In my mind 's eye...

"If I were asked to say what is at once the most important production of art and the thing we most long for, I should answer, a beautiful home."

— William Morris, artist and textile designer who wrote this wonderful line over 100 years ago and summarizes what we, at Mark Cristofalo & Company, strive to accomplish every day.

To understand our homes starts by knowing where I came from. My southern Italian great-grandfather Antonio and grandfather Valentino immigrated to America when my grandfather was a young boy. Going all the way back to my great-great-grandfather Paulo, who lived in the Calabria region of Italy, to my father John, they were all master masons and builders by trade. As a result, I was shaped by history and by my environment with my youth spent in the trenches learning the trades beside my father.

I remind myself daily of this; it's both humbling and inspiring to be just one in a long line of Cristofalo builders. I also think it's this heritage that makes our homes both unique and intuitive.

The result, I feel, is a core level of authenticity and integrity in every floor, every wall, every ceiling, and every home we create. In other words, our homes are built to last, which means their best day isn't their first day.

Now, having spent more than 30 years creating my vision of art in the architecture, I spend my days focusing on the joy in every pattern, every texture, every sheen, every layer and every line in every design I'm working on. It's the creation of this pleasure, this serious endeavor of creating joy, that I take on every day with every home.

My best,

Mark Cristofalo & Company