Thanks to CNN Mexico!!

A gentleman's pad in Madrid...

I love Spain. I love everything in there, the smells, the food, the people, the music and the arts and the fact that people keeps beautiful antique furniture and accessories in their houses from generations to generations. 

A couple of years ago I had the pleasure to remodel an apartment in Barcelona and this year I just finished the work on this beautiful apartment in Madrid. 

Inspired by the person who owns it, the pictures, art and the history of the ones who lived in there I came up with a design where New York meets Europe. 

I used microcemento on bathroom and kitchen walls and floors, that way we didn't have to deal with the demolition. 

We added one of the four bedrooms to the living area and a small den to the kitchen area.

The only pieces I bought for the place were a glass console I used on the entrance, the sectional on the living room and the reading black leather chair and ottoman, for the rest I re used what the family already has, including artwork and re upholstered some beautiful antique chairs and benches. 

I kept the original parquet floors and re stained in a dark almost black color.

Hope you guys like it!!

LIVING ROOM BEFORE

LIVING ROOM AFTER

                                                  kitchen progress

                                            MASTER BATHROOM AFTER

MASTER BATHROOM BEFORE

                                                    KITCHEN BEFORE

                                                    KITCHEN PROGRESS

KITCHEN BEFORE

Como Decorar en Tiempos de Crisis

Haz click en el link de abajo para leer mi blog de Yahoo! esta semana y enterarte como decorar sin gastar dinero.
http://ar.mujer.yahoo.com/blogs/decoblog/decorar-en-tiempos-crisis-232244489.html#more-id

My tips for "spring cleaning" on NBC Latino... Click here to read the article... xoxo

Yahoo!... My new home....

Hi everybody! In a few days I'll start blogging for Yahoo! about interior decoration and decorating with a purpose with a lot of new designs, ideas, inspirations and more...I hope to see you all there... in the meantime enjoy my article about spanish interiors in Yahoo! Shine click here...xoxo.

Twitter : @mafemolinari
Facebook: Maria Fernanda Molinari

Thank you Hispanic Target Magazine for featuring me on the cover of the December issue as one of the Successful Hispanic Women of 2011.

Reader Before and After Tropical Patio

My work featured in ELLE DECOR MAGAZINE

http://www.elledecor.com/decorating/articles/posh_patio_design

My Work Featured in the Cover of Caras Magazine-Argentina

Yahoo! Interview....

http://espanol.especiales.entertainment.yahoo.com/mas-con-menos/

You don't need money to create a stylish outdoor space.

Painted pallets as the base for the seating, tree stomps as accent tables and a bed sheet and tree branches as a awning.... imagination is everything you need...

Photo courtesy of Home & House

Everybody together for Laurita! With love everything is possible...

Laurita is a beautiful and sweet 6 year old girl who's been diagnosed with a terrible cancer. She and her mom travel from Cuba to Miami so she could receive treatment, she had her arm amputated and even know she is stabilized for now still needs to get more chemotherapy.
To help her get the funds needed, a total of 400 thousand dollars, a group of wonderful ladies headed by Soraya Alcala organized an event on June 3rd where Latin celebrities and general public donated money to help Laurita through this tough time. Laurita got a lot of attention from the media and everybody loves her, but still more people with a big heart who can donate money are needed to reach the amount Laurita needs.
If you are one of those people and want to help Laurita on this journey click on the link below, Laurita, her family and all of us who love her would appreciate your kindness.
XoXo
Mariafer.

Donate Here

Here are some pics from the event...

Laurita Mendez

Jose Antonio Alvarez, Soraya Alcala, myself, chef Sabrina and Roxana Garcia.

Age is a number and mine is unlisted!

Thank you everybody for the Birthday wishes and for the emails.... xoxo, Mariafer.

DIY Outdoor Rooms

With summer around the corner it is time to start thinking about planning or renovating your outdoor space. If you know me you already know that spending a lot of money to make a room pretty it's not my style but having practical, efficient low cost ideas that gets you the extra mile is always my way to go. When I did my patio a couple of years ago I'll never imagine that would gave me so many satisfactions and opportunities but what nobody could believe is that it was made for under $2500.00. The low seating area cost me a total of $400 dollars including the mattresses and fabric, the curtains and bamboo roads with their brackets have a total cost of $160, and the coffee table was made out of scrap wood from the beds and a $1 dollar beach mat. The trick was to have a very clear and specific plan, and to do must of the work myself. After receiving so many emails asking me how to do it I draw the plans and instructions and started selling them trough my website and last week I got an email from a client (now a friend) who recreated my patio in her house, BRAVO Gladys!!!! You did an awesome job. It was a great satisfaction to see it done up to the very details, I'm posting her pictures below and the link where you too can get the plans... you are not going to believe it...
Remember that you can make the most out of your room just but changing the paint color and arranging the furniture in a different way. Treat your outdoor room as a continuation of your home, work with the same style you have in the rest of your house. It should have all the elements that an inside room has like rugs and curtains and chandeliers and accessories but suitable for outdoors or weather resistant. Try to recycle stuff you already have around the house, if you like the way an object looks but don't like the color perform very cheap plastic surgery and spray paint it, use empty glass jars like the ones from tomato sauce or empty cans and transform them in candle lanterns, you can even hang them using wire. Arranging empty wine bottles displaying some greenery from your garden  gives you the 'nature touch' without incurring in the cost of flowers or use the empty bottles as candle holders for a romantic tuscan style 'Al fresco' set up, sea shells and rocks in glass containers filled with water and a floating candle is beautiful for dinning time and a piece of rope is a good choice to replace napkin rings. The organic, rustic look always works well in any outdoor space. Don't go crazy... you don't need a lot of stuff or money to make your patio look like out of a magazine... Trust me.
Click here to get the platform bed plans with step by step instructions and a list of materials and tools, and build yours this coming long weekend!
XOXO
Mariafer

Some easy inexpensive ideas...

Gladys' Room... isn't AWESOME!!??!!!

Happy Weekend!

Updating a Bathroom for less than 200 Dollars

I have received several emails asking me for pictures of the project we talk about it last Monday on 'Efectos Secundarios' here are the before and after pictures. I hope you enjoy them!

xoxo 

Mariafer.

He recibido varios correos electronicos preguntandome por fotos del proyecto del cual hablamos el pasado Lunes en "Efectos Secundarios" aqui estan las fotos del antes y el despues. Espero las disfruten! 

Cariños,

Mariafer.

Before

After

Dear Friends...

Hi my friends, first of all I want to say thank you! to all of you for always been so supportive of my work and for the many ways you find to show me your affection trough this blog, private messages, Facebook, RMS, Twitter, Blogloving,etc., without you and your kindness all of this would have never been possible.. THANKS!! from the bottom of my heart...

I want to invite you to listen to a new segment I'll be presenting every Monday starting today at 2.30pm ET in the first hour of the show 'Efectos Secundarios' on Radio Caracol Miami 1260am, about interior styling and decorating ideas on a budget.

you can listen online at:

http://www.caracol1260.com/programa.aspx?id=15618

Thank you!!! Hugs...

Mariafer

One Day, 250 Dollars and a Makeover....

The Before...

The After...

With just an Ikea bookcase, new pillows and lamps and some accessories from around the house this bedroom has gone from boring to fun in just one day... Great if you are renting since I didn't do any painting and/or nailing into the walls.... This is how I spent part of my weekend...how was yours??
XOXO
Mariafer.

The World's Most Beautiful Crowns

Are you feeling Royal??? If you live in the Miami/ Fort Lauderdale Area
from March 4th to 14 th you can visit the exhibition presented by Aventura Mall and Lakeview Home Accessories including more than 30 stunning crowns and headdresses for viewing, the admission is free. The exhibition has previously travelled to Dubai and Moscow and the latest stop represents the first time it has visited the US. For the ones who don't live in the area I'm posting some pics. I hope you enjoy them!! 
(Lower Level-Center Court/ 11 a.m to 8 p.m)

XOXO
Mariafer.

The Crown of St. Wenzel

The Austrian Imperial crown

The Crown of Empresses of the Austria and the Queens of Hungary

British State Crown

The Crown of Cleopatra

St. Edward's Crown

The Crown of the Bavarian Kings.

The Holy Crown of Hungary: Crown of St. Stephen.

Tiara of the Shahbanou Farah Pahlavi

The Last Royal Crown of Prussia

Maltese Crown:Crown of Czar Paul I

Crown of the Dalai Lama