Vote in Our "Venetian Interiors" Book Giveaway

Don't you love to snoop inside other people's homes? We certainly do, and the new Rizzoli book Venetian Interiors (Giuseppe Molteni and Roberta Motta, with text by Nicoletta Del Buono) takes us inside 15 of the most amazing private homes in Venice. We're treated to Italian interiors that light up the pages of this amazing coffee table book - from a blue-and-white palazzeto and a fabric designer's converted lumber warehouse to the home of a DJ who has filled his elegant rooms with high-tech electronics, frescoed ceilings, and rocaille wood paneling. 

Win a Free Copy of Venetian Interiors

So here's the drill.

• First, vote for your favorite Venetian interior from ten of our Sheffield School favorites (we could have picked dozens of favorites, but we drew the line at ten) - the voting survey follows the ten photos below. 
• Second, leave a comment on what you see and why you love the different design elements in the interior that you voted for. What makes it your favorite? What are you drawn to? What's been done particularly well? What mood does this interior convey? (And so on.) 

We'll select a winner from a random drawing of all our entrants at the end of the day on Friday, July 15. We'll contact that lucky person via email to confirm, then we'll announce the Venetian Interiors book winner on Monday, June 18, along with the top three Venetian interiors based on everyone's votes. Good luck! (All photos below are by photographer Giuseppe Molteni, copyright 2012 RCS Libri S.p.A., Milan.)

Venetian Interiors 1

Venetian Interiors 2

Venetian Interiors 3

Venetian Interiors 4

Venetian Interiors 5

Click to read more ...

Explore the Beautiful Ceramics of Italy

Ceramics of Italy is an International Contemporary Furniture Fair exhibit coming up that will feature nine of Italy’s leading ceramic tile companies and their new designs. The ICFF will be held from May 19-22, 2012 at the Jacob K. Javits Center in New York City. The show focuses primarily on modern design, and the Ceramics of Italy exhibit will show off fresh tile trends for floor and wall coverings in booth #1432. Exhibitors include Atlas Concorde; Ceramiche Refin; Cooperativa Ceramica d’Imola; Cotto d’Este; Fap Ceramiche; Mirage Granito Ceramico; Il Ferrone; Sant’Agostino; and Settecento mosaici e ceramiche d’arte.

Expect to see many state-of-the-art flooring and wall covering developments.

• Urban motifs
• Wood, stone, and concrete looks created with ink-jet technology
• LEED-compliant tiles
• Super-thin porcelains

 

According to Franco Manfredini, president of Confindustria Ceramica:

We are excited to be attending the show for the fourth time. New York is an important market for our Italian companies and the architects and designers we meet every year make it an event we cannot miss.

Italian manufacturers continue to focus on both aesthetic and technological trends that are both bold and progressive in the tile industry. For updated information on Ceramics of Italy’s participation at ICFF or to view new products launching this season, visit the Italian Tile website.

Bonus

Click here to read Sheffield's exclusive photo tour: A Day at the Kips Bay Show House.

As lead curriculum developer, it's fun to check out new flooring and wall covering products. If you're interested in learning more about the exciting world of interior design, then we encourage you to explore the Sheffield School, New York, NY. Sheffield began as an Interior Design school in 1985, and then expanded our course offerings to train people in other design-related fields, including Feng Shui, Wedding and Event Planning, and Jewelry Design. With thousands of active students and more than 50,000 graduates, Sheffield has trained more design professionals than any school in the world.

• Request a free Sheffield School catalog describing our distance education courses.
• Subscribe to the Sheffield Designer newsletter.