At the iSaloni, a designer has the opportunity to see the most luxurious home furnishings and lighting, kitchen & bath designs that are absolutely breathtaking! Each year, they alternate between Lighting and Kitchen & Bath designs.

From Classical Designs to Transitional, Contemporary Designs, there is something new and spectacular for every taste.

The iSaloni is the global benchmark for the Home Furnishing Sector.  Attending this show provides an invaluable tool for our industry…around the globe to network and create a business relationship. The iSaloni made its first appearance in 1961, designed to promote Italian furniture and furnishing accessories on the export market, and it has continued to do so impeccably, ensuring that the quality of Italian furniture is known worldwide and continues so bring in its visitors from all parts of the world.

The show begins tomorrow but before we begin that adventure, let’s do explore Milan by going to their spectacular restaurants and shops!!

As my husband and I sit at a local cafe, we love to people watch and experience life with the locals.  Milan is an amazing and energizing town filled with some of the most chic men and women!! What’s interesting is that one is even more chic than the other… As you enter the city, you are instantly blessed with their fruit stands and the fragrance of beautiful flowers in their flower stands.  Their scent is as unbelievable as their presentations. Can you tell that I love Milan?

Come take a walk with me down Via della Spiga (Italian pronunciation: [ˈviːa della ˈspiːɡa]). This is one of Milan, Italy’s most prestigious and upscale shopping streets, forming the north-east boundary of the luxurious Quadrilatero della Moda (fashion quadrilateral), along with Via Monte Napoleone, Via Manzoni, Via Sant’Andrea and Corso Venezia.  For more pictures, click here.

I Look forward to the upcoming experience at the ‘Salone Internazionale del Mobile’ and visiting with old friends and meeting new ones.  Have you been to Milan?  If so, what are your favorite memories?  Please share them with us on www.Facebook.com/HalehDesignInc!

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Lalique is thrilled to announce its partnership with Relativity Media’s highly-anticipated reimagining of the beloved Snow White legend, ‘Mirror Mirror’,  starring Julia Roberts, Lily Collins, Armie Hammer, Nathan Lane and Sean Bean.

Brilliant Lalique pieces illuminate the chamber of the Evil Queen, played by Oscar-winner Julia Roberts. The iconic Lalique Cactus table is placed prominently in the center of the room. Sitting atop is Lalique’s 24-karat gold hand-painted Abundance Bowl, flanked by three crystal Dahlia boxes.  In the bedroom, the evil Queen’s bed is framed by two sparkling Lalique Marsan tables adorned with Lalique’s Oak sconces, Dampierre and Beauvais vases and decadent Hirondelles, Cactus, Dahlia and Clairefontaine perfume bottles. These Lalique pieces used on set.

Snow White | Mirror Mirror Lalique Cactus Table + Abundance Bowl on the set | Haleh Design

Mirror Mirror-Julia Roberts with Cactus table + Abundance Bowl

Tea Room Lalique Abundance Bowl | Mirror Mirror with Julia Roberts

Lalique Perfume Bottle - Limited Edition | Luxury Vanity by Haleh Design, Inc.

Lalique Abundance Bowl - Gold | Mirror Mirror | Haleh Design Inc.

Lalique boutiques in New York and Beverly Hills unveiled specially-designed ‘Mirror Mirror’ window displays to celebrate the partnership in the weeks leading up to the film’s nationwide release on March 30th.  Please find attached images of the New York boutique window displays.  The trailer of the movie is looped to run constantly on iPads in the windows of both boutiques.

Lalique Boutique Window Display for Mirror Mirror | Cactus Table | Abundance Bowl

Lalique Boutique - Window Display to promote Mirror Mirror | Cactus Table

For more information or to view the actual pieces used on the “Mirror Mirror” set, please contact Haleh Design.

Foyer with Lalique Cactus Table | Luxury Interior Design by Haleh Design

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One of the delights in hosting a dinner party is planning the tablescape. Along with setting the menu, choosing the cocktails and wine, designing the look and feel of the table is key to a successful and beautiful evening dinner party.

Deciding what kind of dinner party you are hosting is a must before designing the tablescape. Is this a formal evening with multiple courses or is it a friendly gathering over a one pot dish like coq au vin? Knowing what you are serving and whom you are serving are key to creating the perfect tablescape. Once you have these questions answered it’s time to set the table.

For formal meals, set the table with the traditional place setting and silverware appropriate for the meal. If you are uncertain where to place the dessert spoon, there are templates and guides online. Glassware for wine and water should also be set.  Centerpieces should be kept low so conversation can take place across the table. Make sure your flowers are not too strongly scented as to interfere with the flavors of the food.  If you use candles, make sure they are drip and scent free.

Less formal meals can have simpler settings with water glasses replacing goblets. White china is always a good choice for informal or formal meals, as are real napkins in either linen or cotton.  Pick a color theme that coordinates with your meal or go with classic white like a fine French restaurant. When looking for inspiration for a tablescape, look at your favorite restaurants for ideas.

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There are fine fabrics that can work in every room of your home. Choosing the right fabric for the right room is one of the tricks of interior designers. Knowing where to use silk, velvet, and linen makes for beautiful design that will last. Every room in your home can benefit from beautiful fabrics.

Some rooms in the home, like living rooms and formal dining rooms, are logical for the finest fabrics. Silks, velvets, linens and butter soft leather are perfect for more formal rooms where foot traffic is less. Silk can be used on the walls, curtains and upholstery. Silk and velvet can both be used as upholstery fabrics.  Cottons and linens are typically more durable than silks and silk velvets for everyday life.

Bedrooms are another wonderful place for the luxurious fabrics of silk and velvet. Along with the highest thread count cotton sheets, these fine fabrics create the feeling of luxury in a master bedroom as well as a guest bedroom.

Bathrooms and kitchens are harder on luxury fabrics because of moisture and dirt. When using fine fabrics in these rooms choose the location wisely.  Fine fabrics can be used on valances and curtains for beautiful window treatments. Fine quality linen fabrics can also be used as seat upholstery in the kitchen on chairs and counter stools.

Being smart about how and where you use fine fabrics means you can use the best fabrics throughout your home. Proper care and cleaning will preserve these fine fabrics so you can enjoy them for years.

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If one of your New Year’s resolutions is for more creativity in your life you will need a space in your home that inspires you.  Dedicating a room to the pursuit of creativity can mean creating an art studio or music room out of a spare bedroom or walk up attic.  If your creativity is more practical you may find yourself dreaming of a craft room. No matter where your creativity finds you, inspired creative spaces can be the muse you need.

Inspired creative spaces in the home can take many forms depending on the creative pursuit. A music room for a piano can be carved from an underused study or home office. Formal dining rooms that are rarely used can also be home to a piano or music stand. If you do have a piano in another room, use music as your creative inspiration and add subtle nods to music throughout the room’s design.

An art space in the home should allow for the messiness that comes with paint and artistic creativity.  North light and white walls are great bones for an artist’s studio.  Good wood floors can be protected with plywood or cheaper flooring.  Storage for paints, canvases, brushes and solvents can be created in bookshelves or creative solutions involving saw horses and recycled doors.

For inspiration for designing your own creative space look to the studios of famous artists and musicians for inspiration.  These creative geniuses can inspire your own space to be the most inspiring place to release your creative muse.

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Beautiful wedding china and heirloom china should be used and displayed. So many people keep their “good” china stored away out of sight, and out of mind in the cupboard. This is a shame. Displaying your china in the dining room can remind you to use it. Displaying the china can also be a beautiful addition to your room design.

There are several ways to display china in the dining room.  A china cabinet or hutch can be purchased and placed along the wall to display china and glass ware.  Glass doors are essential to see the china and glassware; no more hiding behind closed doors.  You can store your everyday plates and glasses in the cupboards with solid doors.

Another way to display china in the dining room can be the simple addition of molding or floating shelves on the walls. Plate molding is common above wainscoting or board and batten molding. This thin molding provides a lip to support plates and platters.  Adding shelves with a groove can also create a place to vertically display your china as well as the horizontal space for bowls and serving pieces.

If you have a collection of heirloom china that you do not want to use for serving, you can hang it on the wall for a colorful and patterned wall display.  You can do this with inherited china or finds from estate sales. Displaying china on the wall can look both modern and traditional depending on the china and the style of display.

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There is something about glamorous vanities that recall old Hollywood starlets.  Old Hollywood brings to mind an era where ladies sat at their vanity to apply powder with a giant puff or spray perfume out of a glass atomizer with large pouf at the end. Designing a glamorous vanity for your bathroom or bedroom can bring back the sense of starlets and classic glamour.

A vanity in the bathroom that holds a sink has certain restrictions on form and function. Glass jars with pretty tops can hold classic everyday items like q-tips, cotton balls, soaps and lotions turning these boring necessities into pretty decorations for the vanity.

Every glamorous vanity needs to have a stunning mirror.  Whether your vanity is in your bedroom or dressing room and is just for makeup and hair, or you are creating a glamorous vanity in the bathroom, the mirror can make or break the glamour.  An antique mirror or Venetian mirror gives a touch of old glamour. Shaped and beveled mirrors add that little extra something.

Lighting for a glamorous vanity should sparkle and shine.  Good lighting is key for makeup and hair so the lighting fixtures for a vanity should provide ample light, but still be flattering.  Multiple sources of light, overhead, above the vanity, or wall sconces, can create a very flattering light.  Crystal drops and shiny silver metallics are perfect accents for glamorous vanity lighting.

If your vanity is for hair and makeup, you’ll want a beautiful stool that complements the overall glamour of the space.

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Some homes are blessed with spectacular staircases that are true architectural standouts. Sweeping curved staircases, flying staircases and even grand turned staircases are spectacular on their own without additional help from design. Even homes with straight or simple staircases can turn average into stunning through interior design.

Beginning with the stairs themselves, staircases can be turned from simple to glamorous just by how the stairs and risers are treated.  The debate over plain wood stairs, stair runners and carpeted stairs is one of personal taste as well as the home’s architecture.  Beautifully stained stairs and painted risers can work in a wide range of home styles. Stair runners are a great place to add color and pattern and can make a strong design statement. Carpeting the stairs can make them blend in more.

Along with staining the wood stairs, painting and adding pattern to the risers is a way to make simple stairs more stunning.  Adding pattern with tile or paint is a nice way to imitate the pattern of a runner while keeping the stairs bare.

Beyond the stairs themselves, the banister and spindles can be painted or stained to highlight the architecture of the stairs.  The style of the banister and spindles should complement the home’s architecture.

Wainscoting as well as board and batten paneling can be used along the wall of the staircase to give it more presence in the entry. Molding is another way to draw the eye to the staircase.

Some staircases are born beautiful, others can be transformed to be stunning.

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A chandelier does more than just look nice on the ceiling. It brings the whole room together thereby making it look stunning. Many home owners do not think of investing in a chandelier at all thinking that it might not be the right choice for a lighting fixture. However, what they fail to realize is that it can literally make a home look more modern than it is.  The trick is to find one that fits your style and your home the best. The following tips can get you started on your search for one that suits your tastes -

Crystal Chandelier

Perhaps the most sought after lighting fixture that gives a room that wow factor is the crystal chandelier. This variety comes in various designs. Available designs usually include crystal chandeliers made of cylindrical or even colored glass. The colored variety is considered to be the most beautiful but is also pricier as compared to its transparent counterpart.

However, you can choose this variety if you want to spare no expense in designing your home. Among them, chandeliers that come with black crystals can make any room look stunning.

Size

Mounted light fixtures serve a dual purpose. Not only are they supposed to light a room but also add an aesthetic appeal to it by giving it a visually pleasing glow. However unlike most light fixtures, like lamps, chandeliers are semi permanent and need to be “positioned” properly to make them as well as the room look good.

When it comes to chandeliers, size matters. You do not need a lighting fixture that is taller than you are especially if you are looking for one that will fit in a room with a low ceiling. Opting for a bulky chandelier might be appealing but having it crashing into a million crystalline pieces on the hardwood floor won’t help matters let alone your funds.

Therefore it is best that you consider the size of the room in accordance with the size of the chandelier. For example, if you go for a chandelier that is too small for a large room, it will make the room look isolated. On the other hand, if you opt for a larger chandelier for a room that is too small to accommodate it, it will make the room look cluttered.

You won’t have a problem finding a chandelier that meets your preferences. The demand for these lighting fixtures are high considering the rate at which many home owners have started revamping their houses with the modern touch.

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The New Year is a great opportunity to live the saying “out with the old and in with the new” in your home as well as other aspects of your life.  Getting organized in your home can be done in little steps that add up to a big impact in your home and your life.  Clutter can weigh us down mentally. If you cringe thinking about the boxes in the basement, the mess in the closet or the drawers, getting organized can free up your mind as well as your storage space.

Tackling an entire room can be an overwhelming prospect. If you have a lot of clutter in your home, begin by dividing big projects into smaller bites. Rather than take on the entire bedroom, start with the closet or dresser.  Make piles for keeping, giving away, selling or trading, and trash.  Be honest with yourself about the things you keep. Have you worn it in the past year? Does it still fit? Is it in style? Ask yourself the hard questions and be honest with yourself. Once you’ve tackled one closet, move onto the next. Don’t forget the linen closet and hall closet.

Getting organized in the kitchen is similar to organizing our closets. Go through your pantry and clear out the food that has expired. Spices don’t last forever so if you can’t remember when you bought the thyme or cinnamon, it is probably time to buy new.

A well organized home is a happier and cleaner home.  What a great way to start a New Year.

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