The 2018 Sunset Magazine Silicon Valley Idea House

Last week, I had the pleasure of attending a wonderful evening of design, food, and friends at the Sunset Magazine Idea House hosted by interior designer Lauren Nelson who did a wonderful job creating a gorgeous, relaxed, but highly stylish house that looks beautiful but is certainly created to live in. Constructed by De Mattei in sweet Los Gatos California, nestled at the base of the Santa Cruz mountains, this Modern Craftsman features many elements that contribute to a gracious sense of living here in Northern California.

LaCantina doors open at the front and rear of the house to let light and air through, connecting outside to inside. A very pleasing, neutral-colored French oak plank floor runs throughout the house.

A hefty black marble fireplace wall (with coordinating black marble cocktail tables!) grounds the sitting and TV area adjacent to the sleek, organic kitchen with black stainless appliances. Beautiful, simple cabinetry features sleek black finger pull door and drawer hardware.

The main floor of the house is rounded out with a powder room with a marble sink, and a fascinating, textural, plaster muslin finish on the walls...

...and a laundry room off the garage with superb state-of-the-art Samsung appliances and a floor tile pattern that elevates the experience of "doing the laundry."

A glass enclosed and sky-lit stairway in the center of the home leads to the private areas. The master bedroom's comfy bed is graced with a built-in, channel-tufted, upholstered headboard in three dusky colors that spans the wall!

The master bathroom juxtaposes restraint with luxury.

A guest bedroom and office with a subtle cross-hatch wallpaper both share a bathroom with a gorgeous sage colored floor made from Fireclay tile and a shower with an exquisite patterned tile.

A surprising element in this home is a basement level--something we don't usually have in our soft-earth, quake-prone area. Here, Nelson makes excellent use of the space by turning it into a media room/party room with a wet bar. The basement also features a separate bath and bedroom.

If you'd like to visit the Sunset Magazine Silicon Valley Idea House, the final weekend is this Saturday September 29 and Sunday Septmeber 30, 2018. Purchase $20.00 tickets from Eventbrite here. Tours are from 11:00am - 4:00pm. Tickets will be valid all day for the date listed on your ticket. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Stroke Awareness Foundation.

If you miss it, the home will be published in Sunset’s November 2018 120th Anniversary Special Collector’s Edition issue.

Happy designing!

September Saloom Sale!

For my local Bay Area clients, I am happy to announce the Fiorito Interior Design September Saloom Dining Furniture Sale exclusively featuring handmade pieces from this artisan company located in Massachusetts!

Now is the time to take advantage of the best of exquisite handcrafted Saloom furniture including tables, chairs and benches (wood and upholstered), stools, buffets, credenzas, and hutches! Save 35% off retail prices from one of the most respected furniture manufacturers in the industry.

This sale is for a limited time only!
Orders must be placed before 5PM, Friday September 28, 2018.

Go to Saloom to make your dining furniture choices and either email or phone me (visit my website for contact information) to order and take advantage of this exceptional 35% savings!

Happy designing!

The Textile Designs of Martyn Thompson

Now it's time for you to meet Martyn Thompson.

I feel a bit of kinship with Martyn Thompson. Born in England but raised in Sydney, Australia, the teenaged Martyn was very influenced by glam rock, punk, and especially the New Romantics. In fact, his website bio says, "He was particularly captivated by the aesthetic of Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren’s subversive early collections and the music of artists such as Siouxsie and the Banshees." I too was entranced with the New Romantics as well as Westwood and McLaren!

Thompson began designing clothes just after leaving university in Sydney in the early ’80s. But after photographing his creations, he discovered it was the photographs people truly responded to: moody settings, natural lighting, and a sense of place that went beyond the frame. He decided to try photography and, essentially self-taught, he ended up shooting for Australian fashion magazines! He moved to Paris to further his career and after three years there, decamped for London where his work morphed from fashion to interiors. Finally, in 1999, he moved to New York City where he now lives and runs Martyn Thompson Studio, photographing campaigns for companies like Jo Malone, Tiffany & Co., Gucci, Hyatt, Ralph Lauren, Grey Goose vodka, Hermès, FLOR, and MAC cosmetics, and creating his own textiles and rugs.

I love his utterly unique, patchwork, frayed look: a bit Georgian (if Mr. Darcy had been clothed by gypsies), and a bit Icelandic gnome, with a sprinkling of 70s funk (I'm in love with his chunky platform shoes!). And look at the red Vivienne Westwood squiggle socks below! You go, hermano!

His textiles are fascinating. He created a jacquard fabric (the design is woven into the fabric itself, previously here) he calls Rock Pool which looks like a view of rocks just below the surface of a shallow sea...

His website shop describes another jacquard, the Accidental Expressionist series:
"Layer upon layer of paint flecks cover this design that beautifully captures the spirit and texture of an artist's drop cloth. The layering of colors gives the fabric a sense of history, a patina developed over time with each new paint speck."

And his floral design Cézanne's Shadow is a tapestry that can be used for pillows, soft goods (one could stitch several together for bedding or drapery), and placed for upholstery.

And he turned the paint-splatter pattern into a rug for Perennials available here!

His on-line shop also has a wonderful selection of bags, totes, pillows, blankets, and scarves. Take a look!

Happy designing!