Rando Design Inspiration Friday

Phew! It's been a crazy week, has it not? What with the swine flu scare all over the world, me launching my new website (!), and finishing up the semester at school with my final last night, I'd say we need some design inspiration! I know not a whole lot of that stuff applies to all of you, but you know what I mean.

This lovely sitting room in a country house designed by Mariette Himes Gomez is calling to me. Clearly this person has a collection of antique boxes, and what a great way to display them!

What? You left the door open for me? Don't mind if I do! This sunny yellow foyer was designed by Bierly-Drake Associates.

I just got a signed copy of Albert Hadley's book of sketches and I'm absolutely in love with this library (and Albert Hadley). He just sketched that...it's just amazing. You should, if you are in NYC this weekend, pick one up at the Kip's Bay Showhouse on the Upper East Side.

Plans for the weekend? Since it's raining I'm not sure anymore, but I've very excited to be volunteering at Kip's Bay. I can't wait to check out all the amazing rooms that I've heard about/read about. Yay for Friday!


Alicia B.

Wait. What?

I was pouring over the latest House Beautiful which is pure perfection by the way when I came across this mess of a table. All I could do was inhale sharply through gritted teeth and cringe. What is this? A gaudy necklace? A table? Chains from the hardware store attached to a table? Its the Rickman End Table from Moth Design. I have to say, I love Moth Design. They have some amazing pieces, but this one was a mistake. Sorry. What are your thoughts?


Alicia B.

HUGE ANNOUNCEMENT: Aliciabdesigns.com

WWW.ALICIABDESIGNS.COM

Well folks, it's official. I have finally launched my photography website at Aliciabdesigns.com. I've always had an interest in photography and have been working on my portfolio more intensely lately. Please take a moment to check out my work and email me if you have any inquiries! I'll be happy to answer any questions you might have. My email is aliciabdesigns@gmail.com. For now, it will remain separate from the blog, but don't fret--the blog will still be here! Thanks everyone for your support, encouragement and help!

Pull up a beach chair, and ENJOY.

Alicia B.

Entry Foyers for Mini Spaces

James Michael Howard. Perfection in a foyer.

Entry foyers are an important space in the home. They set the tone for the rest of your living space. They should be welcoming but also say something about you. I have an extremely mini entry hall and as you may know I just set up/restored a chest to go in it. After much research, I have come up with some great ways to maximize your space and still have it look gorgeous!

The first element is the mirror. Mirrors have an amazing way of making the room look larger than it is--crazy right??! You can do one large mirror like I did, or several arranged in a fun way!

Pamela Banker used an octagonal mirror here which works quite harmoniously with the wallpaper!

In this foyer by James Michael Howard, he used many small mirrors and arranged them around pieces of art.

This is my sister and BIL's foyer in her apartment in Chicago! The gorgeous console is from Gumps, and I appreciate their symmetry here. Perhaps they could add something under the console? A bench or a ceramic stool?

Another important factor is storage. The entire reason that I needed this wardrobe chest was so that I could store my fabrics and other craft/design supplies. You might not have a chest, but a console. This is okay too because there so so many attractive storage containers out there now! Nobody likes clutter so you can easily store shoes or other things that might have a way of "living" in your foyer.

Robert Stilin put an oversized basket under this console--great for mittens and scarves?? Or maybe tennis raquets?

From Country Living, this designer used vintage suitcases as attractive storage.

Secondary elements should be added to your foyer as well to add interest to the space. I'd love to add this adorable little caned seat chair I saw at an antiques store but I don't have a lot of room. You can also add something functional like a cute umbrella stand or a plant stand.Amanda Kyser placed an intense red modern chair next to her console table. I love the contrast of modern and antique--the table is swaying down because it's so old!

From House Beautiful, Schuyler Samperton placed a stool (on an angle) to counteract the perfection of the scene. Having things look natural is also super important because the front hall is actually a very busy space!

The last part to this is adding objects to the console or chest or table in your front hall. I've decided to put some stacked design books (some of my absolute favorites), an etched brass bowl next to a ceramic candle stick, and possibly a plant. I'd love to add some green to the room. Right when you walk in you say, "Alicia loves design and she sure knows how to kill a spider plant!" See below.


This is just a sneak peek at my newly restored chest! I am quite pleased with what I've done, but it's a work in progress. I have three of my fave design books including Mariette Himes Gomez's Houses, an antique white enamel pitcher, two brass antique candlesticks, and a mirror. I know, the mirror is LEANING and not hanging, but I seem to be handling the trauma of it well. Deep breaths.



Alicia B.

Round Windows into My Soul

I've always had a "thing" for certain architectural details like thick mouldings, but lately I've been just obsessed with round slash oval windows. What's beyond them? They're so pretty and just plain interesting! At "my" house in the country, we have an octagonal one over the first floor and I literally (not really) have dreams about it. Enjoi.

Three windows equals three times the beauty of this house! I love the symmetry in this white stucco house. I wish I could see what is on the other side of each of those windows. By Suzanne Kasler.

Wow, she's killing me with the exteriors of these homes. I love the Palladian window over the door, too!

WOW. Look at the mysterious shadow this one casts on the floor. Also, they used a chair with a round back to mirror the round element. By Randall Powers.

A round window doesn't always have to be traditional; this one is clean and unadorned and is a nice contrast with the hard angles of the roof. This gorgeous pool house is by Jed Johnson.

I would wash dishes forever if this window was over my sink. How gorgeous is the green and the green tile backsplash? By James Michael Howard.

How calming and therapeutic was that? I feel so much better--the beauty of that little round window is so captivating. The glow that comes through, the smooth curves--woah this is going a little far.


Alicia B.

Sunday Afternoon Beauty

Sunday was a lovely day. I spent the majority of it lying out in the park reading the newspaper with some random guy I met (my bf). It was absolutely lovely so I'd like you to see a few of the pics I took of some of the most mind blowingly (yeah, that's a word) beautiful flowers I've ever seen. Ever. In the world.

Aaa. Park Avenue flowers.

I swear New York flowers are bigger than flowers anywhere else in the US.

In the park, I had to lie out in the shade because I may or may not have burned myself to a little crisp on Saturday. Oops.

Now it is Monday, but I think that Spring is finally here, and Summer is JUST around the corner! Something to look forward to, right? Did you all have a nice weekend? What did you do?


Alicia B.