Michael Biondo of Michael Biondo Lifestyle Design
TOTI Media: Interior designers, born or made? Michael Biondo: “I was born to translate things into beautiful designs. I decided at a young age to make my OCD [obsessive-compulsive disorder] tendencies work to my advantage.”
TM: Earliest memory of arranging or designing? MB: “In my early teens, I rearranged my aunt’s home. I was carefully thinking about every angle, placement and function of the room. When I was done, the room had three distinct sitting areas. ‘This is your calling, Michael,’ she said.”
TM: Signature style? MB: “My last home, for example, was very colorful. I designed our new home to be more monochromatic and dramatic, silk shantung wallpaper in charcoal with deep taupe which displays beautiful vibrant artwork. Style is ever evolving and changing.”
TM: Clients’ needs and communicating that? MB: “First, I listen. I am there to create beautiful and comfortable spaces. They retain me for my insight and sense of style. But I am really taking their sense of style, translating it into inviting rooms for them to enjoy.”
TM: Inspiration? MB: “Anywhere and everywhere, the color of the water in the British Virgin Islands, a woman’s lipstick color. Naples Botanical Garden. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The opera. The theater. I am constantly inspired by colorful people!”
TM: Favorite colors, patterns or textures for 2017? MB: “I’m loving Pantone’s Greenery. And a little trivia―green is the easiest color tone for the human eye to see! I’m loving textured velvets, cotton fabrics with stitching of raw materials like twine and linens with large-scale yarn stitching. Burnished brass and satin brass are my favorites, as are mixed tones of ivory, pale blush pink, pale camel with pale gray with soft white and beiges, such a beautiful and soothing combination of colors.”
TM: Banished looks? MB: “Design with what you love ... just do it in moderation, and with the right scale and proportion. There is something for everyone in present design.”