Happy Halloween 2022!

Happy Halloween to all my clients, subscribers, and regular readers! Here's a bit of inspiration for your spooky decorating urges...I like to hang cut up black trash bags in a fringe as shown here. I also have a giant spider I hang from the eaves of my front porch. Colored lights go along way to conjuring up a mood of unease...use green tinted lights for a sickly tint. And ghosts cut out from translucent tracing paper taped up in windows offer a chill.

Have a wonderful, fun, and safe holiday!

Happy designing and Happy Halloween!

History of Furniture: George Hepplewhite

In the context of the history of furniture, there were a lot of cabinetmakers (an old term for furniture makers) in England in the 18th and 19th centuries but there are only a handful of legendary names:  Thomas Chippendale, Thomas Sheraton, and George Hepplewhite are known as The Big Three.

We have covered Chippendale in a post post here but let's take a look at George Hepplewhite. Not much is known of Hepplewhite's early life. Even his precise birthyear is unknown. But we do know he opened a cabinetmaker shop in London and died in 1786. However his widow Alice kept the business in operation.

Fascinatingly, it was not until 1788 when Alice posthumously published her late husband's designs in the CABINET MAKER AND UPHOLSTERER'S GUIDE that his work gained any notoriety. She published two further editions in 1789 and 1790. Chippendale was producing furniture at the same time and while he worked in a variety of styles, Hepplewhite stood by a single distinctive look featuring a neo-classical silhouette. Instead of the curvy cabriole leg of Queen Anne and Chippendale pieces, Hepplewhite looked to Grecian and Roman columns to make his straight legs--whether round or square--which were often fluted like a column of antiquity. He also pioneered and made popular the sideboard and the short chest of drawers which he designed with a serpentine or bow front, a relatively new feature in furniture for that period. Pieces are of contrasting veneered woods with inlays in interesting and pastoral shapes.

Hepplewhite created a unique chair back that is known as a "shield back chair," and it is easy to see why: the shape is that of a shield.

Hepplewhite also pioneered a decorative and functional object that every well appointed dinign room of the period held: the cutlery urn or box. These were carved wooden vessels with removeable lids that held knives but also spoons and forks. They were displayed on pedestals of their own often flanking a sideboard. The urn shape was popular but  Hepplewhite and Sheraton also designed square boxes with sloped and hinged lids.

Happy designing!

The Pebbles Collection from Caesarstone

Earlier this year, Caesarstone (the inventor of quartz surfacing celebrating its 35th anniversary this year in 2022!), unveiled their new nature inspired Pebbles Collection that features five designs celebrating the never-ending transformation of wind and water over stone.

Their press release says, "The new Pebbles Collection embodies the bigger essence of small stones. A palette of warm, dynamic monochromes is laced with softer hues and enriched by distinctive textures that are inspired by the everlasting path of the pebble, bringing the blessings of sunlight and rain into the heart of the home."

1001 Riverlet: A gentle off-white touched by honied amber capillaries that flow softly across the surface, with Honed finish for a tinge of freshness that reflects more light in the kitchen. Available in honed finish.

1002 Wyndigo: Warm earthy gradients wash over a soft greige surface veined with foamy greys, capturing a pebble’s two-toned mottled patina. Available in honed finish.

1003 Raindream: Two layers of slate greys are accentuated by soft dark grey strokes contoured in neutral highlights with a finish that makes the surface look like a wet river stone. Available in polished finish.

1004 Stoneburst: Two shades of sage grey with soft mineral undertones and subtle grey veining that complements this calm complexion. Available in honed finish.

1006 Agger Grey: A rich two-toned base of warm smoky greys with delicate clay undertones and white veins that create a two-toned surface. Available in honed and polished finish.

These look to be perfect choices for many different types of kitchens.

Happy designing!

A Princess Bathroom by Fiorito Interior Design

When a large family renovated a home nestled in the foothills of the Santa Cruz mountains, all bathrooms received dazzling upgrades, but none more so than this sweet and beautiful bathroom for their nine year-old daughter who is crazy for every Disney heroine or Princess.

We laid down a herringbone floor of sparkly white Thassos marble edged with an exquisite mother of pearl mosaic. Every space can use something shiny and the mirrored vanity, gleaming and curvaceous chrome fixtures, and glittering crystal light fixtures bring a sense of glamour. And light lavender walls are a gorgeous contrast to a Thassos and intricate mother of pearl floral mosaic on the shower wall. This is one lucky little Princess!

All photos by Bernardo Grijalva.

Happy designing!

La Cornue by Martyn Lawrence Bullard

Celebrity interior designer Martyn Lawrence Bullard has collaborated with La Cornue, the venerable French company making high quality ranges since 1908, to create ten new colors in their Château series based on high performance race cars.

Bullard says, "The colors I chose for the collection, apart from being iconic racing car colors, are colors that bring such personality to a space. Color is really something that we can use to show our personalities in our interiors. So, for me, everything from our beautiful deep black, to our rich and sexy oranges and reds, are all colors that are so vibrant and so full of expression and personality. It adds such excitement into a kitchen in a way we haven't seen before."

I can see these working really well in kitchens of many different styles. The colors allow for varied directions of feeling and expression in a home remodel.

Happy designing!

Know Your Chairs: The Tulip Chair by Eero Saarinen

Finnish American designer and architect Eero Saarinen is perhaps most famous for his design, which was created with structural engineer Hannskarl Bandel, of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, more commonly known as the St. Louis Arch. But within the sphere of interiors and furniture design, he created one of the most iconic mid-century furniture collections, The Tulip Group (also known as The Pedestal Collection). In 1955, Saarinen set out to design a collection of furniture that would eliminate, as he put it, "the slum of legs" found under ordinary four-legged pieces. His training as a sculptor and architect helped him develop a concept that was clean and spare. The chair is named for the tulip because of its similarity to the flower.

Made of cast aluminum and fiberglass, the design is sleek and utterly modern. In fact, the chair was adapted for use as seating (with a modified back) on the bridge of the Enterprise on the original "Star Trek" television series!

Although its origins are Mid-Century Modern, the chair can look good when paired with other, unexpected styles, as evidenced below (see my "Contrast brings interest" post)!

The chair is available from Knoll.

http://www.knoll.com/product/tulip-arm-chair

Happy designing!

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!