BOLDFACERS

To really live life…

“Here's what I need to feel good at home: a spot to read, write or day dream in, lots of wine glasses in case I have an impromptu party,” says Koo de Kir owner and interior designer Kristine Irving. “It happens more often that you think and I've got the glassware for it!. Also, I need good lighting -- meaning several sources, on separate switches or dimmers, candles so I can set a mood when I want to AND see well enough to not chop my finger off when I'm getting ready for that last minute bash.”

Other good home goods

It takes a confidant shop owner to recommend other shops, but Koo de Kir owner and interior designer Kristine Irving is happy to share the love. “One of my favorite places to visit is Reside in Cambridge. The owner, Pamela, has such a great eye and there is always something cool and unexpected there. I've found anything from a 1950's snakeskin tote to furniture for myself and clients. I also really like West Elm, Good, and European Country Antiques.”

Reside
266 Concord Ave
Cambridge
(617) 547-2929
www.resideinc.com

West Elm
160 Brookline Avenue
Boston
www.westelm.com

Good
88 Charles Street
Boston

European Country Antiques
146 Huron Ave
Cambridge
(617) 876-7485
www.ecountryantiques.com

See the world in color

“Oh boy, I could speak volumes about this!” says Koo de Kir owner and interior designer Kristine Irving. “Color is just about my most favorite element of any design project to deal with. I do have one very strong opinion though when it comes to using color: I like foundation pieces (think sofa, bed) to be neutral for the most part or to be a color that can be read as neutral (like navy blue for example) because our tastes change as we change and that bright green sofa may have made perfect sense to you at one point and in a specific space, but now it's an albatross you have to decorate around.”

Paint the world

“I get ALL of my paint from either Charles Street Supply or Johnson Paint Company when I need something like bronze metallic paint for a restaurant,” says Koo de Kir owner and interior designer Kristine Irving. “Charles Street Supply is right next to my studio so I'm in there all the time. I'm pretty partial to Benjamin Moore in terms of brand but often use C-2 or Farrow and Ball. Behr (available at Home Depot) is a great choice when budget is an issue. Their colors are great.”

Favorite Colors:

Soft Chamois (Benjamin Moore OC-13)
Natural Cream (Benjamin Moore OC-14)
Himalayan Trek (Benjamin Moore 1542)
Plymouth Rock (Benjamin Moore 1543)
Mountain View (Behr)
White Heron (Benjamin Moore OC-57)
Grecian Green (Benjamin Moore 507)

Charles Street Supply Company
54 Charles St
Boston
(617) 367-9046
www.charlesstsupply.com

Johnson Paint Company
355 Newbury St
Boston
(617) 536-4838

Letters on space

“I look at books for inspiration all the time,” says Koo de Kir owner and interior designer Kristine Irving. “We've got loads of them in the studio but they're not always design books. Art books are a huge part of my arsenal. I studied art history (my BFA is in Art History) and always refer back to the fine arts.”

Kristine Irving’s favorite books:

Piet Boon (published by Terra)
Paris Living Rooms (Assouline): “ This book feed my voyeuristic tendencies!! It's a series of photos of living rooms, all in Paris, all photographed exactly as they are lived in -- no stylist to show up and replace half their stuff and add fluff -- and you really have the sense of peaking into someone's life.”
Giotto: “I am totally inspired by early renaissance painting and the luminosity and quality of light captured by so many of these early masters. I sometimes use Giotto to help me pick colors!”
Fiona Rae, Hong Kong Garden (catalogue for a show at Timothy Taylor Gallery)
Bacon (Abbeville Press)

Beauty Queen

Keywords: Design

Kristine Irving believes in love at first sight. She believes that even the most casual glance can lead to that short, sweet catch of breath, that epiphany of adoration, that notion that we've known each other for a moment and forever. She believes in coup de coeur, French for "a strike to the heart" -- the sensual gasp, the warm rush, the swooning, delicious dizziness. And that's what she's going for in Koo de Kir, her design studio and boutique in Beacon Hill.

The boutique overflows with garnish, the accessories that make a house a home and an outfit a work of art. Kristine travels the world and returns with astonishing, eclectic designs, some for the modest budget, some for indulgence—and what’s wrong with indulgence? Gold hoop earrings, ivory ceramic candlestick makers, chocolate brown leather bags and kiwi-colored throw pillows all entice customers with one goal in mind – love at first sight. She also offers a full interior design service, transforming private homes, restaurants and offices into places of beauty. Currently, Kristine is adding her touch to the Wellesley shoe store Moxie, and she’ll be going overseas soon to continue her design of a villa, in, ahem, the Sultanate of Bahrain.

Since she was 13, bored with school and playing hooky, Kristine found herself redoing her suburban Reading bedroom by taking Magic Marker to the walls and sketching, from floor to ceiling the Egyptian deity Nuit (pronounced noot), the goddess of the sky and heavens. Her mom, Joann recognized her daughter’s talent and encouraged her to pursue art. At 16, Kristine spruced up the basement, and by 19 opened her own art gallery while still a student at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design. The gallery evolved into Koo de Kir, and Kristine is now considered to be one of Boston’s premier interior designers.

It’s about the love, it’s about the home, and it’s about celebrating space – wherever that is. In her own shop, she serves cocktails on weekends. She believes that life is a party to enjoy. Coupled with her aesthetic sense, she makes Koo de Kir an easy place to fall in love with. What’s life, after all, without a coup de coeur?

www.koodekir.com