The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Warm interior design trends
How to achieve this home style
Change is on the horizon as 2021 is poised to be a transition year for home design. Expect some of the cool and minimalistic trends of the past to be replaced with more approachable designs that convey comfort, warmth and positivity.
“Darker colors, natural textiles - like wood, and soft lighting are great ways to make a room feel warm and inviting,” says Jen Meska, director of merchandising at LL Flooring. “Also, decorate with items and patterns that bring you joy to add a sense of your personality and unique style.”
To bring warmth into your home and enjoy this growing trend for years to come, LL Flooring offers this advice:
Determine color schemes
For many years, cool color schemes have dominated home design. White kitchens, gray walls and black countertops were top choices by homebuilders and renovators. People have tired of these styles and are seeking to add warm colors and materials in their home. Colors with yellow undertones are in high demand, from wall paint to furniture and beyond. Warm accent colors are being used by top designers in decor like accent pillows and throw blankets, including soft yellow and rich cinnamon. Brass and bronze are popular in hardware and accessories, and mixed metals are featured to add visual interest.
Update flooring
Floors are the foundation of any room, providing ample opportunity to update the space to bring in warmth. Because organic materials typically convey warmth, hardwood floors are a worthwhile investment. The visually interesting and intricate wood grains can be enhanced with any color stain, although warm hues are trending. The rich browns in Bellawood Manhattan Chevron Engineered Hardwood is a great example, as featured in this year’s HGTV Dream Home. Not only do hardwood floors like this add a warm element to a space, but they also feel warmer on the feet than tile and laminate flooring alternatives.
Analyze lighting
Light can add to or detract from the feeling of warmth in any space. Natural light sources are always welcome, so make sure to open shades to illuminate spaces. Of course additional light sources will be necessary, so think about how overhead, task and accent lighting can best work together in areas. Lamps, wired wall sconces and picture wall lights are easy to install and instantly add style and glow to a room. Finally, when looking at lights, consider the type of bulbs you use and opt for options that project warmer light rather than those with cooler light tones that have white or blue undertones.
Use mirrors strategically
Mirrors serve multiple purposes in a room: They add artistic style, they visually expand the space and they reflect light. Designers often strategically place a mirror to bounce natural light or reflect the exterior landscape, helping bring the feeling of the outdoors inside in a subtle yet meaningful way. A mirror can further add to the warmth of a space depending on the frame material. Some popular options for frames include wood, resin or gold-hued metals. If you have an old mirror you want to revive, consider painting the frame in an appropriate accent color and you’ll breathe new life into an existing piece.
Add
A simple way to add life into your home is adding plants. Humans are naturally drawn to nature, so adding foliage brings a warmth to any room. If you’re not much of a green thumb, consider low-maintenance houseplants like snake plant, spider plant and succulents. If you love the look of plants but just don’t want to deal with the real things, shop for plastic alternatives that closely mimic their real counterparts. You might be surprised how realistic modern faux plants appear.
plants and foliage
BRANFORD — Doma on Main pizza chef Fabio Gallo knows how he wants customers at the trattoria to feel when served up his pies.
“Everyone here is like family,” said Gallo, who comes to the new restaurant after 25 years with a wellknown New York City pizzeria.
And there’s more about family for Gallo: His distinctive sauce is from a recipe handed down from his Neapolitan grandmother Maria Belardinelli. The dough comes from her, too.
“It’s homemade recipes for a family place,” he said, while sliding another pie from the oven, a heady aroma escaping into the air.
Branford’s Leighton Davis, who’s been a regular since the Main Street eatery across from Branford Jewelers opened in late December, said, “It’s the brick oven pizza.”
“I keep telling my friends that once you get a taste, you’re never gonna cross the bridge again,” Davis said.
Those dishes are thanks to executive chef Edgar Jara, who distinguished himself for the culinary artistry he practiced at Elizabeth’s Cafe & Perfect Parties in Madison for the last 15 years. The Zagat-rated bistro, known for its upscale American cuisine, was in business for over two decades before closing last fall.
Count Elizabeth’s Cafe owner Elizabeth Parri Butler among Jara’s admirers.
“I’ve known a lot of executive chefs and many of them have been very good, but Edgar is a star,” she said. “He combines an attention to detail with an ability to stay
unruffled, and a willingness to work hard and never stop learning.
“He deserves all the credit for my success,” Parri Butler said.
From his years at Elizabeth’s Cafe, Jara said he brings an emphasis on simplicity and elegance, as well as on locally grown products.
“We use a lot of fresh ingredients, fresh meats, fresh seafood, it comes every day, nothing frozen,” Jara said. “We try to use as much local as we can.”
Gallo noted the high cooking temperature of the brick ovens — approximately 700 degrees F — in combination with the wood-burning fire produces a rich, smoky flavor in the slightly charred crust of his pies.
“It cooks very well and very fast, seven minutes, so also the toppings stay fresh and crisp,” he said, sprinkling kosher salt on a broccoli rabe and sausage pie as Frank Sinatra crooned amid mellow lighting in the New York-style decor of the space.
Other wood-fired pizzas on the menu include spicy
honey pepperoni, mortadella pistachio, and smoked bacon. For those who prefer to skip to dessert, there’s Nutella pie and cannoli pie.
Gallo previously spent 25 years slinging pies at the legendary Koronet Pizza on Broadway and 110th Street in Manhattan; in 2015, Business Insider recognized the Upper West Side institution as among the “best late-night food joints” in America. Gallo calls Doma on Main assistant pizza chef Paola Spera, his “right hand.”
As for opening during the pandemic, Jara said it’s been a blessing in disguise.
“Before we started to get busy, the staff got a chance to get used to working with each other, and used to the pace,” he said. “And we all really enjoy each other.”
As, he looked across the kitchen to Gallo and Spera toiling at the brick oven. “I love this place,” he said. “I call it home.”
Laura Erhardt, a marriage and family therapist in Brookfield, has a waiting list that could last a month. Irene Sherlock in Danbury can’t take on new clients right now either. Chantel Herron, a clinical social worker and therapist specializing in women and teenage girls, has had 35 to 40 people contact her in the past four weeks for appointments. She’s only been able to take on about half of them.
Almost a year into the pandemic, many local therapists are simply reaching capacity.
“I turned several people away unfortunately and it’s not just me,” said Sherlock, who works as a licensed marriage and family therapist as well as an alcohol and drug counselor. “I try to recommend other people but so many people are full right now.”
Anxiety, stress, loneliness, depression. A fear that things won’t go back to normal. This is what most of their clients are talking to them with. Erhardt noticed that some middle school-aged clients were “just plain miserable” even back at school. They were having to sit in the same classroom all day with the same eight classmates, masked between protective barriers, she said.
“They have a very heightened awareness of things little children really shouldn’t be worrying about,” Erhardt said.
Indeed, a September survey from Mental Health America found that over half of 11- to 17-year-olds who took a screen reported thoughts of suicide or selfharm more than half or nearly every day for a two week period. In June, 40 percent of U.S. adults said they struggled with mental health or substance abuse, a study published by the CDC found.
The need is great and waitlists abound, but some clients, like Jane Thielen, a single mother running a small business in Sherman, got lucky.
Thielen had given up on trying to find a therapist she clicked well with. But then the pandemic hit, and she realized she really did need to talk to someone. In July, she found a therapist in Woodbury that she says has “worked out beautifully.” Thielen now goes to telehealth sessions once a week. At some point in the future, she said she might change to appointments every other week, but she’s worried about losing her spot.
“I was able to get one no problem, and I guard that with my life,” she said of her appointment slot.
And the therapy has been good for Thielen, helping her navigate through this time. She helps Thielen manage the “day-to-day pandemicy things” and deeper concerns as well.
The move to telehealth
Sherlock has clients that she’s still only ever met virtually. But she likes the medium and said it has been “amazingly effective.”
Conducting a therapy session in face masks was more difficult for some therapists, who said being unable to see facial expressions was challenging. It could also make it hard to hear certain clients clearly. For safety and efficacy reasons, the therapists interviewed for this article either conducted all or most of their appointments virtually.
Doing sessions from the comfort of home does have its perks. Therapists noted that it’s easier for those with busy schedules or who had to commute long distances to make the appointment. Erhardt also noticed anxious people and sometimes even couples benefitted from doing sessions this way.
Highly anxious clients could call her from the comfort of their own homes. Couples could attend from separate locations when necessary, and she noticed there was less arguing.
Thielen has never met her therapist in person but loves the telehealth aspect. She’s busy, and traveling to Woodbury from her home in Sherman — especially in the snow — would have been a significant commute.
“I can cry full on in my house by myself and not worry about where I’m going after,” she said.
Still, there were aspects of remote therapy that are challenging. Finding private space to do the session can be tricky for some clients. Sherlock has clients who talk to her from their cars because their homes are too full with remote work and schooling. It can also be difficult to assess body language and make eye contact.