An Elegant Bedroom for a Summer Estate

Posted on September 14, 2013 by sreicis

Villa Maria College alum Nicole Milley collaborated with Pamela Witte of White Orchard Home Furnishings and Lisa Baker of Gingham Gallery to design a timeless and comfortable bedroom for the Junior League of Buffalo Knox Summer Estate. More than just a bedroom, the space includes a cozy sitting area, just right to enjoy a nice cup of tea or a summer breakfast. Bedroom features include an upholstered headboard, special bedding and delightful toss pillows. A wool rug brings all the room’s colors together. Nicole is also an artist and provided the rendering for the show program.

Creative Interiors by Melissa

Posted on August 16, 2013 by sreicis

Melissa Pleace is a graduate of the Villa Maria College Interior Design Program and it was a pleasure to see her participate in the 2013 Junior League of Buffalo Show House. This was Melissa’s first room at a Show House. Her design for the Master Bathroom Couples Sweet Retreat was a whimsical and playful decorating delight. Taking her inspiration from a beautiful French Provincial paisley fabric she successfully brought the outdoors in and combined both masculine and feminine features. Collaborating with local artists the room featured a hand painted mural by Victoria George. Attention to detail is prevalent in the space from the new ceramic tile floor, installed in a basket weave pattern to the updated light fixtures and lush greenery. The vintage subway tile on the walls was complimented by the sky blue painted walls and accessories.

Collaborating in the Kitchen

Posted on August 12, 2013 by sreicis

By its very function the kitchen is the space where collaborations just naturally occur…and so at the Junior League Decorators’ Show House the kitchen design was a collaboration between Jamie C. Johnson and Wayne Watson. Assisting Jaime, who is part owner of Eden Interiors, was her intern and Villa Maria College senior Therese Smith. This was an exciting experience for Therese, who was able to assist with the design and installation from the ground up. The theme was ‘Mod British Kitchen’, and this was articulated in the paprika red and stainless cabinetry along with the juxtaposition of traditional wood and original tile work with contemporary fittings and the ‘Underground Tube’ wall covering. The small pantry was a space of its own in the Show House floor plan, designed by Jaime Johnson and installed with the assistance of Therese Smith, the glass front shelves were filled with cook books and culinary tools. Since that time, Therese Smith has completed her BFA degree at Villa Maria College and is currently employed as Jamie Johnson’s Assistant.

Kittinger Gallery Creates a Family Room Retreat

Posted on August 10, 2013 by sreicis

The Kittinger Gallery and Design Studio is both an employer of Villa graduates and a popular internship site for Villa students. As a thank you to our Internship supervisors the college waives tuition for a course of their choice. We are very pleased that owner Karen Bialkowski finds time in her busy schedule to use this opportunity for her own professional development and design interest. She brings a unique perspective to the classroom, and her contributions to discussions always enhances the learning experience for all the students. The room that Kittinger designed for the Junior League of Buffalo Decorator Show House 2013, the Knox Summer Estate had a relaxed feel that would be comfortable for family evenings but spacious and welcoming for guests. Traditional with a contemporary flair, there was an impecable style evidenced throughout the space, from the inglenook fireplace to the wine tasting niche to the conversational seating areas with magnificent views of the estate. Notable features in the space were selections of beautiful artwork, attention to detail, unique accesories and a connection with the historical significance of the estate and the Knox family….a definitive design success!

Blending the Outdoors with the Indoors

Posted on August 2, 2013 by sreicis

Arthur’s Home furnishings has been decorating Junior League Show House terraces, patios, porches and outdoor rooms for 22 years. You can be sure that each year you will see the latest innovations in outdoor patio designs, and blended sun room and terrace installations. Villa Maria College alum Wendy Bailey together with recent graduate Ashley Stachowicz participated in completing two major spaces at the Knox estate:- the Side Porch/Equestrian Retreat and the expansive Outdoor Terrace. Inspiration for the side porch was gathered from equestrian history of the Knox estate and was interpreted with burnished brown wicker and exclusive custom tailored Sunbrella fabrics. The Breezy in Blue Outside Terrace feature a collection of stripes, checks, florals and solids creating comfortable seating and dining areas to enjoy the magnificent view of the estate. From this plush seating area you can take in the beautiful view of the estate. The expansive terrace included dining, lounging and late night sitting by the fire pit. Arthur’s is a major retailer of indoor and outdoor home furnishings.

Villa Interior Design Alumni….Making a Difference

Posted on July 29, 2013 by sreicis

Pride of place and community support are hallmarks of Villa Maria College Interior Design Alumni. This year’s Junior League Show House was one of the most beautiful ever, and it was also one of the most spacious. As a professor in the Interior Design Program it gave me great pride to document over 20 spaces that were products of the efforts of Villa students and alums. From grand spaces like the Master Bedroom and the outdoor terraces to bathrooms and sewing rooms, it was exciting to see so many familiar faces sharing their artistic, creative and design talents. The Garden Party was attended by a record breaking turn-out and the logistics of moving through the house were crowded, but we were able to gather a sizeable number of students and alums to capture a photo opportunity in the IDA designed room. Pictured above are Melissa Pleace, Debbie Ziccardi, Barb King, Karen Mattoon, Sandy Nelson, Danielle Schiavetti, Barb Reformat, Joe Battaglia, Rebecca Duda, Caroline Barr, Sandra Zygaj-Borowski, Tara Clack, and Constance Strother. This is a terrific Villa story that I take tremendous joy in sharing. Keep an eye out for our commemorative poster featuring all the terrific spaces that have the Villa touch! Pictured above is the Bird of Paradise Hallway, by Terry Litzinger, a graduate of the Villa Interior Design Program, she brings 20 years of experience to both commercial and residential design, bringing a classic, sophisticated style that is inspired by nature. The chandelier in this space was a vintage birdcage that underwent a transformation to create visually interesting light patterns in the space.

Service Learning with Junior League

Posted on July 28, 2013 by sreicis

Every two years something wonderful happens in Buffalo, and it’s the Junior League Show House. This year was a slight departure, going to East Aurora and re-designing the beautiful rooms at the Knox Summer Estate. Students with the Interior Design program at Villa Maria College have been perennial participants in the process and have been successful with their proposals. This year proved no different, with the opportunity to finish one of the bathrooms at the estate….and it was the coolest bathroom ever. Our space was used by the Knox family to chronicle the heights and weights of the Knox children on the door and door frame. Preserved as a piece of wonderful family history, the Villa students played off this theme with their space, ‘Pencil me In’. Pictured to the right are Jason Cole, Therese Smith and Sandra Zygaj-Borowski painting our room. The soft, silvery quality of hand drawn pencil marks along with the daylight from the window, inspired the color palette and material choices. Playing off the horizontal pencil marks the students installed glass tiles and a unique, Roman shade was selected for the shower curtain. The horizontal fabric folds are contrasted with bold, vertical fabric panels, alternating between sheer and opaque to allow for natural lighting and insure modesty. The window treatments are one-of-a-kind fused glass panes with deatiling also inspired by pencil patterns. As we discovered during our research of the space, this room originally included a Picasso painting, and to pay homage to this fact, we included a serigraph of an original Picasso that was gifted to the Albright-Knox Art Gallery by the Knox Foundation.

The IN Club….promoting excellence for the students

Posted on February 10, 2013 by sreicis

Student clubs are an excellent way to make friends and get involved with fun activities. The Interior Design student club (IN club) at Villa Maria College is an American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) student chapter and as such is also dedicated to promoting the field of Interior Design through education, competition and networking. The club meets on a regular basis and provides a forum for both faculty and students to discuss various opportunities and needs. Meetings generally occur during campus hour and always include food. We have fun celebrating our accomplishments such as the sweep of 1st, 2nd and 3rd place in the recent ASID student competition. It gives us a great opportunity to eat cake! It is also a valuable opportunity for students to participate in Service Learning as well as Professional Development activities. A perennial favorite is the annual Festival of Trees to benefit Women and Childrens’ Hospital of Buffalo. This year the students designed and installed a holiday window, which was on display as well as for sale at Festival at the Hyatt Hotel of Buffalo. This year’s design concept was ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’, which fit very nicely with the Festival theme of Winer Wonderland. The window not only sold in record time, but also won the Best Window Display award, for the second year running. The Service Learning Project for the spring will be huge. We have been selected to finish a space in this year’s Junior League of Buffalo Decorator Show House, which is the Knox Family Summer Estate in East Aurora.

vmc interior design

committed to excellence in design education

Tag Archives: Junior League of Buffalo