My New Apartment: Part One

As promised, I have gone through a lot of my pics of my new apartment and decided to share them with you. I still have many many messes that will be fixed over the next few months, but that's what is fun--the projects! Let me walk you through them:

I bought this little yellow pottery lamp at an estate sale in CT for only $5 and replaced the old parchment shade with this pretty silk pleated one! Similar ones can be purchased from Bed Bath and Beyond.

I just got these cute window pane pattern white drapes from Bed Bath and Beyond. I think they're feminine and pretty. I'd love to put more substantial drapery there but I can't drill into the plaster so these will have to work!

One of many of my projects is hanging up all my pictures, framed wallpaper pieces, and art. This is the rug in my bedroom; it's Dash and Albert Tangerine Dream. I bought it when I first moved to NYC.

These are my two absolute fave pillows from Wade Hampton Home sitting nicely on my newly re-upholstered loveseat in Roger Arlington fabric. Don't they look amazing there in my mini living room? I had a perfect rug for this room but it was was too wide for the room. It's small, okay?? So, I've mourned and moved on to THIS!

Adorable fresh flowers from my beau to brighten up my new apt! Aww.

My bedside table is from Target and the lamp is Martha Stewart, that I've had since my freshman year in college! Isn't the blue paint in my bedroom so pretty? It's Brittany Blue from Benjamin Moore. Sometimes it looks grey, and other times it looks blue and it always looks great with all the different colors in my room!

This wicker wall rack I'm going to paint a smokey grey to match the tile in the bathroom. I don't have any bathroom storage so I have to work with the space I have.

Here is a little scene of my new MINI stove top. I use the green Le Creuset kettle to make my fave Harney Tea, and the espresso maker I bought while I was in Florence, but you can get them HERE as well.

This set of three canisters from Sur la Table sits on my lovely Formica counter top. The large one has flower, medium has sugar, and the small has large cooking utensils!

My parents brought me this super handy wall mounted pot rack to hang all my new pots and pans on. I'm pretty sure they've been saving it for a very long time in the basement. Love it! In the 3 days that I've been here I've been cooking so much! These gorgeous pots aren't going to stay shiny for very long. Sad.

Alicia B.

Alicia B. Is Back!

Hey y'all! I'm back! After basically being buried in boxes and a huge mess in my new apartment (and avoiding a nervous breakdown from the mess) I have emerged, and I'm back in action. I will be posting before and during pictures sometime tonight as I still have some on going projects such as finishing up painting, hanging my art, and other odds and ends. I also now know that I have a bit of a storage issue (I have one closet for clothing and too much clothing) so I'm on the hunt for a chest of drawers for my foyer. I KNOW, foyer!!! I'm absolutely in love with this one (below) but it is very much out of my price range.

From Garnet Hill for $1098.

This is EXACLY what I would want; white distressed paint with a sort of farmhouse look to it. In my foyer, I have a huge BOX of fabrics and ribbons and other design slash craft supplies that I'd love to get organized. I'm thinking that I'll just have to go the Housing works Thrift shop route, or the Flea Market...we'll see. Any ideas for my mini budget?

Thanks for everyone's kind and encouraging words as moving is extremely stressful. Now that I'm in though, the rest is going to be pretty fun--organizing, painting, arranging. I"ll update you as I go along. So glad to be back!


Alicia B.

Nautical Living

From Country living Mag, this refurbished beach house in NC uses lots of browns and blues in the living room. I love the storage chest used as a coffee table here.

Okay, so I guess I rallied and got it together to do a blog even though my life is consumed with packing slash moving slash painting. I don't know if you can tell but I've become obsessed by this water/yacht theme of late. Every now and then I see houses with many nautical motifs and I just love them! I think some of them are over-done and in bad taste but I love the theme and find it charming, nonetheless.

The banister here may be slightly over the top but a creative idea by designer Suzanne Kasler, anyway. The mirrors on the wall are really what drew me to this room, all round and chunky.

I found this adorable old world nautical map wallpaper from Stark. This would be so cute in a powder room or a small cozy den.

By Savoie Architects, this kid's bedroom looks like bunk beds on a ship. As my friend, Sarah, who basically grew up on a boat said to me, in terms of space and storage, there is not one place on a boat that is not used. You need to use the space efficiently and as you can see here, it definitely is: bunk beds, and storage underneath is those cute baskets.

In the same house, Savoie takes the nautical theme into the master bedroom; but in a different direction. Clearly inspired by the idea of sea glass, the color palette is centered around the sea glass mural behind the bed, then taken to the lamps, shades, and pillows on the bed. How beautiful is that? LOVE IT.

Photographer, Matt Albiani designed his entire city apartment around this nautical theme. The wall paper is actually old maps. I love the case on the dresser with a rope handle. His entire place is in Domino mag HERE. His style is a little more DIY than your typical beach house with lots of space, which I appreciate.

Boston based designer Gary McBournie designed this house on Nantucket. I love the chest flanked by the two antique chairs, but the ship's wheel over the bench (with a storage drawer!) is a little too obvious for me. Sorry. I still love you though Gary McBournie!

I SUPER love this kitchen! I love the white cupboards with holes and the unfinished ceiling is KILLING me. Nice touch with the patriotic American flag, too. Ahhh.

One of my favorite things about going to the shore is the shells. The starfish and coral in this bedroom are so cute!

This house on Cape Cod designed by Foley and Cox is also very beautiful, and perhaps that dog is what made me choose this one. Anyway, as a lighting lover, I couldn't look away from those two ship's lanterns above the sofa.

Which was your favorite? I like elements of each one; the glass balls in the knots above, the coral, the colors of blue, white, and mahogany, etc . It might be a few days before I post again so enjoy this one; savor it. I'll be really busy and stressed SO BACK OFF. Just kidding, love me!


Alicia B.

Moving

My own personal hell.
Sidenote- these are not my boxes but a picture I pulled from the Internet but you get the idea.

For the next few days, blogging is going to be put on hold as I am moving and my apartment is a complete mess. I'm pretty much trying to keep my cool about it but it's messy, there are boxes everywhere, nothing is in it's designated place anymore, so I need to focus on that. I am, of course working on a few things for everyone's amusement in the meantime, but it will take some time (something on pillows, more nautical stuff, and some more designers that I've become obsessed with). I will be painting my living room though tonight! I'm going with a very pale yellow paint and then a light blue-grey in my bedroom!


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.

Packing Weekend

I hope everyone has a lovely, relaxing, and at times creative weekend! Maybe, spend some time outside enjoying the nice weather--up in the 50's this weekend! Curious about what I'll be doing? I know. I'll be packing! I'm really so excited to go through all my things, label, categorize, and maybe even throw some stuff out! De-cluttering is THE BEST. This pic above is what my apartment looks like, minus the cute dog. Oh wait--it's from Martha.


Alicia B.