Cristina @ Kohl’s

Blending Latino cultures
Cristina Saralegui kicks off collection
By VIKKI ORTIZ
March 10, 2007

In between the demands of her popular Latin talk-show, monthly magazine and daily radio program, Cristina Saralegui makes time for her other passion: decorating her home.

Saralegui, who has 100 million viewers worldwide and is considered Univision’s Oprah, loves the process of filling rooms with eclectic furniture and decor. She has furnished her 10,000 square-foot Miami dwelling with influences from her hometown of Havana, colonial Spanish times and the Mediterranean.

And although Saralegui has no formal training in interior design, she immerses herself in history books that explain cultures, eras and styles as part of her decorating process.

“The research part kills me – I love it,” Saralegui said in a recent interview.

This month, Saralegui’s home décor ideas become available to Milwaukee-area home decorators – and those around the country – with the launch of the Casa Cristina Collection at Kohl’s Department Stores. The collection features bedsheet sets, bath towels and table linens, and ranging in price from $7.99 to $269.99.

She shared some of her thoughts on decorating and on introducing a home collection under her namesake with the Journal Sentinel.

• On defining her signature style: Saralegui doesn’t like to confine herself to one style, but rather enjoys pulling influences from all Spanish-speaking countries. When picking panelists for her program, “The Cristina Show” – she flies in panelists from Spain, Chile or anywhere in Latin America. She likes to use the same approach when picking influences for her home décor.

“What we have basically done with the show is what we have translated in what we’re doing with home products. The show concentrates on the common denominator of the 23 countries where Hispanics are from,” she says.

• On how to decorate a home on a limited budget: “The most important thing is quality,” says Saralegui, who noted that in her culture, people buy furniture built to last for generations. When a family member goes to buy a piece of furniture, the mom, the grandma go along to ensure it’s good quality.

Saralegui says she lived by that rule when she furnished her home decades ago, and was proud when her daughter got married and took her bed to her first home.

• On the time you should allow yourself to decorate: “You do like a bird. You nest,” she says. “It’s an ongoing process of self-realization. It’s a way to see how you’re maturing as a human being.

“As you grow, your house grows with you. . . . it’s really important that you don’t think of it as a project or as a job. You think of it as something that you love and you enjoy.”

• On design elements she has used in her own home: Saralegui has one room in her house she calls her “Florida Room,” which is enclosed in glass and features an enclosed garden for which the temperature is regulated. The rest of the house is also tropical with a lot of greens and orchids.

Her living room furniture is beige – the type of pieces that worked “when my kids were little they could go in with tennis shoes.” She likes woods and nubbiness in materials. And one wall is covered with masks, which she collects from various countries.

Saralegui collects antique crosses, which her fans have given her through the years. But she also likes to mix all the various eclectic pieces together.

Her husband is into meditation, so she bought him an antique altar and Buddha statue.

• On the role of color and patterns in her designs: Saralegui prefers colors related to terra cottas, mosaics, oaks and wines. She also likes different stripe patterns. She discourages people from reverting to stereotypes when considering a Hispanic influence in their home. “We are not only about chili peppers and flamingos,” she said.

• On why she chose to partner with Kohl’s for her home collection: Saralegui, who also has her own line of furniture, mattresses and lighting, wanted to work with a company that would allow strong input in the designs that would be carrying her name.

“They’re growing very fast,” she says. “This will give us a way to expand our brand.”

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