Modern Industrial Minimalism by Fiorito Interior Design

It’s rare when a client comes to me with a brief for a complete home from scratch, but that is exactly what happened here. My client, a professional musician and singer, was having a luxury three-story condo built and wanted help choosing not only all the hardscape materials like tile, flooring, carpet, and cabinetry, but also all furniture and furnishings. I even outfitted his new home with plates, flatware, pots and pans, towels, sheets, and automated window coverings. Like I said, this was from scratch!

We defined his style direction for the new home including dark colors, minimalistic furniture, and a modern industrial sensibility, and I set about creating a fluid expression of that style. The tone is set at the entry where a custom laser-cut industrial steel sign requests visitors be shoeless. We deliberately limited the color palette for the entire house to black, grey, and deep blue, with grey-washed or dark stained neutral woods.

The navy zellige tiles on the backsplash in the kitchen add depth between the cement-textured quartz counters and cerused cabinetry. The island is painted in a coordinating navy and features hand-forged iron stools.

In the dining room, horizontal and vertical lines play with each other in the form of an angular linear chandelier, lighted acrylic light columns, and a hand-made dining table with a special faceted wave edge. Chair backs echo the shape of the art maps of favorite cities my client's band has toured.

We chose a unique, three dimensional wall treatment for the living room where a plush sectional and LED tunable lights set the stage for comfy classic movie nights. A custom, extra-long media console and polished concrete coffee table round out the space.

Walls with a repeating whimsical black and white whale skeleton named Bruce adorn the walls of the powder room.

The adjacent patio boasts a resort-like feeling with a cozy fire table, a wall of up-lit boxwoods, and a black sofa and chairs for star gazing.

A gallery wall featuring a roster of some of my client’s favorite rock, punk, and jazz musicians adorns the stairwell.

On the third floor, the primary and guest bathrooms continue with the cement-textured quartz counters and same cerused cabinetry.

We completed this well-appointed home with a serene guest room in our established limited color palette, and a lounge/office/recording room which serves as a space for band photos and a gold record!

All photos by Bernardo Grijalva

Happy designing!

History of Furniture: Shaker

In this chapter of our ongoing History of Furniture series, let's look at a simple design element that has really withstood the test of time. You probably know about the door profile that is referred to as a Shaker style door.

But do you know where this classic style came from?

The Shakers (officially called The United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing) were a Christian sect founded in England in the 1700s that later settled in colonial America a few decades after their founding. For a Christian sect at that time, they held surprisingly progressive views: they were pacifists, they valued equality between the sexes with women taking on leadership roles within the society (reflecting their belief that God is both male and female), and they lived a communal lifestyle. They practiced celibacy--sex was forbidden for members and because of this, child-rearing was not something the Shakers often did, save for a woman who might be pregnant at the time of her admittance to the Shaker society or the adoption of homeless orphans. This meant that the Shaker population would naturally dwindle. They welcomed this idea and at this point, in 2020, there are only 2 (yes, TWO) remaining members of the Shaker society in the world.

But in their earlier days, their beliefs led them to live in austere ways that were highly functional and completely devoid of ornamentation. They practiced restraint and economy in all things. The classic Shaker cabinet door is what is called a 5-piece: 2 rails at the top and bottom, 2 side stiles, and a center panel, all without any carving or embellishment.

The Shakers were supremely adept and ingenious at inventions and interior developments to help make cleaning and organizing that much easier and faster. They installed peg rails around rooms so chairs could be stowed up and out of the way when not in use, making it easier to sweep or mop a floor. These peg rails also conveniently held other every day items like brooms and hats.

Photo by Erin Little

But the Shakers were not collectors or ones to value objects, so their interiors were often a bit bare with plenty of negative space. But this leads me to reflect on the Zen idea of negative space being full. Since the Shakers were a religious sect, their interest in this kind of austerity and minimalism certainly had its roots in the belief that negative space was not "nothing" but full of something whether that might be energy, God, or space itself. There is a kind of lovely ease and peace that can come with an uncomplicated, organized interior which allows one to reflect inward.

A bedroom in a "dwelling house" at the Canterbury Shaker Village, Canterbury, New Hampshire. Photo by Erin Little 

The peg rails held the classic cane-seated Shaker chair which came in flat and rocking versions.

The Shakers were also masters of woodworking and made beautiful, simple baskets and boxes of bent wood. These classic Shaker boxes are highly valued.

Here is a shot of the Shaker Retiring Room on display at the Metropolitan Museum in New York City, featuring various authentic Shaker objects.

Happy designing!

White: A Blank Page Or Canvas 2020

Hello past, current, and future clients, and regular readers and followers: welcome to 2020. As we begin a new year with promise and the possibility of much-needed change and optimism stretched out before us, I am reminded of these words from "Sunday In The Park With George" by the legendary Stephen Sondheim: "White: a blank page or canvas...so many possibilities." Here in the western world, white represents purity. It is basic, untouched, unformed. These are the qualities of a blank piece of paper or a painter's canvas, ready to absorb any ideas and to support whatever might be created upon it.

There are those in the interior design world who think that white is a lost opportunity for color, and being more of a maximalist myself, I might lean in that direction, but I can't deny the allure of the absence of color as well. White can be a bold statement as much as any hue and the following white rooms speak volumes.

Happy designing!

"A Walk In The Forest" Bathroom by Fiorito Interior Design

When a husband and wife team of professional botanists wanted to remodel their cramped, 1980s-era bathroom, we naturally looked to the forest for inspiration! With the expert help of Elite Construction Services Inc., we opened up this formerly segmented space (the toilet and washer/dryer were in a separate area from the shower/tub and vanity) to make it feel larger. A controlled, muted color scheme further enlarges the room by connecting all the planes, and serves as a neutral backdrop for a calming spa experience.

All the materials speak to my clients’ love of nature. The custom wood vanity with tower and coordinating mirror frame are made so the grain lays in a refreshing horizontal pattern. The porcelain field tile is made to look like limestone with shadows of sediment and fossils. Other elements add to the feeling of a walk in the woods: long-format porcelain tiles of falling leaves cascade down a wall and blend into a stream of river stones that roll across the width of the space. The open, curbless shower with a hidden linear drain invites users for a cleansing respite. Sleek, modern fixtures and a wall-hung toilet enhance the clean, soothing look of this organic, tranquil bathroom.

All photos by Genia Barnes.

If you'd like to infuse a bit of nature into your bathroom, contact me by clicking on my logo to the right! I'd love to create something with you.

Happy designing!