Eight years ago

Let’s celebrate together, 

the eight anniversary of my Blog.

On October 15th, 2008 my first attempt to write a post resulted in a short description of my intent…eight years later I still love to talk about Italy, books, art, old and new design, food, lifestyle.

Classical eye, contemporary flair: you can see them in some of my posts on different subjects. Clicking on the links below each image will bring you to my posts and from there to other posts and from there…well you know…

  

Houses

        

   How to...

 

  

  Lifestyle

  

Food

I Saloni, Milan

Interior Design Show, Vancouver

Movies

Travel

Designers

Books

Even if at times I have taken a few weeks or months away from my Blog I still love to read other blogs and I continue to post even if not as regularly as before.

I confess, a few years ago I started to use Facebook much more and...now I am addicted to Instagram, so you can see there is not much time in my life to be on all social media.

Pinterest is also a success, with more than 3500 followers
Returning to my blog...almost from the beginning I found my voice, or so I believe, being Italian, from Milan, being a designer...it was easy to choose my path: write most about Italian design or Italian way of life; not sure if I was truly successful but certainly I had many followers appreciating me.

So thanks to you, my dear readers, I am officially 
starting tomorrow my 9th year of Blogging!

©2016 Brillante Interiors writes about new trends, timeless decor, iconic pieces, design ideas, or at times just musing about "a certain Italian way of doing things". 
If you receive this post by Email and wish to leave a comment please click HERE and go to the comments section.  We love your comments! 

If you need help to enjoy your home more, please send us an email.  It will be an investment in happiness at home, because a well designed house is always a good part of a great life and a beautiful room will make you happy every time you walk in!

Six Years of Blogging

Let’s celebrate together, you my faithful readers and I:

the sixth anniversary of my Blog.

On October 15th, 2008 my first attempt to write a post resulted in a short description of my intent…six years later I still love to talk about Italy, books, art, old and new design, food, lifestyle.

Classical eye, contemporary flair: you can see them in some of my posts on different subjects. Clicking on the links below each image will bring you to my posts and from there to other posts and from there…well you know…

 

Unusual houses

 

Art

 

Music (enjoy the concert)

 

Designers' houses

 

Artists' houses

 

Books

 

Old houses and new design

 

Travel

 

Milano

 

Venice

 

Food

 

How to...

 

Lifestyle

It has been a wonderful journey, through my Blog I connected with many people, I made friends, I received awards and recognition in the design world, I wrote articles for magazines, I discovered new paths, I learned every day something new and …most important…I had FUN.

A big thank you to all my followers.

 

©2014 Brillante Interiors writes about new trends, timeless decor, iconic pieces, design ideas, or at times just musing about "a certain Italian way of doing things".

If you receive this post by Email and wish to leave a comment please click HERE and go to the comments section.  We love your comments!

If you need help to enjoy your home more, please send us an email.  It will be an investment in happiness at home, because a well designed house is always a good part of a great life and a beautiful room will make you happy every time you walk in!

And the winner is…

 

 

A few weeks ago I had a Give-away post, courtesy of Manito Silk with a beautiful set of travel pillow and mask worth more than Canadian $150.00 being the gift .

 

Here is what Manito says about the mask:

(…) Perfect for travel or sleep at home, a silk mask is a great wonderful sleep accessory that will help you wake up feeling more refreshed. Get luxury in a small package with our beautiful yet functional silk eye masks.
The smooth and soft texture of our 22 momme mulberry silk mask feels cool and refreshing as you settle in for a good night’s sleep. Whether you’re catching a nap on a long flight, or simply looking for a way to sleep more soundly at home, Manito’s mulberry silk, inside and out, makes is simply the best for your rest and relaxation (…)

And for the pillow:

(…) Manito's silky smooth, plush travel pillow is a convenient and comfy way for you to catch up on some much-needed rest when you’re on the go. It’s a first class travel accessory. Our ultimate travel pillow is filled with 100% long strand mulberry silk floss and is encased in a cover of our famous 22 momme, traditional charmeuse weave fabric. This travel pillow is super soft, comfortable, gentle on your skin and hair, and will help you arrive in style. The cover feels cool against your skin as you sleep, allowing for a more restful, smoother sleep (…)

And now the best part: I can finally announce that

Karen Albert from The Arts by Karena won the set.

If you don’t know Karen yet (how could you not?) please read her Blog, which is not just entertaining but also a great source of knowledge.

Her latest post is featuring a great designer: Raji Radhakrishnan and you’ll be intrigued by her talent too.

Congratulations Karen, just send me a note with your address and which one of these three combinations of color you prefer:

-  Silver Blue and Charcoal,

or

-  Plum and Soft Pink,

or

-  Champagne and Chocolate?

Hope you’ll enjoy the luxurious silky feeling!

 

©2014 Brillante Interiors writes about new trends, timeless decor, iconic pieces, design ideas, or at times just musing about "a certain Italian way of doing things". If you receive this post by Email and wish to leave a comment please click HERE and go to the comments section.  We love your comments!

If you need help to enjoy your home more, please send us an email.  It will be an investment in happiness at home, because a well designed house is always a good part of a great life and a beautiful room will make you happy every time you walk in!

Top 25 Interior Design Blogs in the World

Brillante Interiors has been mentioned in "The Top 25 Interior Design Blogs in the World".
I am honored to be nominated and happy to be part of such a great group of bloggers, including my friends Ivan at Meade Design Group and Patricia at Patricia Gray.

Thank-you Designs-n-Deal.


©2013 Brillante Interiors writes about new trends, timeless decor, iconic pieces, design ideas, or at times just musing about "a certain Italian way of doing things".
If you receive this post by Email and wish to leave a comment please click HERE and go to the comments section. I love to hear from you!

Social Media fatigue



  
Don’t get me wrong…I love social media but lately I feel I am spending too much of my time on it and sometimes lots of what I read need to be ignored, like junk for the mind...so as the lady in the image (at Clignancourt Flea Market) I may walk away even if only temporarily.

Blogging requires hours of research, writing, editing and keeping up with other interesting bloggers.

Facebook with hundreds of “virtual” friends requires to scroll their news daily, stop and comment on some, take note of interesting ones.

Twitter, even if faster, for me requires deciphering obscure messages (when worth it).

Pinterest is always fun, great to find stunning images, useful to have them all in one “folder” for future reference.

LinkedIn is good to make connections but again time consuming.

Tied up and tired!

At the end of the day (when actually I have some time to dedicate to social media) all of the above tasks take my little left energy away.
I may take a break,  it may be just as brief as a week or much longer but I am sure at some point I will return refreshed, renewed and ready to play again.

 

You know how much I value your comments and likes…

Would you wait for me? Have you ever felt the same?

Photography © Albarosa Simonetti

©2012 Brillante Interiors writes about new trends, timeless decor, iconic pieces, design ideas, or at times just musing about "a certain Italian way of doing things".

Brillante Interiors now offers also online consultations so please send an email and we can start the process. It will be an investment in happiness at home, a well designed house is always a good part of a great life and a beautiful room will make you happy every time you walk in!

What House Beautiful is reading this week…

House Beautiful says: What We're Reading This Week

From bold pencils to a recipe for spring, here's our weekly roundup of the Shelter blogosphere.

The links we clicked on:

• Scouts Honor Co. features bold red-and-blue pencils from the Czech Republic.
• Brillante Interiors does a house tour of a colorful home in Italy.
• CasaSugar rounds up 20 eco-friendly furniture finds for spring.
• Design Sponge shares a recipe for sweet potato, green bean, and smoked paprika salad.
• Inhabitat explores easy gardening projects to try this weekend.

Photo: AB

   ***

Brillante Interiors is so happy to be named and so happy to be in such a great company…
Thanks House Beautiful, one of my favorite magazines (the only fault is that sometimes I see the magazine in stores much before it lands in my mailbox but it happens with all my subscriptions…everyone listening?)

     ***

And don't forget to play the game: Can you guess whose house is this?

      ***

©2011 Brillante Interiors writes about new trends, timeless decor, iconic pieces, design ideas, or at times just musing about "a certain Italian way of doing things".

Brillante Interiors now offers also online consultations so please send an email and we can start the process. It will be an investment in happiness at home, a well designed house is always a good part of a great life and a beautiful room will make you happy every time you walk in!

Pinteresting

 Albarosa Simonetti design

 

After a few weeks of trials and errors I am finally able to use Pinterest and now… just what I needed… I am hooked to that too.
Do you already know about Pinterest?  It is a great way of organizing and sharing pictures, your own or the ones that most appeal to you online.  I use it as a reference digital book for inspiration and also to relax looking at beautiful images of interiors. I admit, sometimes it gets too intense, like craving for sweets and reading patisserie books with vivid images of scrumptious pastries!

Joe Ruggiero Sr. design

I must be very careful though, between blogging and Facebook, lots of time goes without noticing (I am not really keen on Twitter yet, even if I use it at times, but I found it difficult to follow…most of the time I don’t know what people are talking about, like:
#circus@xyz… you are right!  (about what? mystery…sometimes there is no thread of the conversation)
or
at XYZ cafe’ right now having a tall macchiato caramel with a hint of cinnamon
(no idea why people want you to know they are having coffee right now…do I need to know?)
Facebook is always more fun even though at times I need to delete a few people who I obviously did not accept carefully but it was very exciting in the beginning to be asked to be friends so I jumped on everyone (not literally) and now I am slowly editing my list because I want it to be mostly for business, to learn from others, to be exposed to new ideas, to connect with similar minds (or with totally different ones that can bring me a wider vision of my world).

Beth Collier design

Maria Killam design

Pinterest is a fast way of keeping informed on Interior decoration, since many Pinners (? is this the word for users of the system?) download not only their projects but also images from magazines.

Brooke Giannetti design

Through Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and of course my Blog I made so many new contacts with artists, designers, writers, photographers, architects and some I may even consider “virtual friends” since at times we exchange personal emails or we are able to meet in person.

Linda Merrill design

Grant K. Gibson design

Nancy Marcus design

Irene Turner design

Scot Meacham Wood design

I had to limit my virtual friends named in this post to just a few, chosen randomly between old friends from blogging and new ones from Facebook or Pinterest but you can see what I mean:  great inspiring ideas.

So…are you Pinning? What are you waiting for?
Start now to create your own Pin Board and let us know your Pin-Name, it will be adding to mine and my readers collection of beautiful, inspiring images.
Share with us what you think about social media, are you part of some?

©2012 Brillante Interiors writes about new trends, timeless decor, iconic pieces, design ideas, or at times just musing about "a certain Italian way of doing things".

If you need help to enjoy your home more, please send me an email.  It will be an investment in happiness at home, a well designed house is always a good part of a great life and a beautiful room will make you happy every time you walk in!

If you receive this post by Email and wish to leave a comment please click HERE and go to the comments section.

And the Award goes to…

  
Do you know Claudia Juestel of Adeeni Design? She is a great designer, editor and  blogger from San Francisco and I invite you to know her better through her Blog, where you’ll find “Tea with Claudia” featuring interesting interviews, the latest with Kyle Bunting, great stories and what also intrigues me, frequent referral to European culture, being Claudia from Salzburg and I from Milan, two cities not far away. 
Now back to the title:
She was so kind to nominate my blog on The Stylish Blogger Award and I am honored and grateful, being in the company of extraordinary bloggers and designers.

Seven images of what I consider style true to itself:

Ischia, under a pergola a set of 1950's chairs

Macerata, geraniums in terracotta pots and a spectacular view

Milan, vintage chairs and a chandelier made of recycled glass shades

Milan, an Ikea lamp and an antique lacquered Chinese table

Venice, an antique bookcase, vintage objects and art books

 

Milan, in a XIX century building a sleek set for an icon of style

Grado, VI century, the Romanic style church

Seven  quotes by great personalities:
1) Only great minds can afford a simple style. Stendhal
2) Fashion fades, only style remains the same. Coco Chanel
3) When we see a natural style, we are astonished and charmed; for we expected to see an author, and we find a person. Blaise Pascal
4) Style is knowing who you are, what to say, and not giving a damn. Gore Vidal
5) Oh, never mind the fashion. When one has a style of one's own, it is always twenty times better. Margaret Oliphant
6) He has found his style, when he cannot do otherwise. Paul Klee
Finally a controversial quote on style:
7) Style is a fraud. I always felt the Greeks were hiding behind their columns. Willem De Kooning

Now it is my turn to choose and …The Stylish Blogger Award goes to…
Grant K. Gibson: who I follow from the beginning of my life as a blogger and who I have seen blooming exponentially.
Patricia Gray: for her fabulous blog and for pushing me in the blogosphere when I did not even know how to spell “blog”.
Ivan Meade: for the fresh approach to design, his weekly eye candies and for the intriguing interviews to top designers.
Vicente Wolf: who I had the great pleasure to meet recently and whose blog I follow to learn everything I can from a master designer.

I hope they can share their 7 thoughts on style with us!
Believe me, I have so many more names in my mind, some were already nominated, but for now I need to refrain myself.

Images© in color by Albarosa Simonetti
If you receive this post by Email and wish to leave a comment please click HERE and go to the comments section.
I love to hear from you!