In the Conservatory with a watering can...

I'm really into the idea of a conservatory of late; a quiet glassed-in sunroom to grow your plants. When I went home over the weekend, my parents were thinking about one as their latest project/yard time-sucker. They've all but abandoned my dreams them having a swimming pool but I'm still hanging on. I think the idea of a really sweet conservatory is a great one, though. A quiet sanctuary for your plants, to relax with a book while the sun is shining in on you.

This Edwardian style conservatory is by Parish Conservatories. I'd love to have a brick cottage with a little conservatory off the side. Just lovely.

This is from Nancy McCabe's garden which was on the Trade Secrets Garden Tour. Hers was a beautiful rustic style garden with many Spanish influences.

Bunny Williams had a very classic one off of her guest cottage with much architectural detailing and a large sideboard in it to accommodate her large potted plants. I love the repeating arches.

This is from Renaissance Conservatories, a company that specializes in custom conservatories. I like this round one with the clerestory windows on top.

This very classic one is also nice. It's more of a sunroom though than a room for your plants etc. I love the architectural detailing though. Also from Renaissance Conservatories.
This one is NOT QUITE my style (at all) as those windows are NOT ATTRACTIVE, but I love the floor. It looks like the conservatory from the board game Clue! Right? How badly do you want to play Clue right now?

I'm really embracing gardening and plants lately and this conservatory is the perfect mix of interior design and gardening. There are so many different styles you could go with and many fun garden accessories to add. Garden urns, exotic plants, amazing architecture, the possibilities are growing!


Alicia B.

Bunny Williams Trade Secrets Garden Tour

The incredibly gracious host, Bunny Williams.

Over the weekend I had the IMMENSE pleasure of helping out at the Trade Secrets Event in Sharon CT. As an added bonus, I took all the garden tours offered over that weekend and my absolute favorite one was Bunny Williams. I've always loved her but my love has been re-ignited since her masterpiece at Kips Bay and it continues to...burn...even brighter since the weekend. Look how sweet she is!

The tour started at her famed Greek temple styled pool cabana. It's not your typical CT style Greek Temple though, she used bark, and pine cones so that it feels like a woodland creation.

She had a lovely and relaxed scene set with coffee tables and lots of seating looking out onto her gorgeous yet simple rectangular pool, and the rest of her property.

I DIED when I saw the chicken wire on the cabinets in her small kitchen in the pool house. The color those dishes add is so beautiful. A treat to the eye.

Obvi Bunny has a huge compost. Not just your every day run of the mill compost though--look at the sticks lining the sides arranged very artfully.

The entrance to the guest house was this amazing conservatory with plants galore and a farmhouse table in the center.

I fell in LOVE with this cabinet with so many drawers/compartments. This is in her guest house, which we had the pleasure of touring as well. Love the rooster, too. So charming.

Of course, she has a grocery list casually placed on top of some cookbooks and magazines for when guests come--she must be prepared! Yeah, I photographed her list--what of it?

A comfortable, relaxed and attractive place to kick back with one of the many classics she has in her bookcases. See the next pic.

I wish I had more bookcases so that I could do this (above).

Full bar. That's all.

One of my fave parts of this incredible tour was this area she seemed to be working on with 7 or 8 different bird houses. This one was my favorite because it looks like a old abandoned mansion. The bird houses which I've seen lots of may become a new trend. I'm just going to say it now.

The aspect that I loved the most, design wise, was that Bunny had a lot of stuff. Objects. I have SO many objects, things I've collected, and things that I treasure and everything looked great but not neurotically organized. It looked like she was okay with all her books being out of order, or not all the same height. Not all the soaps in her dishes in the bathrooms were the same color! She's been tagged as someone who has mastered "organized clutter," and while that is true, I don't know if it looks all that organized, all the time. It felt less calculated, and more lived in but not in a messy way. Thoughts? I know some people don't care for her...personally I adore her.

Alicia B.

Trade Secrets Weekend

This weekend I'm so excited to be volunteering at Trade Secrets. Trade Secrets is an annual Garden Tour and gardens/antiques show founded by Bunny Williams with all the benefits going to Women's Support Services. It is held in one of the most beautiful places in Connecticut, Sharon. I'll be helping out on Saturday and then stalking, I mean going on a garden tour at Bunny Williams house! What a treat!

OMG! Moss covered frogs!!?? This might be more than I can handle...

I'm so excited to see all the fun garden accessories: topiary, watering cans, garden furniture from Treillage, you name it! It is also rumored that Martha goes every year--maybe I can help her out! Has anybody been to this before? Planning on going?


Alicia B.

I use elephants in all of my decorating...

From Natural Curiosities (awesome store btw) via Point Click Home. Elephants in artwork.

If anybody can get the movie reference in my title I'll give you 5 gold stars. Big honor. Back to elephants. I don't know about you but I've been seeing a lot of elephants, rhinos, and other jungle like creatures nearly everywhere. A new Travers fabric, little leather elephant accessories, and paintings are among some of the design elements included.

This lovely room from Traditional Home has a sweet jade elephant table peaking out from behind the cabinet.

Also from Traditional Home, the designer used this discontinued (unfortunately) fabric she had saved and made a headboard! Look at that cute elephant walking along all subtle and neutral.

A white porcelain elephant is used as a decorative accessory in this amazing setting in Punta Cana. By Bunny Williams.

Found this cutie elephant clothing hamper on Apartment Therapy. You can buy one from Home Decorators Collection. How fun would this be in a child's room/bathroom? I swear I don't want one for myself...promise.

The ever popular Eames Collection have an admittedly pretty cute plywood elephant that comes in many different sizes. They come in red and natural colors. These could be fun toys for kids or be used as a decorative accessory around your home. I'd love to have one of the mini ones marching across my desk.


As I mentioned above, other jungle animals besides elephants have been catching my eye. Irwin Weiner has this wooden carved hippo in his own home.

I've always loved elephants; I just think they're cute for such a massive and rough looking animal. In the design sense though I think they show a look of worldliness. Perhaps you went to Africa on a glamorous safari and picked one up from a local artisan? Or you found a leather rhino at Scully and Scully like my sister. Whatever/where ever you find them, I think they're endearing and quite sophisticated. I even saw a wooden giraffe in an antiques store just this morning. I'll have to swing by and pick it up at lunch. I love dropping a few thousand dollars on wooden animals. PS-did anybody get the movie reference? FIVE GOLD STARS.

Alicia B.

Pool Girl

Bunny Williams adorable pool house in CT.

I don't know if it's the last post I did on Yachts, or if it's the fact that I'm looking forward to my Miami vacation coming up, but I can't stop looking at outdoor spaces. Perhaps it's the little glimpse of warm weather that we had over the weekend and I can't get my mind off going outdoors. I started looking at some swimming pools and fell in love with so many! Take a look at some that passed my test.

From Marie Claire Maison, this minimalist infinity pool was designed by Rudy Ricciotti. I love how the architect worked with the landscape here; he really took into account the fact that the house is built into a hill or a cliff.

From Marie Claire Maison, this pool (piscine, en francais.) is based around natural elements, from the color of the water, to the stones surrounding it. I love the way the lights reflect the water and the trees up on the wall of the house.

I think this one might be one of my favorites, designed by John Oetgen, this pool is in Atlanta (Hotlanta!). I love the traditional style of the surrounding walls and the little seating areal at the end which gives your eye something to look at. The topiary is so sweet and well placed, too.

What a gorgeous and unassuming tropical pool--in NEW JERSEY! I know! Designed by Jill Morris.

This one designed by Jay Griffith in LA, wins the creativity award. I love the overhang cabana deck area but what really caught my eye were the silver balls floating in the pool. They add a sculptural element to the pool and reflect the light and the water! From this super cool garden store Terradisiac.

From House Beautiful, this simple and modern pool really matches the style of the house very well. Designed by Fred Doss.

I love this one for the view and the reflection in the water. Designed by Fern Santini found in House Beautiful.

This is a sunset or rise reflected so beautifully in the narrow pool, that I just fell in love. It was designed by Parisian designers, Fabienne Couvert and Guillaume Terver in Marie Claire Maison.

People who know me might realize the irony of this post. I'm amazing at lying by the SIDE of a pool, but put me into one and I'll literally sink to the bottom. I spent years on the swim team as a child swimming very close to the bottom of the pool, and even failed a swimming test because I couldn't do the "dead man's float" as I just sunk to the bottom. Anyway, survival skills are shaky...


Alicia B.

Bathroom Love

Ever since I told my friend that I loved the ultra feminine french spread from House Beautiful below and she pointed out that I liked french design, I've been very confused. Do I like fun mid century modern? Do I like English country? Regency? French? Wow. I mean I know I'm allowed to like everything but this has me really shaken up, design wise. Who am I? Whats my style? DEFINE ME! So, while I figure out who I am, here are some fun bathrooms I've found.

Domino Mag. Beautiful wallpaper and I love those plates arranged like that.

Kathy Abbott.

Saladino Group. A fire place??? How amazingly frivolous.

Scott Salvator. Wouldn't it be nice to have a Calder floating above your bathtub?

T. Keller Donovan. I wish I had enough room in my bathroom for a cute stool like that.

Bunny Williams

Joe Kremer. This is lovely but the stagnant water is a LITTTTLE creapy.

Joe Kremer.

Paul Siskin.

Which one is your favorite? I think mine is the T. Keller Donovan one. Blue and white is perfection there.

Alicia B.