Glittery Stuff

Have you ever seen a brass kitchen?  Probably not.  This one took my breath away by Kelly Wearstler. 

So I'm obsessed with two things right now (besides my new job and my husband)--metallics and animal prints. I know metallics and things that glitter are taboo for the preppy girl but a girl needs sparkly stuff, right?  YES. 

A great spot to do something dramatically metallic is a powder room.  This fish scale wallpaper  is stunning and sparkly. 

I've been long obsessed with Porter Teleo fabrics and wallpapers so I am naturally loving this silver  animal print one.

Can you find the sparkle in this room?  A gold accent on something organic like a tree stump is the perfect mix.  Could also be a really cool DIY project.   By Joe Lucas from Lonny Mag. 

I'd love to make some fun throw pillows from this Gretchen Bellinger fabric.  

Alex Papachristidis always delivers a lot of glamour--dramatic brass and silver accents on the furniture and the table lamps. 

Diane Von Furstenberg loves a little sparkle.  This Piaza Dress with sequins on it would be a great winter cocktail dress.  Nice gloves too. 

And finally, here's a little picture of how i'm adding a little glitter into my life.   Penny Talk from Essie is my new color for the week!  

Anyone else out there adding some sparkle to their life?  Your house?  A client of mine just bought the Serena and Lily Metallic Suede and Hemp Rug.  It's SO pretty and adds just the right amount of glamour to her sweet apartment.  

Alicia B. 

Marbleized Paper Obsession

I've been obsessed for a while now with marbleized paper--it reminds me of Italy. I'm so happy to see that it's been making its way into the design market in home accessories and fabrics.

When I think of awesome products or rocks/marble, I think of Kelly Wearstler. Her blog is so much fun and I love to see her creative process. Her line at Sferra is just as awesome as anything else she does.

I love a dramatic headboard and this one blows me away. I guess it's more of a mural but I literally can't look away from this marbleized lilypad fabric. From HERE.

For your next tablescape masterpiece, use these AHHH-mazing napkins from Dransfield and Ross. I saw them when I was registering for my wedding but I chose the geometric greek Key ones. Also amazing.

Jenny over at Little Green Notebook took a gorgeous piece of marbleized paper and framed it. It's now an amazing and unique focal point in her living room! It adds a softness against all the other fabrics which are geometrics and ikat.

My fave fashion blogger Dilly Dallas got these amazing boxes from West Elm to accessorize her desk. I wish I could find them!

Love this pink marble fabric on the chairs here in what looks like a dressing room. Gorgeous dressing room from HERE.

I'm going to the source, ie Italy at the end of this month for my honeymoon and plan on stocking up on the real thing. I wish I could find some marble fabric--I know I've seen it somewhere. When I do, I see a pair of throw pillows in my future! Yes, I got married this past weekend and it was AMAZING--will show you pictures of the best day of my life later.


Alicia B

Elle Decor: Women In Design Night!

Last night I attended the Elle Decor: Women In Design, a celebration of 20 years of Elle Decor and five amazing women in interior design. Among them was Charlotte Moss (who won an award!), Michelle Nussbaumer, Holly Hunt, Kelly Wearstler, and Josie Natori (who couldn't make it). It was amazingly inspiring and the panel discussion format made it a fun and interesting discussion. We were able to see each designers real personality, instead of a staged personality on a reality show (Top Design).

Margaret Russell was monitoring the discussion and she was SO gorgeous. Wearing a little black dress, four inch heels (and an ankle brace), she was graceful and so funny!

I don't know much about Michelle Nussbaumer but from what I learned about her last night she has impeccable style and amazing design. I can't wait to learn more about her.

Charlotte Moss was so feisty and hilarious but beautiful and graceful, as always. She said she keeps a little notepad (or blue leather bound Hermes notepad!) in each purse to write down ideas as they come to her. She also has a blog Tete a Tete that she updates every few weeks.



Kelly Wearstler was quite inspiring, actually. She has such a passion for art and design and beautiful things.



Holly Hunt is another successful entrepreneur and founder of Holly Hunt which started out as a tiny little shop in the Merchandise Mart in Chicago and how she has a huge design empire and amazing showrooms; one in the D & D!

What was the most inspiring thing for me, as a student was that all these women followed their instincts and passions. In school, there are so many rules that often times you get bogged down and inspiration is hard to come by. These women didn't live by a set of strict rules, and though they've made their fair share of mistakes, they live just by their passions. BTW most of the pictures are from Point Click Home. There is a Margaret Russell book signing October 29th at the D&D as well! I can't wait to go.

Alicia B.

Curve-alicious

Kelly Wearstler.

Often times experts claim that fashion leads interior design, or interior design lead fashion and I think in this case, the latter is true! Curves are fantastic and not only are they IN, they've always been in! A beautiful curving winding staircase is a very classical element that can be adapted in many different ways. For some reason curving staircases have always caught my eye.

Marie Claire Maison. The winding staircase has been adapted for a contemporary setting using glass and steel.

James Huniford. I am dying to see this foyer from the other side. Two winding staircases? Could you ask for anything better?

Living etc. These are a tad more industrial. Check out that railing slithering up the stairs.

James Michael Howard. Double staircases. Gawgeous.

This staircase is very nice but what makes it stand out is the way the ceiling curves around it at the top. By Jan Showers.

BCV Architects. I think i might cry tears of joy at this picture. SO beautiful and simple.

Another genius staircase by BCV Architects. This is a wine stockroom for a restaurant that they designed.

Not loving the drapery choice but the architecture here just blows me away. I love the way the light from the doorway shines on the underside of the staircase. Austin Patterson Disston clearly has this down.

Austin Patterson Disston. I've posted this image before but it's so perfect that I don't think it could hurt to post it again.

I grew up with a regular staircase with two landings, but no curves. Certainly not complaining, as my sisters and I used to spend hours on end having jumping contests on those poor stairs, but maybe that's why I love the curving ones so much.


Alicia B.