Attention to detail at Italian Design’s salon

Daher Interior Design

An image from designer Paula Daher’s presentation shows a recent project with details achieving sleekness and intrigue.

By Molly A. Campbell

“Attention to Detail” was the mantra last night as Design New England presented the first of our fall 2012 Design Salons at Italian Design in Brookline, Massachusetts. Amid the showroom’s beautiful furniture, lighting, and rugs, our panelists demonstrated that the devil and Real Solutions for the Home are indeed in the details.

Design New England kicked off its fall season of Design Salons: Real Solutions for the Home at the Italian Design showroom in Brookline, Massachusetts, with speakers (from left) Michael Tcherniavski, Nancy Goldstein, Paula Daher, and Jerry Arcari.

Paula Daher of Daher Interior Design, a firm that has been making homes from Massachusetts to Florida beautiful since 1995, explained how style, scale, and appropriateness combine to create a desired effect. Before and after shots of a home where her clients specifically requested a “cool and sexy” design demonstrated how her attention to detail got them exactly what they wanted.
Details are essential when choosing the perfect rug for a home and Jerry Arcari of Landry & Arcari Oriental Rugs and Carpeting of Boston and Salem, Massachusetts, used samples of the many fine rugs his company carries to let the audience see and feel the differences in styles. Most intriguing was the trick he shared to determine the quality of a rug: To tell if a rug is up to par, he says, simply rub it. If that creates fuzz, keep looking. Also, we learned that a high-quality rug should use wool from the back of a sheep when it’s sheared (who knew?).

Italian Design’s showroom in Brookline, Massachusetts, was full of guests as the panelists spoke about the importance of details in design.

Nancy Goldstein of Light Positive, a lighting design firm in Marblehead, Massachusetts, drew on her decades of expertise as she simply and effectively explained how Kelvin (a measurement of light strength) and CRI (a measurement of color) are used in deciding a home’s lighting. It was fascinating when she used a few of Arcari’s rugs to demonstrate the drastic effect different light bulbs have on the appearance of color.
Rounding out the evening was our gracious host, Michael Tcherniavski of Italian Design. It was evident from the showroom that he has a gift in choosing pieces that are comfortable, gorgeous, and current. His philosophies regarding design were inspiring; he clearly has a passion for his work and understands how design affects every individual differently. He offered this take-away: “Design equals hope.” Well said.
Please join us for our next Design Salon on Monday October 1 at Artefact Home|Garden in Belmont, Massachusetts. This is a stunning showroom that is not to be missed! RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/event/4234379142/eorg