"A man is never so proud as when striking an attitude of humility." C.S. Lewis

When you read this I will be in training at a new job. It's not really a 'new' job , I worked for this company briefly 4 years ago.

My town, which by most peoples standards is a very pretty town, has a problem. It's the store fronts. They are emptying out....quickly. The downtown area , on the main street is not good.

As you might imagine, clients are not chasing me down the street. Nor are they throwing money at me for this spectacularly brilliant design brain of mine. I am going to work for a big family furniture business in South Florida. They have a lovely design department too.

So..........if it's Monday, I am in training.

Training to be a better me.... Am I humble? Humility allows me to remain teachable.

I am not the 'boss of me' anymore.

Was I ever ? Even when I worked for myself....I still really worked for who ever was writing the checks for the furniture and fabrics.

I have promised myself that I will have an attitude of gratitude for this opportunity. A good attitude is the only thing that will make me a success.

I think a lot of what went wrong with this country (myself included) is a lack of gratitude for what we had. We fell into the trap of thinking what we had was not enough. There was always something bigger and better right around the corner. We all know (especially a designer)...that bigger is not always better.

Renee Finberg 'TELLS ALL' in her BLOG.....
Interior Design, Palm Beach, Boca Raton,Design Sources, Window Treatments, Custom Design, Paint, Color Coordination, Online Interior Design, Floor Plans, All Custom,Gratitude, Humility

Talk About Doing It On A Shoe String...

(This hallway is the bomb. I love it!!)
They Live In NYC

This is Ms. Salway (26 year old interior designer) and Mr. Moskowitz (television script coordinator) and they plan on being married in this house. They will rent a huge tent and have 150 guests, after all the renovations are completed.

"Christina Salway and John Moskowitz spent weekends from October to May renovating their 700-square-foot 1920s cottage in Sparrow Bush, N.Y., their first home purchase. A converted garage on the left is now a living room that has been enclosed with salvaged windows and glass-paned doors."

Last September this couple paid $95,000.00 for this 2 bedroom cottage in the Catskills.

"The coffee table, made of wood crates, was found on the street."
With a budget of $10,000.00 they did almost everything them selves.
Everything in this house is either off the street or from craigs list.

...and just add a dash of paint!
Lots of charm.
This adorable couple installed retro appliances in the kitchen, including this Philco refrigerator.
Antique wheel - from the street

I can see the tent now , with all the guests at their wedding..

I wish these two all the happiness, and it seems to me that they can do anything together.

When you are young and in love, is there anything that you can't do?

images : NYT

Renee Finberg 'TELLS ALL' in her BLOG.....
Interior Design, Palm Beach, Boca Raton,Design Sources, Window Treatments, Custom Design, Paint, Color Coordination, Online Interior Design, Floor Plans, All Custom ,House in The Catskills

CRAZY For Art

Frank Maresca , part-owner of the Ricco/Meresca Gallery in NY, is one of the leading experts on and collectors of outsider art in the country.

And this is his home. (NYSD)

Outsider Art
"Refers to the creative work of artists who are self-taught and/or those who, for a variety of reasons, are what I consider fortunately impervious to being taught how to make art. It now includes all of the following:

The naive, the innocent, the self-taught,
the visionary, the intuitive, the eccentric;

The schizophrenic, the developmentally disabled,
the psychotic, the obsessive, the compulsive.
The French artist Jean Dubuffet is perhaps more responsible than anyone else for our current awareness of what we now call Outsider Art. He coined the phrase Art Brut, which literally means Raw Art, to refer to art made by those described above. The raw and the pure, without the countless layers of training and cultural sophistication that afflicts most mainstream art, is what appeals to me and is how I identify that which I call Outsider Art." (www.spyrock.com)
These are Halloween Masks molds. I like these and I think that they are super interesting as I think many pieces in his private collection are..

In the right application you can appreciate almost anything. NO ?
It is very collectable and HOT right now, so what is TRAMP Art ?

"Tramp Art is a type of Folk Art, and collecting it these days is “hot.” Tramp Art in America dates back to the Civil War through the 1930’s, and there are thousands of tramp art objects in circulation. Boxes and mirror frames which sold for a few cents in the late 1950’s, are worth hundreds of dollars today.

Tramp Art is a wanderer’s art form, so there are no written records of the carver’s work. Typically, tramps and hobos would congregate around campfires, where they would sing songs, recite poetry, and create their own individual works of art. The hobos would usually whittle while tramps would carve, using the wood from free supplies of cigar boxes and fruit crates.

Tramp Art comes in a great variety, from small boxes and frames, to large furniture and intricate objects. The artists were usually untrained craftsmen, people who wanted to decorate everyday objects, using the chip carving method." ALL SANDS

Personally, for the most part,I do not care for the case goods or the upholstery in this apartment. But, I do think some great things were done with the art.

Spinal; column from a chiropractor's office in Chicago c 1925’s . I was bowled over by this, it is a sculpture as far as I am concerned. But, I have a side of me that is fascinated by the dark side. Why are some people EVIL ?? How can a person kill another? It's not what you might think, it's not necessarily that they are crazy. It's a DNA thing......For instance...I would have loved to have been a forensic psychiatrist, homicide detective, or a D.A. fighting crime and putting away the evil serial killers. The only TV series that I watch is DEXTER on showtime. Need I say more???? (Dexter is a serial killer that only kills other serial killers)

The Halloween molds.


I think his display is fabulous. Each head is illuminated and set on a floating shelf.

Now, if you are thinking that these would not look good in a home with traditional furniture...you just might be wrong. It is all in the application, and ART is a separate entity. Art is not meant to MATCH a room. It does if you bought a model home from a builder to live in. That is what they do in 'cookie cutter designs' by designers who do 'MODEL HOMES'. I should know, in 1984 I worked for the leading model home interior design firm in Florida for four years. The designs are meant to sell homes. And also the designs are meant for the entire market. That means EVERYBODY. And what is taken into account when doing the design is this; cover the homes short comings, and design for people that do not understand design (the 'entire market' people). In other words, your audience is less sophisticated. A sophisticated home owner should know that 'art' is ART.

Ray guns from c.1930's

And I like these too.

What do you like in this post ?

Is there a piece you would use ?

To see the entire piece published on him go here; http://www.newyorksocialdiary.com/nysd/nysdhouse Photographs by Jeffrey Hirsch

Renee Finberg 'TELLS ALL' in her BLOG.....
Interior Design, Palm Beach, Boca Raton,Design Sources, Window Treatments, Custom Design, Paint, Color Coordination, Online Interior Design, Floor Plans, All Custom, Outsider Art

Decorators have feelings, too.

Mary Barnette and Mary Dean ( Interior Decorators )

image Source: City website photo 166
Beaverton, OR

Decorators have feelings too.

"Redecorating involves an ongoing, intimate relationship with someone you've probably just met and who is going to know everything -- and I mean everything -- about you and your immediate entourage. And no matter how successful they are, many decorators need to know that you really, really want to work with them. "Being nice and mentioning that they love your work are basic," says Victoria Hagan, who only takes on entire homes. "Decorating is about matchmaking and is based on trust and mutual respect," she adds. "It's about creating something beautiful with people you care about."

If you are considering hiring a designer or a decorator click here and read the article.

http://nymag.com/nymetro/shopping/homedesignfall2002/n_7807/

Renee Finberg 'TELLS ALL' in her BLOG.....
Interior Design, Palm Beach, Boca Raton,Design Sources, Window Treatments, Custom Design, Paint, Color Coordination, Online Interior Design, Floor Plans, All Custom,Interior Desorators Have Feelings

1960's Classique

"Architect Richard Zingale and interior designer Sandra Chancey created a soothing retreat using a minimalist, geometric design and modernist influences."

Isn't this rich ? It takes me back to another time..........

I like it. I grew up with a girl who's parent's home was very similar to both the exterior, and interior of this place..

...And so dissimilar to my family home.

I was surrounded with everything traditional.
Everything that is done in this home reflects the 1960's.
All of the good from the 60's era, and the bad forgotten.
The light floors are refreshing, clean , and airy.

'Airy' is always good.

One thing though,...it is very important that your wood floor is finished in just the right color/shade. If you don't watch the staining process carefully you could end up with a pink hue in the floor.

No Good.

No Pinks.

"The client — philanthropist and art collector Norma Gene Lykes — first found a house to renovate in her own neighborhood, the Hyde Park historic district along Tampa Bay in Florida. But obstacles prevailed, and she decided to demolish that house and build a new one with a 1960s-inspired aesthetic. Both Zingale and Chancey had worked with Lykes previously, and the three tackled the project as a team."

I think this home is a knockout!
The architecture is 1960's style.

And today, it is truly a Classique!!

I would live here in heart beat.

I would like to know, do you like this home??

Could you live in it, or is it too modern and cold for you??

I know some of you have much different styles....

but can you appreciate it?

I think what I like about this home is that it reminds me of the homes in Miami Beach, from the 1960's when I was growing up.

To Read The Article: http://www.veranda.com/room-decorating/interior-design-1960s-inspired-Florida
Renee Finberg 'TELLS ALL' in her BLOG.....
Interior Design, Palm Beach, Boca Raton,Design Sources, Window Treatments, Custom Design, Paint, Color Coordination, Online Interior Design, Floor Plans, All Custom,1960's Classique