Tag: Rizzoli New York | Page 2 | Interior Design Master Class

At Home with Dogs and Their Designers: Sharing a Stylish Life

Susanna Salk, with principal photography by Stacey Bewkes. Rizzoli 2017

Back in the day, I had 2 overlapping generations of Norfolk Terriers: a red-wheaton named Maxine, and a black-and-tan, named Bruno, Maxine’s nephew. And if you were a customer of my textile studio you likely remember them, as they went to work with me everyday. We were inseparable.

And it’s the special relationship between designer and dog – or vice-versa as Salk tongue-and-cheekedly suggests in her title — that’s highlighted in her new book from Rizzoli New York… Continue reading “At Home with Dogs and Their Designers: Sharing a Stylish Life”

Timothy Corrigan: On Welcoming Spaces

Interior Design Master Class Timothy Corrigan

“First, you have to be sensitive to the psychology of the room. Color plays a huge role in the emotions that are evoked in the space: use color to maximize intended emotions for the area. The furniture plan and flow are also important; not enough furniture— or too much—can kill a room’s mood. Getting the proportions of the furnishings right is also essential. For example, low furniture in a room with tall ceilings can make its occupants feel diminished and unimportant.

Next, pay attention to comfort. We’ve all seen beautifully designed chairs that feel like torture devices when one sits down. When it comes to seating, ergonomics and comfort should come first. Getting scale right is also important; you don’t want the chair to be under- or overscaled. If you want statement pieces in a room, choose something other than seating.

Interior Design Master Class Timothy Corrigan — A seemingly paradoxical mix of formal architecture and casual decoration are found in this grand salon in France: deep down-filled seating, upholstered in an outdoor fabric; an antique Tabriz carpet; and objets d’art from many periods. The result is a room that feels relaxed and welcoming. Photo credit Eric Piasecki

“Then, consider practicality. Who wants to worry about the inevitable spilled glass of red wine or water ring on the antique side table? One of the most important aspects of a welcoming space is that it has been designed to really work for the way that you live. Today, with so many terrific options in terms of high-performance fabrics, you don’t have to squirm at the smallest accident.

Using marine varnish on even the finest of antiques takes the worry out of every glass or coffee cup that gets set down on a table.”

Eve Robinson: On Family

Interior Design Master Class Quotes “Just as homes can be laid out to maximize social interaction, an individual room can be designed to positively reinforce parent-child bonds. The placement and relationship of each piece of furniture to another affects how human connections are made. For instance, adding an L-shaped sectional to a family room with an ottoman in front invites everyone to gather to play games, do homework, and converse. Having an inviting, comfortable, well-lit place to read to a child fosters intimacy. Including trundle beds in children’s rooms makes it easy to have sleepovers, promoting socialization.

Interior Design Master Class Rizzoli — A colorful photograph by OlivoBarbieri hangs above a Jens Risom sofa in the center of this modern family lounge. The pair of bronze-and-glass coffee tables afford space for everything from coloring books to best sellers and the ombré curtains are made from alpaca. Photo credit: Peter Margonelli

“Contrary to what one might think, elegance and practicality are not irreconcilable for families. Throughout a home, materials can be aesthetically pleasing as well as durable.”

Anthony Baratta: On Exuberance

Interior Design Master Class

“Color is, of course, the easiest way to make a bold statement. There are no bad colors, but it is a lot easier to create an exuberant interior with red than it is with beige. Nancy Lancaster’s butter yellow room at Colefax and Fowler, David Hicks’s drawing room using ten shades of red, Billy Baldwin’s sublime blue room at the Villa Fiorentina, and Mark Hampton’s chocolate brown room in a Kips Bay showhouse will always be a huge influence, because although each room is unique, they all share a clarity and sense of purpose expressed through a strong color statement.”

“Love of strong color is a personality trait, and like an MGM musical, I choose to decorate in Technicolor. There are no rules when using color to foster exuberance, but I like using a classic combination like blue and white as a jumping-off point and then adding in the spice—such as orange.”

The New Chic: French Style from Today’s Leading Interior Designers

The title of Marie Kalt’s new book from Rizzoli New York references ‘The New Chic’, but she could just as easily have suggested ‘the radically cool’ as an alternative description. Every room in this book is sublime, especially those created for the annual design showcase AD Intériers where the participating designers are given carte blanche to create living spaces unfiltered by commissioning clients… Continue reading “The New Chic: French Style from Today’s Leading Interior Designers”

Alexa Hampton: On Tradition

A bust of Brutus, purchased from a dealer in London, holds court on a William Kent table that belonged to Mark Hampton, Alexa’s father. Photo credit Steve Freihon

“In design, traditional elements are loaded with the meanings they have accumulated over time. The iconography that accompanies neoclassicism, for example, has always spoken to power and those who would seize it. Greek, Roman, Napoleonic, Federal, Fascist: their not coincidentally shared imagery is meant to convey strength and mastery. The dynastic decor of the caesars, the sinister visual domination of a mammoth monolith in the era of Mussolini, the suggestion of solidity and security in the decorations of a Federal Bank in the American Midwest—traditional cues can function as tropes that help invest a space with a thought, a sensibility, or a hope, their meaning immediately identifiable to a passing glance.”