As we embark on 2010, I wanted to reach out to wish you well, to reflect on 2009, and to thank you for your continued support of North American artists and our business, Artful Home. I know no one for whom 2009 was easy, and unfortunately know many for whom the year was difficult if not devastating—friends, customers, and artists. From a business perspective, we at Artful Home had a tumultuous year, what I lovingly refer to as “kayaking through a tsunami”! While I would certainly never volunteer to repeat 2009, I also realize that I wouldn’t have missed it for the world. “Why”, you may be asking. The primary reasons are:

1. As a company we were forced to become stronger in order to survive, and survival was something we were absolutely committed to. We realized that if we had not survived, the effect on the lives of thousands of artists as well as on our own associates would have been devastating, and their lives were already tough enough in this economy.
2. As a small company, we realized that one of our greatest strengths was our relationship with customers, and we worked like crazy to make those even stronger through greater direct communication. The end result has been that we have learned so much about you, about what we can be doing better, and about how much you love the work.
3. We met so many new artists, and were able to present so much new work. More than 200 new artists joined Artful Home in 2009, and between them and existing artists, more than 8,500 new works appeared on our site and in our catalogs.

With this behind us now, we approach 2010 with tempered optimism and excitement about more new things happening. We remain committed to seeking out and offering the work of North America’s finest artists, and continuing to make fine American art and craft a part of more people’s lives. The fact that President Obama received a beautiful glass shoulder vase by our very own Mark Rosenbaum in New Orleans was thrilling; the fact that the President then chose to give art glass as a present to world leaders at the G-20 summit only added to our excitement!

On that note, I thank you again for your continued support, and wish you my heartfelt best for the coming year. May it be beautiful, peaceful and fruitful.

Lisa

Tony Raffa is a master of balance. Though his tastes have a widely eclectic range, his skillfully orchestrated interiors achieves an artful equilibrium between bold and neutral, contemporary and antique.

Artistic talent is a common thread running through Raffa’s family. His mother was an accomplished painter, and his aunt was a noted interior and textile designer. Tony laughingly recalls his nascent design instincts: “I know in fourth grade that I was going to do this. As a kid I used to rearrange my siblings’ bedrooms and make them crazy.”

Raffa launched his own firm, Raffa Design Associates, in Houston in 1989. Specializing in residential interiors, Raffa currently splits his time between offices in Houston and Highlands, North Carolina.

Describing his style, Raffa explains, “It’s very eclectic; it’s focused more around art than about anything else, really.” Living in art-filled spaces comes naturally. “I have that passion for collecting art, and I love looking at the art that we’ve acquired,” he confesses. “I’ve been lucky that a lot of my clients have had that same appreciation.”

In fact, the client’s art collection often provides the inspiration for Raffa’s design concept. “If I don’t start with the art, it’s usually with a Persian rug. For me, those are the two starting points for designing a room, a lot of times it also determines the color and pattern of the room as well—or it can set the tone or the mood.”

Raffa has a gift for blending diverse furniture and artistic and decorative elements into a coherent interior that looks natural and not forced. With such a well-trained eye, he can trust his instincts. “I’ve been able to mix art styles in the same space over the years. I think that food art is good art.”

The sitting and dining rooms of Tony Raffa’s former Houston home illustrate the designer’s easy mix of styles.

Without a formal fireplace, this converted ranch home lacked a central design feature, so Raffa cleverly substituted an antique chest of comparable size and stature. A whimsical painting by contemporary Mexican artist Jose Antonio Gurtubay adds a jolt of blue above, while a blown glass piece in swirls of orange and red and a playful paper sculpture sit atop the chest.

Flashes of red from the designer’s collection of hearts add notes of excitement around the room, culminating in the series of three heart-motif prints by Houston artist Dan Allison. Flaunting convention, Raffa chose a dazzling antique Baccarat chandelier to illuminate a glass table supported by a humble, retrofitted aluminum planter.

In designing his own Highlands, North Carolina, great room, Raffa chose sumptuous rusticity over country cliche.

He happily notes that other than the two hair-on-hide club chairs, which flank a self-designed oxidized metal and locust wood fireplace, nothing else in the room matches. Still, as Raffa observes, “The room seems balanced to me. What helps is that the scale of the objects varies.”

Neutral wall colors amplify the impact of the rug and the artwork. “There are lots of art pieces and artifacts to look at as you spend more time in the room,” Raffa explains. The glowing red tones and surreal geometry of contemporary Houston artist Renzo Barchi’s depiction of a seated man draws attention upward, echoing the color and angular motifs of the kilim below.

A landscape painting by local North Carolina artists Jon Houglum hangs above the mantel and is joined on the left by an attenuated ceramic sculpture of a female form by Cathy Broski.

Raffa’s personal collection of religious art and artifact, along with a small painting by his mother, adorns the display areas surrounding the built-in knotty pine television cabinet.