As we start my favorite season of the year and total summer bliss begins, remember that the exterior of your home is one of the most important spaces.
Happy summer! As we start my favorite season of the year and total summer bliss begins, remember that the exterior of your home is one of the most important spaces. When making outdoor furniture selections, it’s always best to prepare in the winter and early spring months while the chill is still in the air. We have been installing so many exterior spaces in the past few weeks and the components have been mostly modular. These are great since you can configure the pieces in so many different ways, making the most of your exterior layout.
Patio furniture from Modern RetailersMuubs Rockefeller Teak Fiber Concrete TableGarden Röshults Broberg Ridderstråle
This year, I’m seeing a lot of comfortable pieces like daybeds, swings, and rockers in a mix of materials. So many companies came out with total eye candy – it can be hard to pare down selections when there are so many great choices. Rockers are big this year, particularly comfortable, modern rocking chairs.
Canasta Daybed from Walters WickerWest Elm Huron Lounge ChairOmega Curved Sofa from Walters WickerSwingrest Hanging Lounger, DedoMbrace Rocking Chair, DedonKettal Outdoor CollectionPatricia Urquiola Hanging Lattice Chair
I also like in incorporate outdoor lamps to bring an unexpected element and encourage the idea of bringing the inside out. Heaters are another great addition to an exterior. They look whimsical but have a purpose and really do a lot to extend the use of your outdoor space.
Outdoor Lamps from Sutherland FurnitureOutdoor heaters from Kindle Living
There are so many possibilities with the different lines of outdoor furnishings. Pieces can be customized with a range of materials, finishes, and fabrics. How would you design your ideal backyard retreat and a true extension of your home’s interior?
While this dining room was a good size and had some nice features, it lacked a cohesive, finished design.
Last week, I shared some before and after photos of a library we designed for a client. Today’s before and after features another room in that same home — this time, the dining room. Like the library, the dining room needed a facelift to brighten and update the space. While the dining room was a good size and had some nice features, it lacked a cohesive, finished design.
While the dining room provided proportionate and generous space for large gatherings, the overall feel of the room started to look dark and dim compared to the adjacent rooms which echoed a whiter, brighter approach.
We were so lucky to have a great dining table which remained untouched. We reupholstered the Rose Tarlow dining chairs in a simple linen. Our objective was to eliminate the purple and green palette that saturated the room. A custom white plaster was applied to the walls and the pine mantel was painted a white to match the existing trim. The plaster adds a more modern edge and allows texture within the space. The window treatments became unified with a beautiful wool fabric for both the roman and drapery panels. The drapery hardware is understated, yet the contrast of the nickel rings adds the right amount of detail to the space.
Lighting is jewelry to any space, and these pieces are so impressive in scale that they finish the room properly. Initially, the custom chandelier was allocated for another space within the house, but sometimes an unexpected surprise turns into a happy reallocation!
The existing console table and mirrors remained, but we added the braided sisal rug, modern art, and ceramic lamps. The natural light filtered throughout the dining room adds a whisper of grace; the finished room has such presence now.
To see more photos of our design projects, visit my website or my Houzz profile.
I’m very excited to be a Serendipity Design Market Digest Honoree!
I’m very excited to be a Serendipity Design Market Digest Honoree! Tonight is the cocktail celebration for this year’s Design Market Digest and I am really looking forward to it. I’d like to thank Serendipity for this great write up by Amy Levin Epstein about my approach to interior design and why I was chosen as this year’s Honoree.
When the founder of Amy Aidinis Hirsch Interior Design, LLC, takes on a new project, she first reflects on a home’s past. “Every house has a history or a story, even if it is brand new. The architecture is my primary focus, as well as the land which the house is nestled in,” says Hirsch. She will examine the details, from paneling to wood flooring to original ceiling treatments, and identify ways to enhance them. With the house in these photos, she focused her work around existing water views. “Everyday is a changing back drop so I wanted to embrace the interior, capture moments of the exterior, yet add a bit of femininity which reflects the home owner,” says Hirsch.
“To be surrounded by the view of Long Island Sound and the marsh—what’s not to love?” says Hirsch.
The designer’s path started as a student at the Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan, where many of her professors were architects rather than designers. “I feel my foundation was more structured than a painterly, artsy approach,” says Hirsch. Even then, she had her eye on building her brand. “I always knew I wanted to own my own business, but never thought it would happen so fast.”
Comfortable sofas are covered in a sage green mohair and paired with a durable extra large coffee table.
Hirsch is well known in Fairfield and Westchester counties, as well as farther flung locales like Boca Raton and Montana, for her style, which she describes as “tailored and masculine, subtle and unexpected.” Those unique characteristics take time to pull together and Hirsch says she makes it a priority to speak with new clients about realistic timelines. “This is an investment and should be about the longevity, not about instant gratification. The creative process has to be organic and fluid. Everyone is excited, however, the process needs time to curate,” says Hirsch.
Elegant place settings from Hoaglands of Greenwich
Part of the process, of course, is inspiration—and Hirsch finds it everywhere. “I believe you have to be open and sensitive to every sensation you encounter. I take so much from the architecture, land and the client,” says Hirsch. “They are the initial start to the entire process.”
Brass accents create a chic lounge area in the master bedroom.
Listening to those clients, says Hirsh, is ultimately paramount. “If I am not listening, then the clients’ expectations will not be met. It’s simple: The design should not be about the interior designer and her style, it has to be a reflection of the clients and their needs,” says Hirsch. “It’s critical to pay attention to simple things a client says at any given moment.”
Trowbridge Gallery embroidered prints hang above the breakfast bar.
While she particularly loves working on second homes—“the design is more liberating and you may do things differently then you would in your primary house”—her dream project would be her own, “a home which is expressive of myself and my family.” This future endeavor, she says, will be a compilation of all that she has seen and done in her illustrious career. “I see so many beautiful things in the world and it will be interesting to see how I edit and focus on the right selections from the ground up,” says Hirsch. “You would think it would be easy—but I think it will be the most challenging of projects yet.”
Speed round with Amy Aidinis Hirsch
One word that describes you: Edgy
Your top design tip: Push the envelope.
What you’d do, if not in the design world: Fashion or photography
Favorite restaurant in the area: Winfield’s—but you need a ferry to get there!
Favorite cocktail: Margarita with lots of salt
People would be surprised to know: I love art deco.
A home should be filled with: Laughter
Favorite room in your home: We are house hunting—so I will let you know!
What you enjoy most about your work: Creative independence
Best design book: ABCDCS: David Collins Studio, by David Collins
Save the Date!
You’re invited to a cocktail recption celebrating our 4th annual 2016 Design Market Digest. Meet industry experts and the 2016 Design Market honorees, designer Amy Aidinis Hirsch and architect Douglas VanderHorn.
Wednesday, May 11th from 6:30p.m. to 8:30p.m at Lillian August, Greenwich, CT with Marcia Selden Catering
I’m so happy to be part of a feature in At Home Magazine called Room Service: Take a Seat.
I’m so happy to be part of a feature in At Home Magazine called Room Service: Take a Seat. The feature demonstrates how five designers approach living room design in ways to perfectly suit their clients. My featured living room design is for a Colonial in Greenwich. The client wanted to give the room a modern feel, keeping some existing elements while adding new items and changing the color palette. To read more about this project and to see how other designers work their living room designs, pick up the May/June 2016 issue of At Home in Fairfield County!
This particular library design, part of a whole-house remodel, involved a dramatic transformation that completely changed the mood and feel of the space.
The journey of a project from start to finish always fascinates me. This particular library design, part of a whole-house remodel, involved a dramatic transformation that completely changed the mood and feel of the space. The library originally had knotty pine ceilings and walls that darkened the room and detracted from some of the more desirable features, such as the built in shelves and the fireplace. Here’s what the library originally looked like:
We lightened up the library by painting the walls a light grey. We chose a custom medium charcoal grey lacquer for the ceiling, reupholstered the furniture, and updated the lighting. For the floor, we chose a rug with an all over pattern that mirrors the hue of the ceiling. Complimentary artwork and carefully edited accessories round out the finished library.
This project is a great example of how a room doesn’t need a complete remodel to achieve a new look!
I had an idea for a Pollack-like, splatter look for a client’s wall that was inspired by some very cool splatter designs I’d been seeing.
I’m often fascinated by what comes up during the course of a project. I had an idea for a Pollack-like, splatter look for a client’s wall that was inspired by some very cool splatter designs I’d been seeing. I like how the splatter can be condensed or loose.
Splatter ceiling. Design by Kelly Wearstler.Splatter bedding from D. Porthault.Jonathan Adler dinner plate.
When coming up with a splatter design for my client, I worked with an artist to develop not only the look I wanted, but the correct consistency of paint. The key was to use a paint that would splatter on the wall, but not drip. It took some trial and error to concoct just the right mixture.
One of the splatter sample panels I designed.Another, looser, splatter panel I showed my client.
Even though the client chose not proceed, it is all about the process and the journey. Working with the artisan to understand the process and the selection of the correct color palette to make the masterpiece come together was a great experience. It’s also fun looking forward to the moment of being inspired by that client who opens the door for exploration into something unique.
Known for art, food, history, and shopping, Barcelona is definitely on my list of must-see places. There’s a hotel I’d love to stay in — Hotel Murmuri.
Known for art, food, history, and shopping, Barcelona is definitely on my list of must-see places. There’s a hotel I’d love to stay in — Hotel Murmuri. It’s a posh, boutique hotel with an intimate feel. There are such incredible details throughout the design, from the rooms to the restaurant and bar.
Hotel Murmuri’s interior was designed by the London-based firm of Kelly Hoppen Interiors. Known for her clean lines, neutral tones, use of texture, and warm opulence, Kelly created a look for Hotel Mururi that is both chic and comfortable. These are rooms you can feel luxurious in, all while surrounded by everything Barcelona has to offer. One of Kelly’s design goals is to have her clients surrounded by gorgeous pieces. I can easily imagine sitting in one of these rooms and feeling cocooned in luxury.
For more information about Murmuri, visit their website. You can also find them on Facebook.
