Luckiest Blogger Ever

I came home last night from a double date (yeah we do those) and decided to check my mail and to my immense surprise I had a package from Denver. I thought...I don't know anybody in Denver and HOW do they know to call me Lish (ya know, short for Alicia)?? WELL Ms Raina from The Hilarious Lampshade was generous enough to send me this (from her article on Curbed):

CAN YOU BELIEVE IT???

It's Diane! My idol, on the cover of Newsweek from 1976, will be taken to a framer and air-seal protected and displayed somewhere to inspire me in my apartment at all times. Thanks Raina, you are MUCH too good to me--I'm a very spoiled little blogger. Happy Monday Everyone!


Alicia B.

I need a little Springtime.

It's 31 degrees here in NYC and I've had it up to here (picture my hand held shrilly above my head) with this cold weather. I'm ready for spring, warm weather, and being outside more. Let's enjoy some spring images to counteract these pathetic cold weather shenanigans.

Savannah Style by Paula Deen is a tremendous book (given to me by my gorgeous younger sister) and has amazing images delivered by Paula and her super cute son. I'd love to have a yum meal at this cute table out on the lawn.

CANNOT WAIT for spring clothing to arrive in my closet. I love this straw bag from J. Crew.

Yellow and blue is one of my favorite color combos. It's like feeling, yet classic. Same with a sweet breakfast room like this one by Palmer Weiss.

Nothing says warm weather like a house on the water. Love the relaxed look of this living room and the exposed beams. Nate Berkus.

Who took this picture of a beautiful Park Avenue Daffodil? OH, I did.

Do you think that if we keep posting images of spring, that it will come sooner? I think so. Maybe if i start shopping for spring clothing it will warm up, too. SHOPPING.


Alicia B.

Dining Room Design

A client of mine for whom I do small jobs in the suburbs of CT has asked me to help her choose fabric for a set of gorgeous dining chairs that she acquired. The dining room is a bisque color right and sits between the kitchen and the living room with views of both from both. They are a young couple with a baby on the way so I have many things to take into account; budget, frequency of use, and the baby (!!!!). Since they are young but have a traditional style, I'd love to bring in a colored geometric pattern. The room really has no color and of course I think it should have some to bring life to the space.

Tobi Fairley has a great eye for beautiful geometrics and I think this one is a perfect mix of subtlety and fun. Its a great fabric, but doesn't take away from the star in the room: the turquoise bead chandelier.

LOVE this blue lattice pattern; it looks like an enlarged caning pattern on a chair. From Elements of Style blog.

John Robshaw's dining room is of course full of pattern and soft colors but I love this chair pattern. It's youthful and sophisticated. From Lonny.

OBSESSED with this space. If you're into geometry (not in life, but in interiors, like I am), this room is perfection. The soft green diamond pattern fabric on the chairs is very pretty and a nice detail in this room. Home and Garden UK.

This is more on the traditional side, by Michael Smith, but still quite pretty. I love toile but wouldn't want to make their house feel too French Country. Elle Decorsies.

Can you guess who designed this room? That's right, Jamie Drake. I'd love to do a different fabric on the back of the chair like this because it's just SO much fun but my client's chairs don't have upholstered backs. NO biggie though, it'll be plenty fun.

I have some samples on their way to me in the next few days, so I'll keep you updated on the progress. Weigh in on your faves?? I'm really excited to be working with this client (all my clients are awesome) on this small project. If I can add more color or pattern to someone's life, I'm happy.

Alicia B.

Bird Watching

In my new place of work, we frequently have vendors come to present new products. In the last week we had Osborne and Little show their new wallpapers and fabrics, and while everything (really almost everything) was so gorgeous, this wallpaper caught my attention. I'm not usually a bird person but I believe I have been swayed. Sometimes they can be scary and weird but I think I'm really loving them. They range from some with just birds, to others with a chinoiserie feel to them with a bird scene.

Here is the Osborne & Little wallpaper I mentioned earlier, named Laguna. I think these birds (technically storks) are just gorgeous--and this comes in other colorways as well. Perfect for a bathroom or power room.

These are becoming a little bit kitsch, don't you think? Still sort of cute though...

I've always loved this room and the bird wallpaper adds a lot of depth and whimsy to the room. There is even a cute little bird perched on the stool at the foot of the bed. Miles Redd.

Here is a detail of this gorgeous wallpaper with birds in the scenery. It's a quite intricate pattern with beautiful details. I love the orange coral of the chair next to this wallpaper. By Suzanne Tucker.

This wallpaper with an ostrich sticking its head in the sand is JUST adorable. I saw this in Lonny; designed by Lonny Founder, Michelle Adams. This room feels very open and light because of the pops of yellow and the very large print wall paper.

Meg Braff is designing wallpaper as well. Among many beautiful designs, I found this one called Tumtin. It's a very fun pretty design and I can't wait to see it used in a room.

Where do you all stand on bird wallpaper? At first it reminded me of my grandmother who loves ANYTHING having to do with a bird (so cute), but as I was looking I think they're quite charming. There are so many different ways you can go with the motif. The classic Chinoiserie, the very graphic single bird on a white background, or somewhere in between. So, birds. Scary or awesome?

Alicia B.

Eye on Eyelet

Have you noticed the eyelet everywhere as much as I have? I have seen it everywhere while window shopping today--the most adorable white dresses--and online, too. It is perfect for the (hopefully) fast coming spring season and warm weather. I grew up the cutest white eyelet curtains and have always loved eyelet.

I WILL have this dress from Boden once it becomes a little warmer. I love how whimsical yet structured it is. The Broderie Dress from Boden for $168.

Eyelet Pillow shams and bed skirts are a simple way to change the feeling of a bedroom to feel more Spring or Summer. Martha Stewart from Macy's bedding collection.

Since I'm planning my wedding right now I'm always looking at all things wedding. Here is a beautiful simple eyelet wedding dress. I think if I were getting married in the middle of a field and in Vermont, I'd wear this dress. What do you think? Fabulous chair fabric, too. Found on Martha Stewart Weddings.

Oh look, more wedding stuff!! How gorgeous is this cake? Tailored, yet whimsical and very summery looking. On GetMarried.com. Let me eat cake.

Here is a crocheted eyelet pillow sham from Pottery Barn. It's sort of a mix between matlasse and eyelet, huh? HERE.

Yes, I LOVE eyelet. A really cute idea is to add eyelet trim to some pillows. Cath Kidston is very whimsical and has great country style though in my apartment I would have gone with white or a blue..OR YELLOW!

I'm super into this trend but I think there can be a right and a wrong way to do it. I think if you make it look "shabby chic", you need to reel it in and tailor it a bit. Structure with something whimsical is key. What do you think? Are you into it?

Alicia B.

I'm ready for Spring...

Are you? I'm sure you may have noticed, but I've been a wee bit quiet this past week. I started a new job (project coordinator at an amazing design firm!) on Monday and I'm MEGA busy with it and with school, as usual, and haven't had a moment of time to attend to you! Be that as it may, I've been enjoying my new job and am incredibly inspired everyday. I'm surrounded by color, which is how I like to be, and have been loving springy greens and turquoises. Get into it.

This designer, Ellen Hamilton, is literally my idol right now. How fabulous is the green rug in this dining room? SUPER fab.

Not totally on board with what's happening on the walls, but I AM on board with bold teal color for the seats on the dining chairs. This is from the new Lonny, which arrived in my mailbox (on the world wide web/internet superhighway), designed by Filipe Pereira and Augyst Zung.

The soft greens and yellows (which I'm really into) really reflect the light well and i love the bright PUNCH of the striped rug. Designed by Gary McBournie.

IN LOVE with this image. This powder room was designed by Meg Braff. A busy patterned wallpaper such as this one is perfect for a powder room--a chance to really take a risk and have fun. Snagged this image from HB.

They should put something fun on the wall and maybe take away that 40 oz. and bag of chips but...I love the acid green on the day bed. Nice work, now clean up. From Living Etc.

I'm not sure but it looks like green grass cloth on the walls, right? This room feels like there is a warm spring breeze coming through. Amanda Nisbet, genius.

Can you believe it's Friday already? I feel like this week has blown by and all I have to show for it are bags under my eyes and a rad new job. I am truly happy to have moved from drab black and grey and walking the boss's dog to colors, energy, and creativity. Have we had enough rain in NYC and are we ready to move to warmer, and happier colors? I am.

Alicia B.

Look what I got!

I'm knee deep in drafting paper, have about 6 Google SketchUp documents open and am covered in pencil markings BUT...have managed to buy this for my new apartment! Just letting you know that I'm still alive! I'm nearly finished with decorating my new apartment so I'll be revealing it pretty soon. YAY! Oh, this is a Jonathan Adler duvet set...hot, right?

Alicia B.