Yellow Painted Love.

If you read this blog on a regular basis you know some things about me: I love the color yellow, and I have a fondness for painted furniture. Most of the furniture in my apartment is painted--mostly just greens or one piece is blue. I have decided that I'm tired of my blue dresser in particular and decided to paint it yellow. Here is a little yellow painted inspo I've come across.

Martha Stewart offers a really helpful tutorial on painted furniture. I love how she used an accent yellow color on the trims and drawer pulls.

I love the color combination of blue and yellow which works well because my walls are painted blue. This relaxed looking living room is by Lynn Morgan. Doesn't this table look like an Oomph table? They should do a sunshine yellow color.

I love the pretty textiles in this room; the carpet, the suzani quilt, and the scroll upholstered headboard. The texture continues in the matching night stands in a mustard/gold tone of yellow. From House Beautiful designed by Johnathan Berger.

This room is the epitome of sunshine; designed by Eddie Ross. I'd love to know what paint color Eddie chose...

Okay, so now back to me. Here is my dresser which is a distressed blue finish:

Here it is after I re-organized the surface of it with all my make up (what make up?) and jewelry. See what I mean with the competing blues? It's time for a change.


These are the paint colors I'm choosing between and I'd like your opinions also.

Haystack by Martha Stewart Paint from Home Depot. My apologies but imagine this a little bit more on the lemon side of yellow.

Sunbeam by Glidden. Not quite this intense in person.

Golden Honey by Benjamin Moore

So far, my head says Sunbeam by Glidden but my heart says Haystack by Martha. What do you guys think? This project probably won't be finished for about 2 weeks so I'm going to need a decision right away. My plan for the knobs are a turquoise knob from Anthropologie I believe. Don't you worry, I'll give constant updates. Thoughts??

Alicia B.

The Gift Show on the Piers!

On Saturday, I headed on over to the New york International Gift Fair for the first time ever! I had an amazing time and saw so many beautiful new things. This is a loooong post but there was so much to see and, believe me, I left out a lot (booths that didn't catch my eye). Have fun!

BeeLine Home, Bunny Williams' inventive new line was full of bright colors and new but classic forms. I also picked up a copy of her new book, Point of View and got it signed. YAY.

Gorgeous indigo lamp.

Bunny was excited about her new piece, this folding screen with photos in it. She pointed out that people have too many picture frames floating around and taking up space so why not put them into a screen?

Isn't this chair simple and beautiful? From Blue Ocean Traders. They had many impressive peices.

As you can imagine if you know me AT ALL, I was in love with these pillows with the fleur de lis on them. From Callisto Home.

I love these bundles of letters and sweet little daschund sculpture.

Yay for books! All these books had fun designs on the bindings, many of them in a set.

Total Home really had me with all the nautical accessories. I'd LOVE to have these oars to hang on my walls.

Swoon over this Japanese float vase.

These throws were all so warm and cuddly looking. I especially liked the ones with the chevron pattern on them. They were all made in the U.S. too! Sanford Design.

I found these prints very charming. One of many great companies from down south: Wendover Art Group.

LOVE.

This was another one of my fave places, Design Legacy. It had a certain whimsical quality to everything with sweet objects like this Ferris wheel or flowery fabrics.

CUTE little rabbits!

See what I mean about the flowery fabrics? Gorgeous.

Who doesn't love a garden gnome? These step stools were also really cute and I think they were unique as well as practical.

I was so drawn to the fun garden/horticultural quality to this store.

One of the first places I stopped at was J M Piers from North Carolina. They had even heard of Alicia B. Designs and were huge fans of the blog!

They had an amazing collection of tole lamps. I love this one with a big "E" on it.

I'm a huge sucker for maps. These are inset into these little trays.

Here are more trays and they are hand painted...in the USA!

OOO Veuve Clicquot tray!

This store, Vagabond Vintage, was near perfection in my eyes. I loved the look that everything seemed to be collected.

And more plants!

The faded Union Jack wall hanging and more of those tole boxes were truly captivating.

And last but not least, the first booth I visited was Oomph! Their fun bright colors and use of Quadrille fabrics are just some of the many many reasons why I love this store.

Here are more of their fun pillows and a little 'tini table on the right.

I had a great time checking out all the new products for these vendors and meeting a lot of new people. It was obvious that everyone was here for this reason and the design enthusiasm was everywhere! I'm so glad that I went for the first time and I can't wait to go again. I'm also looking forward to what these companies have in store for us in the next year. They looked original and beautiful.

Alicia B.

Need a little Oomph? Here you go!

By now, most of us have been lucky enough to be familiar with Oomph, the fun furniture and accessory line run by three best friends, and if not, well here is your chance. It's a semi new line of furniture, including cocktail tables, coffee tables, gorgeous pillows and lounge chairs. What is different about these pieces is that they add a vibrant pop to your room. I was instantly drawn to this line because of the zippy colors; and we all know I'm a sucker for bright colors. I was fortunate enough to be able to interview the women, architect Louise Brooks, Amy Rice, and Patty Hoppel, who own this company and learned quite a lot!

What inspired the line Oomph?

The three of us were sitting on a beach, discussing how we would love to do something creative together. We came up with the concept of one-stop-shopping for totally revitalizing an otherwise lackluster room for a reasonable amount of money, but of the highest quality and the most current design and colors. However, a few too many rum drinks in the sun may also have had something to do with it.

Why the name Oomph?

Who couldn’t use a little more oomph?

This is just one of many fantastic pillows at Oomph.

Do you plan on expanding Oomph's line?

Yes! More oomph is always better. We have a new line of pillows for the spring (all coordinated with our 16 table colors!) and a couple new table designs both of which will debut at the New York International Gift Fair in January 2010 (booth # 41009,42010 for anyone that would like to come by!) We always remain true to our design aesthetics while working closely with clients, retailers, and design trends to create new, enticing products for oomph. There is much more to come from oomph!

What is your favorite thing in your line?

We all love the coffee tables - they are so beautifully made and have so much personality – I wish I could find a place for one in every color in my house. And if I had to pick one favorite, it would be the Southport, which was inspired by my grandmother’s garden gate. {The Southport Table is above.}

The 'Tini Table with zig zag Quadrille fabric inset on the top! I'm in love!

What seems to be the most popular item for customers?

The `tini tables (named for our favorite drink!) are by far the most popular. It seems there is a spot for one in every room from the most formal living rooms to tub-side in a bathroom!

What suggestions would you have for someone starting their own line?

Be prepared to give up your life for a while! It’s fun, exhausting and very satisfying. Stay true to your own design concepts – do not let others persuade you from designing what and how you want. And know it’s impossible to do everything yourself.

What are your predictions for new design trends in the next year or so?

Oomph thinks color is making a comeback after years of the beige room. Get ready – a splash of oomph is all that room needs to make it au courant.

Thank you to the ladies of Oomph (and Whitney!) for answering my questions, and with such inspiring answers! I know I'll definitely be at the New York International Gift fair this year to see more of the preppy creativity! These three ladies are so enlivening and so full of energy, you can't help but fall in love with their product. Another plus is that all their products are made in the USA! Which do you think is your favorite? Check out their website for more information (they also have a blog and you can friend them on Facebook) and to see more of their line HERE. What could be better than furniture inspired after a few rum drinks on the beach? I'd say, nothing.


Alicia B.