My Fascination with Cuban Architecture and Interior Design
The prospects of having access to Cuban architecture and interior design are simply AWESOME! I am pouring through on-line travel brochures to see which ones have the most comprehensive packages. I cannot wait to go!
The problem is there is just too much – Cuba is an island jammed with inspiration from colonial to mid-century modern and everything in between. It is colorful, organic, elegant, refined, casual, inviting – EVERYTHING is there on this one 750 mile long island. 450 years of preserved architectural history. What is amazing though, is that we see photos and hear in the news that the island is in decay but I found 2 authors who have both proven otherwise.
I’ve discovered Michael Connor’s book “The Spendor of Cuba” where the pages unfold an incredible visual history of architectural styles. Cuban architecture dates back as far as the 1500’s and is a veritable museum of period after period of architectural treasures – all intact or as he cleverly put it….“preservation by neglect”. Hermes Mallea, a Cuban born architect practicing in NYC left Cuba at the age of 5 returns to Havana and published a book – the “Great Houses of Havana”. He too, looks at the preserved rather than the decaying. Magnificent photo records of what we would see. He recants that there are “protocol” houses that were taken over by the Cuban ministry who then restores and operates these magnificent homes for foreign diplomats and important visitors. Who would have thought!
With all of this interest in Cuba, I would bet my nickel that we will be seeing design inspirations shortly all over the place; in fashion, unquestionably. My prediction is that we will be seeing it in interiors too – a new spin on color – fresh pure sun-washed colors; turquoise, yellows, greens and pinks.
Mid-century modern will have a tropical flare – natural fabrics like burlaps and linens will be used as upholstery or wall material. The options will be unfettered, fun and limitless because of the wealth of new visual information out there.
While I wait for my opportunity to explore Cuba, my focus has turned to websites about Cuban influenced design materials, inspirational photographs and particularly one female Cuban interior designer that I found, Clara Porset. Clara studied in Paris, Europe and in New York. She discovered Bauhaus architecture and design while in Europe, which influenced her furniture and interior design work in Cuba and in Mexico. Her work was simple, straight forward and organic. Now she is included as one of my inspirations!
With a history of 450 years of Cuban architecture and interior design – this will be the new old frontier!
Here’s a list of websites about Cuba’s architecture and design that I’ve been exploring… enjoy!
http://www.greathousesofhavana.com
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XD0aFvxymeY
http://cubantropicaltile.com/collection.html
http://www.cementtileshop.com/cement-tile/cuban-heritage-collection-encaustic-cement-tile.html
http://www.villalagoontile.com/as-cuban-tile.html
http://www.thrillist.com/travel/nation/cuba-travel-changes-what-you-need-to-know-about-the-new-laws-on-visiting-cuba
Sygrove Interior Design Services
Sygrove Associates Design Group is an NYC interior design company. Our company’s founder Marilyn Sygrove is the lead interior designer on all projects. And she’s as tough as you are when it comes to quality, aesthetics, and coming in on time and on budget.
It all starts with a design consultation with Marilyn. She takes the time to thoroughly understand your design needs then personally directs all interior design, planning, and installation activities. Her work has been delighting clients, co-op and condo boards, and homeowners for over 30 years.
You can reach Marilyn by email at hello@sygrove.com or call her directly at 212.757.0631.
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Recipes and Renovations
It’s holiday time. You have the whole family and close friends coming over for a meal. If you are anything like me, you decide on the table settings and menu in advance and find that as much as you plan, you are cooking non-stop for 2 days before the event. But…I also decide to make new things – oh why do I torture myself with this unnecessary pressure? Because I love to please our guests, of course!
I begin with the basic structure of how I would like the meal to go. How is this like designing a lobby you ask? It is all about the flow, logistics, space-planning and the ambience. I decide on a color scheme and a theme, set out the china, crystal, silverware, table cloth and napkins – the basics are covered. Then I decide how to bring in the warmth and wow factors. To me, that sounds just like a lobby!
Honestly, I find inspiration in the tons of magazines I subscribe to from cooking and lifestyle to architectural and design periodicals. Interior design and cooking is all about your resources. I particularly miss Gourmet Magazine – it had it all – dishes, table settings, centerpieces as well as room interiors and travelogues. It was a sad day when it was no longer in print. Thankfully, I still have a library full of the old copies to refer to and….as with most things today, you can find it on line: http://www.gourmet.com/
I do the same for lobby design projects. My library is full of beautiful books that I regularly peruse for inspiration – color, details, ambience. I love the touch and feel of paper. That will never change for me!
The format for preparing a meal is so similar to how I approach a design project, it’s crazy! Shopping for ingredients is like shopping for materials. Having all of the ingredients lined up before I start cooking is like having all of the furniture, area rugs, wall covering and light fixtures ordered before construction starts. While the the last dishes of the meal are cooking I chill the beverages and open the red wines to breath. As the punch list is completed, we unwrap the furniture and place it where it belongs.
The guests arrive and they are offered a drink. Voila’ – just like the lobby reopening!
All is right with the world!
Sygrove Interior Design Services
Sygrove Associates Design Group is an NYC interior design company. Our company’s founder Marilyn Sygrove is the lead interior designer on all projects. And she’s as tough as you are when it comes to quality, aesthetics, and coming in on time and on budget.
It all starts with a design consultation with Marilyn. She takes the time to thoroughly understand your design needs then personally directs all interior design, planning, and installation activities. Her work has been delighting clients, co-op and condo boards, and homeowners for over 30 years.
You can reach Marilyn by email at hello@sygrove.com or call her directly at 212.757.0631.
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How My Dog Helped My Business
Pets have always been a big part of my life. My Mom was as crazy about animals (and bugs) as I was! When I was born we had Speckles, a large dog that was half Dalmatian and half…who knows what! He was fearless and his post was right beside my playpen. Yep, my fate as a dog-lover was sealed.
As an adult and parent myself, the legacy continued…so when my kids were little they begged me for a dog, and Hershey came into our lives. She was a wonderful rescued Chocolate Labrador Retriever who came to work with me daily, gracing my offices with her cheery presence. Hershey oversaw the business activities from her perch atop the conference table, where she also took her daily nap, greeted vendors, and welcomed clients. All this while doing her main job: alerting us to messengers and deliveries.
So how did my dog Hershey help my business?
Well, most clients who came to visit would pet and make a fuss over her. They were always so delighted to see a furry friend in a business environment. Sometimes I wondered who they actually came to see…me or my dog!
Hershey become the Sygrove Associates mascot and was featured in my monthly newsletter for years. She was always “dressed” to fit the season. For August she may be pictured preparing culinary delights at the grill, spatula in “paw.”
September features Hershey on her way “back to school” on the bus or busy teaching “biscuit math” in the classroom.
November always featured her presiding over a bountiful Thanksgiving table laden with turkey and the fixings. It has been such fun to come up with creative settings that punctuate the feeling for that month. My clients couldn’t wait to see what Hershey would be up to each month.
Then a wonderful thing happened. At the end of a presentation for a large 75-story cooperative building hallway project, I handed each board member a folder containing the requisite information they would need to make a decision. Inside each folder I had added a surprise: a Hershey’s chocolate bar.
“What’s this for?” they asked.
I went on to explain that Sygrove Associates has a very key staff member who is brown, furry and wags her tail. The treat was is my way of honoring Design Dog Hershey. At this, the entire board perked up and chimed in. One by one they told a story of a rescued Wheaton Terrier, Daschund, and even a Heinz 57. Dog lovers, all of them. Right then and there they told me that we got the job!
Never, in all of my years in business, would I have guessed that my dog would be the determining factor in winning a project!
Hey, You never know…
Sadly, after 15 years of service and loving companionship Hershey was laid to rest. We have photos and videos of her but we have an imprint of her paw for posterity. She is forever part of us. Will I ever replace her? That is unimagineable, but I do peek at dogs being walked near me and I size them up and think to myself “ could I adopt again”? I even check out dog rescue websites occasionally but I am not ready…… yet.
Sygrove Interior Design Services
Sygrove Associates Design Group is an NYC interior design company. Our company’s founder Marilyn Sygrove is the lead interior designer on all projects. And she’s as tough as you are when it comes to quality, aesthetics, and coming in on time and on budget.
It all starts with a design consultation with Marilyn. She takes the time to thoroughly understand your design needs then personally directs all interior design, planning, and installation activities. Her work has been delighting clients, co-op and condo boards, and homeowners for over 30 years.
You can reach Marilyn by email at hello@sygrove.com or call her directly at 212.757.0631.
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4 Secrets To Preparing To Meet With Your Interior Designer
The hard work is over. You’ve finally found the perfect interior designer and you’re ready to get started on your project. Pretty exciting, right? It is exciting! I am going to share some of the secrets I’ve learned as the lead designer on hundreds of projects over the years. Here’s how to prepare for a meeting with your interior designer that will be productive and enjoyable for both of you.
You’ll want to help your designer get into your “head” right away. She (or he) needs to understand the essence of YOU: how you think, what your goals are, your top priorities, etc. Basically, what it is that gets to the core of the space you are dreaming about.
It all starts with a little bit of homework on your part. Take the time for this and the entire process will run much more efficiently and be fun for you and your interior designer.
1. Buy Magazines: Visit a newsstand and browse the magazine rack. Purchase the publications that you feel best represents your tastes.
There are so many choices these days, here a few that I love:
- Architectural Digest
- Veranda
- Elle Décor
- House and Garden
- Traditional Home
- Southern Living
Tear out pages or tag the photographs and ads that appeal to you most. I love it when couples use different colored “stickies” to identify their individual selections. Then I can see who thinks what.
Here’s what to look for in magazines:
- The overall feeling of the room
- Colors that appeal to you
- Patterns you like
- Fabrics that look wonderful
- Window treatment styles
- Furniture shapes and styles
2. Use The Internet: The Internet is full of great ways to get inspiration. Here are some ideas:
- Pinterest: Create “inspiration boards” on this visual social network (so fun!).
- Houzz: This interior design “social network” has lots of ideas.
- Check out the online versions of popular interior design magazines.
3. Make a List of What You Do Not Like: It’s just as important for your designer to know what you hate as what you love. Don’t forget this important step.
- Colors
- Styles
- Design periods
- Materials
- A type of furniture
- Certain kinds of artwork
- Don’t hold back!
4. Have a List of Questions Ready: Brainstorm and record everything you are wondering about in regards to your project. Here are some important ones to put on the list:
- What will be the sequence of events?
- During the design phase?
- During the construction phase?
- During the finishing phase?
- How long will each phase of the design take?
- How will the design implementation directly affect me?
- Should I plan to go on a long vacation during this time or will you need me?
- What more is expected of me?
Some More Tips:
Always try meet with your designer in your present home. This will give her lots of insight about things that may be hard for you to verbalize. It’s amazing what amusing tidbits can come up! I’ve heard:
- “I’ve hated this sofa ever since it came into this house”
- “I’ve lived with that china cabinet my in-law’s gave us for 20 years and I’m done!”
- Share with your designer any “interiors experiences” you’ve enjoyed (I’ve coined that expression!). When I hear a comment like this: “We loved staying at this 5-Star hotel in Italy and we want that same feeling” it helps me greatly.
Follow the above tips and you will inspire your designer in ways you don’t even realize! Just be 150% yourself and you will have a life-changing design experience together!
Sygrove Interior Design Services
Sygrove Associates Design Group is an NYC interior design company. Our company’s founder Marilyn Sygrove is the lead interior designer on all projects. And she’s as tough as you are when it comes to quality, aesthetics, and coming in on time and on budget.
It all starts with a design consultation with Marilyn. She takes the time to thoroughly understand your design needs then personally directs all interior design, planning, and installation activities. Her work has been delighting clients, co-op and condo boards, and homeowners for over 30 years.
You can reach Marilyn by email at hello@sygrove.com or call her directly at 212.757.0631.
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How It Began
This is my first blog!
And it’s a great opportunity to tell the story about how I got started in the industry and built an interior design practice that has not only survived, but has thrived for over three decades in the toughest market in the country – New York City!
My father was a “big time” retail store designer and one of the pioneers in the field of visual merchandising, store planning and decoration. He designed Louis of Boston, Princeton Skate + Ski, and Braddock’s Menswear and was considered the top in his field. I was always in awe of him and when I graduated from college I could not wait to get a job at his firm. I ended up learning more from my father I had in four years of design school!
Dad was instrumental in getting me to understand the most important tenet of interior design I ever learned (and one that I still employ every day): all interiors are visual merchandising in one way or another. Dad’s theories around coordinated themes and artful vignettes that at the same time foster function and practicality are the basis for the design decisions my staff and I make for our clients every day. And it’s the reason why our projects are not only beautiful, but practical as well.
My design experience was further developed in my next job, which was to design hotel lobbies, hallways, and guest rooms. Clearly, my tutelage in store planning was applicable to the sometime fantastical hotel design world as the “visual merchandising” of such spaces sets the tone for guests as they are making the decision where to stay.
My design range and scope expanded with working on New York City, national and international hotel projects. This is where the connection between residential, public space and commercial design jelled in my work. Hotels were looking for unique decors that made them stand out, whether contemporary, traditional, classic, or edgy. The level of detail and quality becomes the signature of a space, and I was perfectly suited to understand that.
In 1982, when I started Sygrove Associates Design Group I was armed with all of the knowledge and experience needed to catapult me into public space design for existing buildings that were converting from rental to cooperatives. My commitment to high standards, being eternally creative and solving tough design problems stems from a long history of design influences and years of direct experience, starting with my dad.
Thank you, Dad!
– Marilyn
Sygrove Interior Design Services
Sygrove Associates Design Group is an NYC interior design company. Our company’s founder Marilyn Sygrove is the lead interior designer on all projects. And she’s as tough as you are when it comes to quality, aesthetics, and coming in on time and on budget.
It all starts with a design consultation with Marilyn. She takes the time to thoroughly understand your design needs then personally directs all interior design, planning, and installation activities. Her work has been delighting clients, co-op and condo boards, and homeowners for over 30 years.
You can reach Marilyn by email at hello@sygrove.com or call her directly at 212.757.0631.