Q; How did you get involved with community projects?
In Providence, we have a lot of historical properties so it makes sense to align with a preservation society, which is an integral part of our community. Given the state of funding for non-profits, most are looking for funding and trade resources.We like to find a way to provide them with a service, like paint.

Q: What projects are you currently involved with?
We do a lot of projects with the Providence Revolving Fund whose mission is to preserve Providence’s architectural heritage and stimulate community revitalization through advocacy, lending, technical assistance, and development in historic areas.  Currently, we are helping to revitalize a property at 49 Princeton. We will be providing paint to help restore the exterior.

We are also gearing up for another exciting project at the historic The Wedding Cake House, a beautiful mansion built in 1880. Once the pride of Providence, it was occupied by the Tirocchi sisters who ran their couture business out of the posh location on Broadway Street from 1915 to 1947.

This historical building, which is listed as one of Rhode Island’s 10 most endangered properties, is undergoing an ambitious restoration. We plan to provide exterior paint, as this will no doubt be an extremely visible project. The community is very grateful that this property is getting the attention it deserves so we are happy to be a part of that process. See the progress here!

Q: What is the result you’ve seen personally and professionally from your involvement?
It’s really about generating community good will, which creates an opportunity to make a deeper connection with the community on both a personal and professional level, specifically with the people that are loyal to that organization. We find this to be a very valuable form of advertising since non-profits and the people that support them tend to be very loyal. Our goal is to help our community continue to evolve and transform.

Q: Why is getting involved with a community-based project appealing to you as a business owner?
The world of marketing and advertising is so competitive; there are so many options now…so much noise. There are few vehicles that can separate you from the larger competition in terms of traditional advertising, so you have to find other ways to stand out. For me, it’s been about finding opportunities to emotionally connect with the community. Supporting a non-profit and finding a way to help an organization that people care about is a really great way to accomplish a lot of things at the same time – you form an emotional bond, receive incredible visibility, receive an endorsement and at the end of the day are doing a good thing.  You can offer amazing service, all the best products… but the ultimate goal for a local business is to become part of the fabric of your community.

 

New projects demand new exploration. While the blueprint is different each time, there is a familiarity to the process that I am able to introduce to my clients. Establishing a visual guide and direction that immediately opens up the conversation to their individuality and personalization.

To me, the word “project” indicates a sense of movement that encourages me to collect myself from any disorder or holding pattern; it’s a signal to my creative resources that we will soon be called upon to contribute.  An inner energy and excitement is ignited, space cleared and prepared, tools sharpened.  The project assembly and mapping begins.

Mapping techniques provide a theoretical beginning, middle and end, that starts with placing my clients and I together at the “You are Here” point.  It’s the embarking of a road trip.

These techniques allow us to zoom in and out, with a bird’s eye view, of the terrain we will traverse.  This introduces my clients to a new approach, a new way of designing their home and developing their own sense of style with a greater confidence, appreciation and understanding of the design process. Developing a visual story is a balancing act, a collaborative art that helps achieve successful interiors.  After all, is that not what we are all striving for?  A nostalgic collective of timeless beauty, comfort, functionality and longevity? A surrounding that nurtures us, frames memories and marks time?

My role as a designer is ever changing. Though technically, “design” (purpose, planning or intention behind an action or material object) still defines my role, my approach has developed into something deeper and more meaningful.  For so many, the value of home life is lost in the hubbub, flurry, trends and speed of daily life. My approach, allows us to redefine what matters most as we layer and mix the relationships of our lifestyle choices, interests and style. It is all so intertwined.  Where else is there but within our homes to harness the opportunity to build our personal portfolio, that encompasses everything for each of us uniquely.

Like so many industries today, everything under the design umbrella has been affected by technological advancement, product exposure and of course, social media, at a pace I cannot pretend to conquer.  Though essential and beneficial, I am graced in that my world remains tactile and intimate…and in the knowing our responses are most honest when through direct visual contact, feel and fragrance.

I have entered hundreds of homes over the years, (I really should have counted!) of every shape, size, style, age and continent. I absolutely love the rush of that first introduction, the roaming through someone else’s rooms and observing, ingesting everything I possibly can.

Our homes represent so much about us; they are an insight into our minds, personality, order, energy and passions.  In an age where we live with such reconstruction and adaptation to new social and economic conditions, the need to feel our homes are authentic and true to our own nature and sensibilities, is paramount to our sense of well being and stability. I want to create homes that entice you to stay home more, enjoying the creature comforts and beauty of your surroundings. Mature and evolve as your own life does naturally, seasonally.

The accumulation of my design experience, trained eye and intuitive nature complimented by practiced studies, such as Vastu Shastra, Hygge living and Aromatherapy contribute in creating interiors that are carefully curated and tailored on many levels. The rewards and gratification support the belief and knowledge that our happiness is genuinely affected by our surroundings. There is a strong golden thread and building of all these relationships for our wellbeing.  It is a permanent practice for me, not an occasional exercise, but a way of life.

I am inspired by colour; it is my medium.  The starting point for almost everything.

“The whole nature of colour is deeply personal and subjective – but never private.”

Be it from paint, textiles, flora or art  – these are the necessary vehicles that convey and transport the world of colour and design for me. Colour is a living organism that grows and molds and shapes.  Colour is the daily mystery that I swim in.  It provides a renewed approach to my everyday living, everyday.

As I tackle new adventures in the upcoming year, I plan to devote more time to considering the why, what and how, to test my own techniques and continue to evolve as a designer.

I have the unique opportunity to use my own home reconstruction project as inspiration to test new design techniques so that I can help others create spaces they love to live in.

Though I have lived in and transformed many homes, my current (rather dilapidated) 1890s farmhouse home in Eden, WNY is a true test to all my skills as it slowly transforms into something that is essentially, authentically me.

Please join my on my design journey on Instagram @philipparadon.

 

These preparations include not only the practicalities, but also more comforting practices like nest building and some intensified colour reflection. My tendencies, especially in the colder months, lean toward creating a warm, inviting colour palette that will keep us inspired to embrace the coming months of hibernation in my transforming hygge home.

More often than not, a colour selection leads the way for my design aesthetic, whether it’s a paint colour or textile – but in circumstances like this, when I have nothing but an empty shell and only three finished walls, my inspiration often becomes stalled by overthinking…so I wait it out.

And when I least expect it, a new idea arises – usually triggered by a visual in my daily maneuverings – that period of recognition that I’ve discovered my new “starting point”.  From this moment, I can commence mapping out the rest of the space, with careful consideration to my colour viewpoints. This is what I refer to as my “mapping technique” (which I will share with you at a later date).

I find myself yearning for colours that will provide a sense of flow and continuity through the rooms in this 1890’s frame, but also a grouping that is unpredictable. A dark dining room allures me with its mystery. C2 offers a beautiful range of “near blacks” that will compliment my new metal-beaded, oversized chandelier – an investment from BoBo Intriguing Objects (which I am still trying to learn to install without my husband noticing the beast.)

Perhaps Stout, a deep, rich grey would be an appropriate color…or Aperture, a sort of dirtied green-black with an earthy appeal.

These colours elicit feelings of happiness, optimism and energy despite their dark moodiness – and also provide a classic and welcoming background to virtually any design. The draw toward these deep, rich tones sounds like winter magic to me.