You may see a familiar face in the September/October issue of East Coast Home + Design Magazine. Andrea Romeo, founder of Kate Reece Design was selected for a feature article in the 2015 Annual Interior Designers Issue.
For this issue, East Coast Home + Design also reached into their printing bag of tricks and created two different covers. They finessed the technology so every delivered bundle of 24 magazines will feature alternating covers. The intention was to give readers the greatest opportunity to find the right individual to help make their house a home. Check out the cover with Andrea on the front and pick up the issue today. Read her story below from the magazine about how travel influences her design aesthetic.
Andrea Romeo finds inspiration in very different types of places. "There is something about the pulse of a city–and nothing like the vibe of a U.S. city," she explains. "A city's people, art, shopping, local designers, food, colors and architecture fuel and inspire me." As deep as her appreciation for cities may run, she also enjoys island settings like Bermuda and the Bahamas. There, she revels in the sense of tranquility found in the natural colors of native flora, breath-taking sunsets and blue water against white sand.
Andrea has lived in three different areas of the U.S.–the Northeast (Connecticut and Massachusetts), North Carolina and Texas. "You learn that every region of our country has its own unique culture and style," she says. Of all the places she's lived, however, Texas will always hold a special place in Andrea's heart. She loves the uniqueness of its major cities and also appreciates its open pastures, beautiful sky and rustic decor. Andrea often pays homage to her time in Texas by adding rustic elements to her designs, including this one.
Andrea seeks inspiration in her everyday life as well. "I am aesthetically driven, and I see beauty in sunsets, restaurants, fashion, quaint shops, nature and people – everywhere I am constantly observing," she says. She preserves those bits of beauty with photographs, capturing a charmingly decorated hotel room, a garden or a store window display so she can refer to it later.
Next on Andrea's travel wish list is a trip to Italy. Her grandmother immigrated from Abruzzo, and Andrea would love to explore her ethnic roots and visit the town. "She had a home and garden that boasted of Old World Italian style," she remembers of her grandmother. "I feel like much of that beauty and culture were creatively inspiring to me, even as a child."
"To me," she continues, "travel is spiritual. To feel the hustle and bustle of a city or the calmness of a tropical island makes us who we are and how we design."