MASCULINE CHIC IN PORTUGAL - HOUSE TOUR TUESDAY

In honor of the upcoming Father's Day, I decided to dedicate this Tuesday's House Tour to all the wonderful men in our lives. This house belongs to Artur Miranda and exudes masculine chic in every way.

After years working in the fashion world, Artur Miranda decided to turn his career around with the creation of Oitoemponto Architecture & Interiors in 1993, which later was joined by Jacques Bec. Almost a decade later, they have become a benchmark in the international interior design industry, opting for a very particular and recognizable style. This house in Famalicão, in northern Portugal, is a superb inventory of impressive finishes and unique pieces.

The design aesthetic dictates a strong personality with constructive elements, such as large spaces with coffered ceiling and expansive windows opening to the outside. Bright lacquers, veined wood, marble and mirrors, make up a decor with a nod to the golden years of Hollywood, mixed with design classics of the twentieth century.  

The facade is extended by a large infinity pool.  In the solarium, pieces of an outdoor collection created by Thomas Pheasant for Baker-Maguire, are cleverly placed.

Tall windows in the living room provide wonderful views - introducing the garden outside. Window treatments are made with Larsen fabric.

The seating area revolves around spectacular Rocha twin tables with Rosso Levanto marble top designed by Oitoemponto Interiors.  The sofas covered in Robert Scott fabric are also designed by Oitoemponto.

With its strong presence, the treated pine coffered ceiling provides additional comfort in the open living space.

A black-lacquered unit serves as separation between the kitchen and the office, marked by the oval shapes of the table and rug.  On one side, the unit hosts a television screen and storage units, and the other side houses the kitchen appliances.  The office also boasts a winery designed by Oitoemponto Furniture.

Wool rugs in russet tones, created by Oitoemponto, are responsible for framing the various spaces.  A Platner Knoll chair sits alongside artwork by Shinique Smith, entitled "How Lucky We Are".

Black lacquer, steel and glass come together in this bar-sideboard designed by Oitoemponto.  The chair, an original piece from the '50s was reupholstered with Donghia's signature fabric.

A stairwell is hidden by a sequence of columns of mirrors. The dining table top and front of sideboard is made of walnut. The ceiling lamp is a design of David Weeks Studio.

In the kitchen, the central island is made of black lacquer and steel, opposite the island, the same material can be found in the made-to-measure dresser. Phillip Jeffries wallpaper adorns the wall which holds a photography print from Francisco Queirós entitled "Peter Pan". Applicances are from Gaggenau.

A padded leather headboard rests on a Macassar Ebony wall. The Hästens bed is covered with a Sahco mohair fabric bedspread.

A large pivoting panel divides the dressing room and the master bathroom. The closet, void of doors, boasts alternating high gloss black lacquer and ebony wood. The ottoman is covered in fox fur trim.

In the master bath a black marble counter top sits atop mirror-lined cabinets. 

I hope you enjoyed this week's house tour. Comments are always welcome. Ciao, and until next time. 

 xo,

Emi

Source: Nuevo Estilo

BOND ST. APARTMENT, NYC - HOUSE TOUR TUESDAY

This week we are touring the Bond St. apartment in NYC designed by James Dixon Architect in collaboration with decorator Carolina George. This eclectic apartment combines a chic, modern look with a little bit of whimsy dispersed throughout. 

Over-sized windows allow streams of sunlight in the two-story living room. Pattern and texture is what unifies these spaces set on a base palette of high value contrast black and white, while a functional library features a wall of bookcases with a rolling ladder for easy access. How about a zebra head overlooking below for a little quirkiness?

Across the living room is an elegant, modern dining room boasting trendy lucite chairs.

Adjacent to the dining room; the kitchen features a pillar of mirrored tiles and a bold, black island.

Gotta love these brass elephant head handles on the kitchen cabinet doors.

Brass hardware adorns the kitchen sink. 

Second story lofted area with a view down below has access to the bedrooms. Great space for a writing desk, especially an all brass one! 

This far eastern style sitting room is saturated with bold pattern and color, creating a personal sanctuary.

Bold splashes of pink highlights this bedroom featuring windows looking out to the living room below.

Floral fabric covering the bed and walls create a cocoon-like canopy.

I hope you've enjoyed a tour of this bold and eclectic NYC apartment, I know I did. Now all I want to know is... when can I move in?

 xo, 

Emi

HOUSE TOUR TUESDAY - ETHEREAL BEAUTY IN THE SKY

This week we tour the home of art and design collectors, Andrew and Françoise Skurman. Françoise and Andrew Skurman live in an ethereal apartment high above Nob Hill. They are dedicated collectors, constantly on the hunt for provocative contemporary art, experimental furniture, and artist-designed conceptual furniture. A pure white background shows their large abstract paintings, modern furniture and antiques in full force. 

"When I was growing up in Paris, I dreamed of designing a chic white and silver apartment," said sculptor Françoise Skurman. "Now I'm living my fantasy in San Francisco. It's all about beauty and the luminous white interior."

The Skurmans are constantly editing and energizing their collections, adding depth with dramatic new pieces. They live with their collections, savoring and appraising them and studying them every day.

"I don't buy for 'investment', I buy for the love of the object," said Andrew Skurman. Living with the work of avant-garde and accomplished designers and artists is very satisfying and fulfilling, he said.

"Our apartment is so different from anything I ever design for my clients," said Andrew. Friends who come for cocktails are entranced by the magical effect of shimmering glass floors, reflective walls framed with polished steel baseboards and ceiling reveals, and floor-to-ceiling windows with just a sliver of silken white curtain.

For the Skurmans, the apartment continues to captivate. Early morning light tints the walls in pearlescent tones. Sunsets paint the rooms in a glow of rose pink. Later, the lights of the city flicker far below, and the apartment seems to float in the darkness.

A Louis XVI recamier, an heirloom from her Parisian family, was restyled by Françoise with pale grey paint and white jacquard upholstery. The 'Org' coffee table is by Fabio Novembre for Cappellini. The plaster torchères, circa 1940, are by Paris designer Serge Roche, silver-leafed guéridons are from the Estate of Gianni Versace.

Damien Hirst's Bromphenol Blue-Cylene Cyanol Dye Solution, 2005, hovers above a stainless steel fireplace next to a pair of Louis XV fauteuils finished in silver leaf.

A Louis XV chair, re-imagined in silver gilt by Rossi Antiques graces Spiral Painting, 1976, by Robert Slutzky.

Antique and modern collide in the dining room, where the glass tile floor shimmers beneath the tracery of Tom Dixon's dining table.

Alessandro Twombly's The Fall of Icarus, 2003, hangs above the dining table.

Françoise perched her new plaster figure, Dona Mariana, atop a custom-made white-painted rope cabinet by Christian Astuguevieille.

The Louis XVI bed, inherited from  Françoise's family, is dressed with white pique by Scheuer Linens, the bedside tables were designed by Andrew Skurman. Paintings are by Stephanie Peek, left, and Olivier Debré, right, a girandole from the Yves Gastou Antiques Gallery in Paris stands on the bedside table.

19th century Venetian mirrors, acquired in Paris, grace the bedroom wall.

A 1940s Cubist plater bust was acquired at San Francisco's famed Fall Antiques Show.

Venus Refuses The Apple, a new plaster sculpture by Françoise Skurman, stands in the bedroom. The floor is white glass Japanese tile.

Hope you enjoyed this week's house tour. Have a lovely week.

xo,

Emi

Sources and credits: C-Home and The Style Saloniste

GRAPHIC BLACK & WHITE

I've decided to dedicate my Friday blog posts to design boards, and particularly ones that are fashion inspired. Creating design or mood boards is an absolute favorite pastime of mine. It's an outlet that allows my creativity and my passion for all things beautiful to really shine through. 

This week we will look into the classic color combination BLACK & WHITE or as I like to call it in my native language BIANCO e NERO...sounds much more sophisticated, no?

Black and white is trendy but at the same time will always remain sophisticated, chic and timeless. And when paired with graphic patterns they can be playful, edgy and modern. Opposites really do attract when it comes to black and white, and while these opposing tones produce high contrast, the real drama comes in when you introduce a vivid color like yellow, emerald green, or fuchsia to the combination. 

Don't be afraid to experiment with this classic color combination, after all you can never go wrong with black, right?

xo,

Emi

HOUSE TOUR TUESDAY - HOME OF HECTOR BARRIO

Today we tour the home of architect Hector Barrio - this is a house with intentional design and a very strong aesthetic, where the layout and furnishings pay homage to absolute comfort.   Hector took just three months to implement the renovation project of his own home, located in a residential area north of Madrid.  Hector and his family were clear about the type of home they wanted: it had to be comfortable, very functional and arranged to receive guests.

The entire house is dotted with areas to be lived in, that allow each family member to have their own space: a library area in the living room; a dining room in the kitchen; a playroom, winery and smoking room in the basement.  "There is not a single room unused in the house", says Hector Barrio.

The organization of the space is flexible: there is visual communication between rooms, but the areas remain independent of each other.  Elements such as sliding doors, fireplace lounge, and small flights of stairs, bring movement to the space.  The space has been enhanced with functionality with the use of furniture in straight lines, walls with neutral colors and lacquered finishes which help enhance the natural radiant light.

The open fireplace defines the living room and at the same time visually communicates with the dining room, located on a higher level.  

The extra long sofa in white leather is from Zagara; throw blankets from Hermès; and lacquered cube and glass coffee tables designed by the architect himself.  Artwork by J. Solana and light fixture by Altisent.

The living room also boasts a library wall whose back is painted chocolate brown to highlight the white shelves.  A low wall, clad in stone houses the audio and video equipment.  

The dining table is made of metal structure and black glass; another one of Hector Barrio's designs.  The light pendant is a design of Enrico Franzolini and Vicente Garcia of Foscarini.

Opposite the staircase is a dark wall, strongly emphasizing the high chair backs. 

Kitchen with central island includes hotplate on a high block of granite and a white Silestone slab that serves as a support area as a kitchen or office table.

Kitchen boasts great practicality with a steel shell lining the hood fan which incorporates a small television on the side. Porcelain tile covers the floor of the work area.

A photo of a birch forest is reproduced in a vinyl wall covering, and the composition of lamps in the ceiling capture all the attention.

The principal bedroom has a dressing room and bathroom.  The cabinet that houses the bed boasts a silver leaf and lacquered headboard.

The bathroom's main basin is a part of a limestone slab with two niches for storage. 

I hope you enjoyed this week's home tour.  Thanks for reading.  I enjoy your feedback.

xo,

Emi

MOTHER'S DAY GIFT IDEAS

In the last few years I've noticed a big change in myself; I've become something that I've always disliked in other people...I've become a procrastinator.  I don't like the word and I especially don't like what it stands for - I am by no means lazy, a loafer or even a slowpoke.  In fact the contrary is said to be true.  I am always on the go, running here and there and never actually putting my legs up until well after midnight each and every day.  Since I started this entrepreneurial venture a couple of years ago, all I could do is eat, drink, sleep, dream and live VIA SAN VITO.  I had made a decision and embraced the thought of devoting all my time and energy to making this business all it can possible be and then some. Hence, this is where the procrastination came in.  Since my main focus has been my business, I've relied on procrastination as a means of escaping the mundane existence of the everyday routine.  The thought of delaying tasks until "tomorrow" became comfortable for me and assured me that I wasn't really neglecting my duties and that just putting it off for a day or so, was okay. 

While postponing daily chores and other non-urgent tasks for a day or two is forgivable, there are other things that need much more thought and attention to.  Gift buying for instance is one of those things. Buying something for a loved one should not be purchased on a whim or be a last minute thought...and Mother's Day is just one of those occasions. Today with the internet age and our means of purchasing online, you really need to make sure that whatever you are purchasing will arrive on time for the occasion you are buying for.

Mother's Day falls on different dates for many parts of the world, but in North America as in many other countries Mother's Day is just a little over a month away, so getting those orders in on time is crucial.

Here are some Mother's Day gift ideas to get your started.  Make your mom feel special and give her a gift that she will treasure.

SHOP GIFT IDEAS

1)   Via San Vito Striato Napkins in Noir and Metallic Gold
2)   Jonathan Adler Lucite Block Letter
3)   Zatista Pink Poppy Original Art
4)   Dwell Studio Triangle Stripe Box
5)   Kelly Wearstler X Paper Chase Press Sketchbook
6)   Anthropologie Oblique Candle Holder
7)   Dwell Studio Henri Ink Throw
8)   Michael Kors Parker Rose Gold Tone Watch
9)   Kate Spade Madison Chaplin Drive Maeve Shoulder Bag
10) Kelly Wearstler Bedford Charger Plate
11) Via San Vito Anelli Lumbar Pillow in Noir and Metallic Gold
12) Diptyque Rosafolia Candle

xo,

Emi

ENLIGHTEN ME...GAETANO SCIOLARI

If you love Mid Century designs, just as I do, then you should be familiar with the name Gaetano Sciolari.  Gaetano Sciolari's lightings were manufactured by top firms such as Lightolier, based in New York and Stilnovo, based in Milan during the 1950's, but in the late 1960's he began to manufacture his own lighting creations.

Sciolari made his chandeliers in Italy and combined minimalism with high-glamour.  The individual shapes that comprise his pieces are arranged in a highly geometric but still somewhat irregular manner, giving them an organic quality.  They were far from traditional but instead refined, edgy & futuristic.  Lines were clean and sculptural and materials such as crystals and ice glass sparkled with a sultry coolness.  Playfully, Sciolari positioned finishes against highly polished metal for great optical effect.  He broke the traditional rules by combining brass with chrome to bring out the best of both metals.

Sciolari arguably produced his best work in the 1970's and the work shares its disco chic aesthetic with Verner Panton, Paul Evans and Francois Monnet.

The "Cubic" series is one of Sciolari's greatest hits and examples were realized in variety of sizes, configurations and finishes.

I have included images of some of my favorite pieces, most of them found on lstDibs.  Although they do tend do be quite expensive, anyone would be lucky to own one of Sciolari's pieces.  

xo,

Emi