John Saladino: The Art of the Edit

The work of John Saladino reminds me of a quote from Ernest Hemingway: "If a writer knows enough about what he is writing about, he may omit things that he knows." In design, what you leave out is as important as what you leave in. John Saladino describes his interiors as "still lifes," which he creates by carefully considering space, color, and shapes. His use of old materials gives rooms a feeling of permanence, but he interprets traditional techniques in a modern way. Take a look . . . 

Interior design by John Saladino.

Image and text via website of John Saladino.

"Silver Travertine: Honed, Unfilled and Installed Horizontally. 'I love silver travertine slabs on walls and floors. They give a room a sense of wonder and create a feeling of what I call a liminal space—half indoors, half outdoors. I like that silver travertine doesn't feel new or suburbanized. It was used in the ancient world, and I'm historically oriented. I respect things from the past and feel they should still be used, rather than being thrown away in the wave of fashion.' "
Interior design by John Saladino.
Photography by Robert Walton.

"Well-Advised: John Saladino" by Stephen Singerman.

Veranda.

Interior design by John Saladino.

Image and text via website of John Saladino.

"I have to admit that I gave way to my most extravagant theatrical inclinations...The new walls frame the bed like a proscenium stage." - John Saladino

Interior design by John Saladino.

Photography by Antoine Bootz.

"Well-Lived: Santa Barbara Villa"

Veranda.

"Even the most modern of John Saladino’s projects radiate the classical aura of an ancient Greek or Roman villa. Plaster walls come in a distinctive range of tender hues (bone, apricot, periwinkle), mottled as if centuries old—evidence of the passion for timeless textures that has been part of his philosophy since the 1960s. The New York City designer says he approaches a room artistically, seeing its contents as a series of geometric shapes to be gathered into a serenely balanced composition he calls 'a walk-in still life.' One of Saladino’s leitmotifs is monochromatic upholstery lushly quilted into channels, diamonds, or grids. Several of his products, notably the cylindrical glass Saladino lamp and the asymmetrical Santa Barbara sofa, are now icons."
Interior design by John Saladino.
Photography by Antoine Bootz.
"2012 AD100: Saladino Group Inc."
Architectural Digest.

"Use old world materials to lend grandeur. John Saladino is known for his historic-tinged designs, but he often uses old materials in new ways: laying silver travertine slabs on walls and floors, or lining a ceiling with Douglas fir for a cigar-box effect that patinates over time."
Interior design by John Saladino.
Photo via Saladino Style.
"John Saladino Apartment"
Canadian House and Home. 

Interior design by John Saladino.

Image and text via website of John Saladino.

"When the budget allows, I really like to use antique tiles and bricks because they're not all the same age, some of them are thicker than others, and they have a wonderful patination on them. I believe they make a space look personal."
Interior design by John Saladino.
Photography by Luca Trovato.
"Well-Advised: John Saladino" by Stephen Singerman.
Veranda.

"Custom sink. Mirror, Starbuck Minikin. Sconces, 20th Century Lighting."

Santa Barbara, California, home with a view of the Pacific Ocean.

Architectural renovation and interior design by John Saladino.

Photography by Luca Trovato.

"Classical Cues" text by Degen Pener.

Veranda (November - December 2010).

"I was the first person to use the scratch-coat plaster technique for interior walls in 1963. It's a sturdy, textured finish that really gives a space an earthy quality. I much prefer it to the temporary, manufactured feel of Sheetrock. Plaster's an ancient material, it's been used since Roman times, so it has a sense of history, and I believe it makes spaces feel permanent and attached to the earth. "

Interior design by John Saladino.

Photography by Antoine Bootz. 

"Well-Advised: John Saladino" by Stephen Singerman.

Veranda.

Interior design by John Saladino.

Image and text via website of John Saladino.

Interior design by John Saladino.
Image and text via website of John Saladino.

"Headboard in Fortuny fabric and Keleen Leathers. Pillows in Fortuny and Rubelli fabrics; Houles trim. Bedside lamp and bedspread fabric, Nancy Corzine."
Santa Barbara, California home.
Architectural renovation and interior design by John Saladino.
Photography by Luca Trovato.
"Classical Cues" text by Degen Pener.
Veranda (November - December 2010). 

"John Saladino focused on the big picture when he created the interiors of this sprawling house near Palm Springs, California. 'I abstract all the elements—sofas, lamps, tables and chairs—into geometric shapes,' says the New York designer, whose work is known for its serene beauty. 'Once I introduce color, it's as if I'm painting a still life.'

Open or closed, the loggia curtains change the mood. Sofa in Savel fabric and table, right, both SFI. Wicker chairs, Brown Jordan, in Savel fabric. Ottoman, Williams-Sonoma Home, in Perennials fabric. Lamp, Dessin Fournir. Metal chair, Brown Jordan, with cushion in Giati fabric. Slipper chair, Anthony Lawrence-Belfair, in Savel fabric. Mirror, William Switzer. Curtains in Kravet fabric. Akari light sculpture."
Interior design by John Saladino.

Photography by Max Kim-Bee.
"Serene Palm Springs Home" by Linda O'Keefe.
Veranda.

"The clients, who winter in this Spanish-style house, fell for its seductive views of the Santa Rosa Mountains and its hiking access to the Mount San Jacinto wilderness. 'I was familiar with John's work through magazines,' says the owner. 'John is a true artist, but he's also disarmingly practical, and that is such a refreshing combination.' "

Interior design by John Saladino.

Photography by Max Kim-Bee.
"Serene Palm Springs Home" by Linda O'Keefe.
Veranda.

"Chair, left, and sofa, SFI, in Nobilis fabric with Samuel and Sons trim. Wicker chair, Walters Wicker. Striped pillows in C and C Milano fabric. Tableskirt in Jim Thompson silk. Three-legged coffee tables, SFI. Table lamps, Quatrain Reproductions. Rug, Sacco Carpet."

Interior design by John Saladino.

Photography by Max Kim-Bee.
"Serene Palm Springs Home" by Linda O'Keefe.
Veranda.

"The exteriors of the stone-clad house conformed to the arid brown tones of the desertscape, and on his first site visit, Saladino quickly developed a thirst for color. From the two palettes he proposed, the clients chose a daring blend of pinks, cream, mustard yellows and magenta.

Chairs in Nobilis fabric and screen, all SFI. Lamp, Robert Altman. Custom table, Ambience."

Interior design by John Saladino.

Photography by Max Kim-Bee.
"Serene Palm Springs Home" by Linda O'Keefe.
Veranda.

Interior design by John Saladino.

Photography by Max Kim-Bee.
"Serene Palm Springs Home" by Linda O'Keefe.
Veranda.

"Sofa, SFI, in Jim Thompson fabric. Antique fauteuils in C and C Milano fabric. Custom mirror, Niermann Weeks. Drum table, SFI. Lamps, Munder-Skiles. Art, Helen Frankenthaler."

Interior design by John Saladino.

Photography by Max Kim-Bee.
"Serene Palm Springs Home" by Linda O'Keefe.
Veranda.

Interior design by John Saladino.
Photography by Max Kim-Bee.
"Serene Palm Springs Home" by Linda O'Keefe.
Veranda.

"Wingchair, Soane, in A.M. Collections fabric. Table, Salvations Architectural Furnishings; mosaic top, Ann Sacks. Lamps, SFI. Art, Fred Herzog."
Interior design by John Saladino.
Photography by Max Kim-Bee.
"Serene Palm Springs Home" by Linda O'Keefe.
Veranda.

"A wall hanging by Saladino conceals a television. Belgian console with stone top. Stools, SFI, with cushions in Rose Tarlow Melrose House fabric. Bench, SFI, in Holland and Sherry fabric. Coverlet in Dedar fabric. Portiere in Rogers and Goffigon fabric. Curtains in Création Baumann fabric. Side table, SFI. Art, Cy Twombly."

Interior design by John Saladino.

Photography by Max Kim-Bee.

"Serene Palm Springs Home" by Linda O'Keefe.

Veranda.

"An ardent theatergoer, Saladino finds inspiration in set design, and he savors the dramatic tension achieved by playing with scale and sequencing spatial opposites. A dark wall at one end of the light-filled gallery, for example, acts as a beckoning focal point. Benches, Saladino Furniture Inc. (SFI), in Bergamo fabric. Pillow in Holland and Sherry fabric. Lamp, Gregorius Pineo. Spanish mirror. Khotan rugs."

Interior design by John Saladino.

Photography by Max Kim-Bee.

"Serene Palm Springs Home" by Linda O'Keefe.

Veranda.

"Bed, Anthony Lawrence-Belfair in Marvic Textiles fabric. Bedside lamp, Country House Antiques. Moroccan mirror. Curtains in C&C Milano fabric. Chair, SFI, in Christian Fischbacher fabric. Desk chair, SFI, in Leitner fabric. Lamp, SFI."

Interior design by John Saladino.

Photography by Max Kim-Bee.

"Serene Palm Springs Home" by Linda O'Keefe.

Veranda.

"Sofa, SFI, in Summer Hill fabric. Armchairs, Country House Antiques. Chair, SFI, in Keleen Leathers. Floor lamps, Munder-Skiles. Ceiling fixture, Ingo Maurer. Coffee table, Williams-Sonoma Home. Rug, Sacco Carpet. Painting, John Saladino."

Interior design by John Saladino.

Photography by Max Kim-Bee.

"Serene Palm Springs Home" by Linda O'Keefe.

Veranda.

"His furniture juxtapositions are just as dynamic: baroque with modern, primitive with refined, explicit with implied. 'I edit constantly because what you omit or hold back is just as valid as what you include. But all of my work aside, in this house the desert mountains are the main performance.' A guest room in deep blue creates a cool retreat from the desert sun. Daybed, Charles H. Beckley, in Création Baumann fabric. Armchair, Munder-Skiles. Batik pillows. Safari chair, Lewis Drake and Associates. Lamp, SFI. Screen, Anthony Lawrence-Belfair, in Maharam fabric. Rug, Saladino Group Inc. Sacco Carpet."

Interior design by John Saladino.

Photography by Max Kim-Bee.

"Serene Palm Springs Home" by Linda O'Keefe.

Veranda.