F For Fainting Moments | By: Valentina Cirasola | Interior Designer Monday, Mar 11 2013

Welcome to my A to Z Challenge on the subject of HOME.
http://myatozchallenge.com/2012/02/20/welcome-to-my-a-to-z-challenge-2/

What do the Récamier, Méridienne and Fainting Sofa have in common? Three reclining chairs of the past and present home décor that have in common one idea: Relaxation. Ancient population understood the benefits of relaxation and included it in their daily life.


For Egyptians, Greeks and Romans the idea of relaxing often on the ‘kline’ – a type of day beds – was part of the daily routine as early as the 8th century BC. The modern Greek word ‘symposion’ or “symposium” means ‘to drink together’ in a party atmosphere with music and conversation while even conducting business. The Romans adopted the daybed for reclining in the daytime and during meals and at night they slept on. This type of daybed was widely used in the Orient as well, where there was no distinction between sleeping furniture and daytime furniture.

(Madame Juliette Récamier above)

Récamier Sofa (above) took the name from Madame Juliette Récamier, a French society leader, whose salon drew Parisians from the leading literary and political circles of the early 19th century. After Madame Récamier’s guests were well fed, she would preside over the discussions while reclining on a sofa, usually wrapped in a yellow shawl. That’s how Jacques-Louis David depicted her. It seems that a bit of gossip is appropriate with a Récamier: Madame Juliette Récamier married at the age of 15 Jacques-Rose Récamier, a rich banker nearly 30 years her senior and a relative of the gourmand Brillat-Savarin, who wrote a few books on the philosophy of cooking and taste. Fantastic books, I read them all and strongly suggest them. A rumor arose that Jacques-Rose Récamier was Juliette’s natural father who married her to make her his heir. The Récamier marriage was never consummated and Juliette remained a virgin until at least the age of forty.

Méridienne – a type of asymmetrical day-bed (above) – has a high head-rest, and a lower foot-rest, joined by a sloping piece. Every grand house of France in the early 19th century had one for every room. Its typical use was for resting in the middle of the day, when the sun is near the meridian, a practice still in use in the South of Europe and Mediterranean basin.

(Edouart Manet above – Fainting Sofa)

Fainting Sofa has a back raised at one end, often wraps around and extends along the entire length of the piece. Fainting sofa deserved separate rooms in the 19th century home décor, only used by women to faint on, due to their tight corsets restricting blood flow. However, another peculiar use of this chair made it go down in history. Sex between married people was intended only for procreation. Society’s false modesty prevented  women of high social background from taking care of  their men’ frivolous sex desires, it was considered an indecent behavior left only for prostitutes. That constricted way of thinking caused female hysteria, considered a real ‘disease’ that needed to be treated by home visiting doctors and midwives through manual pelvic massage. It was a recurrent need often requiring hours for the intimate procedure to work, thus creating a room for privacy and a chair for comfort was of the utmost importance.

(Méridienne in my client’s home)

We cannot build our future if we don’t know history. Today, when possible, I like to place one Méridienne chair or Fainting Sofa in my clients’ homes and I can’t help smiling…..Ciao,
Valentina
http://www.Valentinadesigns.com
http://valentinaexpressions.com

Copyright © 2013 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-know 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 colors in the style fit for each of her special clients. She is the author of RED – A Voyage Into Colors, Check out her three books on

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

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Liebster Award | March Appreciation | By: Valentina Cirasola | Interior Designer Wednesday, Mar 6 2013

Amaryllis

►

Are you getting ready for spring? Are you looking into your wardrobe to see what looks good for keeping and what doesn’t?  Are you ready to change into spring colors? Do you usually invite spring into your home with new colors, deep cleaning, moving furniture around, or adding nature in some corners? Before my March is over I do all that and I make a special appreciation day to everyone and everything contributing to  the “good and pleasant” in my life. Ask me how to do it, if you have challenges. Decorating for Spring with your skin and eye colors is fun.

Today I am recognizing Sindy at http://bluebutterfliesandme.wordpress.com  for nominating me with the Liebster Award. Please visit her site, Sindy writes about spirituality. Sindy, I know a few weeks have passed since you awarded me, but I haven’t forgotten you, just needed to find the right moment. Last December, I stuck the beautiful amaryllis’s bulb in the pot and waited for a miracle to happen, until one day it bloomed literally before my eyes. I dedicated this flower to you Sindy  (it came out a little dark, I don’t know how to fix it) and thank you for nominating me, I feel honored.

~Award Suggested Guidelines~

Answer the questions below.

Nominate 11 bloggers

Inform your nominees by posting a link on their blogs

The Questions Are:

What first inspired you to start writing a blog?
In 2005, I was blogging on an Italian designers’ site and didn’t even knew it was called blogging. I thought I was participating to discussions. Then, my business coach said I needed to have my blog site and three years ago I landed on WordPress.

What is the biggest challenge you have had to face when writing a blog?
What is on my mind, it’s also on my tongue.  I was concerned my words would start a third Punic War.

If you traveled through time, what time would you want to arrive at and why?
I am very sure I lived in the 17^th Century between Venice and France. I have too many déjà-vu examples that I have been there already.

However if I were to just pick one time in the past..
Definitely it would be Paris in 1920. I agree with Sindy, Woody Allen’s movie, “Midnight In Paris” project the perfect time for my character. I watch that film religiously at least once a month.

Do you prefer to eat chocolate, sweets or neither?
Chocolate for sure, no guilt.

Do you prefer to read or write?
I am addicted to both, it’s hard to choose.

What is your favorite non-fiction topic to read about and why?
Famous people autobiographies to learn from successful, smart or rich people how to make a better life and travel novels to learn and dream from people’s experiences about distance places I will never see.

If you could buy one book that would help you solve a problem in your life, what would it be and why?
As practical as I am, no book will ever solve my problem in life, unless I work at my problem with action. A book can only give me some inspiration.

Do you prefer to write at night or during the day?
Anytime, I am a nightcrawler and early birds, depending on my mood.

If you could be any character from a book, who would you be and why?
I am very happy being me, but for the sake of this award,  I would try a man’s role, just to see how it is on the other side. I would choose to be Casanova.

Do you prefer to read a printed book or an e-Book?
A printed book smells like a book and knowledge.

These are my 11 nominees, all very talented and creative people. Please visit each other, I am so grateful for all your knowledge, spirit and insights you bring me.

http://greendoorhospitality.wordpress.com/

http://astimegoesbuy.me/

http://terry1954.wordpress.com/

http://marianne365days.wordpress.com/

http://thepalladiantraveler.com/

http://jakesprinters.wordpress.com/

http://50yearproject.wordpress.com/

http://petit4chocolatier.wordpress.com/

http://katrinaperkins.wordpress.com/

http://shareandconnect.wordpress.com/

http://misbehavedwoman.wordpress.com/

Life, colors and bread go on. Take control of your own food and the happiness that will follow.  Those who have seeds and know how to make food will survive. Create a great week. Ciao,
Valentina

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

Copyright © 2013 Valentina Cirasola, All Rights Reserved

Valentina Cirasola has been in business as an interior designer since 1990 improving people’s life by changing their spaces. Often people describe her as “the colorist” for a reason. She lives in a colorful world, wrote a book on colors and loves to color her clients’ environments by creating the unusual. Her deep interest in food led her to study food, natural remedies, nutrition and well-being as an autodidact and finally wrote two books on Italian regional cuisine. Find Valentina’s books on

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

29 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 »

 

Feeling Precious In Emerald Green | By: Valentina Cirasola | Interior Designer Thursday, Feb 28 2013

The word “Emerald” was first used in the 14th Century to indicate a bright green stone consisting of chromium-rich variety of beryl, a precious blue-green color of seawater stone priced as precious gemstone.

Emerald color in nothing new in the home fashion front. In 1800, emerald-green heavy velvet or damask curtains embellished English interiors and again all through the ‘50s emerald-green was the color in vogue for modern home interiors and modern appliances. More than sixty years later, emerald-green is emerging strong as the spring/summer color of this year.

Selecting colors is a process of emotion’s discovery, how they make you feel, what memory they evoke, what sensory perception they trigger. I like to think of the most common colors as precious value: citrine yellow, ruby-red, emerald-green, royal purple, pink quartz, brown topaz, pearl white, iridescent moonstone, blue aquamarine, orange coral, platinum silver, antique gold, bronze, satin copper and so on. Once I give value to colors they immediately feel rich, elegant, abundant, sophisticated or flavorful.

Emerald green is very rich, very dark and not much light transpires from it. The secret of a successful dark designed interior rests in the illumination; show the light without showing the light fixture. Illumination can be achieved also by accenting with light colors, such as white doors or glass doors as in the photograph of the interior by Studio CSL in Milan. I absolutely love the transparency of the blue glass wall partition and white sheer curtains with the dark blue seating in the corner grounding the room. It’s very simple and minimalist, but very effective.

Note in the photo below how the Chartreuse mixes well with white and silver colors mixed, together with the emerald-green pillows. Here the light comes from the texture of the satin grey fabric of the sofa, which makes games of light and dark. The color of the wall behind matches to perfection the color of some pillows, but the light source coming from the right side (we see it, but we don’t really) makes this picture modern and pleasant. Remember, the wall colors is one item easy to match to anything, thus it might just be the last item to select even from a 1″x1″ sample.

Most people think interior doors must be white, natural or brown. I find interior green door very attractive, especially if the interior spaces and furniture are mostly white, antique white, distressed or beige. Emerald green doors will bring a touch of class and grandeur.

In my Pinterest board  http://pinterest.com/vcvalentina  there is a picture of an iPhone cover I love. Just take a look of all the color combinations possible with emerald-green. It is a real inspiration for those who don’t really want a dark room in green, but want to be trendy only with accessories. Later when they get tired of emerald-green, it will be easier to change the accessories than the entire room furniture. On this iPhone cover the color combinations to go with emerald-green are exciting and very livable.

Think of greenery for interiors to add natural colors. Terrariums are full of wonder. Like little worlds of their own, they are an excellent way to study life. This set of 3 by Doodle Birdie is sold on Etsy.

I am designing a kitchen in a classical style, all antique white cabinetry, with some glass cabinet doors, pewter doorknobs, green rain marble countertop and blonde distressed hickory hardwood floor. Functionality was a requirement, elegance not so much, but it will be when completed.

(Click on the kitchen drawings to see them in a larger view)

If you want to purchase a real emerald stone, I would suggest the Colombian emerald, it is the most prized due to transparency and fire. Ciao,
Valentina

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

Copyright © 2013 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.
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 three books all available on

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

18 Responses »

 

Treasure Trove | By: Valentina Cirasola | Interior Designer Monday, Feb 18 2013

It was 11:00 am when today I entered the Treasure Trove antique shop, where did the time go? It’s now 5:00 pm and the store workers are pushing me out the door. They can’t believe I have been in there all day and I can’t believe I forgot to eat, my favorite activity!

I am a contemporary woman, absolutely love the time I am living, but I adore the past and surround myself with anything unusual and original. Growing up in Europe it was customary to visit regularly “mercato delle pulci” flea market, they are the back door of history. It has been said that the dress Marie Antoinette wore for her coronation, turned up in a flea market years later after commoners had worn it and misused it badly. Flea markets and second time around stores are the creative source for a prolific fantasy. You must imagine a voiles curtain as a tablecloth instead, or a crystal glass for cotton balls and q-tips, or even a Bakelite purse no longer for an Opera night, but for a business networking event, where the purse might be used as an ice breaker.

Crystal ball

Vintage findings

Crystal bowl & gold plated spoons

Pierrot face

Earring covering a nail

I also find old jewelry very interesting. A long time ago women used the parure, meaning matching set composed of broach, necklace, earrings bracelet and ring. I wouldn’t go around decorated like a boring Christmas tree, that’s why I buy only one of these pieces from a parure no longer matching and use it as drawer knobs, or as a decoration to hide a picture nail, other than wear it on a cashmere sweater, or attached to the pocket of a pair of jeans.

Going to a flea market I will never leave with what I had in mind to find and neither anyone else I know. This time I was looking for a particular mirror I didn’t find, but I left the store with things absolutely not needed that I will use in my décor with a spontaneous joy. I will hang the green hat on the French chair; I will wear the Bakelite purse to a business networking, serve coffee with the golden plate non-matching spoons, serve chocolates and strawberries in the red Depression glass vase; the Pierrot brass face has found its niche between my drawings on the gallery wall in the corridor and the crystal ball ended up in the pot with the Amaryllis.

If you are looking for furniture with a flavor of the past, I would recommend bringing with you measurements of the room you want to decorate, measuring tape, picture of the room, perhaps some of the texture you are going after and a color palette, then you need to learn the skill of bargaining. Often cash is alluring and speaks better than a credit card, if you want to bring the price down considerably.

The personalized décor I like for me is the type in which everything comes from different eras and lives together very well without clashing. In my house the metals, the woods and the picture frames are all different, but they mix so well people always wonder how I do it. Simple,  break all the decorating rules and shock anyone who comes to visit!  Long time ago, I tried to have a minimalist home to avoid those dusting moments every woman hate, but I didn’t feel comfortable in an empty home, it wasn’t me, the house was cold and uninspiring. As a result, I was out all the time and neglected my house anyway, thinking that there wasn’t much to clean and could have done it in a few minutes. Those minutes were never appropriate, nor convenient because I didn’t want to be there. Now, my house is warm, full, opulent and very colorful. Vintage is for the courageous!
Time for a glass of wine! I deserve it, I have helped history staying alive. Ciao,
Valentina
http://www.Valentinadesigns.com  

http://valentinaexpressions.com

Copyright © 2013 Valentina Cirasola, All Rights Reserved

Valentina Cirasola is an Italian Interior and Fashion Designer, working in the USA and Europe. She blends fashion and interior well in any of her design work. She loves to remodel homes and loves to create the unusual. She is the author of three books, all-available on
Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/9agl5v9
Barnes&Nobles: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/valentina-cirasola

8 Responses »

 

Marrying Painted Furniture | By: Valentina Cirasola | Interior Designer Tuesday, Feb 12 2013

You have a tired piece of furniture, you like it so much, perhaps it has been in the family for a long time or you just care for the environment and don’t want to dispose of it. The solution is to repaint it.

It is fun to let the imagination run free when repainting furniture.  You are imagining the new piece in a particular corner, you found the right color or pattern you like so much and get equipped with all that is needed to do the paint job, but then you might realize that particular color or pattern will not fit with the décor of your room.  Before you get innamorate of a certain design,  the first think to do is to ask yourself if color and pattern will go with your room décor. When you are absolutely sure, purchase all the material needed. A couple of times it happened to me. I was totally taken by a certain design that I ended up changing the rest of the room to fit the painted piece.

If you are restyling a room based on the new color of your painted furniture, remember that nothing transforms a room better than colors do. Colors in nature work just as you see them, bring them in the room, they will work just as good. A room exposed to South can take bold and rich colors on walls, furniture and accessories. For rooms exposed to North, you might want to use bold colors only in accessories.
Take one or two colors from your painted furniture and use them as your color scheme for the room. Then the fun part comes. Select one color that doesn’t even exist in your painted furniture piece and make it the accent color to help the room stand out. Note what I did in my color schemes:

First colors scheme: The green tones came from the green lines of the dresser, by introducing a raspberry color the room become vibrant. Although green is a calming color, it might not be suitable for everyone, especially for those people who have a low value skin tone.

Second colors scheme: the grounding color is black found in the chair legs, coffee table and credenza top. In the next slide, notice how the same piece of furniture looks so different with different colors around.

Third color scheme: I picked up the brownish tones from the same credenza with diamond designs, changing the feeling of the room completely. Have you noticed the rug has the same diamond pattern of the credenza? It just happened by chance.

Fourth color scheme: I chose to play with the brown tone of the colorful chest of drawers. The yellow in the drawers was my inspiration for a yellow tone floral chair. Floral chairs offer many colors to mix and match other chairs in solid colors.

Fifth color scheme: painted golden and silver stripes characterize this dresser drawer, to which anything can be  matched. I chose the golden tones, bright, warm colors and added texture with the accessories. The feel is sunny and natural.

Sixth color scheme: In alternative to paint a piece of furniture, you might want to consider covering that piece with faux leather, or wallpaper. Color black grounds a room, but also, as a graphic color, lends itself to many color combinations from classical to modern.

Today’ s wise designer must know how to romance a room and how to dance around client’s budget.

If a client needs guidance in painting a piece of furniture that can say “I am an original” , I will gladly do that, it is part of my services and color is my expertise. Ciao,
Valentina

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

Copyright © 2013 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, the latest is a book on colors RED-A Voyage Into Colors. Find them on 
Amazon http://tinyurl.com/9agl5v9 
Barnes&Nobles: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/valentina-cirasola

 

8 Responses »

 

From Here To France | By: Valentina Cirasola | Interior Designer Wednesday, Feb 6 2013

Christine, a French young woman, was reading my blog and my posts on Facebook without commenting. I didn’t know she was sort of “watching” me, today we would say she was following me.
Her home entry and the studio room needed attention, she had a vague idea of how she wanted to decorate the two spaces with a few materials she attempted to collect. Then one day she connected with me and told me she was following me all the way from France.

It seems a long way to design someone’s home across the world, one would think, but the world is no longer unreachable. Through Skype line I am able to help people with design challenges in the four corners of the world.
Christine wanted to divide the two spaces with a separé (room divider), as there was no space for a swinging door. My solution was to add a pocket door with a sand-blasted glass panel, to let the light in the entry, still keep the studio private and add some flair or style to the spaces. To help her visualizing the door, I made a drawing of the glass design, added photographs of some of my previous work and emailed them to her. The door was produced locally in her town in the same wood of all the interior doors of her house and the glass was sand-blasted according to my instructions.

She told me her wall color preference was soft colors. I suggested a soft faux finish treatment that she liked very much, but had no idea how to do. I sent her a few samples in the mail and she ended up painting the entire house instead of only the two rooms I was engaged for. In areas where the sunlight hits indirectly, one can see the beautifully done sponge and stippled finish techniques.

The entry needed some furniture and her mother’s desk-chair set needed a new look. By elimination of her choices, we selected the new fabric for the chair and new knobs for the desk. The small ceramic rosettes look very cute on the dark repainted wood. I purchased them at Anthropologie store and shipped them to her.  Emailing her photographs of accessories was the easiest way to convey ideas of look, texture and colors of items she could find easily in her town. The studio only needed wall paint-work and she actually made the lamp shades showing in my photos.

Floating furniture is a technique designer use often. Once we set furniture in a room, doesn’t mean they must stay in that position forever. Furniture look different and sometimes even more attractive if we move them around and set them in a different light with different accessories. I let her bring into the entry space two small chairs she had somewhere else in the house and never use them. Through Skype line was easy to see what she owned and repurpose each item. She thought nothing of some pieces she had in various closets, but I made them come alive, found new life and a new place.

The entire process took about three months, including all the work done by others. She was inspired and encouraged to reuse many of her own pieces that did not end up in the landfill. She is enjoying them in a new style and didn’t spend much money in the design process. “A clever designer must know how to romance the room and dance around client’s budget” ~ I say that.

Now, when writing a blog, be careful of what you write, you never know who is “watching”. 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 in the traditional face-to-face, 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

8 Responses »

 

F For Furniture – A Movable Thought | By: Valentina Cirasola | Interior Designer Friday, Feb 1 2013

Welcome to my A to Z Challenge on the subject of HOME

The word furniture comes from the 1570 French word “fournir” (furnish in English). Furniture was the prerogative of the higher levels of society and nobles who lived in castles while the less prosperous sat on benches, stools or on the floor, ate at whatever table available at their disposition and often slept on beds of straw. Furniture had a double purpose: to decorate a room as we intend it today and to be mobile. In fact in many European countries where romantic languages are spoken furniture was also called “mobilia” a Latin word which means mobile. The word is still in use today.

Vacation time of the rich and nobles was like a house moving of today, they took along chairs, tables, trunks and household stuff when they left their castle and went to visit their peers in their castles. Visiting people’s castle was a common custom as today we go on vacation and stay in hotels, except that our hotels are fully furnished and clothes is the only thing we carry around.

Furniture and adornments were meant to convey the wealth of its owner. Rich oak was the preferred wood for container such as trunks and credenza; upholstered chairs in velvet or expensive materials divided rooms elegantly in vignettes; turned legs accented and beautified any boxed furniture; elaborate window treatments kept the cold winter out and gilded and decorated walls lined with expensive art really told the story of how wealthy the family was.

The Dutch were the first to use Turkish rug as table coverings and not as floor covering. They believed furniture was to admire, to use and never to crowd a room, in that it would detract the light and the spirit within. However their reason might have been a more practical one. Dutch people scrubbed and cleaned their homes every day and when entering the house, took their shoes off on the unfurnished and very bare first floor, which was considered an extension of the street. With slippers on their feet, they entered the livable home on the second floor. However, the cleanliness of their homes did not reflect the cleanliness of their bodies. One would think that the same people who scrubbed, cleaned and shined their homes, would take an exceptional effort to keep up with personal care and hygiene as well, but that was not the case. Houses did not have a room for bathing and the multiple layers of clothing that kept them warm during the hard winter months, discouraged bathing and exposure to fresh air: “the bark stays better on the trunk”.

Strangely enough, not much as changed since then, except that furniture are less decorated, more functional, respect the rule of ergonomics, often are very technological with more than one function and we don’t take them on our vacations. In decorating, we like to reproduce past styles to feel a connection to history. The Dutch four-post bed is still in use today, as are alcoves and banquette seating under windows. Family portraits and various art pieces still line our decorated walls. Entering someone’s home it’s hard to remain indifferent one way or the other. Furniture will immediately communicate the status symbol or non-status of the owner and the style will speak about the owner’s personality.

As for cleanliness, I wonder often if people have learned anything or if technology has even helped. It’s not uncommon for me, being a designer, to go into a house for the first time and find a royal mess and stale air. The answer is to be found in the question: “what do people do with their time?”. Ciao,
Valentina

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

Copyright © 2013 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.
She is the author of three books all available on

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

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Weekly Photo Challenge: Beyond | By: Valentina Cirasola | Interior Designer Friday, Jan 25 2013

I remembered when I lived in Naples, Italy, the metro line that crossed Via Toledo was a dirty place and unpleasant to travelers. It was confusing, noisy and nothing to look at while in transit down in the gut of the earth.
Construction works was always going on and always stopped by delays and lack of funds. The earthquake of the early 1980 struck causing lot of damages and loss of lives, the work had to be stopped again and plans revised to address all the safety issues that could occur in future earthquakes.

(All photos by Andrea Resmini)

Today, it seems the Spanish Bourbons have arrived to dominate Naples again. The new Toledo Metro Station is a jewel of art and functionality by the hand of Catalan Architect Oscar Tusquets Blanca. He designed the new station with art and sea in mind.
The area feels like an underground museum, San Gennaro, the much-loved protector of Naples leads all the classical mythological figures. Going deeper in the belly of the earth, one feels enveloped by blue Tyrrhenian Sea, but it’s an illusion of tile work, the colors become brighter leaving behind the ochre and earth tones.

Beyond the entry at Via Toledo, a bustling shopping street named after Spanish Viceroy of Naples Pedro Alvares de Toledo (1532 – 1552), one can admire the walls covered with Bisazza Mosaics giving the perception of being underwater. The feeling is very pleasant and calming, hoping it will quiet some agitated souls accustomed to the loud living of the Spanish Quarters (area of the city built for the Spanish troops in the 16th century), which is the other side of the station that will be completed by next February 2013.
The Toledo station opened last September 2012, but the renovation is not finished yet. It will take five or more years to complete the line from Piscinola to Capodichino Airport. This is a work in progress of beauty and modernism involving global architects, designers, artists and craftsmen, all with the same goal in mind:  to keep Naples the open art exhibit that has always been since the Spanish Bourbons and beyond. 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. Author of three books, all available on

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

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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 »