Unusual Finds on 1st Dibs

Today at work I was searching on 1st Dibs for some sculptural but sleek furniture for a client in NYC and I came across some CRAZY awesome finds.  I tried an experiment (after work, obvi), and searched "unusual", "rare" and "unique".  Take a look at the unusual and sometimes beautiful pieces I found:

A Bamboo veneered desk with a matching chair.  I can't imagine even using this piece for fear of ruining it. 

Talk about sleek: a lucite organ and speaker set.  REDIC.  Only $120,000.

Who doesn't need a $4800 wire dog bed?!

Hideous garden stools (sorry)

Im actually obsessed with these blocks.  These would look amazing as an accessory on a bookshelf. #want 

No, wait.  I have to have these seahorse sconces.  #NEED

I really love 1st Dibs and you can find some truly beautiful antiques on there.  You can also find some pretty weird stuff.  Have any of you found anything "unique"?  And bought it?  What are you all up to for the weekend?  We're going to Hudson to look at art! Pictures to come...after we go.  Also, follow me on Pinterest, where you can find more of these crazy-town 1st Dibs finds. 

Alicia B. 

Rope me in

Want these?  Get at me and I'll get them for you.  

As you know I love nautical design--I love a good anchor motif and I've been seeing lots of rope everywhere.  Rope is the ultimate nautical motif; knots, rope wrapped lamps and tables.  I'm seeing it everywhere and loving it.  The texture is forgiving and rustic.

South of Market side table.  SO chunky!

This bench is from Shades of Light and super affordable!  Under $1000!  Am I jaded?

1st Dibs whimsical rope sconces.  Vintage rope lights are usually from the 60's.

Vintage Rope lamps from 1st Dibs.  Fabulous.

Don't want vintage?  This Arteriors lamp is super affordable too and great for a kid's room or costal living room.

Ro Sham Beaux Rope wrapped lantern.  Obsessed. 

The sink is a little weird here but I love the rope wrapped mirrors.    Want a rope wrapped mirror?  Email me at aliciabdesigns@gmail.com  Image: Brown Contracting on Houzz.

Sailing motif!!  I'm not only obsessed with rope wrapped furniture but I love the idea of using rope as the stair balusters attached with a cleat. From Houzz as well.

Nicole Hollis used rope to wrap the balusters of the stairs.  Rope and a glue gun is really all you need.  

Instead of having regular hardware you can make huge knots as the drawer pulls and knobs on the doors.  It sure adds a more relaxed look to this hard edged but beautiful bathroom.  SB Architects. 

This may be the coolest chair I've ever seen.   Its in the Holly Hunt Showroom.   

Well it's clear that I love this rope wrapped trend.  You could even take something with an awful finish and DIY wrap that sucker and have a completely new looking piece.  So now. Like it and want it?  Contact me and I can lead you to it.  What do you guys think?  Weird or lovely?


Alicia B. 

French Chic: A must read.

Among many amazing and super generous gifts I received for Christmas, I was given French Chic by Florence de Dampierre a talented designer who hales from Paris France but now lives in Litchfield, CT. This book reminds me why I love traditional design so much. In the book she talks about different ways to make your home warm and inviting. One thing that stuck out for me was when she said, "Good design is about individuality, comfort and whimsy." I can definitely get on board with that when comfort and whimsy involve beautiful antiques and cheetah print carpets in the front hall! Take a look at some of her home.

This is her home in Litchfield. Not only is it stunning architecturally but, to point out the obvious, she has a light lime green door! I love it!

In this restored home, there is not one amazing thing to each room but everything is beautiful to look at. The floor for one is absolutely stunning and you can see a zebra rug poking into view in the foreground. I love the carving in the coffee table and the fact that the two side tables do not match.


Here is a little bit of the famed cheetah rug (which is real!?) with a cute dog on it! How could you not feel welcomed here?

I have always loved toile and I even have a pink toile duvet in CT, so it's quite obvious that I love this. The grey/brown toile is so calming though in this light bedroom.

All the images are from 1st Dibs and Amazon, btw. Florence lives in this home with her husband and three children so she can't be designing homes that don't really get lived in. It is formal and traditional, sure, but she still maintains the element of the country, too. It's a nice balance and you can certainly see her "whimsy" in the design too. I SUPER recommend this book as a must have. Florence also has a blog! Who doesn't?! It's HERE--hasn't been updated since September but I'll still subscribe because she posts about her book signings which I'd of course love to attend.

Alicia B.

Inlaid Wood Love

Italian inlaid wood tea caddy from 1st Dibs. Only $1850? I'll take it!

I think inlaid wood is incredibly beautiful. You might even say exquisite. There are so many intricate patterns you can create on the floor, in a door, in a box, I could go on but it's starting to sound like a Dr Seuss book. One usually finds it it a traditional setting where it is a stunning surprise.

A large honeycomb pattern is here in this foyer using different tones of wood to make the pattern stand out. From Traditional Home.

Think you can only find inlay in a historical home? Not so! Stephanie Stokes (my kitchen idol) took the pattern of her family crest and had it inlaid into the small kitchen floor. Stunning.

If you don't have the resources for hiring a professional to do your marquetry work, this is actually a stained pattern made to look like inlaid wood. Incredibly gorgeous and I love the Greek key pattern on each side. Designed by Brown Davis Interiors.

Here is designer, Juan Montoya modeling for us next to a kicky inlaid wood door. It almost looks like parkay flooring but much prettier as it is framed out so nicely on this door.

I wish I could see the top of this table better but it has an inlaid pattern inset on it. I like the informal look of this as well. Gorgeous foyer by James Michael Howard.

I think I'm most drawn in by the craftsmanship that it must take to create these pieces. The craft of marquetry is quite rare I'm sure so it makes them even more valuable and special. I just recently selected an inlaid wood box for a client to use as a cocktail table (with legs made) and a glass top and it is going to look amazing. Have a fantastic Thursday because guess what! Tomorrow is Friday!


Alicia B.

Falling for Yellow

GAWGEOUS yellow diamond from 1st Dibs

I've always been crazy for the color yellow. Different shades can be happy, demure, sunny, or subtle but either way it makes me feel warm inside. Also,I look great in yellow, so that's a plus. I've been noticing lots of yellow lately (particularly yellow and grey), but not the bright lemon yellow that we saw in the spring, it's more of a soft yellow with a feeling of gold in it.

Alicia B. Designs. WOW, she's a genius!

This contrast of yellow and black is so striking. via material girls blog.

This is from good old Domino. I normally would shy away from this marigold shade but it works really well with the soft browns. Oh and I think we all know how much I love painted brick walls!

Elizabeth Stuart Design. I like the gilded furniture and frames and the yellow upholstery. So elegant.

This bedroom looks very cozy and quiet with the red and orange quilt and striped yellow wallpaper. Also of note: asymmetrical frames. Just sayin'. Designed by Chad Eisner.

This might by my favorite of the bunch but I haven't decided. The contrast of the yellow and the blue is pure heaven. And don't think you can get away with white washing the floors and painting a design on them and now have me go crazy for it. By Jeffrey Bilhuber.

Have you all noticed this gravitation towards yellow, too? I find it to be a nice welcome to fall. The color is warm without being too harsh or abrasive. All these interiors look soft. I'm in.


Alicia B.

Reader Question: What is Bobbin Furniture?

A few months ago, a reader asked me a very good question. What are these bobbin chairs that I keep referring to and praising? Originating mainly in the 1800's in England, the furniture ornamentation changed to a lighter look with bobbin or spool ornament. Bobbin furniture is mostly antiques and you can find a lot of beautiful ones on 1st Dibs and some less expensive ones on Ebay HERE, for example.

This gorgeous corner bobbin chair is one that I found on 1st Dibs from Yew Tree Antiques; one of my favorite antiques stores. A corner bobbin chair is quite rare.

These dining chairs are especially pretty as you can see the finish is worn down revealing the wood. By Victoria Hagan (her house on the Hamptons!)

Isn't this painted bobbin bed AMAZING? The answer is yes. By James Michael Howard.

The beauty of these chairs is that you can see their framework and they are still quite comfortable. The room by Mollie Johnson is very elegant yet very inviting.

Dan Marty, who has his own showroom, sells bobbin chairs as well! I love the upholstery on these. As a side note, how gorgeous is the color of these walls?

In searching I noticed that Martha Stewart also makes a bobbin chair HERE. Can you blame me for getting excited when a designer uses a bobbin chair in their work? They are so pretty and versatile. Thanks for the great questions--keep them coming!

Alicia B.

Art Inspiring Design: Matisse Style

The Red Room. Henri Matisse

Have you ever been super inspired by an artist or just plain fallen in love with a certain artist? I've always felt a certain affinity for Henri Matisse ever since my first art history class in high school(that I took because of a crush on a teacher). There is something whimsical and beautiful about all of his paintings, cut outs and drawings. Not everyone can afford to have a painting or work by their favorite artist so why not do something in your home that is inspired by them? In my apartment I have a few black cut outs on my mirror that I made for a project in college and then put them on my mirror as a reminder. Matisse has inspired many things in interior design such as fabrics, color schemes, and furniture.

From Eric Cohler's latest amazing work featured in House Beautiful, in this bedroom he created custom Matisse cut out lampshades. This room is so beautiful and surprising and I just adore the art work over the bed.

Stephen Shubel used Matisse fabric from Clarence House on this chair.

Bungalow 5 designed a leaf cut out cabinet inspired by Matisse. From Point Click Home.

From Flickr, Liselotte . A fun DIY project, this girl made a large scale leaf cut out mobile. What pretty paper she used.

From 1st dibs Lotus Collection Kathleen Taylor Rug has Matisse inspired cut outs on a black background.

Maybe I love the bright and happy colors, or the cut outs, or the gorgeous interiors that he painted, or maybe I just loved the spirit that is emitted from each painting, but I've continued to love Matisse throughout all my art history studies. Plus he says brilliant things like, "What I dream of is an art of balance, of purity and serenity devoid of troubling or depressing subject matter." Thoughts?

Alicia B.

Steven Sclaroff hates Karate-chopped Pillows. Me too.

I've always adored Steven Sclaroff's designs. His interiors are comfortable and subtly surprising--my favorite! He uses antiques and modern pieces together to create beautiful rooms. His use of color is also incredible. When I read in this in House Beautiful a few months ago, I knew we were soul-mates. He said that these were his biggest decorating pet peeves: Karate-chopped pillows. That look would never occur in 'pillow nature.' Prominently placed family portraits. Best avoided if you're not royal or papal. TVs that are disguised. They've been around for decades, so just embrace your TV. Would you buy an armoire for your stove?" True that, Steven Sclaroff.

This living room is absolutely gorgeous and unpretentious. The sofa is in perfect scale and I think you know how I feel about the gallery wall behind it. I feel pretty good about it.

This is a little display from the Jack Spade Store that he redesigned in downtown NYC. I'd love to have little drawers like that for collecting little things.

How perfect is this little green bedroom? The contrast of the uber structured hotel style bedding with the curvy headboard is perfection.

Clearly he's "in" with the Spades as he collaborated with Kate Spade and redid her apartment in NYC. The light flowing into this room is so pretty and the use of color is....astounding.

The floor is killing me with love/classic beauty. Kate Spade's kitchen.

Again with the great use of color. I don't think I'd ever look twice at that red striped chair but it fits in this room like a little glove. The bathroom beyond this is also so gorge. I love it so much I'm not even mad about the exposed pipes under it.

Of course, he has his own 1st Dibs shop full of amazing antiques, furniture, accessories, and vintage fabrics.

I NEED these adorable coasters by Piero Fornasetti! They're only $450 for the set of 8!

Also, a lover of folk art, here is a folk art model of a factory for only $675.

I think overall his interiors are thoughtful, and it seems like he's having fun while doing them. Also, word on the street is that he has a little obsession with squirrels and after I saw this commercial the other day, so do I. Did I mention that we're soul-mates?


Alicia B.