Thad Hayes, I'm into you.

"Alicia--Wish you the best with school.  Designing is a very cool profession. Best--Thad" I have since finished school and am working for an awesome designer thank you very much!  

I met Thad Hayes at a joint event for Celerie Kemble at the D & D Building and ended up buying his book and getting it signed (I'm a huge sucker for a book signing).  I just decided to look at his portfolio just now on a whim and I'm OBSESSED.  

Isn't this stairway breathtaking?  The art is pushing it for me but the light and the angles of the stairway are beautiful. 

AMAZE.  The marble slabs for this bathroom are pure perfection. Also, love the light fixture. Anybody know where it's from? 

A neutral but graceful living room.  I'd love to have a curved window like that. 

Another amazing stairway.  I love the white walls and the white stairs.  

This is an entry way in a modern home in Watermill NY.  I'm noticing a lot of horizontal lines in Thad Hayes work.  

Ahhhh easy access to the outdoors through this great sitting room.  Check out that beautiful French mattress sofa. This is from the same home in Watermill. 

And we leave off on another great bathroom.  The shower curtains add a lot of softness to this bathroom.  

I think I'm just really attracted to the mix of traditional and modern in very clean modern spaces.  I don't think I could necessarily live in a space like that but they are quite lovely to look at.  I love that I checked in to see what he had been up to since I bought the book--AMAZE!

Alicia B. 

The Obsession Continues

It's been a while since I obsessed over the color yellow so I think I'm due for it.  My boss hates yellow--apparently she grew up in a yellow bedroom and has been traumatized for life.  I, on the other hand, did not, and I love yellow! My current bedroom is basically 50 shades of blue and I have ONE pop of yellow on a throw blanket over a chair.  Let's take a look at yellow and blue combos!

I could always paint our nightstands yellow but they are a very pretty brown stain and my husband might kill me. A dash of yellow fabric in a pillow might just do. 

A neat and crisp bed is finished off with a yellow chevron boudoir pillow and a little yellow box on the night stand. 

A lovely and open blue and white living room has small pops of yellow with pillows, lamps, and National Geographics. This is literally the best use of Nat Geo I've ever seen. 

In this John Willey house, the walls are painted yellow with accents of blue throughout. The glass balls are my favorite! 

The rug isn't my fave but I have blue walls like this in our bedroom and I love the pop of yellow.  

As pure coincidence, I'm wearing my yellow skinny pants from Madewell and a navy blue blouse from Banana Republic.  I'm pretty excited about it and yellow just makes me happy.  I'll let you know how I get my yellow on in my bedroom. Do you get yellow in your bedroom or living room? 

Alicia B. 

Life is not Black & White

But black and white decor can look pretty good from time to time!  Apparently the contrast of black and white is super hot right now.  Some good, some bad.  Personally I couldn't live in a space that's just black and white.  This girl needs some color but let's explore, shall we?

I've always loved this entry way by Rob Southern.  The high gloss walls are stunning. 

Robert Couturier designed this living room.  The room dividers are really cool but I don't think I could live in a room like this. 

WOW. That's quite a wild backsplash.  Black and White. Chevron. Trend alert. By Anne Marie Midy. 

This is monochromatic but I love all the textures: Furs, woods, twigs. Love it. 

I am obsessed with what this painting might be.  Also, the shades of black, white and grey add many layers to this cool but comfortable looking moment. 

So yeah, theres my view on Black and White interiors.  I think the way to accomplish a successful one is to make sure it has many layers, and textures are key.  Add a little fur in there, some raw unfinished woods, and a high gloss piece of furniture or painted walls.  Or just add a splash of color and go crazy with it!

Alicia B. 

Derby Day Party Coming up!

Vineyard Vines has some of the most fun and adorable Derby inspired ties and clothing. Check more out HERE--super cute dresses, too!.  

How excited are all of you for the Kentucky Derby this Saturday? Usually people post the day before about a party but whats the fun of good tips and ideas when you've already planned the party?  My husband and I LOVE the Derby and this year we're throwing a Kentucky Derby Party.  Here are some great tips for throwing one on your own (or just invite yourself to ours). 

Possibly my favorite part about the Kentucky Derby are the fabulous hats.  This one is from J. Crew--Derby Fabulous. 

The next most important thing are the Mint Juleps in my fave little silver cups. This recipe requires 17 lemons so if you're feeling crazy ambitious, go for it. 

Flowers are a must for a party and they must be roses for the Kentucky Derby, the Run for the Roses. 

I found these great Kentucky Derby vintage plates on Ebay which would make great hors d'oeuvres plates. 

Preppiness abounds at a Kentucky Derby (or any party of mine) and I'm OBSESSED with these cute seersucker napkins that I found on Etsy! 

With all the fun decor and hats I almost forgot about the food.  I'm going with my standby baked brie with fig preserves but who can resist this pie?  I found this Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie on my go-to party planning blog, HERE.  

Do you all love the Kentucky Derby as much as I do?  It's so much fun to pick the horse you want to win (obviously the one with the most amusing name), and compete for fun with your friends or family.  We all get a little competitive but it's so much fun and once you have a few Mint Juleps, nobody can remember anyway.  So, are you having your own party?  Plans?!

Alicia B. 

Unusual Finds on 1st Dibs

Today at work I was searching on 1st Dibs for some sculptural but sleek furniture for a client in NYC and I came across some CRAZY awesome finds.  I tried an experiment (after work, obvi), and searched "unusual", "rare" and "unique".  Take a look at the unusual and sometimes beautiful pieces I found:

A Bamboo veneered desk with a matching chair.  I can't imagine even using this piece for fear of ruining it. 

Talk about sleek: a lucite organ and speaker set.  REDIC.  Only $120,000.

Who doesn't need a $4800 wire dog bed?!

Hideous garden stools (sorry)

Im actually obsessed with these blocks.  These would look amazing as an accessory on a bookshelf. #want 

No, wait.  I have to have these seahorse sconces.  #NEED

I really love 1st Dibs and you can find some truly beautiful antiques on there.  You can also find some pretty weird stuff.  Have any of you found anything "unique"?  And bought it?  What are you all up to for the weekend?  We're going to Hudson to look at art! Pictures to come...after we go.  Also, follow me on Pinterest, where you can find more of these crazy-town 1st Dibs finds. 

Alicia B. 

Congratulations, Boston

Beautiful Beacon Hill.  My mom and many of my good friends lived in this gorgeous area of Boston. 

I started this post with the tense mood of NBC/CNN on tv trying to find the Boston Bomber and now they've found him! I've been thinking a lot about Boston, as a native New Englander myself, and trying to stay positive in the midst of a bad situation.  I'm so happy everyone is now safe. There are many great things that come out of Boston--beautiful buildings, critical historical events that formed our great country, amazing food, and lots and lots of my friends live there too.

A delicious Boston Creme Pie Cupcake

Boston Terrier Puppy having a goooooood stretch. 

Many of my favorite designers are in Boston.  This fabulous shot is by Theodore and Co. Not a HUGE fan of the lantern but I do love the blue and white chair fabric and the artwork. 

Artwork created by Zachary Smith in the midst of tragedy after the Marathon. Proof that something good can come out of something horrific. 

Sculptures inspired by the book, Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey. My husband and I came to Boston when we were first dating.  

Another fabulous designer is super cute Annsley McAleer.  I've always wanted to use this Phillip Jeffries wallpaper that she used as an accent wall in this bedroom.

I think I can speak for everyone when I say how happy and relieved everyone is for the city of Boston right now.  Some of my favorite bloggers come from Boston: Party Resources, Everything LEB, Dear Friend, Elements of Style, and former Bostonite The Garden of Eden (who I cheered on running the Boston marathon with my sister 4 years ago).  I know they are all so happy (given the circumstances) at the final outcome of this horrible tragic event. Congratulations Boston!


Alicia B.