Erika Winters, Inc.

ERIKA WINTERS, INC.

Interior Design, Building, Art, Life Style

“Our Home is the Finger Print of our Heritage and Consciousness”

-Erika Winters

Showing posts with label contemporary. Show all posts
Showing posts with label contemporary. Show all posts

Wednesday, November 5, 2014

Setting Up a Studio in Los Angeles: Let the Adventure Begin . . .




For many years, I had the good fortune to have my showroom in a house on Atlixco 45 in the Colonia Condesa in Mexico City, in the same building where I had grown up with my sisters, my mother and great aunts, and where my mother and her brothers had been raised before me.


The Condesa district was also where my parents met each other, fell in love, and were reputedly the best-looking couple in the neighborhood. That’s right, my mum and dad.


As a young girl, my mother would tell me about the importance of “beauty”, “style” and “art”. This meant that I grew up surrounded by music and art books, and we would go on visits to museums, galleries, antique stores, and as we grew older she would take us to open-air concerts in Chapultepec Park and at Mexico’s largest public university, the UNAM. My mother also enrolled me on summer courses at museums such as the Carrillo Gil. And of course, how could I forget our ritual visits to La Lagunilla market in downtown Mexico City, where we would always come down with something afterwards!



These experiences definitely lie at the roots of the person I am today and provide a source of inspiration to me. The years went by and after spending my childhood playing in that house, I had become a woman. 

I named my showroom Erika Winters Design just over 10 years ago. 
Who would have guessed that after 40 years the house would become the home for my professional career as an interior designer. I converted a part of the house into my workshop, where I produced several pieces of restored furniture in a myriad of colors and exotic materials. A house that created decorative designs, dreams and realities. 



Thanks to my “good taste” and “characteristic style” I attracted clients who helped me continue to hone my skills and grow in my chosen career. I was always very attentive to my clients’ tastes and needs, translating them for their spaces to give a chic and urban touch, but always respecting their personalities.



At the same time, my curiosity led me to seek out and experiment in new fields to continue developing my imagination. Soon after setting up my showroom, I began to travel abroad, always seeking to broaden my horizons. 


Soon an opportunity arose in Los Angeles, California. “The Living Room” on Sunset Boulevard launched the Erika Winters Design brand, using one of my collections of restored furniture at my workshop in Mexico City. This gave me the wings to take off and cross new frontiers in the world of interior design. 


Almost without me realizing it, everything had fallen into place for me to take the next step. The change was not easy and required a lot of work along the way. 

Once established, I found I was in contact with new people and potential clients. I realized that my tastes in design, color and the cutting-edge were not far removed from my new situation.



 
After three years in my new space, I have been immersed in new styles, colors, materials, tastes and needs: the same raw materials but from a new perspective



I realize that I am still restless, opening up the panorama before me to offer new possibilities and radical changes. 

I now understand that I am the business. Wherever I am, or wherever I’m flying to, my home and my profession will always be right here, where I am. 

Enjoy
Erika Winters

Monday, October 6, 2014

New York: when love comes through the eyes.




Writing is not that easy, but in the past few years I have being training myself because the need to express my experiences, feelings, ideas and concepts.
Today I like to share with you some of my writing...


 I always remember my dad used to tell me that travel was everything: "¡Hija! si no has viajado no has vivido." He was the one who took me on my first trip to New York City. We arrived at the airport and took the bus straight to Central Station at Port Authority, on 42nd Street (which was very extravagant at the time). And I remember my first reaction, emerging onto the street and seeing the New York Times building, was to look up in amazement at the architecture from different periods contrasting with the blue sky. We were visiting in early March, at the start of spring, just as the city was beginning to thaw. It was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen.


I confess: I fell for Manhattan right there and then. And ever since that first trip to the city that never sleeps, I have not lost my sense of wonder. My last visit was no exception, because this time it was my turn to show my children the magic of the “Big Apple.”


The days went by a whirl, at the cutting-edge of architecture, art, history and fashion, days that I’m sure my children will remember forever.


Apart from visiting contemporary art museums such as the Guggenheim and the MomA, the Frick Collection and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, we also toured the Chelsea art galleries to take in some contemporary conceptual art. 



  We walked the High Line, the mile-long linear park built on a disused railway line, enjoying great architecture and design from every angle. We admired the impressive combinations of concrete, wood, innovative materials and vegetation that have been turning Manhattan into an awe-inspiring and sublime city, not just in its exterior spaces but also in its sober, elegant and modern interiors; my fellow interior designers here are using bold colors and fantastic textures. The furniture and decorative objects have been perfectly chosen to convey a sense of “ordered chaos” in which everything always looks like it belongs, due to that fact that is openly visible and available to all the senses. And so to take advantage of all the Big City has to offer, we entered all the hotels, restaurants and bars that our legs could carry us to; we wondered at the interiors full of majestic marble, luxurious carpets, magnificent candelabras and beautiful bronze filigree work found on many of the handrails and doors.

 

 We visited a range of hotels, from those with the longest histories and traditions such as the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, the Pierre Hotel and the Plaza Hotel, to the more contemporary and modern Standard, High Line, ACE Hotel, NoMad Hotel, and the Bryant Park Hotel in the American Radiator building. We also explored every corner of Noho, Soho, Greenwich Village and Tribeca.



And since every trip must have an element of surprise, the three of us headed to the Upper West Side where my children and I ended up dining on hamburgers and milkshakes at Tom's Restaurant, just like Jerry Seinfeld, Elaine Benes, Cosmo Kramer and George Costanza use to do. 

 Our trip coincided with various important events, including the Spring-Summer 2015 "Design Fashion Week" in Manhattan. The catwalks were overflowing with incredible designs, prints and colors: this season’s three most important aspects, which are being combined in free-spirited and geometric forms, with great contrasts. Primary colors again! Yellow, Blue and Red are the dominant colors.  Black and White are the canvas for the rest of the palette.


I think the Venezuelan designer Carolina Herrera deserves all the praise this season. However, ultimately everything is relevant, especially here in the capital of art, fashion, design and the avant-garde, since trends and fashion are made by the people who wear what is created by the catwalk and underground designers.  











And it is even truer to say, fashion changes every day.

                          







                             



                             Enjoy
                          -Erika Winters-

Thursday, February 6, 2014

Best Of Houzz 2014 Award


Erika Winters® Design of Los Angeles, CA Receives
Best Of Houzz 2014 Award
Annual Survey and Analysis of 16 Million Monthly Users
Reveals Top-Rated Building, Remodeling and Design Professionals
LOS ANGELES, CA, February 4, 2014 – Erika Winters® Design of Los Angeles, CA has been awarded “Best Of Houzz” by Houzz, the leading platform for home remodeling and design. The L.A. based design firm with over two decades of projects was chosen by the more than 16 million monthly users that comprise the Houzz community. 
The Best Of Houzz award is given in two categories: Customer Satisfaction and Design. Customer Satisfaction honors are determined by a variety of factors, including the number and quality of client reviews a professional received in 2013. Design award winners’ work was the most popular among the more than 16 million monthly users on Houzz, known as “Houzzers,” who saved more than 230 million professional images of home interiors and exteriors to their personal ideabooks via the Houzz site, iPad/iPhone app and Android app. Winners will receive a “Best Of Houzz 2014” badge on their profiles, showing the Houzz community their commitment to excellence. These badges help homeowners identify popular and top-rated home professionals in every metro area on Houzz.  
“Our home is the fingerprint of our heritage and consciousness”, Erika Winters®

“Houzz provides homeowners with the most comprehensive view of a home improvement professional on the Web, empowering them to find and hire the right professional to execute their vision,” said Liza Hausman, vice president of community for Houzz. “We’re delighted to recognize Erika Winters® Design among our “Best Of” professionals for design as judged by our community of homeowners and design enthusiasts who are actively remodeling and decorating their homes.”
With Houzz, homeowners can identify not only the top-rated professionals like Erika Winters® Design, but also those whose work matches their own aspirations for their home. Homeowners can also evaluate professionals by contacting them directly on the Houzz platform, asking questions about their work and reviewing their responses to questions from others in the Houzz community.
Follow Erika Winters® Design on Houzz http://www.houzz.com/pro/erika-winters/__public
About Erika Winters® Design
Design runs through Erika Winters´ veins. Her passion is to enrich everyday life with sophisticated, chic and timeless design. Her goal in interior and furnishings design is to create a calm and comfortable urbane feeling and environment. 
Erika's focus is on end-user comfort in her integral interior design. Attention to detail is crucial for Erika throughout the design and manufacturing process. 
Erika Winters´ path and work of two decades has drawn great media attention. She has been published in Architectural Digest Mexico, Habitat, Casa Viva, Mexico Design, Real Estate, Entre Muros of Reforma newspaper and Vogue Mexico. 
Erika Winters is extending her influence beyond Mexico City and is already beginning to make her mark in Los Angeles, California.
About House
Houzz is the leading platform for home remodeling and design, providing people with everything they need to improve their homes from start to finish - online or from a mobile device. From decorating a room to building a custom home, Houzz connects millions of homeowners, home design enthusiasts and home improvement professionals across the country and around the world. With the largest residential design database in the world and a vibrant community powered by social tools, Houzz is the easiest way for people to get the design inspiration, project advice, product information and professional reviews they need to help turn ideas into reality. For more information, visit www.houzz.com

                               This are some of images of our projects, more can be found in Houzz

Contadero Decor by Erika Winters® Design

 Rosaleda Decor by Erika Winters® Design

 Christmas Decor by Erika Winters® Design

Rejuvenation Project by Erika Winters® Design

Sunnynook Project by Erika Winters® Design

Rosaleda Decor by Erika Winters® Design

Tine Decor by Erika Winters® Design

Del Sol Decor by Erika Winters® Design

M-8442 Project by Erika Winters® Design



Enjoy,
Erika Winters
















Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Retrospectiva a este año 2013 / Flashback to this ending 2013



Un repaso al año 2013, a las elecciones de trabajo y por la oportunidad de hacerlo aún mejor.
A review of the year 2013, the work obtained good choices and the opportunity to do even better.


Estoy lista para un nuevo comienzo en este 2014 y emocionada por la oportunidad de continuar mi aventura cada vez más interesante!
I'm ready for a new beginning in 2014 and excited about the opportunity to continue my adventure! 

MoMa NYC
A continuación les muestro buenos momentos y ambientes que quiero conservar por siempre. Son las cosas que hice en el 2013 y que tendrán continuidad este año.
Showing the good times and environments that will be kept. These are the things I did in 2013 and which will continue this year. 


Wynwood Art District, Miami FL.
La dedicación a mi trabajo me llevó a planear una nueva estrategia y un cambio importante en mi carrera profesional.
The dedication to my work led me to plan a new strategy and a major change in my career.


En Noviembre del 2013 impartí un par de conferencias con el título “El Juego de la No Tendencia en el Interiorismo” en la ULA, Universidad Latinoamericana Estado de México y para ENADII Emergent.
In November, 2013 I gave two a lectures entitled "THE NON-TENDENCY IN INTERIOR DESIGN” at ULA, Universidad Latinoamericana Estado de México and for ENADII Emergent, Mexico City. 

Ponencia en la ULA, Edo de México.
Estoy remodelando 57 Gasolineras y Lavados de Autos en diferentes partes  del Sur de California en los Estados Unidos.
I am remodeling 57 Gas Stations and Car Washes in different areas of Southern California in the United States. 

Bella Marketplace,76 Gas Station.
Las Posas, Camarillo Ca.

Bella Marketplace,76 Gas Station.
Las Posas, Camarillo CA.

Bella Marketplace,76 Gas Station.
Las Posas, Camarillo CA.
Bella Marketplace,76 Gas Station.
Las Posas, Camarillo CA.
Bella Marketplace,76 Gas Station.
Las Posas, Camarillo CA.
Restauré y recuperé una casa del año de 1942 en Los Angeles Ca. Proyecto que nombré “Rejuvenation Project”.
I restore and recover a house in Los Angeles Ca.  I named it “Rejuvenation Project ". 

Rejuvenation Project by Erika Winters Design. Los Angeles CA.
Rejuvenation Project by Erika Winters Design. Los Angeles CA.
Rejuvenation Project by Erika Winters Design. Los Angeles CA.
Rejuvenation Project by Erika Winters Design. Los Angeles CA.
Rejuvenation Project by Erika Winters Design. Los Angeles CA.
Rejuvenation Project Christmas by Erika Winters Design. Los Angeles CA.
Rejuvenation Project by Erika Winters Design. Los Angeles CA.

Hice la decoración de una casa en Beverly Hills Ca. llamada “Nightingale Decor”.
I did the decoration of a house in Beverly Hills Ca. called "Nightingale Decor".
Nightingale Decor by Erika Winters Design. Beverly Hills CA
Nightingale Decor by Erika Winters Design. Beverly Hills CA
Nightingale Decor by Erika Winters Design. Beverly Hills CA
Nightingale Decor by Erika Winters Design. Beverly Hills CA
Nightingale Decor by Erika Winters Design. Beverly Hills CA

Nightingale Decor by Erika Winters Design. Beverly Hills CA

Nightingale Decor by Erika Winters Design. Beverly Hills CA
Nightingale Decor by Erika Winters Design. Beverly Hills CA

Mi trabajo fue publicado por el periódico Excélsior suplemento Espacios la revista Electrónica iWay y por el periódico Reforma, estos en la Ciudad de México.
My work was published by the newspaper Excelsior Electronics magazine supplement iWay Spaces and the newspaper Reforma, these in Mexico City.
Periódico Excélsior
Periódico Excélsior

Revista digital  iWay


Periódico digital Reforma

Y por último, fui invitada a participar como “Crítico” para la revisión de diseño de estudiantes de Diseño de Interiores BFA en la Universidad Estatal de California en Long Beach Ca; en su último Proyecto del Concurso de Diseño Sustentable NEWH.
I was invited as a guest critic to participate on a student design review at the Interior Design BFA California State University in Long Beach Ca. for the last projec,  the NEWH Sustainable Design Competition.

Interior Design BFA California State University, Long Beach

Desde luego tengo que recordar los maravillosos momentos que pasé restaurando muebles, asistiendo a conferencias de colegas, mis visitas a museos y galerías de arte, conciertos y así como  conocer gente nueva. Por supuesto el apoyo y la compañía de mis seres queridos y  mi equipo de trabajo son invaluables.
 I have to remember the wonderful times spent restoring furniture, attending other colleagues conferences, my visits to museums, art galleries, concerts, meet new people and of course the support and company of my loved ones and my team.

LACMA Museum, Los Angeles CA.

LACMA Museum, Los Angeles CA.

Wynwood Art District, Miami FL.

PAMM Perez Art Museum Miami FL.

Mondrian Hotel by Marcel Wanders, Miami FL.

Expo Cihac México DF

Museo Rufino Tamayo, Ciudad de México
PAMM Perez Art Museum Miami, FL.

Gold´s Gym Venice CA.

Big Bear, CA.


Gracias a mis clientes por la confianza y por dejarme ser parte importante de su cambio estético.
Thanks to my clients for their trust and for letting me be part of their aesthetic change.

Nightingale Decor by Erika Winters Design. Beverly Hills CA

Stark Carpet, Beverly Hills CA.
Working in a new project for Agoura Hills CA.
Feliz año 2014
Happy 2014

Enjoy

Erika Winters®Design