All Aboard. Yacht Design

Today, in NYC it's a high of 21 degrees, and apparently it's supposed to be getting warmer? Well let me tell you something--I can't take it anymore! I'm freezing! I know I don't live in Chicago, where 21 degrees feels like shorts weather to them, but I've decided that I've had enough. My younger sister and I have decided to take a trip together to Miami! We dabbled in going to Mexico, the Bahamas and almost went for it with a cruise, but we decided that it would be best if we just laid on the beach and put on 45 SPF and got "tan." The cruise idea led me on a little bit of a design trip down yacht and plane designs! There are some pretty terrible and uncomfortable designs out there but I found a few that you all might like.

Shahira Fahmy, a young Egyptian designer, designed this yacht. Here is the veranda, for dining and enjoying the fresh air. I love those three chairs with caning--so graceful.

The sun/sitting room doesn't have much color but I love the billowing walls towards the back.

Not sure why there are two beds in the master bedroom suite, but there are. Looks cute with the custom fabric canopies, though. I still wish there was more color here.

Finally, she uses some color and exoticism in the living room. Reds, browns, yellows and patterns in here break the mold of the rest of the yacht.

Another more exotic scene in the yacht with punches of green from the plants.

The yacht above looks a lot like the yacht that my parents gave me for my 21st birthday! JUST KIDDING. This was designed by Bannenberg Designs and was featured in Architectural Digest.

I think this yacht is a tad sleeker, but it doesn't lose its personality. Fun ceiling right?

The bathroom is quite luxurious with marble on nearly every surface. I super love the look of those sinks--blocky but beautiful.

Tocar, who usually designs for residences was asked to design a client's yacht as well. They went with the classic navy's, wood surfaces, and white--very nautical.

Darren Henault wins my prize for the most livable and creative solutions of yacht design. I think the key is to keep it simple but not too spare. You probably can't over accessorize on a yacht-- because you're on water.

Here is a little reading nook where you can relax and enjoy the view. Take a look at those sofas; they even have scalloped edging on the upholstery! Adorable.

Another sitting area with a sweet little cocktail table to put your gin and tonic on! I love the floor tiles as well.

This is probably is a snug little bathroom but Henault uses lots and lots of mini tiles and many mirrors to expand the space.

How clever is this desk area? It folds out when you want to write a letter, slip it in a bottle, and throw it into the ocean. Then when you're done you can close it up and have space in your bedroom.

Bedroom with a Buddha head.

And, finally the dining area. Lighting must be particularly difficult when designing something on water. It can't sway too much, and you don't always want to have recessed lighting because that can be boring.

Well, even if i don't have a yacht of my own to design, I'm still loving the idea. I love the nautical motifs and all the classic colors that are associated with sailing etc. And remember, it's not a boat, it's a yacht. If anyone can name what movie that quote is from, I'll give you a dinghy.

Alicia B.

DIY Grasscloth Tray

Over the weekend, I ventured over in the freezing cold to the Hell's Kitchen Flea market. Among other things, I found an adorable wooden tray! It had nice holes with slight curves on the sides and then ducks on the actual tray part. The only problem was that the ducks were ridiculously silly looking! As you know, I love DIY and I had recently read a very inspirational post by Eddie Ross HERE about fixing up a bland looking tray to make it look chic. Check out my project:

Since I'm not an 85 year old woman (or my older sister), the ducks didn't really appeal to me. I had bigger plans for this tray.

I took some grasscloth that I bought at Kate's Paperie and measured out the inside area of the tray.

Cut it.

And then I fit it inside the tray and voila I have a cute wooden tray! No ducks!

I know mine is quite different from Eddie's but they are different trays. The mahogany wood in mine wasn't conducive to a ultra chic croc skin finish of Eddie's. I can't wait to use it in my new apartment for serving drinks, bringing dinners from the kitchen to the dining table (2 feet away), or for vases/candles etc.


Alicia B.

A New Era: Class

Bling Barf

This post I'll be using one of my fave designers, Christopher Maya as an example of somebody that I admire. He is understated, classic, traditional, and most importantly, economically appropriate. Everyone's been talking about being thrifty and cutting back because the economy is bad, and it's probably time to stop looking for the perfect $20,000 crystal chandelier that you want just to show off the fact that you could pay for it. Looking thrifty is in. I'm not saying dress in rags and live in a box, but be appropriate. Be tasteful. Enter Christopher Maya:

This bedroom is calming, interesting, and beautiful. I super love the geometric bedspread and the bench at the foot of the bed. It's very nice how he mixes Swedish with Queen Anne style antiques.

Maya really embraces this nook in this room, then accentuates it with the sweet pierced wood embellishment all around it. Looks so cozy.

In an aerial view of the dining room, this room looks quite exotic.

I adore this room, the living room, the most. The color palette is so restful and beautiful, and I'd love to have large floor to ceiling windows like this one day.

A little hiding place for the kids! SO CUTE.

The living room, again, is making me want to curl up and read a book. I love the furniture choices in this room. It's a large room but I don't see overstuffed oversized anything in here.

And finally, the entrance. The wide plank flooring and the adorable blue door? Are you kidding me? I also love that little bench pushed off tot he side with the brown and white gingham fabric. Ps, these are all from a spread in House Beautiful here.

Clearly these are expensive interiors, but they are understated; that's what matters. I read a really cute article in the NYTimes HERE about wedding dresses and how it's now quite admirable to find a great deal on a dress. There are brides that are shopping at second hand dress stores and then having the dress tailored. Seems practical, right? Coming from New England (yes, a personal tidbit about me!), this concept of understatedness really makes sense. I used to be sad that we weren't driven to school in a Mercedes, but rather a Subaru, and that we didn't have a house on the shore but took vacations out west. Now these are the things that I love most about my childhood. We weren't poor, but my parents just didn't believe in decadence. You know, keep you're pearls on, but go shovel the driveway. Now, I love DIY projects. Making something on my own rather than having someone do it for me involves more time, but it is admirable and shows your strength, independence and resourcefulness. So, gone are the days of "bigger is better" and "I want that gold plated" because even if you have the wherewithal, it's looked down upon...you're tacky.


Alicia B.

Gorgeous Bedroom Tagging

So, apparently in the blog world this thing happens called fourth and fourth. I was completely in the dark about it until I was tagged in it! A blogger will do a post of the fourth picture in their fourth folder in their image file and then you tag four people to do the same! Thankfully for me, it's not something completely embarrassing.


This is a bedroom in a House Beautiful spread by Hal Williamson. I absolutely loved this entire spread. I even did a post on it when I first started blogging! You can read my original post/embarrassing gushing HERE. And now, these are the people I will be tagging. Don't get sad if you don't get tagged because you already were tagged by someone else.

Nush Designs
Emily Amy
Bird in the Hand
Vintage Chair

Enjoy! Can't wait to see what happens. And thanks to Designer's Brew for inviting me into the cool kids crowd of this "fourth phenomenon."


Alicia B.

Yurt Alert

Cute little yurt in the snow.

Does anybody know what a yurt is? Well, I just found out recently. A yurt is a round structure, built as a home, that is very environmentally friendly. Since it is round in structure, it doesn't use very many materials; just the walls and the roof. On the inside, the air flows easily as it is round and you can divide up the space inside as you please with walls and partitions. Take a look. I thought it was crazy at first (kinda still do) but I'm coming around.

This was featured in the late and great Domino magazine. Very chill bohemian look here which I think encapsulates the yurt perfectly. I like the light walls with the trellis pattern, too.

This is a custom one from Mindful Living. I think it looks quite cool at night with all the exposed beams.

Don't pay too much attention to the interior design aspect of this one but just the architecture. The walls are all curved as well as the counter to mirror that curve.

You can pretty much do whatever you like with these! This one is a rustic style in two stories. It really blends in with the woods and looks like it is easily built into the side of a hill without destroying the landscape and using tons of cement!

This one looks quite large and it looks like the space is divided up by using rugs to designate a purpose to each area.

This is a floor plan from Mindful Living of an uber custom designed yurt. You can really accommodate a lot of people too; these aren't just for nomads as they started out to be!

To see more of these you should check out Mindful Living. They do a lot of custom designs: multiple stories, longer layouts, etc. I can't see myself living in one of these, but I see the point of them. Sustainable living is very important, especially in lean times such as these. Also, if you order one, they take less than a day to build! This should satisfy people with a need for instant gratification! Pics are all from Mindful Living, Pacific Yurts and Yurtinfo.org.


Alicia B.

Here.

Sorry about my flaky blogging of late. I have a lot of things going on, lots of balls up in the air right now so I'll try to be better. Anyway, I came across this amazing room by one of my heroes, Todd Romano. Remember when I did a post on small spaces and how putting lots of pattern in a room actually adds space visually, rather than taking it away? Well...


Just sayin. Isn't this fun?

Anyway, more to come later on. The guilt of not posting was just weighing so heavily on me. Have a lovely Monday!

Alicia B.