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Published Work
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Decorative Interiors
...an
award winning Connecticut
Interior Design Company |
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A
Teen's Inner Sanctum -
Marketplace |
Rosy Retreat - Shoreline
Foundation's 2002
Decorators Show House |
Home Improvement
Heaven - Hartford Courant |
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Marketplace,
THE DAY, January
26, 2003
A Teen's
Inner Sanctum
When redoing a
youthful
retreat, pick
your battles
BY LEE HOWARD
MARKETPLACE
EDITOR
Where does the
typical teen-age
girl spend all
of her time?
Talking on the
phone. So Laurie
Dragunoff of
Decorative
Interiors in
Hamden designed
a "Bedazzled
Boudoir" at last
summer's
designer
showhouse in
Guilford that
included a chase
lounge playfully
cozied up to a
table upon which
an old-fashioned
phone begs to be
answered.
Designer
showhouse rules
didn't require
Dragunoff to
adhere to the
wishes of the
room's occupant,
but she decided
to consult with
the teen anyway. |
"The best thing
you can do in
designing a
child's room is
to get down and
relate to the
child - find out
what he or she
feels
comfortable
with," says
Dragunoff. "But
as a designer
you also have to
deal with
grownups, and
sometimes you
have to be a
counselor
between the
two."
Surprisingly,
Dragunoff says
some clients
don't even ask
their children
what they want.
For the designer
showhouse,
however, she
consulted with
the 13-year old
girl who would
be moving into
the room after
the event was
over.
"When they can
make decisions
for themselves,
it's best to go
over it with
them," Dragunoff
says. "At 13,
they know what
they want. At
13, they want a
little bit more
of an adult
look."
And that's just
what Dragunoff
provided,
combining her
talents with
painter Betsy
DeMarco of
Artistic
surfaces of
Hamden to create
a frilly and
elegant room
that any young
sophisticate
would crave.
Included in the
Shabby Chic
décor is a mural
of a ballet
dancer, a white
canopy over the
bed, a small
round table with
a vase of red
roses next to
two wrought-iron
chairs and a
full-length
mirror that
reflects the
whole room - all
done in white
and blue, with
an undertone of
raspberry
throughout the
room.
"Always start
with the color
first,"
Dragunoff
advises. "Paint
sets the mood
for what the
child reacts to.
Then you can
build the
furnishings and
the concepts
around the
colors."
Dragunoff likes
to plan every
stick of
furniture in the
room, but she
acknowledges
that can be
costly, with
$10,000 a
conservative
estimate for the
cost of such a
makeover and
$20,00 to
$30,000 not
being unheard
of. So people
have to know
their budget,
and talk about
expenses at the
beginning of the
planning
process.
Teenage girl's
bedroom designed
by Laurie
Dragonoff, of
Decorative
Interiors.
Photo taken by
Jeff Evans
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Rosy Retreat |
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Click to Enlarge |
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Rosy Retreat
Decorative Interiors &
Artistic Surfaces
Shoreline Foundations
Decorators' Show House
2002
Draperies imitate a
gazebo, while a
hand-painted mural
provides a garden
backdrop for a nap or
nightly slumber.
Delicate burst of pink
add blush to the room,
and complete the idyllic
retreat theme in the
form of roses. |
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Home Improvement Heaven -
Hartford Courant |
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Click to Enlarge |
At the Galleria Design
Center in Middletown,
tile and stone is an
eye-popping assortment
of textures and colors
greet the eye. Sleek
appliances in black and
brushed chrome beckon
from a labyrinth of
model kitchens nearby.
At Modern Plumbing, one
of 10 independently
owned businesses sharing
space in this
30,000-square-foot
showplace, choices run
from a sleek L-shaped
faucet to an ornate
bronze pedestal sink
resembling a
vine-covered birdbath
atop a tree trunk. Other
tenants include a
lumber, hardwood
flooring, interior
design and custom
windows treatment
businesses, a custom
homebuilder and general
contractor.
Vendors lease space from
Jerry Martorelli, a tile
and stone importer, who
with his sister co-own
the building and
operates three
businesses there, plus a
60,000-square-foot
warehouse also open to
the public. The idea for
the center, he said,
grew out of a question
he heard customers ask
again and again at their
previous location in
North Haven.
“They would always be
interested in where they
could find kitchen
sinks, cabinets and
faucets.” Martorelli
said. “We thought,
wouldn’t it be nice to
have it all in one room,
one location where you
could find everything
from framing materials
to window treatments. |
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A WINDOW TREATMENT, right,
by Custom Window Treatments
is displayed at Galleria
Design Center in Middletown,
where Custom is one of 10
independently owned
Businesses sharing space.
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THE CABINET KNOBS, far
right, are from Lyon &
Billard Lumber Co.
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THE COUCH and pillows,
right, are from Decorative
Interiors.
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THE STOVE, far right, and
others are on display at
Moran’s Television &
Appliance.
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THE TILE FLOOR, right is one
of many on display at
Galleria Stone, whose owners
rent spaces to the other
businesses at Galleria
Design Center.
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THIS CONTEMPORARY BATHROOM,
far right, is on display at
Modern Plumbing Supply.
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THIS HARDWOOD FLOORING,
right, is on display at
Custom hardwood Flooring
Plus.
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THE MANTEL, far right is on
display at Hearth & Home
Appliances
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THIS DOOR, right, is on
display at Lyon & Billard
Lumber Co
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THE PAINTED hardwood floor,
far right is on display at
Decorative Interiors.
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