Natural Edge: At Home Magazine

When I recently worked with a family to turn their architecturally overdone Greenwich townhouse into more natural, pared down interior, I was thrilled with the result.

Helping my clients turn a residence into the perfect, thoughtful interior is definitely the best part of my job!  When I recently worked with a family to turn their architecturally overdone Greenwich townhouse into more natural, pared down interior, I was thrilled with the result.  The home is now much more suited to its inhabitants.  As an added bonus, this project has been featured in the May/June issue of At Home in Fairfield County.  Pick up a copy today to read more about this amazing project which was completed in a mere six weeks!

Photos by Amy Vischio

Seeing Red: Kitchen Feature in At Home Magazine

The current issue of At Home in Fairfield County features a kitchen I designed for a client in Darien.

The current issue of At Home in Fairfield County features a kitchen I designed for a client in Darien.  This was a great project with so many fantastic elements.  The goal was to design a functional, yet beautiful, kitchen, suited to the owner’s love of cooking and family life with a young child and two dogs.  With that in mind, we chose materials that look great but are durable and easy to maintain.  In addition, we opened up the area so the owner could enjoy conversation with friends and family while cooking.  The kitchen features two islands, a polished marble backdrop, and a gorgeous butler’s pantry.  If you haven’t seen this issue, pick up a copy today!

At Home Magazine’s A-List: Winner and Finalist

I am so happy to be included in this talented group of renowned designers as an A-List Winner for my pool house design and a finalist for my dining room design.

The Winter 2013 issue of At Home Magazine, which also happens to be the A-List issue, is now available!  As always, the magazine looks beautiful and is full, cover to cover, with incredible design by this year’s A-List Winners.  I am so happy to be included in this talented group of renowned designers as a winner for my pool house design and a finalist for my dining room design.

The A-List Award Winners this year comprised a competitive group of people I truly admire.  I felt so sad to miss the award ceremony in person.  So many special designers that inspire and pave the way for others were there, and I really missed being a part of that event.  I know Moffly Media threw a fantastic shindig!  It really feels so great to receive this kind of recognition from designers who are a driving force in the design world.

5 Under 40: Designers to Watch New England Home

New England Home Magazine hit the news stands today, running a great article on the 5 Under 40 Awards.  I am so honored to be included in this talented group!

Text by Kaitlyn Madden

Amy Aidinis Hirsch

Interiors

According to Amy Aidinis Hirsch, there’s a simple secret that all designers share: they’re great listeners. The ability to listen is the most important tool a designer could have,” she says. “If you don’t listen to your client you will end up with an unhappy one.” Apparently, Hirsch is a great listener. She has owned her successful Greenwich, Connecticut-based company, Amy Aidinis Hirsch Interior Design, since 2007. In fact, she considers it the mark of a job well done when a client tells her a space is “exactly as they’d imagined it.”

To chalk Hirsch’s career up to her listening skills, however, would be to downplay her talent.  She has a sophisticated eye, which she developed while studying interior design at New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology and working for top designer firms, including Greenwich-based Rinfret, Ltd.

Hirsch considers her style to be traditional with a modern flair, and she’s a strong believer that less is more. Thus, she puts serious thought into every detail she brings into a client’s home.  To make sure each piece is just right, her firm offers custom furniture and accessory design, as well as architectural specifications.

On a recent residential project in South Hampton, New York, Hirsch’s aesthetic was put to the test. “The space was minimal in decorating and different from anything I had done in the past,“ she recounts. “The pieces had to be key.  I was worried it would be under decorated and not feel complete, but in the end, all of the accessories and details came together for a well-edited residence.”

New England Home is proud to present the third annual 5 under 40 awards, honoring top emerging talent in residential architecture and design in New England. The winners – all five of whom and under the age of forty – were nominated by their peers and then selected by a committee of design leaders who considered four categories: architecture, interiors, furniture and home design products and accessories.  Take note: 5 Under 40 winners are the people to watch, produce some of the most beautiful and innovative work available today.

This year’s panel of judges is comprised of top professionals representing different facets of the New England design community, including interior designer Sally Wilson, architect Bradford C. Walker, interior designer Jill Goldberg, who also owns the acclaimed home boutique, Hudson, and New England Home’s editor in chief Kyle Hoepner.

Sally Wilson commented on her 5 Under 40 experience, saying, “Judging up and coming young talent was a rewarding experience. It was fun to see their projects and review how they put their message together. The future world of design is in good hands.”

The judges assembled to review scores of nominations and select this year’s winners, who will be honored at a celebratory reception on September 13th, 2012 at the Galleria at 333 Stuart Street in Boston. As a part of the festivities, each winner designed a custom rug that will be auctioned off at the reception to benefit the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based charity, Barakat.  Be sure to keep an eye on what comes next from this talented group of design stars!

 

 

New England Home Connecticut, Summer 2012

I am so happy to have one of my projects featured in the most recent issue of New England Home Connecticut!

I am so happy to have one of my projects featured in the most recent issue of New England Home Connecticut!  This article focuses on a gorgeous new home in New Canaan, CT, built by The Kaali-Nagy Company.   The client’s beautiful and traditional home was truly deserving of a warm and sophisticated interior composed of carefully layered details.  I hope you have the opportunity to pick up the magazine to read about this project and get an up-close look at the many gorgeous photos!

House Beautiful: Bath of the Month

Being one of my favorite design publications, I was thrilled to have a bath I designed chosen as Bath of the Month!

House Beautiful magazine’s March 2012 issue just arrived in my mailbox.  Being one of my favorite design publications, I was thrilled to have a bath I designed chosen as Bath of the Month!  Here is my interview, done by Mimi Read, with photographs by Lucas Allen.  It was a true pleasure working with them and seeing the article in print!

Here is the article in full, but I suggest you pick up an issue to enjoy from cover to cover!

Mimi Read:  You do know how to frame a view.

Amy Aidinis Hirsch:  We wanted an expansive window to fill the room with natural light, and to make the exterior part of the interior.  We didn’t use a window treatment because it would have blocked the view.  Those lush green woods are like a painting for the space.

That’s a brave move, putting a tub right in front of a huge uncovered window.

The house is at the end of a cul-de-sac — my clients have total privacy here.  That’s a dual soaking tub, so it accommodates two people.  They wanted a bathroom for both of them to enjoy together — a perfect symmetry of his-and-hers everything.  He travels a lot, and it was particularly important to him to have a tranquil space to retreat when he comes home.  It’s their Zen haven.

Cladding the walls and floor in all this honey-vanilla limestone creates such a spa-like feeling.

We chose vanilla limestone because we were going for warm and simple, understated.  Marble would have had too much movement —  all that veining — and that would have competed with what we were trying to achieve here.  The driving force for choosing limestone was the previous floor.  It was Jerusalem gold marble, and it was jarring, not welcoming at all.  This is such a soft, calming color, very gentle on the eye, and also to the hand — it’s quite smooth, not pitted in any way.  And using it everywhere unifies everything.

You’ve even used tilted limestone slabs as vanities.  Why no drawers or cabinets under the sinks?

My clients didn’t want conventional vanities — they wanted something clean and minimal.  They were actually inspired by a tiny vignette of a bathroom they’d seen at Paris Ceramics.  They were there looking, and they really fell in love with the mother-of-pearl on the vessel sinks and the backsplash.  The way the light picks up on it is exquisite.  I repeated the mother-of-pearl tiles in the shower and made it thicker, right at eye level.  It’s definitely the bling.

It’s beautiful the way the mirrored door between the vanities reflects the woodsy view.

The details are so beautiful, too.  The panes frame antique mercury mirror, and the rosettes are hand-carved.  You really notice the beauty because of the sleek, angular simplicity of the vanities.  The door slides into the wall, so it never obscures either of the vessel sinks.  Those sinks are works of art.

–MR

at home: Meet Our A-List Winners

Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder. But good design is in the eye of the homeowner–it must appeal in a visual way while also satisfying the needs of those who live with it.

I am so honored to have been chosen as one of at home’s A-List Winners!  Here’s the full article and photos of the dining room that earned this award.

at home magazine presents the Second Annual A-List Awards 2011

Meet Our A-List Winners

Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder.  But good design is in the eye of the homeowner–it must appeal in a visual way while also satisfying the needs of those who live with it. It’s no coincidence, then, that the striking projects selected by our esteemed judges to win this year’s A-List competition are also those that wow with their smart solutions and livability. We caught up with the award-winning professionals and their clients to find out what sets the A-List apart from the pack. Their stories reveal a host of creative ideas that are certain to inspire first-rate home projects in the future.

When Liria Heidenreich was looking for design help for her shingle-style house in Greenwich, her sister-in-law recommended Amy Aidinis Hirsch.  The young designer had already decorated the homes of other family members, so why not hers?  But the Heidenreichs were seeking a different approach:  “They wanted to marry a modern style with a more traditional architecture,” says Hirsch.  The success of the dining room–part of a whole-house project– lies in the way Hirsch translated their desire for an eclectic interior with little clutter or fuss.  “I didn’t want a lot of color.  I’m nutty and I need mellow,” says Heidenreich.  “She really got me.”

At the center of this sleek-yet-personal space is an architectural Italian table surrounded by Ligne Roset cowhide chairs and a wood bench.  The more casual arrangement suits the family’s two boys and also answers Liria’s request:  “no boring chairs.”  Dark chocolate grass cloth on the walls provides warmth and anchors the abstract art.  For the floor, Hirsch put an unexpected spin on a simple wool loop rug.  Instead of picking one colorway from the samples, she sourced all of them to create a custom stripe.  The homeowner admits to being particular about lighting and this glam three-tiered crystal chandelier from Ochre acts as a jewel in the room, about with she jokes, “My electrician doesn’t like me anymore.”

To add a touch of color and tradition, Hirsch brought in a red antique lacquer cabinet from Greenwich Oriental.  This one-of-a-kind piece provides storage and character, picking up on a hue continued in other parts of the house.  The sophisticated theme fits the family to a tee.  Says Heidenreich, “I still walk into these rooms and say, “Damn, this works!”

at home Winter 2012

 

At Home A-List Awards 2011 Winner

“This dining room is bold, brash, and contemporary, a perfect combination to make a traditional home feel modern,”
Eric Cohler notes.

Amy Aidinis Hirsch
For this chic Greenwich dining room, the designer paired metal-framed chairs upholstered in cowhide with a solid wood bench for seating. The dark chocolate grass cloth anchors an abstract canvas digital print on the wall. An antique Chinese cabinet adds a splash of red. “This dining room is bold, brash, and contemporary, a perfect combination to make a traditional home feel modern,”
Eric Cohler notes.

Professionals
Designer: Amy Aidinis Hirsch
203-661-1266; aahirsch.com

East Coast Home + Design March/April 2011

It isn’t unusual to hear a designer reference taking elements from nature and “bringing the outside in.” This practice is credited with transforming countless homes into havens of tranquility. Yet how often does one read about bringing the inside out? As Yankess, we cherish the precious months we can enjoy the outdoors and this Greenwich property truly embraces this notion.

Story By Elizabeth Ervin

It isn’t unusual to hear a designer reference taking elements from nature and “bringing the outside in.”  This practice is credited with transforming countless homes into havens of tranquility.  Yet how often does one read about bringing the inside out?  As Yankess, we cherish the precious months we can enjoy the outdoors and this Greenwich property truly embraces this notion.

Read more here:

http://mydigitalpublication.com/publication/?i=63477