Pattern | By: Valentina Cirasola | Interior Designer Wednesday, May 15 2013

This week photo challenge by Sara Rosso is Pattern, I like it and I am taking the challenge. http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2013/05/10/weekly-photo-challenge-pattern

Pattern

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What is a pattern? Pattern has a different meaning for each of us.

In my world of design, a pattern might be:
A wooden model or paper drawing used to build a home.
A diagram, or model drafted for making a dress.
Artistic or decorative throw pillows with paisley and flowers, or a quilt made with left over fabrics.
A design of natural origin: wild bird formations happening in my plants every spring.
An assortment of Victorian cutlery on the dining table or the cutlery motifs painted on my decorative glass plate.
A Christmas light ball I turn on every night makes different designs as I turn the colored lights.
A person considered worthy of emulating, learning perhaps from a famous chef.
Pattern of things I see and intrigue me.
Traits or features characteristic of a recognizable individual: Sophia Loren.
Colorful hand-painted Italian ceramics and tiles.

Life is full of patterns. “Sans poésie on exist sans vivre” – Without poetry we exist without living.

Pattern of being thankful and recognizing friendship. I want to take this opportunity to thank two people who nominated me last month for two awards. I am so honored:

Tom at The Palladian Traveler http://thepalladiantraveler.com  nominated me with the HUG Award©.
When you contact your nominees for the award, please include a link to this page  http://ahopefortoday.com/2012/01/14/hope-unites-globally-hug-award-guidelines
I will nominate one person for this award Adam at http://unorthodoxepicure.com – Confession of an inspiring food snob.

Natalia at Postcard From Italy http://nataliasarkissian.wordpress.com nominated me for The Versatile Blogger Award.
I will nominated one person for this award: http://littlemisswordy.wordpress.com
Awards usually come with some rules.
1. Thank the person who gave you the award.
2. Include a link to their blog.
3. Name the bloggers to whom you would like to pass the award and send them a link to tell them you’ve selected them.
4. Finally, tell the person who nominated you seven things about yourself.

I wish you a productive and happy rest of the week. Ciao,
Valentina

http://www.valentinadesigns.com
http://valentinaexpressions.com

Copyright © 2013 Valentina Cirasola, All Rights Reserved

Valentina Cirasola is an Italian interior designer in business since 1990. She is passionate about colors and all expressive arts. She is a “colorist”. To her, selecting art means to bring out the best energy of her clients and nourish their soul. She is the author of three books available on Amazon and Barnes&Nobles.
Get your copy of her book on colors: Red-A Voyage Into Colors 
Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/9agl5v9
Barnes&Nobles: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/valentina-cirasola

7 Responses »

 

Nuts And Bolts | By: Valentina Cirasola | Interior Designer Sunday, Apr 7 2013

I was called to visit a single male’s flat for a design consultation. The place was strangely decorated, but nonetheless intriguing. The first things that struck me were some very creative furniture pieces made of various steel and metals. A marvelous glass top coffee table with the base made from a huge metal wheel of a truck was the living room center piece. As I was getting familiar with the flat’s lay-out, I discovered more abstract and out of the ordinary items: a coat hanger shaped into a metal tree made of nuts and bolts, a bookshelf made of brushed stainless steel with blue glass panels and many smaller objects scattered around.

I was curious about the discovery unfolding before my eyes. I thought the interior was typical of a single man, loaded with grey and black colors, linear shapes and glass mixed with cold material.  Later, I learned the man who became my client was in the metals scrap business and used his craft ability to shape unattractive metals into submission. He created something unusual every time, changing things into  imaginative objects. You see, things don’t have to stay the way they were born.

As the project in the flat evolved, he asked me to decorate the bedroom into a jungle scene, in fact I surnamed him Tarzan (get it?  A single man in jungle looking bedroom…..), I was waiting for him to ask for some lianas hanging from the ceiling, instead  he required that his W.C. fixture would be made of stainless steel.

It wasn’t hard to find this “piece of art” ,  I guess there are enough prisons around, but when it was installed, I wanted to pull my hair out!!! Pardon the picture, but it was necessary for this post. Often I keep my Clients happy in their wishes, but when the requests are absurd I end up not taking any photos of the project. Look at some of the findings in my video and think what you can do with your nuts and bolts. It is even possible to create striking custom jewelry.

If you have challenges with any material ask me, l shall be glad to help you. Ciao,
Valentina
http://www.valentinadesigns.com
http://valentinaexpressions.com

Copyright © 2013 Valentina Cirasola, All Rights Reserved

Valentina Cirasola transforms and creates spaces realizing people’s dreams in homes, offices, interiors and exteriors. She infuses your everyday living with a certain luxury without taking away a comfortable living. 
She offers design consultations on-line through Skype and the traditional in-house consultations, helping people with their design challenges anywhere in the world. She is the author of three books, all-available on

Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/9agl5v9
Barnes&Nobles: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/valentina-cirasola

 

6 Responses »

 

C For Corbel | By: Valentina Cirasola | Interior Designer Tuesday, Apr 2 2013

Welcome to my A to Z Challenge on the subject of

http://myatozchallenge.com/2012/02/20/welcome-to-my-a-to-z-challenge-2/

(Corbel Arch of Septimium Severus – Rome)

Korbel with a K is a California winery producing traditional Méthode Champenois sparkling wine in the United States, but the Corbel with a C, of which today I am delighted to speak, is a projecting stone or a piece of timber carved block supporting a beam or a eave. Just as exciting as the bubbly Korbel, the corbel with a C  has been a feature in universal Architecture since almost the dawn of time. From ancient Rome to ancient China, corbels supported magnificent balconies, window sills, projecting parapets, or exceptionally elegant entry ways. In the Medieval time corbels appeared as gargoyles and the Paris Notre Dame Cathedral is showing off its beautiful examples to these days.

The word comes from Latin corbellus or corvus (raven) apparently because it resembles the beak of a crow. In Italian is called mensola and in French is called cul-de-lampe, I like this last one.  To disguise the load baring function, a corbel must be highly decorative, the eye wants to see something pretty too, not just functionality, that’s the reason of the existence of  so many variety of styles and sizes through history from Corinthian design to animal head, cherub’s face to a king’s face and the very popular woman’s face or pineapple, symbol of prosperity.

Materials and functions have varied from medieval castles to modern-day homes. Wood, gesso, plaster, resin or even steel have been carved, bent, twisted or shaped into submission according to the wishes of the ruler of the moment.

Today, they have become more simple and straightforward with the purpose of decorating modern houses already quite simple in their shapes, except a few décor ideas that want to give the appearance of being important.

I encourage you to be different and to try something new. My black corbel sometimes holds a candle, or a picture and some other time my friends’ glass  of wine. Ciao,
Valentina
http://www.valentinadesigns.com
http://valentinaexpressions.com

Copyright © 2013 Valentina Cirasola, All Rights Reserved

Valentina Cirasola transforms and creates spaces realizing people’s dreams in homes, offices, interiors and exteriors. She infuses your everyday living with a certain luxury without taking away a comfortable living. 
She offers design consultations on-line through Skype and the traditional in-home visits, helping people with their design challenges anywhere in the world.

As an author of three books, she is now a public speaker and teaches style, colors and image. Find her books on 
Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/9agl5v9
Barnes&Nobles: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/valentina-cirasola

8 Responses »

 

Candlelight Magic Pollution | By: Valentina Cirasola | Interior Designer Tuesday, Mar 5 2013

(As seen on Palo Alto Weekly)

Only 100 years ago candles represented the light bulb that illuminated the world through centuries. Today we use candles to create an atmosphere, not save on electricity. With candles human beings beat the dark of darkness and once they understood that the light of the flame had magical powers, they used candles for spiritual or religious rituals. First with animal fat, then with paraffin and with further addition of colors and scents, human being invented candles for any commercial use. One must keep in mind that candles keep the energy of all the people who collaborated in the making, therefore it is imperative to purify candles before using them. One way to purify a candle is to immerge it in a container full of rock salt keeping it in vertical position, otherwise a simple cloth will suffice to rub all strangers’ energies from the candle.

If you are health conscious as I am, you should care about the air you breathe as well. Breathing the fumes from a commercial candle made with paraffin is not the greatest thing you could do. Paraffin derives from crude oil, the same crude oil that is refined to obtain petrol and petroleum-based products. Burning paraffin candles means you will breathe substances that may be carcinogenic, such as formaldehyde, acrolein (from propylene), benzene, toluene (type of solvent) and acetaldehyde. All of these products contained in commercial paraffin candles will contribute to air  pollution in your home and aggravate any possible allergy you might already have.

Candles made from bees’ wax are the best, they are natural, save your health, the air you breathe in your home and burn sweet like honey. Bees have a life span of 12-17 days, during this short time they produce a waxy substance in their stomach and with that they build their cells to store honey. After the honey production is all done, beekeepers scrape the honey and discard the wax, or often sell it to candle makers. Bees’ wax is more expensive than the paraffin, is very yellow and compact, made into square shape cakes, or rolled out in a cylinder shape and that’s how it is sold.

Our beautiful nature offers additional natural solutions for candle making art. Soybeans and palm trees are excellent sources for a natural wax, their juices are biodegradable, no fossil fuels are needed to produce this type of wax and candles made with plants products burn slower than the paraffin candles.

If you are into candle art, you might want to consider colors that are suitable for your spirit and personality. Colors affect us in a positive or negative ways. Color will help us creating a message, a mood, a feeling, a character, or harmony. Just like everything else, colors play a large role in candles, it all depends if you want to attract some energy to you or take it away from you. Check out home accessories at  http://www.simons.ca/fre/categories/maison/cuisine-et-salle-a-manger/accessoires-de-table/chandelles

I deal with colors for the beauty and benefits they bring to our person, perhaps coloring a candle to your advantage will be the topic of my next article. Love and light, ciao,
Valentina
http://www.Valentinadesigns.com
http://valentinadesigns.wordpress.com

Copyright © 2013 Valentina Cirasola, All Rights Reserved

Valentina Cirasola is an Italian interior designer in business since 1990. She is passionate about colors and all expressive arts. She is a “colorist”. Valentina was featured in Italy on “Vogue” magazine and many prominent publications in California. She also has made four appearances on T.V. Comcast Channel 15. She is the author of her book #3 on the subject of colors: Red-A Voyage Into Colors, available on
Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/9agl5v9
Barnes&Nobles: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/valentina-cirasola 

15 Responses »

 

T For Tub – Harold Bring The Tub – By: Valentina Cirasola | Interior Designer Friday, Jan 18 2013

I am participating to the A to Z challenge blog. I chose to write about everything HOME from A to Z. In a year time  I will complete my coverage of Home Subjects in all the letters. This is my first article, T for Tub.

We don’t think much of all technology we use on a daily basis and how technology has improved our lives. Has it always been this way? Of course not, our modern comfort is a direct result of the discomfort of past generations. However, no improvements would have happened if family kept up with the costume of having servants to light candles or tending fireplaces, warming up water to fill bath tubs, or emptying chamber pots.

As the industrial revolution started at the end of the 18th century England, domestic technology began to develop, but it developed slowly.  Hard to believe a cabinetmaker started to fiddle with mechanical inventions and came up with what was known as the Bramah Valve Closet. Bramah invented a toilet bowl that would seal the water inside and prevent the cesspool from re-entering the room. A few country houses were fitted with the new piping technology system, the rest of the populations thought it was just a fad, so much that even by the late 1900s, many English aristocrats preferred the portable tubs brought to the bedroom for their weekly bath in front of the fireplace and the chamber pot remained close by in a corner of the bedroom, or in some households in the corner of the kitchen or dining room.

Above: Copper Tub – Oil Bronze Finish – Approximately: $4,000.

In some special period décor of today’s homes, stand-alone tubs are still used as show pieces, some have claw feet, some sit on the floor, but they all function with modern plumbing and we don’t call them portable anymore. We have become servant less and more confidently depending on technology.

The Moen’s ioDigital tub – http://www.moen.com/iodigital (watch the video, it will surprise you) allows the user to fill up the tub with a remote control as far as 30 feet away.
The Moen’s ioDigital technology controls water to a desired temperature and volume, the device alerts when hot water runs low and tub overflows, it is also equipped with an anti-scalding feature and safety lock. The suggested retail price for the tub is around $1,200 less expensive than the stand-alone period copper tub (about $4,000) and around $2,500 for the “vertical spa” which includes rain shower head and body jets.

We sure have come a long way and in a very short time! Ciao,
Valentina

http://www.Valentinadesigns.com
http://valentinaexpressions.com

Copyright © 2013 Valentina Cirasola, All Rights Reserved

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. She is the author of three books all available on
Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/9agl5v9
Barnes&Nobles: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/valentina-cirasola

14 Responses »

 

Stuck In The Groove | By: Valentina Cirasola | Interior Designer Saturday, Jan 12 2013

Hoops, I didn’t even notice to have been gone since Christmas and my page seems stuck in the groove! Pardon.
Well, last year my Thursdays disappeared often out of my weeks, catapulting me straight into the Saturdays and weekends didn’t even appear on the horizon of my calendar. To me it meant one thing: time for regrouping, regenerating and detoxing from the Internet. Literally, I abandoned my studio and this time I was the one who disappeared. Now, I am wondering, why the year is new, I am one year older, but my office has the same organized mess, the same décor looking at me and the same dust onto which I can write the story of my life, especially after my short absence.

No, I am not stuck in the groove, the year has started well and I am very much alive and kicking.
This week, I made a third anniversary flying with WordPress. It has been a great experience reading all of you bloggers and making new friends.

I have received also the “Shine On” Award from A MisBeahaved Woman  http://misbehavedwoman.wordpress.com/2013/01/10/shine-on – THANK YOU, I am honored and I accept.  Please read her interesting blog on social issues, she is really good.

With the Awards come the rules. Here are the ones for the Shine On Award.

1.) Show appreciation of the blogger who nominated you and link back to them in your post.

2.) Add the award logo to your blog.

3.) Share 7 things about yourself.

4.) Pass the award on to 5-10 other bloggers you admire.

and here the winners:

http://suellewellyn2011.wordpress.com – Photography and stories.

http://ohtheplaceswesee.com – they are husband and wife who decided to live somewhere else a month at a time.

http://algarveblog.net - a British expatriate to Portugal.

http://wheresmybackpack.com -  She says: “anyone who tries to tell you it’s a small world hasn’t tried to see it all”.

http://taylorjorjorian.wordpress.com – Photographic Surreal Impressionism

http://grandmothermusings.com - Jamie is a sweet teacher.

Please go visit them, enjoy their reading and make new friends. The world is full of people we have not met yet. Happy 2013 to all, hoping this year will treat us very nicely.

To find 7 things to say about me it’s a hard task to do, but I will do my best.

1. I have always liked to eat and manage to keep the good figure to suit my bone structure. I have eaten a Mediterranean diet since I was born and don’t even get closer to junk food. People who know me call me “A Good Fork”. My father used to say that was better to clothe me than feed me.
2. Growing up in my Italian family, food choices did not exist and neither did democracy in the family nucleus. The heads of the family made up their own laws and us kids had to obey. Today, I go into people’s home and find that kids can choose what they want to eat, as if they are at a private restaurant, tell parent what to do and even get paid to do chores!
3. I am not a mechanical person like most of my women friends are. If something breaks it will stay broken, unless someone fixes it.
4. I love the Opera. When I am sitting in those red velvet chairs, I transport myself to a different world and era and get totally oblivious to anything around me, but often asked myself how I would react if a fire happened while I am totally hypnotized by the opera notes.
5. I am an acute observer. I see things people miss easily. I can sit at a café’ for hours just to observe and hear people’s conversations.
6. I don’t get bored easily, stupid people get bored, but time waster get on my nerves easily.
7. I don’t shop at corporations, I shop at small stores and I am very faithful to them if they know how to treat me right.

I am participating to the A to Z challenge on any subject, mine will be on HOME from A to Z.
http://myatozchallenge.com
I will give myself one year to write funny and not so funny stories, tips and stuff related to the home projects and behind the scene happenings.

Let’s have a fantastic year and let’s not get stuck in the groove of time! Ciao,
Valentina

http://www.Valentinadesigns.com 

http://valentinaexpressions.com

Copyright © 2013 Valentina Cirasola, All Rights Reserved

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. She is also the author of three books all available on

Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/9agl5v9
Barnes&Nobles: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/valentina-cirasola

17 Responses »

 

Light and Happiness To All | By: Valentina Cirasola | Interior Designer Sunday, Dec 23 2012

 

We have overcome Dec.21st and we are here, alive and kicking,  in a new era of the Universe.
This date marked the end of selfishness and the beginning of brotherhood; the end of individualism and the beginning of collectivism; the end of hatred and the beginning of love; the end of lies and the beginning of truth.
Gee, why did we have to wait so many centuries for this!

With these new perspectives in mind, I hope the humanity will come together to work towards a better future for the entire world. Let’s enjoy the festivities and the celebrations from now to the end of the year.

Thank you for your continued support as clients, friends and friends on my blogosphere.
I want to thank all of you creative bloggers for the new mark, I reached  500 Likes this month, received 5 stars on the Blog Of the Year 2012 Award and new subscribers.
Thanks again for brightening my day.

Merry Christmas to all of you and families and if you don’t celebrate any religious events, celebrate yourself, your achievements and all your loved ones. Ciao,
Valentina
 http://www.Valentinadesigns.com

http://valentinaexpressions.com

Copyright © 2012 Valentina Cirasola, All Rights Reserved

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 the author of three books available on

Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/9agl5v9
Barnes&Nobles: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/valentina-cirasola

22 Responses »

 

I Framed Them All | By: Valentina Cirasola | Interior Designer Thursday, Aug 23 2012

A picture frame has the function of exhibiting an idea. It keeps the viewer’ eye inside of its borders without letting the surroundings distract his/her fantasy. A picture frame also functions as a curtain over a stage, which like a theatre play will immerse the viewers in the mind of the artist.

A picture frame must not attract attention to itself, it must be decorative enough to embellish the artwork and complement it, while remaining in second position.
Gold, silver, black, white or natural woods are generally the frames most used to dress an image and to stay behind the scene, sort of speaking.

What if you have an interesting image you want to frame regardless of the intrinsic value? Or what if you went to a second-hand store and found the perfect frame for an art piece you painted yourself? In both cases you might want to treat the frame as the dress for the image. Decide which is the colors inside of the image you like to pick up and carry it on the pass-par-tout (matt) and on the frame itself. The result will be a very decorative and original piece for your wall.

The procedure to decorate a frame in your style is very simple. You must first decide if you want the frame to show the wood grain, or if you want to paint the frame in color.

If you have a frame in natural wood and want to keep it natural, then you only need to use a clear, non-yellowing varnish, or perhaps use a varnish with a wood tone color, such as Mahogany tone, cherry wood tone, oak tone and much more. Let it dry, add the image and nothing needs to be done. Wash your brush in water when using a water base varnish; for oil-based varnish, use turpentine to wash your brushes.

The challenge comes if you wish to have a colored frame. Don’t le it scare you though, painting a picture frame is a fun project. First choose the color, based as I said earlier, on some color details inside of the image. If the frame is used, from a flea market, you need to sand off the original color almost to the bare wood. Paint a white base coat to cover all wood imperfection and then apply a coat or two of the color of your liking. Acrylic or flat latex paints are both good choices and the brushes used for these paints are washable in water.

Now, you might want to leave the frame with a couple of paint coats, or continue to further embellish it. If you look at my minstrel image (above), you will notice that the frame picks up some colors of the image. To add some depth and interest, I also added some gold design on top of the frame painted Chartreuse green. That detail came from a photo of a medieval fabric, just to be in tune with the subject, I outlined it free hand on the frame and then painted the lines in gold with a small brush.

I painted the frame black to echo the black and white silhouette of the subject and added some bronze color rosettes in each corners to also echoes some bronze details in the weathervane sketch.

The striped frame picks up the color of the lady’s dress. Green, opposite to pink on the color wheel is the perfect complement. To paint this frame, I calculated first how many stripes I wanted, divided the length of each side by the number of stripes; with pencil and ruler I marked the space, then I painted all the pink stripes followed by the green stripes.

Aside from these examples, you can attach many objects to a painted frame as your fancy strikes and really show your creativity.

Looking at artwork made by masters it puzzles me to see how perfect anonymous people have framed famous art for centuries, making it appear as the art and the frame were born together. When you will design your artwork and the frame to go with it, your creation will be twice as much as precious.

The fall brings a new energy, new light and new color, a home should reflect the change in nature. This is the right time to ask me for advice on how to bring that new energy to your surroundings. Ciao.
Valentina
http://www.valentinadesigns.com
http://valentinaexpressions.com

Copyright © 2012 Valentina Cirasola, All Rights Reserved

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

Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/9agl5v9
Barnes&Nobles: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/valentina-cirasola

10 Responses »

 

Where Did Thursday Go? | By: Valentina Cirasola | Interior Designer Saturday, Aug 18 2012

Where did one day of my week go? I seem to have lost a Thursday. Did this ever happen to you? Yesterday, Friday, I was doing things I had scheduled to do Thursday, but towards to end of my workday, I realized it was already Friday.

I looked around in my studio, all the pretty pictures, décor, fabrics and props I use for my work and I realized that all of this is always here, they don’t move around like I do, they don’t get exhausted like I do, at times they hear some non-sense and they observe me silently, yet days revolve without even noticing them and the busyness of my every day grinding work puts me almost in a state of hypnotism. I was told that time in space doesn’t exist, so why should it exist in my timetable? Why am I in disbelief when often I lose one day in the week? Or why is it important to do something on Thursday or Friday, for example?

I worked very hard this week, I was able to achieve more or less what I wanted, Friday arrived upon my shoulder and didn’t even make any plans for the evening. Is this really bad, or unbearable? I don’t think so. There must be a reason why I lost one day. Perhaps something is telling me to slow down this train, which runs faster than the speed of light, to breath and to be thankful for everything I create and for the people supporting me. I want to thank Jamie from http://grandmothermusings.com/ for nominating me for the “Reader Appreciation Award”. I am late in thanking you Jamie, nonetheless I am very honored and humbly accept it.

Rules of this award are:
* Post seven interesting things about yourself.
• Nominate 5 people (I am bending the rule a bit) who in turn will post on their page the award with the link to the giver.
• Let them know about the nomination.

7 Things You Might Find Interesting About Home Designs Master

1. I was made to be on stage and I didn’t know it until a few years ago, when a business coach told me I am a show person and I should use this strong feature of my character as my business strength.
2. I dream of having a home made of brick façade with a theatre stage inside, where I can entertain my friends with plays, comedy, or classical music and real actors or singers.
3. I like to have a houseboat on the water and entertain at night under the stars “al fresco”.
4. I like to cook and eat preferably with people. My motto is “Never eat alone when doing business”.
5. I like political thriller films and any thrillers, but not horrors. My favourite are Hitchcock and Agatha Christy films.
6. I know a ton of people, but I only choose a few to be my friends and they are all good.
7. Here we go again, I lost something in the 7th position.

My nominations are for:
1. http://ancientfoods.wordpress.com/ – Joanna writes about the interesting history and roots of our food.
2. http://imeldaevans.wordpress.com/ – Imelda, is a writer, her blog is Wine, Women & Wordplay.
3. http://beyondthegreendoor.wordpress.com/ – Kenley writes about savoring the Everyday Adventures of Cooking and subjects related to food.
4. http://jakesprinters.wordpress.com/ – Jake at The Sunday Post blog is a photographer and graphic artist. I learn many good things from photographers.
5. http://roamandhome.com/ – Karen writes about her travel and dining experience.

I am so happy to be part of this blogosphere made of so many interesting and colorful people. I learn from your blogs and amuse myself with all of you every day. Yes, I do read you all every day. Thank you all for following my blog, I am very grateful for all your support and comments.
I don’t know who said this: “There are no strangers in this world, only people we have not met yet”. I want to get to know all of you.
Happy Saturday. Ciao.
Valentina
www.Valentinadesigns.com
http://valentinaexpressions.com/

Copyright © 2012 Valentina Cirasola, All Rights Reserved

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 drawings for remodeling, upgrading, new home construction, décor restyling and home fashion. Valentina was featured in Italy on: “Vogue” magazine and many prominent publications in California. She also has made four appearances on T.V. Comcast Channel 15. She is an author and her books are on
Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/9agl5v9

Barnes&Nobles: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/valentina-cirasola

16 Responses »

 

The Sails Sofa | By: Valentina Cirasola | Interior Designer Thursday, Jul 26 2012

Yesterday, this video came across my desk, I thought it portrays the modern Italian living to the letter.

Italians have lived and enjoyed antiquities for centuries. One can find there almost every style of architecture ever invented. The county is small, but concentrated with arts from the past in every expression from the Roman Empire era all the way to today’s contemporary arts and everything in between.
Yet, Italian homes are not decorated with antiques or traditional furniture, except in sporadic cases. All those antiquities we have been accustomed to for centuries stay out there in the streets. We ignore the treasure that surrounds our daily life as if they are nonexistent. They are our landscape.

Gone are the times when Italian people lived in large homes. The film “Under The Tuscan Sun” portrayed a way of living that does not exist any more. People who still own those dilapidated homes (we call farmhouses), such as the one in the film, have understood there is money to be made and that foreigners want to experience that kind of living. The next step was to remodel and turn those farmhouses into B&B, Spas, or making them available as vacation homes for hire by the week or by the month.

Le Vele sofa

Italian people live in condos, one on top of the other, space is very limited, therefore furniture must be beautiful and contain stuff. Our homes are decorated with colors, bright lights (which I truly despise), linear furniture and very simple shapes; furniture must be stylish, but functionality and space saver are the only two notes Italians want to hear.

In this video you will see a cleverly designed sofa, which can be utilized in many different solutions, indoor and outdoor.
I am here to help you implementing these ideas, designing with you and finding you special pieces.
Like what you read? Sharing is caring. Pass it along to someone who’d benefit. Ciao,
Valentina
www.Valentinadesigns.com
http://valentinaexpressions.com/

Copyright © 2012 Valentina Cirasola, All Rights Reserved

Valentina Cirasola has been a lifetime designer in fashion and interiors. Her extensive knowledge of colors and materials led her in both directions successfully. She is well-known for designing custom furniture. She cares to make spacious and functional pieces, but she doesn’t forget to introduce the element of surprise, sinuous lines, attractive shapes and color in the style fit for each of her special clients. Check out her books on

Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/9agl5v9 
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