Author: thepremiumroom

Indecisive at heart, but more than sure of the things I love. Moda Viandante is a lifestyle, curated through the eyes of a wanderer.

The Premium Room started, as most things do, with a story. A remembrance of things past, not necessarily exactly as they were, but as we perceive them to have been.

When I was a small child, my grandfather – or Papa, as we affectionately called him – was larger than life. Something of a living legend. Of Lebanese descent, he had achieved the American dream in little Rochester, New York, managing a real estate business and paint company alongside his six sons and daughters and beautiful Italian wife, Teresa.

In my eyes, and those of my brothers and cousins, Papa was king, Rochester his kingdom. He would take us to the local amusement park, where he always had a picnic table reserved just for us, and to baseball games where we got to sit in the box seats. I remember a tour of the popcorn factory, one of his buildings, where we were given bags of caramel-drizzled deliciousness so large that we’d never be able to finish them. Papa once came home from a trip to Shanghai with the most perfect, delicate porcelain dolls for my cousins and me  to choose between. Looking back, the times I cherished the most were the summer vacation days we spent hanging around his paint store. Creating art projects with our aunt in the wallpaper section, sitting in “important business meetings” with Papa and sneaking away to buy chocolate from the vending machine. Coolest of all was The Premium Room.

Papa traveled often and everywhere, and along the way liked to shop for pieces reminiscent of the places he’d been. The Premium Room was a closet stocked with his collections, and was always kept locked (as kids, this was a major part of its appeal). “Premium” customers only were given access to the Room, allowed to take home with them an item or two in exchange for their good business (how old-school class is that?). I imagined walls lined with persian carpets from Lebanon, silver jewelry from Mexico and silk kimonos from Japan.

It wasn’t until Papa passed away years ago that my mom and I were given a key to the Room for an afternoon. It wasn’t the gilded wonderland I expected it to be, it’s contents not all the height of luxury. Sometimes reverie is more meaningful than reality, however. The idea of The Premium Room has stayed with me since, representative of all things well-loved and well-traveled.

I’ve talked about starting this blog for a while now, in part because of my desire to create a legacy for something and someone that had such an impact on my young imagination. I also needed a place to indulge my obsession with sharing the pieces and places and treasures I pick up along the way – whether on travel to some exotic locale or on just an ordinary day. Drop by the Room to connect with a curated selection of fashion, food, beauty, music, art – all the things that inspire and make life beautiful. This will be a journey in and of itself, and I cannot wait to see where it takes us.