Haverhill Interior Designers & Decorators

Sketching on the ipad is a blast.

Living room sketch.

Erica Wilson Remembered

In March 09, I wrote about Vladamir Kagan and his wife and partner Erica Wilson. I was honored to meet such an engaging and vibrant pair.

Ms Wilson, who passed away in mid December, was inspirational to those who appreciated needlecraft and paralleled the career of Julia Child and was a forerunner in many ways to Martha Stewart.

Her public television shows, shops and books helped her build a

career as a teacher and one who singlehandedly kept a dying art alive.

Peace

SOWA Holiday Vintage and Antiques Market

design dolce partner, Stephanie needed an image for the SoWa online ad, so we put on our styling-graphic-photo person hat and came up with a chartreuse ribbon-coral red-Castaing blue-earthy and industrial photo. Came out great.

Another great event I'm checking out this weekend:

SOWA Antiques and Vintage Holiday Marketplace

460 C Harrison Avenue. (Albany St. end of bldg.)

Free parking at the Albany St. lot
(main entrance to market)

Friday: 4 - 9 PM
Saturday: 10 - 5
Sunday: 11 - 4

Light refreshments and cheer Friday evening while you shop for cool, one of a kind holiday surprises.

GREAT FINDS for so many on your list!

Check out my friends Stephanie and John in the vintagesteph booth (room to the left upon entering).

Lantern Parade

The Jamaica Pond Lantern Parade is a charming tradition is as lovely as it can be. The parade proceeded around the the pond, bringing a trail of bouncing lights into the darkness that can be seen from all directions. What a lovely walk! Home made lanterns, kids, community, candles, twilight and the smell of Autumn. It doesnt get much better.

Retail Therapy

My buddy/colleague Peter Levis' Beyond Gorgeosity is a spectacular source. The shop was in need of some retail therapy of its own and after several days, here is is.
Check it out at the link below.

BG BEFORE

BG AFTER

Gloveboxboston.

Welcome Gloveboxboston's innovative online photo show.
Check out my photo entry at Jodie's fascinating site.
This is a fantastic organization which keeps all artists on their toes. I love it.

Eclecticism.

Generally I cringe when someone says to me, "My taste is very eclectic.". Usually, it means a conglomeration of objects with sentimental attachment and some other objects which no real point of view. Ugh!

Mixing it up is a benchmark of my design philosophy. Although certain styles continually capture my attention, never would I call myself a strict mid-century modernist, classicist or country designer.

BG Pete, Bonsai and I found ourselves raising our bidding numbers (well not Bonsai) as we continued to discover the meaning of eclecticism. I say, YAY!

Recently we acquired pieces from the Harvey Probber Inc attorneys estate. The first is a sweeping sectional in embroidered turquoise silk, a dramatically comfortable statement in a loft or penthouse. The second is a set of marvelous Probber dining chairs remarkable in their contrast of caned and upholstered backs.







I can see it all with the Aesthetic movement firescreen with the sculpted turkey work of the white American hawk and various flowers. Hollywood modern meets East Coast Mid-Century chic. Now, there is eclectic!

A few well chosen pieces with great lines, bountiful drama and color are making the statement. There is no better way to show your personal eclectic elan.

Coy Koi!

red M studio exclusively carries a line of wallpaper called Palacepapers by Casey Gunschel. Casey is a a multi talented artist who almost secretly designs the most wonderfully quirky papers rooted in a glorious traditional sensibility. She is so Coy about her Koi!

Design Royalty

Sunday, at the AD 20/21 show at Boston's Cyclorama, I had a marvelous conversation with design Royalty charmers, husband and wife Vladimir Kagan and Erica Wilson. She was delighted I recalled her fascinating needlework show on WGBH. We talked about her books, videos and kits. We petted and posed with Bonsai, my buddy/colleague, Peter Levis' (Beyond Gorgeosity's) dachschund. Mr Kagan, vibrant and tanned, graciously dispensed business and design advice as he autographed his catalogue. An inspiring half hour!

The show itself had great exhibitors, including Greg Nanamura, Cara Antiques and Christopher Anthony soon to be relocating to Palm Springs.

Great design is alive and well in spite of this economy and it was great to see such a turn out.

MV

Scenting the through History

The toilette tray in someones home is often a great revelation. I peruse fragrances on TOP their vanity but certainly no further than the shelves above the toilet hoping for "scent evidence" into the individual.

Are they stocked up on Brut, Chantilly or English Leather? Hmm, I won't go there.

Justly said, I prefer super classic scents, and one day on a particular sniffing excursion my nose and brain were mesmerized by the contents of a nondescript, old fashioned bottle. The initial spray hit me as super-sweet but quickly turned into the most intoxicating, transporting scent. It was the perfectly powdery Melograno
(Pomegranate) from the venerable Italian Pharmacia, Santa Maria Novella.

Pomegranates, originally from Persia have been depicted in Egyptian tombs and in many of the greatest works of art, symbolizing wealth, fertility and abundance. How perfect for me! It is delicious.

Immediately, I researched and found this ancient Florentine company completely fascinating which of course appealed to my sense of time and history. While in New York this past weekend I treated myself to a bottle of this spectacular liquor and am sharing my secret. It was a great lift.

So, finding something that works with your sense of adventure, history or beauty as opposed to something packaged for the mass market by some ad-crazy mega corp

A good Parfumeria will have coffee beans to help your nose differentiate one new scent after another. So enjoy and experiment.

A scent is a simple way to transport one's self in these solemn days.

Happy sniffing!

MV

Positive Space

Last night I watched Independent Lens documentarty called Helvetica which focused on the extraordinary font designed in the late 1950's. It got me thinking about negative and positive space and the importance of its equality in composition.

In interiors, whether the experience is horror vacui or ultra minimal, it is the yin yan of positve and negative space which triggers our emotianal comfort level. My fascination is how each of us react so differently to what occupies space. Accumulation is as as comforting to some as object absence is to others. What is the personal trigger? Who knows? I must say that for the most part I would prefer a rather empty room with comfy chair and firelplace to one filled to the ceiling. I suppose its the same reason why some of us may eat snails and others oysters.

HIgh Drama in a low drama town

Last month I got a call from a man named Peter who was referred by a client named Jeff who said, "I think you two might get along," meaning he saw our collections of antiques and my design as being what he termed in conservative New England speak, "different".

Check out Beyond Gorgeosity. Peter arrived with an amazing collection of mid century furniture great accessories as well as a plethora of knowlege and affinity for the designs of the great artisans and designers of the Twentieth Century.

The Tree.

I lost it putting up the tree while listening to the Connie Francis Christmas Album.

There was tons of hesitancy for me in participating in this years Winter holiday given life's stress and uncertain world. I felt perhaps I might forgo the tree and opt for a few candles and maybe some flowers, but an important reason for my change of heart was my friend Charles who years ago inspired my search for the sparse "un-sheared" tree. I was eager to finally show off my secret farm where trees are left to their natural design. We drove an hour into the country to my special find. The day was cold and gorgeous and the ground was a little muddy but after a brisk search through a sunny field we each cut beautiful trees. I am glad because it brought hope.

Hope is much of what we have now and its powerful as I found great joy in the symbol of this ancient evergreen totem, serving generations through thousands of dark Winters.

So, after squeezing the trunk into the stand, unraveling lights and about the third bar of Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas I lost it, my eyes teared and mind flooded with all the people and occasions represented by the gaudy ornaments dangling in defiance. It was a pretty nice moment. The Tree did its thing for me once again and I found myself firmly in life's saddle, acutely aimed toward the light.

A Joyful Solstice.

MV

DEAR DESIGNER

Dear Readers, we have our first Dear Designer question and it's a great one.

Dear Designer, My kitchen is command central for my home..... school papers, bills, mags, etc. end up on my LARGE kitchen island. I spent 15 minutes de-cluttering, resulting in a clean island with organized piles to deal with later. I created a notebook for each child's school papers and art.

I need a hidden solution for filing papers close to the source....I can allocate a cabinet or a space for a file system, but I don't want it to look yucky. Any thoughts?

I am not alone here, this is a challenge for all busy households to stay on top of the paper and decrease the clutter in our lives. Any ideas for stylish solutions for keeping control of all the household (and home based biz) stuff? Papers, mostly.

Sandra Lynnfield, MA


Well, Sandra, I have a few solutions practical and good-looking. You have already made some headway. It is the "deal with later" part that we all have to attend. Here are some tips:

• Think green and think color.
  
• Do not even open mail unless it is over the recyclers .
• Tell catalogue advertisers to direct ads to your email or stop them altogether.
  
• These next words have changed my desk forever: paperless billing. It makes that part of every one's lives far simpler.
• Home finance organizers like Quicken make it easy to run your home accounting like the pros. Call your bank to set you up with auto-pay.
  
• Still, certain papers need to be at our fingertips. Set up files in a portable tickler with sixteen folders, one for each week of the month and each month of the year. I keep things moving from week to week and month to month. They are always current and not in a tumbling pile.
  
• The kids stuff in notebooks sounds great. Try a colorful accordion folder for each school year.
  
• Ultimately, it is where you store it all which like most personal stuff I feel should be, "behind closed doors". If a desk with cabinets above or a closet you can outfit is not available, try painting a big old consignment-shop china cabinet or hutch in a bright color that compliments your kitchen.
  
• Make it bold and contemporary by giving it a glossy kitchen-color paint job in hot pink, super yellow or bright white? If it has glass, you can curtain it for a more traditional look, or frost glass using film or a home frosting kit for an updated feel.
  
• Light makes might. Brighten the area with natural or artificial light any way you can to keep things easy to read and on some level fun for you to stay organized,

I will always remember my friend Richard P and his adage taken from his old CEO boss, "Look good and keep moving"


Cheers,

MV

Spread it around.....

...we made it into one the country's hottest blogs:

We look forward to seeing you tomorrow night December 12 th, 7-11 PM for the North End's Second Annual Buon Natale Shopping Stroll for Holiday cheer and fabulous savings. We are one of 18 participating businesses in the neighborhood.

• Liz Roessler, resident calligrapher at red M studio, will be personalizing chic glass ornaments from vintagesteph.com. $15. each. A truly unique & thoughtful gift!
• Enjoy yummy treats and seasonal cheer.
  
• 12% reductions on most objects.

We are getting ready for a new look here. We will keep you posted. and remember to submit your questions for Dear Designer.
Cheers!

MV

Chestnuts Roasting

The Neiman Marcus Natick Collection asked me to design a tablescape using items from their stylish collection. The theme was Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire which I made into a romantic proposal dinner in a snowy wood.

This mini landscape evolved into earthy amusement using warm natural textures punctuated by Georg Jensen's sensuous Acorn flatware with the lovely Lettering by Liz penning the exquisitely charming note card. How could the proposed refuse?



MV

Jill Malek's Aphrodite in red M studio Holiday WIndows using

The Jill Malek paper was on my shortlist of hot items the minute I saw it. Cannot wait to use it.
It is called "Aphrodite". The Angel is very famous. Does anyone recognize it?

Check out the birdcage with the mini disco balls from my collection with vintagesteph at vintageandmoderninc.com seen in the earlier post.

The focus this holiday at red M studio is Silver and Gold. We have lovely items for entertaining and gifts.

Remember, "Be Green, Buy Antiques".

MV

Resin Trees

See? This is the kind of stuff that floats my boat. You must see these amazing trees in our collection.

What a find! Our design team from vintagesteph found the most amazing holiday decorations from the 1960's. Check out these RESIN TREES. An identical pair of these lamps are in the hands of Aerin Lauder.

What a great mid century holiday statement! A rare find.

XO

MV

red M studio and Dear Designer

Welcome to the red M studio blog. It is rather exciting, actually. I can talk about what I love and what I see. This blog will help allow me to test my writing skills while inspiring you with fresh design ideas.

red M studio, meaning me, Michael Valvo has specialized in custom residential interiors. Take a look at my portfolio, redmstudio.com. I will have more coming up soon.

We are embarking on exclusive representation of several exciting lines and constantly developing our collection of hand selected objects. Check out our latest at vintageandmoderninc.com/redmstudio

The field of interiors and home furnishings is evolving and I am on for the ride.

Magazines and design shows overwhelm most of us but they, at times, illustrate how talent, beauty and great design prevail.

Also, I am introducing Dear Designer, a Q&A forum where I welcome design related queries and offer my professional advice while introducing you to the Modern Romantic vision of red M studio.

It's a wild ride and and as Ben Frankling said, "...on a mad horse", so bring it on and keep me posted and I will do the same.

XO

MV