KitchenRemodeling, #RusticKitchenDesign, #ValentinaInteriorsDesigns

I have always made claims that kitchens look like soldiers lined up for a parade when cabinets are all the same size, when the look is uniform, when there is no change of colors, wood, nor striking details.
(Photo: http://www.pecorellaarredi.it/cucine-in-muratura/w4u/prodotti/66268,7,133323)

My idea of a fun kitchen is exactly the opposite. I like to see cabinets with different heights, some accent colors, some accent wood species, I like to see fenestration with glass and interior lights and especially I don’t like granite counters. So many varieties of stone material, why limit the choice to granite?

The primary characteristic of the kitchen is to store cooking and serving equipment. That function remains in any style, whether it is modern, classic, country, elegant, or funky. If the kitchen function is utilitarian and of service then why not design it with style in mind, with cabinets which give movement and rhythm to the space?

I love to add unique details to coordinate with a personal taste. I love to create warm and refined atmosphere, with quality and robust material that will last in time, thus break the monotony of “all alike and uniform” cabinets.

I am a big believer in savings, even when designing kitchens. I am showing here a new way Italian manufacturers design kitchens in the walls. They are beautiful, stylish and made to save even without the typical exterior sides.

(Photo found on http://www.tuttocasaesposi.it)

Basically the kitchen is made only of solid wood doors, interior shelves are also made of wood, but the interior walls are made of usual sheet rock and painted to taste. Cabinets are recessed and flush with the walls, so they don’t stand in attention. The interior is as spacious as you like it to be, no need to stay with the standard solutions 18”-24”-27” and so on, doors will follow the interior width.

The idea is to save on material and to attribute a feel of lived antiquity and rusticity while still having all the modernity of appliances and equipment. Of course the choices of style are endless, even contemporary.

The details on walls and hardware will beautify these kind of fitted kitchens, even an elegant chandelier, totally unrelated to the rustic style will look so appropriate, suitable for those people who love to surround themselves with beautiful and exclusive things.

The style of fitted kitchen has been seen only in Europe so far, but if you like to know more about it, or if you would like to install a kitchen in your home like these samples, I am here to help, just place your name below in the box. Ciao,
Valentina
www.Valentinadesigns.com

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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. She is the author of three books available on
Amazon: http://goo.gl/xUZfk0
Barnes&Nobles: http://goo.gl/q7dQ3w

Silicone – Love Or Hate | Valentina Cirasola | Author and Designer

26 Apr 2011 Leave a comment

by Valentina in The Good Life Tags: #CulinaryItems, #foodie, #KitchenGadgets, #SiliconeCookingVessels, #SiliconeKitchenGadgets, #ValentinaCirasolaAuthor, #ValentinaInteriorsDesigns

Silicone is not an invention of the last moment, it has entered our homes with hundreds of kitchen and bath objects and accessories to make our lives easier.
Thanks to all its properties silicone is a material that can be used in many ways. It offers all the solutions for cooking savory and sweet food, substituting the conventional cookware used so far.

The use of silicone went from commercial kitchens, pharmaceutical processing, and meat-packing plants into residential kitchens.
FDA grade silicone has been used in applications where food is present, it is guaranteed against toxicity and completely without odors.
Silicone cookware being lightweight and easy to manage are an ideal solutions for people with arthritis to the hands.

(https://www.afcoltellerie.com/eng/prodotto.asp?id=1599)

We can use silicone baking pans to make cookies, or bake a cake, to cook fish or roasts, we don’t need to use wax oven paper any more, nor butter or oils as non-stick techniques, thus eliminating some calories from our diet. Silicone cookware are flexible and bendable making the extraction of cooked food an easy process along with saving storage space without ever loosing its shapes. They are good to use up to 3000 times of cooking.

As a designer, I am supposed to report on new products. Silicone cookware is original, functional and very colorful, making the art of cooking a game even for kids. I am open to all new products and new opportunities, but I must be sincere about my own ways. My kitchen is well supplied with the best chef cookware. The pleasure of my cooking is not only about the good aroma and good food I can cook, but is also about operating with the professional cookware and cutlery I possess. I don’t make it do, I have every possible solution in cookware for every speciality I prepare. Cooking for me is a serious matter and it requires professional equipment, but it is also a pleasurable game.

Lamb_Stew_In_Clay_Pot ©Valentina Cirasola

A lamb stew with beans in a clay pot as in my photo (right) could not taste right if it was made in an aluminum pan.
Each food need it own vessel.
I am still enamored of ceramic and clay pots and still love to cook in my stainless steel, all clad and Calphalon cookware. I am sure I will for a long time and that is the game I like to play in my kitchen. 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.

She is the author of two Italian regional cuisine books 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

A Versatile Corner | Valentina Cirasola | Interior Designer

25 Mar 2011 4 Comments

by Valentina in Home Designs Master Tags: #DecoratingTips, #FrenchStyleDecorating, #FurnitureLayOut, #HomeFashion, #InteriorColors, #ValentinaInteriorsDesigns, #VersatileRoomCorner, Avaliving

As featured on Avaliving, a site for designers directed to consumers. Thank you Avaliving for choosing my project among many others. Offering design consultations on-line any where in the world without leaving my office is a new addition to my business, resulting in a huge savings for the consumers.

The Story:
Any unused corner in the house is a good opportunity to turn it into a chatting, reading, or breakfast area. Sometimes is just enough to have a bistro table, a couple of wrought iron chairs and real flower on the table to create an inviting scene.

Photo ©Valentina Cirasola

My Client had an empty corner in a large room she didn’t know what to do with it, especially because the room was a mismatch of eclectic furniture.
My goal was to create an “out of the ordinary” corner, a bit on the Bohemian French style and create vignettes in the rest of her large room that would communicate with each others while keeping each its own identity.

Each vignette would offer a certain activity: a game area, a reading area near a built-in bookshelf, a T.V. area with comfortable divans and club chairs and a conversation area.

I wanted the transformation of the space to be cohesive with these activities, I wanted to be comfortable for all the family members of all ages (family made of many women and a husband) and harmonious with all the shapes and colors.
The Client wanted to keep the majority of the mismatched furniture. That was my challenge! Some of them remained in the large room and some got relocated in other rooms. Floating furniture is something I do when I am engaged to stage a home for sale.

40 Winks Hotel London

My inspiration for the breakfast corner came from a couple of pictures I have in my library, one of which, a 1940 Hotel, particularly struck my fancy.
(Photo left: 40 Winks Hotel – London)
The room came out a colorful one, a bit nostalgic and very Bohemian in the style of romantic French. The mood is a combination of comfortable, feminine, and quirky. To some of the painted furniture I added custom jewelry as door knobs.

Photo ©Valentina Cirasola

Colors had to be vibrant! Plum, Chartreuse and golden beige, warm and cold palette always result in a playful role.

The unused corner turned out to be a versatile corner, breakfast in the morning, reading or music listening in the evening, extra seating when there is company. The unused corner is now very busy.

Do you have an unused corner in your home you don’t know what to do with it? Ask me, I have many solutions, even using the same furniture you already own, if they are in good condition. Repurposing something old becomes very new in a different space of the house and in a different light.
Leave your name in the box below and tell me how I can help you. Ciao,
Valentina

http://www.valentinadesigns.com

Valentina Cirasola is an Italian Interior Designer and former Fashion Designer, working in the USA and Europe since 1990. She blends well fashion with interior and colors the world of her clients. She has been described as “the colorist” and loves to create the unusual. She is a book author, find her on

Amazon: http://goo.gl/xUZfk0

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

Iron Power | Valentina Cirasola | Interior Designer

24 Mar 2011 8 Comments

by Valentina in Home Designs Master Tags: #HomeExteriorRemodeling, #HomeRemodeling, #IronDesign, #IronPower, #MediterraneanArchitecture, #ValentinaInteriorsDesigns

Many times I drive through neighbors for discoveries, observing what people build, or just taking pictures for fun. Many times I see beautiful homes and many more times I find remodeled homes that were exactly made into a job, without taking in consideration the surroundings, or the style of the house.

(Photo: Ballard Design)

Branding your home is just the same as your personal brand. A person with a bubbly personality mostly likely will be colorful and an earnest person most likely will wear tone down colors. Imagine the opposite and the exterior will not match the personality of the person. The same happens with homes. Sometimes I see too many details that do not fit together, or a lack of.

For more than a decade American Ranch Style homes have been transformed in Mediterranean style, just with the addition of arched windows and nothing else. But Mediterranean style is much more than that. Stones on the exterior and interior are the important elements, stone window sills, recessed windows, thick walls, wood beams and so many more details. Iron, I must say is the cherry on the cake, it is the finish touch needed to complete the authentic Mediterranean look of the house. Rustic iron, iron aged with a green patina, oil rubbed bronze and plain wrought iron all seem very hard and cold, but against the stones and wood, iron is the only detail that will fit.

Besides, with a small expenditure on iron details here and there, the house will acquire that certain established look as if it has always been there for ages, that look of a lived home where the walls can talk, instead of the “propped up and finished yesterday” look. I am all for history and traditions.
Creating iron details in most critical areas is not very expensive, especially if all the work is done at once, volume counts and you get to see the results right away, but you also will benefit from the increased value of the house if you decide to sell it later.

What are the areas to improve with iron creations if your goal is to have a Mediterranean looking home? Let’s start at the front door by adding stones all around a solid wood door with all iron lighting and accessories. OK the iron crest over the door in this photo (top) is a bit too much, but your home is your castle, who can say different?
(Monogrammed Door Knocker-Horchow)

I love door knockers, I use them for decorations on garden walls, on doors different from the entry door and even as interior decorations. I have one on the kitchen wall, when I knock it, is to tell dinner is ready.

Not all the windows need a trellis. The trellis in this photo indicates the room is special and needs a special treatment. Use trellis as an accent, only to multiply the pleasure of being inside or near that particular room.
Planters add interest on the exterior walls, but also allow some climbing plants to take curvy shapes up against the wall, while forming a playful nature.

(Photo: Trellis over Window – http://www.horchow.com/English-Overdoor-Trellis/cprod31840203/p.prod)

Photo © Valentina Cirasola

Let’s not forget a gate. An iron gate will give the house an aura of elegant mystery especially if you need to ring in to enter and someone answer “I am the governess”.
Well OK this fantasy might not be too unreal for a few elected ones, but iron gates look very nice on smaller homes too. Of course the design of the gate itself must be proportioned to the size of the house.

These are a few suggestions to guide you through thinking what upgrading you can do in your home. I produce designs for any kind of iron solutions that are fabricated by my trusted iron workers. Let me know if I can assist you with many more suggestions, just leave your name in the box.

I offer consultations on-line through Skype line and in the traditional face-to-face consultation in your home. 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. She is a book author. Find her books on
Amazon: http://goo.gl/xUZfk0
Barnes&Nobles: http://goo.gl/q7dQ3w

Set The Mood With Colors | Valentina Cirasola | Interior Designer

07 Feb 2011 Leave a comment

by Valentina in Home Designs Master Tags: #ColorfulHomes, #DecoratingWithColors, #HomeInteriorsColors, #ValentinaBookOnColors, #ValentinaInteriorsDesigns, Avaliving

“Let me out of the grays and beiges please!” My client was screaming.
She managed a computer software company. For 10-12 hours a day she lived in a boring environment. She was longing to see a colorful home upon her return in her cocoon to balance her day. She requested bold colors and being single, she only had to please herself. As a designer many times defined “a colorist” I was in my perfect spot with this client.

Photo ©Valentina Cirasola

To really understand her needs, I went through a long list of questions to find the right colors for her personality and her life style. We all know colors are easy for designers, but not for all the clients. Sometimes a color they like very much might not be of their liking anymore after the house is painted.
Colors can either break or make a space and I did not want the result to be a failure.

This client liked the warm and vibrant colors of the buildings in Italy. She had never been to Italy, but saw enough photographs and films to make her dream about it. Good enough, I am Italian born, I know what she wants exactly, so I dared. She was astonished about all the color palettes I could come up, but not overwhelmed. In all the palettes I coupled cold colors with warm colors and added some texture samples for the areas of her liking. She chose to texturize kitchen walls and lightly antiquing the green color areas of the family/living room.

Photo ©Valentina Cirasola

She studied the color palettes for a few days, then we passed to the action: painting! The house came alive from the white walls you see here to all the colors. Emphasizing many architectural features was also my goal, in fact they looked so much better with the games of colors playing with each others.

I recall the painter singing while he was working, he really liked to apply those vibrant colors. The client was so happy and enjoyed the colors for a few years until her work moved her to another city and she was compelled to sell the house.

Now you would think it is hard to sell a house with all those colors. I must admit that it is not true. Selling homes painted in beige and neutral colors might take forever. The boring homes dressed in beige, must offer other strong features in order to sell fast, such as price, location, square footage etc. But when the market is soft, economy is not so friendly, location is not the best of the best, is easier to sell homes with colors. Paint the walls in soft yellow and the front door in a golden tone of yellow or dark red and the house will sell immediately.
People feel attracted towards yellow because is the color of the sun and towards red because is the color of many food. These are inviting colors and mean family.

After this house was posted for sale, it sold in three days, just because of the interior colors. The next buyers told me later that everyday “she baths in colors”.

Let me know if I can do the same for you. I offer design consultations on-line. Leave your name and email in the box below, so I can give you details on how to contact me and I love to hear your comments too, thank you.

Avaliving is a site for designer helping consumers. My colorful project was selected to be featured for one week Feb.7-Feb.14, 2011 among many beautiful projects of other designers. It is an honor to be part of Avaliving’s community. Thank you Ava for featuring my project again and to the wonderful team who puts everything together. Ciao,
Valentina
http://www.Valentinadesigns.com

Valentina Cirasola is an Italian Interior Designer and former Fashion Designer, working in the USA and Europe since 1990. She blends well fashion with interiors and colors the world of her clients. She has been described as “the colorist” and loves to create the unusual. ©RED-A Voyage Into Colors is her third book, now in the making and coming soon. Check out her books on
Amazon: http://goo.gl/xUZfk0
Barnes&Nobles: http://goo.gl/q7dQ3w

Give Me Space | Valentina Cirasola | Interior Designer

22 Jan 2011 Leave a comment

by Valentina in Home Designs Master Tags: #ContainerFurniture, #DecoratingSmallSpaces, #DecoratingTips, #FurnitureDesign, #HomeFashion, #SmallSpacesSolutions, #ValentinaInteriorsDesigns

Buying furniture can be a difficult or easy task, depending on how you react to your need, prices, choices, or necessity. Particularly in the case of a couple getting married for the first time and the unknown factors of how large the family will grow, or even if the marriage will last in time. Then come the questions of how to choose colors, styles, sizes, functionality and how to fit everything intelligently in each space in order to maximise the available space in every small inch.

When buying good furniture allow yourself plenty time for searching and don’t stop at the first offer just because the price might be right for you. Evaluate material and price of the furniture and don’t fall in the trap of discounts. If you purchase furniture on the Internet to save 70-80% and then turn around and pay a high price for shipping that is not at all a good savings, therefore buy locally and really save! Some local stores will offer shipping free of charge just to gain your custom.

Furniture to me, as a designer and lover of practicality, must be beautiful, stylish and hold a double functionality. Not necessarily made for contemporary décor with straight and clean lines, furniture can be antiques, or classic, but they must always offer storage space solutions, in that space is a challenge in everybody’s home and a precious commodity.

A Tartan Credenza (left) in the living room can decorate a wall beautifully and serve as a storage for table cloths, napkins and silverware. A kitchen credenza (right) can also hold office files on one side with a roll-down panel to hide the files when not in use.

If you are looking to add rhythm and dynamism to an office space or a kids’ room, the Code bookshelf made by Snaidero (left) is a good solution. Looking at my photo most people will think of kids’ room immediately.  A bookshelf designed in colored squares is perfect for kids, that’s right, because it offers infinite playful compositions. But why not thinking of a dynamic office, filled with young minds, or young at heart people, innovative and productive, who want to keep up with evolving times? This type of free-form modular shelving multiplies in space vertically, horizontally and performs well all kinds of functions, even in the kitchen, or pantry.

Do you have a bare corner? A drop shaped vitrine (Photo right) with interior lighting made by Carpanelli is a good solution to hold a few collectibles and to light a corner. I like to add lights in corners, it gives the illusion of larger spaces. Ottomans and settees are also super solutions for storage and stylish furniture, which can be added anywhere in any décor.

When giving a particular attention to storage spaces and assign a dedicated space to each of your activities, life becomes simpler and pleasant. Well, now it is time to go shopping. I am here to help you finding the right furniture solution, or build some storage spaces for you, your home, your style and improve your life. 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. She also designs furniture and has been successful in producing them locally with local artists craftsmen. Check out her books on
Amazon: http://goo.gl/xUZfk0
Barnes&Nobles: http://goo.gl/q7dQ3w

Fashion Plays With Opposites This Fall | Valentina Cirasola | Designer

15 Sep 2010 Leave a comment

by Valentina in Friday Fashion Tags: #EuropeanFashion, #FallColors2010, #FashionFall2010, #FashionTrend2010, #ImageConsulting, #RedVoyageIntoColors, #ValentinaInteriorsDesigns

Italians take fashion really serious in their everyday dressing and their everyday life. Home fashion is directly related to the catwalk fashion, the two fields live with each other in harmony. Even though we cannot change our home fashion every time a fashion collection is presented on the catwalk, we can at least take some guidance from it to renew our spaces.

The colors this years are dark wines with gold highlights, grey shades with brown, aubergine with silver tones, pinks with reds, bronze with copper and silver accents, silver and whites, animal prints with lines, floral with geometric. Most of the opposites are represented for both men and women. All of these combinations work well with traditional or contemporary styles, making our design work for both sexes a bit easier. Even the passamanterie as an accent can add a touch of class and personality in a modern décor and deconstruct a traditional décor with graphic lines can lighten and revive a tired home style.

I read about the collection of a few fashion designers for fall 2010. I love their ideas, their use of colors, patterns and the impact they will have on both fashion and home interiors. I love the game of opposites they want us to play. At times fashion takes a plain boring direction, but this fall, we have a lot to revise.

The new hues are daring and delicious, poetic with a touch of medieval beauty.
British designer Alexander McQueen revived the hand-loomed Jacquard with the impression of digital photography. McQueen left us his beautiful collection, representing his vision of Medieval Madonnas and Byzantine Empresses before he died in Feb.2010 at age 40. I absolutely adore his 2010 collection.

Designer, Andrew Gn, calls his fall collection a “modern rococo”, wanting to return to the 18th-century look with a touch of 21st century. He sees narrow jackets with stand up collars and row of front buttons. He revives the passamanterie trimming on velvet coats and bustier. The highlights of his collection are embroidered leather on the shoulder of coats, or neckline, oversize belt buckles with heavy incrustations and anything ruched, which hide all that women don’t want to show.

As you can see playing with opposites makes an interesting environment, one that speaks about character.

If your home is in the neutral tones the new bold colors of this fall 2010 are very chic and lively, add some pieces of dramatic furniture and bold accessories, voila’ you have a new home to come to. Perhaps the only thing to do for an upgraded look is to change throw pillows and window coverings, or the accessories all together, or repaint some walls in the metallic faux finish tones and not necessarily all in this order.

Homes do need to be refreshed every so often, your eyes and your soul will appreciate it. Allow colors into your life and allow your friends to enjoy it too, after all, beauty is made to share with others.

My design career started in fashion and for 15 years I was very happy in my fashion company before settling in the interior designing business. Now, with the long fashion experience and my 20 years in interior designing, I can guide my clients in the right choices for their beautiful homes.

I would love to help you or your friends and family transitioning into new color and the new you. Love to hear your comment. Ciao,
Valentina

Fashion Services
https://valentinadesigns.com/services#fashion-services

Valentina Cirasola has been in business as a designer since 1990, she is also a former fashion designer. She has helped a variegated group of fun people realizing their dreams with homes, offices, interiors, and exteriors. She blends well fashion and interior in any of her design work. She loves to create the unusual. She is known as the “colorist”.
Valentina is also a published author of ©Come Mia Nonna – A Return To Simplicity. Her second book: ©Sins Of A Queen is in the printing and due to be released around Nov.2010 and she is the forthcoming author of the book on ©RED-A Voyage Into Colors.
Amazon: http://goo.gl/xUZfk0
Barnes&Nobles: http://goo.gl/q7dQ3w

Conversation With A Client | Valentina Cirasola | Interior Designer

17 Apr 2010 2 Comments

by Valentina in Home Designs Master Tags: #DecoratingWithStones, #Granite, #InteriorDesign, #Marble, #RomeRemodeling, #ValentinaInteriorsDesigns

Dear Valentina,
In magazines, marble seems to be the first choice for the master bathroom. I like the traditional look of white or crème marble, but it is more maintenance. I have Corian now with no maintenance. It is great. But I want to be more upscale, age well and the “in look” for resale.
I saw honed beige travertine vanity and floor tile to match. I think honed shows more finger prints. Isn’t travertine softer than marble?
I looked at marble. Seems it’s hard to match the counter top with the floor tiles. Several places had pre-cut counter top slabs but no matching floor tile. Should the vanity match the floor? Can you do granite vanity with marble floors? I have a sample porcelain tile that looks like limestone at home.
I like it, but can I mix it with marble or a quartz countertop. Should I go all natural stone, or all porcelain and quartz?

What is the trend for upscale bathrooms? The bathroom I’m replacing, was remodeled in 1990, but It looks 1980’s. So what look would age well? More important: what’s best for resale. My 2 other bathrooms are light color wood cabinets with white Corian. Do I need to carry the white color to all the bathrooms? Is it important that all the bathrooms be similar? Should the cabinets all be light or can one be dark? For a formal look, would chrome or polished nickel look better?

Has building green really caught on? Then quartz would be in? Do you think quartz will be the replacement for granite? The granite look has been around for a long time, so when does it change? I think all granite kitchens are too heavy-looking. I looked at caesarstone, silestone, and zodiac.
I think quartz maybe more appropriate in the kitchen. But is it the next look?
The big question: what is upscale, ages well and good for resale in a pale color for a master bathroom?
Thanks for you advice.
Wendy

Dear Wendy,
I would like to say one simple thing to show you how people think when in the process of buying a home:
Resale value is something people have in their mind, but it exist only to a certain extend. Why?
People buy homes mainly because of location, school district and square footage, followed by all the amenities such as how many bedrooms, closets, how many baths, how many kitchens, how many cars can fit into a garage, balconies, terraces, butler pantry, home automation, high-tech solutions, interior elevators, European doors, home theatre, wine cellars, home office, back yard, landscaping, lighting, and to an infinity of items.
People don’t buy homes because of colors in the bathrooms, or any other rooms, ever!
Having said that, any choice you make right now to improve your bathroom thinking it will sell better, 99% of the time, will be remodeled again by the new owner. New home owners will always try to add their own style to the home previously owned by somebody else. It’s our way to mark our territory.
So, please take my advice: remodel the bathroom(s) for your own pleasure and in your own style, enjoy it while you are living there and don’t worry about who is coming after you.

About the stones:
Marble is always more attractive, elegant, sophisticated and at times more expensive than granite, or anything else. It does add value to the bathroom and therefore makes it “upscale”. But “Upscale” is a perception, is an image sent to the eye. Anything can be upscale, even corian and avonite, depending on how people use stones and how they mix them together. I can arrange unexpressive stones in a gorgeous design and make it upscale.
Travertino filled or not filled is a lime stone, therefore brittle, but nonetheless durable. In Italy we have used it since the Roman times, buildings are still there and have been under the weather for centuries.
Vanity and floor are two different entities, you can match it, or you can do something totally different, there is no rule, whatever strikes your fancy.

Bathrooms don’t need to be similar and no color need to be carried from bathroom to bathroom, otherwise why would we make a distinction between Master Bath, Powder Room and Guest Baths?

You asked me if dark cabinetry are better for resale value. I like to know who makes up these rules. The only so-called “rule” to follow is:
lighter counter top, dark cabinet and darker counter top, lighter cabinet. This is what people do, but let me assure you, it is not my rule. There is never going to be a replacement for granite, people like it! It is easy to care for and maintaining, it is natural and durable, plenty available in plenty colors and in a variety of prices. Also granite can be found in so many fun finishes: polished, honed, tumbled, leather effect and many more.
I am finding that many of my clients appreciate the leather effect on granite and use it as an accent stone. They might use it only for a kitchen island, or for a small counter in powder rooms, or as a top for a piece of furniture. This finish is a bit more expensive than any other finishes, but if used wisely will add so much more value and beauty to a remodeling project.

Granite can be used as flooring, counter tops, window sills, table tops, door knobs, lighting switchplates, landscaping and many more, applications are endless.

I particularly don’t like the granite with a compact look filled with speckles, it has no life and it is boring. I like the granite with lot of movement and open fields. The lines must be book matched when joining the seems to make a continuous design, then you will see nature in a playful mood!
When spending money on any stone, make it attractive and a conversational piece.
You mentioned the caesarstone, silestone, and zodiac. Fine stones too, with attractive colors and mostly contemporary colors. They are man-made and there is nothing wrong with them, but they are not less expensive than granite, as most people think. Silestone is nothing but crushed marble chips fused together with silicon.

“Building Green” is real among those people who understand the concept and can afford it. Unfortunately, prices of the “eco-friendly material” are still way too expensive and discourage people from using them.

For a formal look, some people even use gold polished or satin chrome, or crystal. The hardware finishes must follow the style of your bathroom.
You might fall in love, as I did, with a total glass blue faucet, as in my photograph. This faucet can be placed in a formal, elegant and extravagant bath. It is such a beauty! The hardware is polished chrome and glass. This is formal enough to me, even though it has a modern style. (Photo: James McKelvey)

What if, let’s suppose your formal look is Old Europe? You will never use chrome hardware, but oil rubbed bronze instead, to emulate antiquity.
It all depends what formal means to you. Define formal, you will have the answer.
I want to conclude by saying that, in the perfect design world, there are no rules, thank God. It is all about YOU, the client !!!
What you like, what makes you feel good and what you can afford are all the rules! Nothing is written in “Stone”.

I am always available to resolve any design challenges. Love to hear your comments, or your friends’ comments, if you like to forward this article to someone else.
Designed regards,
Valentina
Interior Designer
in business since 1990 and loving it!
www.Valentinadesigns.com

Valentina Cirasola is an Italian Interior and Fashion Designer, working in the USA and Europe. She marries well fashion and interior in any of her design work. She loves to remodel homes and loves to turn unattractive spaces into castles.
Author of the forthcoming book on the subject of colors, ©RED-A Voyage Into Colors. Stay tuned!
Amazon: http://goo.gl/xUZfk0
Barnes&Nobles: http://goo.gl/q7dQ3w

Valentina Interiors And Designs Has Been Featured Again! | Valentina Cirasola | Interior Designer

06 Apr 2010 Leave a comment

by Valentina in Home Designs Master Tags: #HomeDesign, #HomeRemodeling, #InteriorDesign, #ValentinaInteriorsDesigns, Avaliving

Hello World,
It is so rewarding to come to work on Monday morning from a short Easter weekend holiday and finding my name published all over the Internet. Avaliving, a site for designers offering their services on line, today has published my interview with them.
http://www.avaliving.com/article.php?aid=1617

As a designer, I have been part of Ava’s family since about three years ago. The scope of Avaliving’s site is to give a larger exposure to those designers participating in its programs.
My profession as a designer has really changed in the last eight/nine years. To be able to stay on the market and in a profitable business, I had to adapt to new ways of thinking and accept the new ways clients shop. It is not imaginable anymore to raise a sign outside the studio/office and think clients will come. Designers must have a presence in the local market made of referrals to sustain the business in a continuous flow and a larger presence on line, a new and most important way to sell services. It really doesn’t matter what kind of design business one might have, if a designer is in the service business, she/he is in the marketing business of selling designer services. This is the new twist, we can’t expect to be sitting behind a fashionable desk, in a well decorated office and expect clients to multiply.
I have transformed my business and my mindset with advices, solutions and strategies from expert marketers to achieve my dreams and help my clients in realizing their dreams.

I am an Italian expatriate by choice, not by necessity. I knew since I was a little girl my place was supposed to be in the World and not just in Bari, Italy, my home town where I was born, studied, worked and lived all my life. I made the decision to move when the time was right.

I carry with me the educational baggage of an Italian with the beauty and style I have been used to caress and admire. I bring the same into people’s homes, give my clients the power to design with me and at the end I leave them with affordable, comfortable luxury.

I said in my interview with Avaliving that my life is a continuous evolvement of colorful events. That’s because I am a curious person and I get interested and involved in everything.

People who know me say I am a great cook. Food is fuel for my brain. I don’t care what kind of petrol I put in my car, but I care about what kind of food I put in my stomach. In fact, I love food so much, I have written my first designer cookbook and published it: ©Come Mia Nonna-A Return To Simplicity.
Robert T., a friend and business associate of www.wine-fi.com says:
“Valentina – an International Professional Interior Designer is now giving you an opportunity to redesign your palate”.

Check out my first book, it is making people happy, I was told:
http://outskirtspress.com/ComeMiaNonna

OR

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

**********

Life is simply good!

Please forward this article to anyone you think might be interested in reading it and let me know what you think by leaving a comment below. Thank you.
Designed regards,
Valentina
www.Valentinadesigns.com