When the winter season begins to roll in, there’s no better feeling than enjoying the company of loved ones in your own home.
Though the people in a room have great influence on the atmosphere, the décor certainly lays the foundation for that atmosphere to build upon.
CityScene worked with Danny Russo, an accomplished local designer, to create two distinct holiday mantel designs in two different model homes.
Where the Buffalo Roam
This first space is a beautiful new Romanelli & Hughes spec home at 2028 Forestview Ln. in Nelson Farms, featuring a wooden beam as a floating mantel. There is a balance of both modern and traditional coming through in this space, thanks to the stone and woodwork. The large scale of the bookshelves and the fireplace, both extending all the way to the ceiling, also bringing a sense of drama to the room.
Russo decorated using design principles that can be emulated by anyone, if he or she can recognize spatial balance and follow a couple tricks of the trade. One thing that can be seen in this first space is the incorporation of buffalo check throughout. The red and black plaid design could easily take over a space if one isn’t careful, but Russo offers a simple guideline.
“Balance and symmetry are my favorite things,” he says. “When you are decorating in any situation, you always want to go with a rule of threes, or not even three, but just odd numbers.”
The stockings hung from the mantel are in buffalo check, which coordinates with the buffalo check used in the bowties and the throw blankets. This repetition of the pattern demonstrates that, by working with odd numbers in design, one can create a look that is cohesive without becoming an overbearing presence.
Another important thing to remember when decorating is to include design elements that bring out your personality and add character to the look. Russo brought in a miniature, metal velociraptor fossil, giving an edgy touch of character to this rustic and traditional-looking design.
“I just got back from High Point Market. … (Dinosaurs) were trending like crazy. I was seeing dinosaur heads, crocodile heads … fossilized and raw-looking stuff,” says Russo. “If you have a family with kids, it just adds a unique touch. Your kids will love it, your friends will love it. It brings in so much character … and that adds personality to the room. And you’ll notice that I do things with little details like the reindeer that have bowties … just to give them a little character, to bring them to life. It’s not just something that you hauled out of the basement and put somewhere.”
Modern Marvel
The second space is a Coppertree Homes model located at 10843 Rock Rose Pl. in Jerome Village. The living room features 12-foot ceilings and a more traditional looking mantel with white wood and geometric tiling detail. Like the last space, this room has built-in bookshelves framing the fireplace.
Though the mantel is in a more traditional style, the overall look of this design plays with modern elements to create something sleek and fresh. Russo incorporates a variety of metals
into the space through several pieces including a bar cart, decorative prism-shaped vases, ornaments and several other small pieces that live on the bookshelves.
“I tried to mix metals, which is really big right now, so I used golds, silvers and some bronzes. I also pulled in a little purple because this house is so unique,” says Russo. “We also did a little bar cart, which is unique and great for the holidays if you have one.”
Russo dressed up a gold bar cart with regal accessories including a crystal whiskey decanter, larger-than-life silver cocktail shaker and unique set of champagne flutes. For added character, Russo used champagne flutes without bases. Their long stems allow them to be displayed like flowers in a bouquet.
“We did a lot in here, but this house already had a lot going on (architecturally),” says Russo. “We’re doing the decoration and design portion, but the true integrity of the architecture is the symmetry of the bookcases and the beauty in that symmetry in the natural materials. You always want to coordinate with the architecture.”
Completed with a rustic wooden mirror, this design illustrates how Russo likes to mix styles.
“My signature is mixing all different styles to get a superior look,” he says. “I actually used a rustic mirror (in this design). … We are going for a more curated look, so everything looks a little different and nothing is matchy-matchy.”
Jenny Wise is an assistant editor. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.
Designer Bio
Danny Russo is a Cleveland native and graduate of Youngstown State University. He has been working in the interior design industry for since 2004. His aesthetic is timeless comfortable luxury and he is well-known throughout the industry. His projects are instantly recognizable and he has been a long-time member of ASID. Danny is one of few designers to have work shown in a nationally recognized art museum, the Columbus Museum of Art, as well as COSI.
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