Guest Blogger: Denise Fasanello

For a while now I have wanted to bring in some guest bloggers – designers, artists, artisans, crafters, and all-around creative people (whether their passion is a full-time job or a hobby) to write about what makes them tick. How did they get started? Was it a straight path to doing the work they do, or was it meandering and something that came along on the second round of careers (like mine)? Have they sacrificed to stay on the creative path, or did it come easy? I am especially interested in those who started out practicing one craft, kept exploring and wound up taking on a whole new medium or added new interest(s) to the roster of old ones.

I am elated to introduce my very first guest blogger today, the unbelievably talented Denise Fasanello, a Brooklyn-based floral designer. We hired Denise to create the flowers for our 2008 wedding and she truly brought an artist's eye and perspective to floral designs, which really set the tone for the whole affair. Not surprisingly, it turned out she began her creative career as a fine artist. Her floral designs are full of graphic elements and some of the most interesting, complex combinations of plant life I have ever seen. I figured her fine art background must inform her floral work somehow, and I wanted to know how. I also wanted to know more about the path she took from fine artist to working at an architectural design firm and finally to taking on flowers full-time, since so many of us start out doing one thing, but later realize our passions lie elsewhere. It's a tough decision to stop, re-evaluate, maybe go back to school, change your life and start over again, so I love hearing about successful people who made gutsy career changes. 

In addition to running her highly sought after business and being a wife and a mom, Denise also writes her own wonderful blog, Little Pheasant, full of whimsical commentary, spot-on observations and amazing images of her work. Without further ado, Denise's guest post. Thank you, Denise! xoxo

First, I need to start out by thanking Killy for inviting me as a guest blogger. I am so very honored to be asked! I've been a fan of The Studiolo from the beginning.

Floral design by Denise Fasanello

Here's a little background on me and how I got into floral design. It may seem like long convoluted story but then that's how life works sometimes, no? Many moons ago I needed a day job to support my art making habit.

Guinnea Hen, collage by Denise Fasanello

I found one at a little flower shop in the West Village. I had no experience working with flowers nor did I have a background in horticulture. But New York being New York I knew someone who got me the gig and I was a quick learn.

Web Bouquet, collage by Denise Fasanello

At the same time I was working part time for a famous female artist I greatly admired. Both jobs offered me more hours and I found myself at a real crossroads. At the time I was pretty keen on pursuing my fine art career so I chose to work as an artist assistant. 

Years pass and I am working diligently on my artwork but in truth I am feeling fatigued by the art world. By now I'm also running the daily operations of a successful architecture/art studio.

Web Bird Green, collage on paper by Denise Fasanello

After about six years of honing my fine art and eight years managing the architectural office, I start to think about that little flower shop. I dream about starting my own business. I start to design friend's wedding flowers.

Bouquet by Denise Fasanello

I slowly build a portfolio of images. I talk A LOT about it to anyone who will listen. I read how-to books on small businesses. I seek any and all stories of people, particularly woman who change careers. I even quit the firm to work for a fancy flower shop to gain experience. I get lured back to the firm. I make money and pay off all my debt. I continue to dream. I have a baby. I build a website. I design my business cards. I take the leap. That was 3 years ago and here I am. The hardest part of forging a new path is taking the first step. So true.

How has my art training influenced my flower work? Well, in very real ways. The use of scale, shape and color all come into play when making an arrangement. For me, working with flowers is the most liberating art expression. You do not have to wait for the paint to dry, the film to develop, the glue to set. It is instant gratification. I see it as a form of ephemeral sculpture.

Bouquet by Denise Fasanello

More interestingly how has floral design influenced my art making? How beauty is represented, manipulated and defined has always been at the root of my artistic creation. But it was not until I started working with natural materials that I truly understood our obsession with beauty. I begin to manipulate flowers and photograph them.

Orchid Sleeve by Denise Fasanello



Thorned by Denise Fasanello

Beauty is a fleeting experience. This is the conflict we all share. Beauty fades. Flowers wilt. To me it’s a very natural and human conflict - the desire to preserve beauty and the recognition that it is a futile pursuit. We make art to preserve the fading experience of beauty. Even the conscience decision to look at the ugly in life is a reaction to the beauty that exists. I am constantly reminded of this when I work with flowers. This is my attempt when being creative regardless of material or medium.

Bouquets by Denise Fasanello

Now what will the next step will be? Sky’s the limit!

Floral design by Denise Fasanello

To view more of Denise's work, click on her website. And don't forget to check out her blog! 

Getting To Know Austin: Networking and WSJ

Last night I attended a Buzz Party, a networking event for lady entrepreneurs in the Austin area, hosted by CRAVE Austin. It was certainly a buzz-worthy event, held at Collectic Home, a great resource for Austin designers and shoppers. I met a ton of interesting, motivated women, learned a bit about Crave, and doled out my business card – let the phone start a-ringin'!

Hello?

Networking is so strange – necessary, but strange. And uncomfortable. And awkward. But I do it when I can, and coming to a new city with pretty much no contacts makes networking absolutely essential.  I went to this little shin-dig solo, since it was a ladies event (Oliver stayed home and painted – ha! I painted when I got home – boo) which meant I had to orbit around and strike up conversations with strangers and try not to seem creepy.

One thing I do like about networking in a new city (aside from the potential to meet people, expand the old network and potentially get work as a result) is that it forces me to get out and explore parts of town I may not have come across on my own for a while. We've done a fair amount of wandering around, getting our bearings, figuring out how to get here and there, but I can always use a little nudge. And some free wine.

I'm a little behind in my current events, although I managed to catch wind of the 19 inches New York is buried under and I'm (not so) secretly gloating about the fact that I went jogging and worked in the yard in shorts today. But I digress....In trying to catch up on some news, I came across this article in the Wall Street Journal about things to do in Austin over the course of a long weekend. Author Kate Bolick hit on a few places we already love – and wrote about – such as Spiderhouse Cafe, Uncommon Objects,  The Driskill Hotel, South Congress Cafe, places on the top of our must-do list, like Hotel San Jose, Continental Club, Fonda San Miguel and Allen's Boots, and introduced us to places we definitely need to check out, including Harry Ransom Center, a highly-regarded literary archive and cultural preservation center, Texas Rowing Center for a little kayaking around Town Lake/Lady Bird Lake (it's actually a river), and The Broken Spoke for some honky-tonkin'.

Allen's Boots photo by Ryann Ford for The Wall Street Journal


For now, it's back to painting and job hunting. We're almost done with the office/second bedroom! xoxo

Let's Talk About Paint, Baby

Good afternoon! It's a bright day here in Austin; we were greeted by the sun shining through the THREE windows in our new bedroom. I won't go on about this for too long, but we had four windows total in our last apartment, now there are four windows in our kitchen alone – eleven total in the whole place – so you can imagine my excitement and perhaps forgive my momentary gloaty-ness.

But let's talk about paint, shall we? As I mentioned last week, Oliver and I painted up a storm before we moved our stuff into the house and slept on cots for four days in order to get it done with the least amount of stuff in our way.

Sorry for the blurry photo. It makes the sleeping arrangement seem all the more depressing, doesn't it? I'm kidding; it wasn't depressing, it was exciting! Just a bit uncomfortable :)

Saturday was the big moving day, and Oliver's parents helped up load the truck in Tyler, then unload in Austin. Let me tell you, they are MACHINES. We loaded up in about an hour (faster than the moving guys we hired in New York, mind you) and unloaded in less time on the other side. It was tremendously helpful that we had gotten the bulk of the painting done before moving in. I highly recommend this strategy for your next move, if it is at all possible.

Here's the living room and bedroom before we started painting:

Living room: looking toward the front door


Living room: looking toward the back door


Bedroom

First things first: protecting the worksite is so important. It is also so not interesting or fun. Floors come first. We spread canvas tarps borrowed from Oliver's parents on the floors, but you can get disposable plastic drop cloths at any hardware store. Contractors often use brown craft paper on the floors, which I think is a great solution, as it lets you precisely tape close to the walls but is thin enough to allow you to accurately paint the baseboards (the canvas tarps are pretty thick and bunchy near the walls, making baseboards difficult to access.

Before any painting can begin, remove all outlet covers, switch plates, ceiling pendants, fan blades, vent covers, towel bars, etc, so you get your color in every crevasse without getting paint on the covers themselves (unless that's part of the design scheme). We use 3M/Scotch blue painter's tape, like most people on earth. All holes left by nails, screws, tacks or anything else that leaves holes should be filled with lightweight spackle. For any large holes, use a heavier-weight plaster.

A dimmer, all safe and sound under some tape

The bedroom, spackled up and protected – no fan blades, fan stump all wrapped up and warm:


Since the walls in our house started out pretty dark, we had to prime them first. We bought a five gallon bucket of Valspar primer from Lowe's (remember to ask the store clerk to shake up any paint you buy to ensure that it's mixed properly), and once all the protections were done, we got to steppin'. We mixed the paint a bit more with wood sticks, then I used a smaller container to carry around with me as I edged along the baseboards, corners, door trims and ceilings. Oliver rolled the walls and ceilings.


The ceilings were pretty shabby, so we painted those with Valspar Ultra White in flat. Two coats on the ceilings and two coats on the walls before we were ready to paint with color.

The living room primed and ready for some color

Make sure you don't miss a spot on walls or ceilings by using a light, clip-able work lamp or another type of construction light that you can hold up and scan around the room. The worst thing is finishing, cleaning up, then noticing you missed a spot. We used this nifty hanging light, in addition to bell lights.


Oliver's parents let us borrow their brush spinner, which is now on the top of our must-buy list. You stick your clean, wet brush or roller pad into it, take it outside or lower it into the sink, and pull the spinner doo-hickey about ten times and voila! Your brush or pad is very dry. This makes using it again SO easy because it takes out all dripping potential. When water stays in the brush or pad, the next time you use it, the paint is runny and things get messy quickly. Get a spinner.

For edging work, it is important to have a quality brush. All this painting equipment really starts to add up, so its tempting to get the cheapest of everything, but resist the urge to cheap out on brushes; a good one will last for a long time. About five years ago, we invested in two high quality brushes that we take care of, and they've served us well. Oliver, edging the top of the wall in the bedroom – this job was too high-pressure for me. I knew I'd get "Plum Prelude" on the freshly painted white ceiling, so he stepped in like a champ:

A quality precision brush was imperative in this case, too, because our landlord designed and built the very solid, very custom wood front door, and if we messed it up with sloppy painting or erroneous brush strokes due to poor brush quality, we would have ruined the door.

We did fully protect the door with plastic sheeting before painting the ceilings and walls

We also bought nicer Wooster roller pads, available at Lowe's, that have plastic in the center, meaning you can wash and re-use them, which saves money and materials in the end. This time, we used  heavy duty roller trays from Oliver's parents, so we washed them out between uses, but when you're in a small place with not a lot of sink options, we prefer to use trays with disposable tray liners, so we don't have to spend a lot of time cleaning them out between uses. It makes things move a little faster.

Keeping a clean worksite makes everything easier. Push everything into the center of the room, but don't let things collect too much.

In the bathroom, we had to spend a lot of time on protections before getting to work. Covering the sink and the toilet is a little gross (who likes getting so close to the back of a toilet in a rental?), but worth it in the end, when you have no paint spots on your fixtures, and completely removing them isn't an option.


We got a tiny roller to be used specifically behind the toilet and around sink valves and pipes. I highly recommend this – these hard to reach spots are still visible, so getting paint coverage is important. I don't have a decent picture of the bathroom yet, and Oliver is working in there right now, putting up some shelves, but I'll tell you the bathroom looks bright and pristine!

We still have lots of work to do, but we will be able to comfortably live here while we do it – and we're thrilled with the progress we've made already!

Current state of the living room – at least we can sit in it!


It's a little cramped right now, but our dining area is fully functional!


The bedroom, with our make-shift roman shades ala trash bags



See that lump on the bed? It's Oliver...shhhh.

Profusely Painting

You guys, I totally failed you this week! Please accept my sincerest apologies. We have been painting our buns off since Monday – due to work conflicts, Oliver's parents weren't able to help us paint, so we JAMMED and finished the living room, our bedroom and the bathroom. I'm kind of bragging because we had to paint two coats of primer in each room before painting two coats of our colors, we hit the insides of the closets twice because they were gross, and got all the baseboards, door trims and window casings. That's a lot of painting for two people in four days, and I'll tell ya, my back is paying for it. If I never have to edge a wall again, I would die a happy woman. Sadly, we still have to tackle the second bedroom, the kitchen and the hall, so my painting woes continue. However, we have done enough to really move in, so tomorrow morning we're driving back to East Texas to fetch our truck and the rest of our belongings, which means we no longer have to sleep side-by-side on heinously uncomfortable camping cots. Like this, but WAY less glam, coordinated and comfy, and far more creaky:

Interior design by Lee Kleinhelter via Lonny

Last night, when I climbed into the cot, I pretended it was a huge, cozy bed, like this one:

Interior design by Anthony Gianacakos via Lonny

So manly, with those leather pillows and chocolate brown throw. I was unable to suspend my disbelief, but by the end of the weekend, we will have our bed back and I will be up and running with regular posts! There are lots of painting photos to share! So far, our floral-inspired palette is turning out beautifully. Thanks for your patience! xoxo

Paint Palette Challenges and Triumphs

Image courtesy Veer

The mister and I have a full week ahead – we're painting our new house and moving in! If my posts get a little thin it's because we're busily edging, rolling and scrubbing drips off the floor (no doubt my fault). Oliver's parental units are going to help with the painting, so things should go very quickly and smoothly, as they are professionals.

It took a little more time for us to figure out a paint palette than we expected. I prefer to pull together a scheme with the parts and pieces – with upholstery, wall colors, bedding, furniture, accessories, etc. in one place, laid out so I can see it all and be certain it all makes sense together. Most of our belongings are in storage, so we don't have easy access to our things, which made drumming up a design scheme challenging. Because we've been a bit out of our element, we started choosing colors somewhat arbitrarily. We both had it in our heads that we wanted to use some kind of fuchsia somewhere in the house, but we we had trouble nailing down a palette based solely on our semi-random desire to incorporate a pink. We came up with a few decent options, but it just wasn't gelling.

I don't make solid choices arbitrarily; I like to have a reason for doing things, so I needed to take a step back and figure out what overall feeling I want to achieve with our paint palette was. I found the bouquet image, below, way back when we were planning our wedding and I was looking for color inspiration. For the wedding, we went for bold reds with classic black and white accents tempered by soft champagnes and pewter greys, so I didn't use the bouquet image, but I've hung onto it because I knew it would come in handy at some point.

Image via This Is Glamorous

The overall look is somewhat dark and moody, with the charcoaly-blue urn and deep purples, but the yellow, pink-ish and white highlights combined with that amazing leafy green softens it all up.

In scouring my inspiration file, I came across the image, below, that I think creates a successful interior based on the colors in the bouquet above in a bright, cheerful way.

Source unknown

The blue-grey walls and sofa pick up the light hitting the urn while the shiny black lampshade gives a nod to it's darkness. The rug references the varied purples and pinks of the flowers, the wood furniture and bamboo window coverings bring in the neutrals sprinkled throughout, while the yellow cushion on the stool, fluffy sheepskin throw blanket and the paper shade of the floor lamp pull in the bright yellows and whites found among the flowers. The green house plant obviously speaks to the leaves in the bouquet while the pattern on the toss pillow subtly pull in the patten and detail on the base of the urn.

Now that we have a sold jumping off point, we can get to work! We will certainly document the process, and since Oliver's parents are on board, I know we'll pick up some great painting tips that we'll happily share. Sadly, we don't have big bro Josh with us for this project, but maybe we can put him to work when he visits (kidding!).

Reminder: Nominate The Studiolo for a BLOGGIE!

Just a friendly reminder to nominate your fave design blog (hopefully this one) for a Bloggie (weblog award)! Nominations close on Jan. 16, so cast your vote today! Click here for the nominations page.

The instructions are a little convoluted, but here's a screen shot of what your nomination should look like:

Name of the blog on the left; URL on the right

You can also nominate us in other categories: Best Writing of a Weblog, Best Kept Secret Weblog – whichever you feel fits.

Don't forget to nominate at least two other blogs in other categories. If you're not sure which blogs to include, here are a few suggestions:

Cooking: Smitten Kitchen

Fashion: Adored Austin

Topical: Harlem Bespoke

There are plenty of categories – Gossip, Music, Food, Photography, Travel – so nominate away!

Remember to scroll all the way down the entry form to include your email address. You will receive an email from The Bloggies with a link on which you will have to click to confirm the nomination.

Thanks again! It's a long shot, but I figure, why not try? xoxo

Apartment Therapy Mentions Home Office Nook

Another thank you is due to Apartment Therapy for a second mention of our home office, which was featured in their "Good Questions" series, the question being Office Decor: How Many Shelves is Too Many?

Obviously, this is a very subjective topic! Because our home office was in the middle of our living room, we took a more decorative-minimalist approach to the design. We needed certain things at our disposal, but Oliver being the masterful office-setter-upper he is, set us up with all kinds of wireless technology. For instance:
• Our giant printer was hidden in the console table by the entry, which is also where my files and binders lived
• Our scanner was on the lowest shelf of our "cocktail bar," covered by a nifty textile
• I kept my scraps, papers, samples, etc off the desk with the help of a cork board we re-covered
• All the computer components and cables were mounted to the bottom of the desk, so we weren't constantly stepping on wires beneath our feet as we worked. If you got down on the floor, you could see our the parts and wires all zip-tied and screwed into the underside of the desk:


I would venture a guess that at this point, most people have computers at home, whether they work on them or not, and finding a spot for them is always a challenge. Some choose to float around with a laptop, bringing it to the dining table, to the sofa, into bed, while others prefer to carve out a little spot exclusively for computing. I am part of that school. Even if you don't have a whole room you can dedicate to computing, it's easier than you might think to beautifully integrate a designated work area into your home without taking up too much visual space or looking too office-y. Here are some favorite home office images:

Use an open bookcase to cordon off a workspace, which lets light in, adds storage but keeps the work area separate:

Via Domino

Re-purposing a snappy piece of furniture is a sure-fire way to slyly integrate a home office into the rest of the house. Whether it's an armoire, a secretary, a credenza or a console, using a beautiful piece to store your goodies makes the living/working transition seamless–and easy to hide when you're done:

Via Living Etc.

Wallpaper or paint the inside of an old piece for an unexpected jolt of color

Via Living Etc.

You can also work in a spot to sit in an existing bookcase - just remove a few shelves, add a chair and shoot off some emails!

Via Deborah Burke


Via Design*Sponge

An under-the-stair solution fills a potentially awkward, unused (or mis-used) space with something productive!

Via Shelterpop

Got a closet you're not using? (I don't understand that concept, but perhaps some of you have more space than I :) Add some shelves, a built-in desk, et voila! Mini-office with a door you can close when you're done!

Via Martha Stewart

Using furniture for your workspace that works well with the rest of your furnishings is important. If you're just sitting down to email for a few minutes here and there, perhaps a giant, office-y Aeron chair isn't necessary, and you can get away with a more interesting dining or side chair:

Design by Todd Romano


Via Domino

But, if you're going to use the chair a lot, it's definitely important that it be ergonomic and comfortable. There are plenty of chic options, especially in the vintage realm. I don't often tout the mid-century modern look (I like it, but it's a tad overused) but I have to say those mid-century industrial designers had a way with office chairs that are functional AND good-looking!

Via Domino


Design by Jacinta Preston

You can also re-cover a ho-hum office chair with a more interesting fabric, as in the photo below. Chances are, the chair in the back didn't start out with that gorgeous brown and white upholstery:

Source Unknown

Another approach is to embrace the fact that your workspace is plopped in the middle of your living space and really made it sing with jazzy wallpaper, bold colors, zippy furniture and beautiful table lamps–but don't sacrifice neatness! When you're done working, it should clean up nicely.

Via Domino


Via Skona Hem


Via House Beautiful

Thanks again to Bethany Nauert for including us in her quest for answers!