THE RECORD • MAY 2007 • HERALD NEWS HOMESCAPEIdeas for interior design & decorating THE RECORD...
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Ideas for interior design & decorating THE RECORD • MAY 2007 • HERALD NEWS CURVES AHEAD Interior designer uses very few straight lines to express homeowners’ diverse tastes BY EILEEN WATKINS D esigner Pia Cyrulnik does not believe in playing it safe. Not for her, the traditional beige damask loveseats lined up to face each other with a rectangular cocktail table in between, all arranged neatly on a square, floral rug. In fact, you’ll find few flowers — and even fewer straight lines — in any of her designs. Her hallmarks are curving and meandering sectionals, strong colors, upholstered pieces that combine multiple fabrics, and asymmetrical contours for rugs, tables and even shelving units. Although each room she designs bears her personal stamp, it also expresses the personality of the homeowner. “Clients will come into my showroom and see something they like,” said Cyrulnik, who operates the 6,000-square-foot furniture store The Contemporary Couch in Carl- stadt. “They can see actual pieces by the manufacturers who execute my designs. Then I will go their home and adapt the piece to suit the client’s tastes and lifestyle.” She has noticed that her repeat customers tend to be otherwise “traditional” house- holds that happen to prefer contemporary furniture. Her long, free-form sectionals hold a special appeal for families that enter- tain a lot. And while Cyrulnik can work with a neutral palette, she feels most sim- patico with clients who love color as much as she does. In one Lyndhurst home, for example, she used a palette of cream, beige, gold, rust and burgundy — the shades you might find in a bunch of autumn mums. After she had picked out paint chips for the two main wall colors, she discovered the homeowner already had chosen the exact same shades. “That’s how we knew we were meant to work together!” Cyrulnik said with a laugh. “I wanted something modern and elegant,” said the homeowner. “When I met Pia, I felt she was the right person to design it. We clicked well.” For the two-story, vaulted living room, Cyrulnik designed a 27-foot-long sectional with numerous curves that undulate in and out of one corner. She covered the seats in a solid tan fabric with a glint of metallic thread, and the backs in a complementary print of free-form dots. If you count the throw pil- lows, in textures from silky to nubby, you’ll find six different fabrics in the sectional. Such a piece obviously needs a coordinat- ing rug, and Cyrulnik created one that follows its contours, blends all the colors of the room with some metallic gold touches, and flows outward like a flame. “The rugs are my fa- vorite part, because they’re like painting,” said the designer, who holds an MA in fine art and exhibited her murals in galleries around the U.S. during the 1990s. A coffee table with a “biomorphic” glass top, reminiscent of mid-century design, makes a subtle statement without detracting from the rug’s dynamic lines. A sculptural glass bowl, also from The Contemporary Couch, perfectly complements the color scheme, which Cyrulnik describes as “earth tones with a kick.” A burgundy wall behind the couch displays a nine-by-ten-foot wooden sculpture of dynamic, overlapping spirals and S-curves. The sections are airbrushed to emphasize their three-dimensional look and polyurethaned to a high gloss, picking up all the shades in the room’s palette and adding some metallic finishes. “That wall had dramatic potential,” As Published in The Record and Herald News on May 6, 2007 In a Lyndhurst living room, top, Pia Cyrulnik designed a 27-foot-long sectional sofa that features undulating curves and multiple fabrics, along with a complementary rug. The table and glass bowl also come from her Carlstadt showroom. Above, she used the family’s bronze statue of the Indian god Ganesh as the centerpiece for this contemporary fountain and artwork, designed by Cyrulnik and executed in wood by sculptor Dean Johnson. HOME SCAPE TOUR GOURMET TASTES 12 kitchens on display in northern New Jersey. H-7 PRODUCTS BATHING BIRDIES Sculptural pieces of art for the birds — and your yard. H-12 HI-TECH CLEAN SWEEP New vacuums make quick work of dirty floors. H-16 See CURVES AHEAD Page H-10 INTERIOR DESIGN BY PIA CYRULNIK / PHOTOS BY EUGENE PARCIASEPE JR.
Transcript of THE RECORD • MAY 2007 • HERALD NEWS HOMESCAPEIdeas for interior design & decorating THE RECORD...
Ideas for interior design & decorating
THE RECORD • MAY 2007 • HERALD NEWS
CURVES AHEADInterior designer uses very few straight lines
to express homeowners’ diverse tastes BY EILEEN WATKINS
Designer Pia Cyrulnik does notbelieve in playing it safe. Not forher, the traditional beige damask
loveseats lined up to face each other with arectangular cocktail table in between, allarranged neatly on a square, floral rug. Infact, you’ll find few flowers — and evenfewer straight lines — in any of her designs.
Her hallmarks are curving andmeandering sectionals, strong colors,upholstered pieces that combine multiplefabrics, and asymmetrical contours for rugs,tables and even shelving units. Althougheach room she designs bears her personalstamp, it also expresses the personality ofthe homeowner.
“Clients will come into my showroom andsee something they like,” said Cyrulnik, whooperates the 6,000-square-foot furniturestore The Contemporary Couch in Carl-stadt. “They can see actual pieces by themanufacturers who execute my designs.Then I will go their home and adapt thepiece to suit the client’s tastes and lifestyle.”
She has noticed that her repeat customerstend to be otherwise “traditional” house-holds that happen to prefer contemporaryfurniture. Her long, free-form sectionalshold a special appeal for families that enter-tain a lot. And while Cyrulnik can workwith a neutral palette, she feels most sim-patico with clients who love color as muchas she does.
In one Lyndhurst home, for example,she used a palette of cream, beige, gold, rustand burgundy — the shades you might findin a bunch of autumn mums. After she hadpicked out paint chips for the two main wallcolors, she discovered the homeowneralready had chosen the exact same shades.“That’s how we knew we were meant to
work together!” Cyrulnik said with a laugh.“I wanted something modern and elegant,”
said the homeowner. “When I met Pia, I feltshe was the right person to design it. Weclicked well.”
For the two-story, vaulted living room,Cyrulnik designed a 27-foot-long sectionalwith numerous curves that undulate in andout of one corner. She covered the seats in asolid tan fabric with a glint of metallic thread,and the backs in a complementary print offree-form dots. If you count the throw pil-lows, in textures from silky to nubby, you’llfind six different fabrics in the sectional.
Such a piece obviously needs a coordinat-ing rug, and Cyrulnik created one that followsits contours, blends all the colors of the roomwith some metallic gold touches, and flowsoutward like a flame. “The rugs are my fa-vorite part, because they’re like painting,” saidthe designer, who holds an MA in fine art andexhibited her murals in galleries around theU.S. during the 1990s.
A coffee table with a “biomorphic” glasstop, reminiscent of mid-century design, makesa subtle statement without detracting fromthe rug’s dynamic lines. A sculptural glassbowl, also from The Contemporary Couch,perfectly complements the color scheme,which Cyrulnik describes as “earth tones witha kick.”
A burgundy wall behind the couch displaysa nine-by-ten-foot wooden sculpture ofdynamic, overlapping spirals and S-curves.The sections are airbrushed to emphasizetheir three-dimensional look andpolyurethaned to a high gloss, picking upall the shades in the room’s palette andadding some metallic finishes.
“That wall had dramatic potential,”
As Published in The Record and Herald News on May 6, 2007
In a Lyndhurst living room, top, Pia Cyrulnik designed a 27-foot-longsectional sofa that features undulating curves and multiple fabrics, alongwith a complementary rug. The table and glass bowl also come from herCarlstadt showroom. Above, she used the family’s bronze statue of theIndian god Ganesh as the centerpiece for this contemporary fountainand artwork, designed by Cyrulnik and executed in wood by sculptorDean Johnson.
HOMESCAPE
TOUR
GOURMETTASTES12 kitchens ondisplay in northernNew Jersey.
H-7
PRODUCTS
BATHING BIRDIESSculptural pieces of artfor the birds — andyour yard.
H-12
HI-TECH
CLEANSWEEPNew vacuumsmake quick workof dirty floors.
H-16
See CURVES AHEAD Page H-10
INT
ER
IOR
DE
SIG
NB
YP
IAC
YR
ULN
IK/P
HO
TO
SB
YE
UG
EN
EP
AR
CIA
SE
PE
JR.
