Dear Rosa,
I hope all of you are having a relaxing and enjoyable summer. As I sit here and write, I am nursing an awful summer cold brought on by the dreads of air travel. Fortunately, I can say it's not the swine flu.
We just returned from a wonderful vacation spend with my family in Colombia, SA. We visited our oldest son in Bogota who is attending graduate school there. We also attended a family reunion in Cali. I had a wonderful time visiting with both of my grandmother's, each in their 90's, sharing stories of their life and of ours. In this issue of Visions, I will share with you homes in Colombia so that you can get a feel as to how people live and the styles and trends applied in the Colombian decor. I hope you will find this e-zine interesting and learn a little more about me and about Colombia, SA.
Rosa
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Colombia, South America
My family and I spent two weeks visiting our son and extended family in Colombia. Our first stop was Bogota the capital of Colombia where our son is attending the University of Los Andes as a graduate student. While in Colombia we also attended a family reunion on my maternal grandmother's side of the family were close to 400 people attended. Each branch of the family was assigned a color. There were seven colors represented and our family color was "futsia", fuschia in spanish. There were 58 of us, the largest group represented in the family.
Bogota is a city of almost 10 million people nestled high in the Andes Mountains. The following pictures are taken from Monserate a small church located in the mountains. When you look out to Bogota, the city stretches for miles and the pictures below are just two angles taken of this sprawling city.
Now that you have seen my family and where I come from I will share photos of how people live in Colombia.
The Traditional Home
The majority of people in Bogota live in apartments or condominiums. Because space is so valuable most homes tend to be small and every square inch of space is maximized.
This photograph shows a living room/dining room combination, were the homeowner is obviously an art aficionado and has combined antiques with a touch of contemporary objects of art. In this small room you see balance in scale, harmony in the furniture pieces, as well as the art on the walls and the accessories.
Same room, different angle.
Believe it or not this space is adequate for entertaining and it can accommodate quite a few people.
Below: A wonderful use of space, "the laundry room".
The following photographs depict a complete contrast in lifestyle. They are photographs of the interior of a modern home in Cali, a city located in the valley with very tropical weather. This contemporary house uses many organic features throughout the house not only in the building material but also in the furniture pieces.
Living Room
Below is a limestone wall which defines the space between the living room, dining room and the kitchen behind the wall.
Dining Room
The following is a coffee table made of reclaimed wood and pressed coconut shell with an opening in the table were a living plant can be placed.
Below is the powder room sink made of limestone. The drain is actually a vertical indentation running into a horizontal drain.
The "Finca"
The following photographs show a "Finca" which translates into a farm. This particular finca grows sugar cane. The house has been in the family for over 100 years and has had only one addition made to it. By maintaining the integrity of the house there are no differential signs between the old house and the addition. The house is very simple with minimum furnishings. Cali and the Valle del Cauca where this farm is located is a tropical region in the country, therefore the vegetation is lush. Many of the fincas are family owned and they are where people tend to go on the weekends to get away, because it is a working farm most tend to have horses which are also used for recreation.
The following are photographs of the kitchen at the finca which I felt might be of interest to you since most of us pride ourselves in our kitchens. This one in particular amazed me because of it's simpleness and size and the fact that these women (employees at the finca) can prepare awesome typical meals for lots of people with no problem.
Yes, this is actually a wood stove! 
Nothing modern in this kitchen.
Family
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Women's Build for Habitat
On July 17th the Charlotte Chapter of The Interior Design Society worked diligently priming and painting a Habitat home. I had the privilege of working with the homeowner in the selection of her colors. She was thrilled with the results and I was thrilled to have the honor.
For her living spaces we selected Sherwin Williams 7064 - Passive, which is a soothing beautiful shade of greenish/gray. Her powder room was SW 6177-Softened Green and we decided to paint all four walls and the ceiling in the same color. For her son's room, we went out on a limb and did a focal wall in SW 6871-Positive Red and the three other walls in SW 6516 Down Pour (blue). To view the colors visit www.sherwin-williams .com.
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Enjoy the rest of your summer
I hope you have learned a little something about life in Colombia, SA and how people live. I would love to hear your thoughts and comments.
I have one more trip scheduled this summer - "college visits". My daughter will be a senior and we are embarking on a mother/daughter road trip next week all the way to Boston. I am really looking forward to it and if anyone has any travel suggestions, please share.
Next month VISIONS will resume it's usual format and as always if there is a topic you would like discussed or a question answered please feel free to contact me. If you know someone interested in receiving a copy of this e-zine, please feel free to share.
Fondly, Rosa
Rosa Plaza Dest
Rosa Dest Interior Designs
704-362-1397
rosa@rosadestinteriors.com
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Winner of the 2009 Excellence in Remodeling Award
for Kitchens over 60K
presented by
Home Builders Association
of Charlotte
Published in "Charlotte Designs"
Coffee table book benefiting
Haitat for Humaninty Charlotte
Nationally recognized for
successfully achieving the Credentialing Examination
presented by the
Council for Qualification of
Residential Interior Designers
Rosa Plaza Dest
A personal commitment to providing excellent service while designing interiors with a vision to reflect our clients' lifestyle.
Sensible design, a keen eye for detail, and a love of color Rosa creates beautiful unique spaces for those looking to remodel or makeover their homes or businesses.
I invite you to take a moment and view our special portfolio to learn more about us and how we can best serve you. Visit us at
http://www.rosadestinteriors.com
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"Charlotte Designs" is a coffee table book featuring local IDS designers, a peek at the beautiful rooms they have designed and designer tips. The book sells for $38.00 and 100% of the sales will benefit Habitat for Humanity of Charlotte. If you would like to purchase a book please | | |
