Antiques Garage Saturday Adventure.

This weekend was too much fun! On Saturday, my friend and I braved the rain and headed on over to Antiques Garage and the Hell's Kitchen Flea Market. Antiques Garage, on 25th street has always been a favorite of mine and may I just say, it was a success.

How gorgeous are these patterns? There was so many pages of them and I wanted them all but wall space in my apartment is growing scarce.

Butterflies! They also had many beautiful botanical pages.

In this booth they had the sweetest old cursive practice books. These were so carefully done, and this one was actually framed.
A + GOOD JOB! Btw, it says "Eat to live, do not live to eat."

After taking a fencing class with the US Olympic Fencing team a few weeks ago, my bf is a master fencer! I should have gotten him one of these antique fencing masks.

Woah.

I really loved this woven basket and really wanted it but it was broken on the bottom.

Here is super fun lantern that my friend found. That would be a great accessory on a window sill, coffee table, or bookcase.

There were SO many buttons! Buttons galore!

And, yes. I got some. These will be really useful for pillow making.

The best part was that we found what we were looking for! My friend needed a mirror for the living room of her apartment and wanted something round or oval with an interesting rim. This one was just taken from a home the day before and my friend scored it for $60! I'm obsessed with the rope detail on the rim.

Here it is in situ! Without the weird man from above! It was the perfect size as well.

Tomorrow I'll show you our adventure to the Hell's kitchen flea market and what we found. I can't wait to go back when it's not raining and there are more treasures to be had.

Alicia B.

Rando Inspiration Design Friday

Precision Rigging.

Happy Friday! This week has flown by like a rocket ship! What a great week--I'm sorry it has to end with this dreary rain. Yuck. Anyway, I'm offering 20% off my Nature photography today at www.aliciabdesigns.com. This is only today, and ONLY because I'm in a good mood. Who knows how long this will last...Enjoy my pictures in design inspiration from this week!

Point Click Home has a wonderful house tour of a family in DC. This super minimalist fireplace caught my eye. An asymmetrical look is quite often very wonderful.

From Marie Claire Maison, this foyer is so quiet and calm. I wish I could see what's behind that door, and the wispy curtains.

Hamilton Design Assoc. I wonder who designed this, the designers or the kids?! So charming. I was a deprived child and my father never built us a tree house (he was afraid that we would fall out of it and hurt ourselves, BUT WHATEVER).

I have a feeling the good mood might last as I have a great weekend ahead of me. Flea market shopping with my friend on Saturday, and visiting my cousins and the little cutie baby on Sunday in Prospect Park. Plans? Tell me!


Alicia B.

The Boden Fall Catalog had me at striped t-shirt.

Parisienne Tee Shirt. Only $34.

Every time the Boden catalog comes in the mail, I get so excited. It has just plain great clothing; practical with a bit of a flare. They have fun wrap dresses, really pretty jumpers (sweaters in British), and they always have the most fabulous shoes. Here are some of my faves so far...

I'm beginning to think I have a sweater dress obsession. Nothing is more comfortable and pretty to me, and perfect for work. Flattering Knitted Dress $ 128.

Oops another sweater dress. How striking is this shade of orange? Henley Knitted Dress $108.

Yup, I want everything in this picture right here. This tweed skirt also comes in the cheeriest shade of yellow but I'm a sucker for tartan plaid. British Tweed Skirt $88.

Seriously smart looking autumn coat. Carnaby Trench coat with large cuffs and collar

What did I say about the shoes earlier? They are SO CUTE! Giraffe Bow Flats $128.

I would just die to have these shoes. I love wingtips and these are perfectly feminine. Pretty Brogues $148.

They have tons of great Men's stuff too, like this checked shirt. I really like the girl's outfit too--reminds me of how I used to dress every single day.

Looking through the catalog made me more and more excited for fall. As much as I love summer, sun dresses, gold sandals etc, I always welcome a fun wardrobe change!


Alicia B.

Wingbud Wallpaper

I recently came across this amazing wallpaper shop...in Sweden. While I'm heart broken that I do not live in Sweden, I enjoyed this wall paper so much that I had to share it. They are designed by an uber talented woman, Lena Hautoniemi. She designed all the wall paper and is also an artist!

This is Silhouette in yellow. If t his doesn't make you want to live in Sweden, I don't know what would.

Detail of Silhouette in Yellow.

Can I live in this little cabin? Only if it has a wallpapered door. This gorgeous pattern is Polypodium in light turquoise. I love the contrast of the rustic on the bright whimsical design.

The corner fireplace (swoon) is only made more beautiful by this large scale pattern, Bombay.

Lena is very inspired by the nature in her surrounding environment as she lives right near Norway. This incredibly intricate pattern is called Gooseberry.

I couldn't resist when I saw these daisies. How sweet! Appropriately named Daisy.

This pattern reminds me of a skirt that I keep going back to at Anthropologie...maybe it's a sign that I should just buy the skirt. Blue Lace.

Even though her patterns are super whimsical and organic, here is something a little bit different but equally as beautiful; Blue Dots.

Just in case you weren't convinced, she's also an amazing artist. These little abstract scenes are so beautiful and captivating. Having a Bath.

I just adore the colors in this one and the visible brushstrokes. Spring Clothes.

I would love to use wall paper in my apartment but a) I'm secretly a wuss and b) I'm a renter. They would probably make me redo the entire room if I did it. I have big plans for a fun office or a powder room though with some really gorgeous wall paper. My favorite is the Bombay pattern. All these wall papers are available in many other lovely colors too. OH! And she also has a blog! I can't read it because I don't know Swedish but the images are SO worth it. Thanks Lena!


Alicia B.

This place is as good as mine

Except for the 2.5 Million dollar price tag. OH. It's certainly the quirkiness in me that draws me to this adorable 9.5 foot wide townhouse in the West Village. It's three stories including a roof garden--perfection!

Floor plans. I can't wait to put together my furniture plan for each floor!

I would do so much with this roof garden that it wouldn't know what hit it. And just because you have a roof garden doesn't mean you should make it a jungle...edit.

Spacious? TOTALLY. Those are some steep stairs but so sweet looking.

Doors that open onto the garden? Fabulous and perfect for parties.

This little bitty town house has quite a history, as well. Built in 1873, it was home to a slew of fab famous people and I could be the next one! I'd be haunted by the ghosts of Cary Grant and Margaret Mead among others. Here is the listing on Corcoran. All the pics are from Curbed and Corcoran.


Alicia B.

Brick-tastic

This kitchen/entryway reminds me of a certain loft from a tv show--any guesses? By William Duff Interiors. I adore that big industrial door.

Ever since I posted that magnificent bedroom from Country Living last Friday (and got a great response from it!), I've been thinking about brick walls. I don't have any in my current apartment but I think the look is charming. Bricks can be so many things in design: industrial, vintage, organic, or sleek.

By Tom Scheerer. This brick wall was painted a creamy white and adds to the soft textures in this room: wood, fur.

The contrast of the treatment on the bricks with the sleek furnishings and glossy white ceiling is so beautiful. By Studio Isle.

A common issue with fireplaces is that they are made of brick yet don't coordinate with the rest of the room. In this living room, they did a white wash over the bricks to have a rustic country look. From Southern Living by Jennifer Spak.

From Veranda, brick floor that you might see out on a terrace is well suited for this entry way and ads an air of openness. The open double height ceiling doesn't hurt.

Living Etc. I love this look; as if someone moved into an old factory and converted it to a home. I wish they'd make their bed though.

Hillary Wallace created this adorable feminine bedroom for her client. Again, I just adore the look of the lace and soft fabrics against the rough old bricks.

This looks like a cozy little converted space from Canadian House and Home though I'm not sure what is happening in the little niche above the bed. Hmm.

Being eternally in love with everything old/vintage it is only natural that I love the look of brick in an interior wall. Why cover it up when you can do so much with it. Leaving the deep brown red tones or treating it with a white wash or painting it a completely different color are some amazing options you have for brick that could transform the look of the room super easily. In other news, I bought a romper today. Please don't judge me. And please don't stop reading this blog.

Alicia B.

Rue La La Sferra Sale

Happy Monday my faithful readers! I hope you all had a fab weekend--I did with my precious little sister. I rarely get to see my sisters so every time is a treat. Anyway, I know everyone in the design blog world is tres obsessed with One Kings Lane, as they should be. In the "real" world, I love to look at RueLaLa. They have great fashion for affordable prices (I sound like I'm doing an ad. ew). But even so, I am constantly finding amazing deals and, when my gifts to myself come in the mail, I look great. Occasionally they will have certain designer's home collections and let's face it, they are TONS of fun.

Gimlet Avocado Quilt and Sham $29-129.

I really want this pillow for my bed. Looking Glass pillow $49.

Dorothy Lemon Drop pillow $69

A subtle bit of pretty color for your bed. The Culotte lavender dust ruffle $99.

This week is Sferra and their amazing colors and fun patterns are sucking me in full force! Join the party via ME. All you have to do is sign up and they will alert you of their daily sales. The sales are always good. Here is the link to join--have a great day! http://www.ruelala.com/invite/aliciabdesigns Like all these great stores though, they are only "open" for about 2 days so don't rest on your laurels!


Alicia B.