Milk Glass Inspiration

Wedding planning is beyond fun. It's like mini designing for every single little event. I'm knee deep in designing the rehearsal dinner. I'm envisioning french linens on the tables and milk glass vases with yellow flowers. I've been obsessed with milk glass lately--join me.

The contrast of rustic and smooth glass is so beautiful. Peeling paint is true love to me. Country Living.

These are great on a shelf too! A shelf-scape. I hope to have more bookcases in my new apartment for all of my books and put some pretty vases in it to break it up a little bit.

I love the simple color scheme here of pink and white. It's very pure and easy on the eyes--perfect for a party setting. Country Living.

A collection of like colored items like this looks great together. Even if they are not the same size and shape, the same look and color looks eclectic but cohesive.

Citrus colors and a pretty pile of oranges looks nice and summery in these milk glass pieces. Perfect for our August wedding.

Eddie Ross is a tablescape miracle worker. This gorgeous table with milk glass chargers and candle sticks convinces me further of my original design!

My next step is to collect some pieces of milk glass. I've found a bunch on etsy and some on ebay but I'm really excited to hunt around thrift shops in NYC and up in CT. I love a new project too. Does anybody have any suggestions for places? Here is my inspiration board so far...thoughts?



I said, THOUGHTS??


Alicia B.

Kate and Will Change The World...

...of interior design. Ever since Prince William and Kate Middleton got engaged (and stole our thunder.), there has been SUCH a buzz about sapphires. I suppose when the most influential people in the world get engaged with a 1000 carat sapphire, it will come into fashion in a very big way. I love Kate's style as well as her ring--she always has cute dresses and hats. I read an article that said that sapphire blue interiors would be everywhere for the next few years. I'm on board.

We could all do with a few more hats like these, right?

A wonderfully organized office. I love that pillow on the chair and I can't wait until the day that I have rolls of in a woven basket in my office. Homes and Gardens UK.

J. Crew. SUCH a pretty and simple dress. This is a great shade of blue and this dress looks so comfortable, too!

Eddie Ross designed this room with toile panels and this lovely fabric on the bed--love it.

Silk embroidered linen fabric by my favorite company, Vaughan!

SUCH elegant interiors by Mary McDonald. Blue and white interiors are incredibly timeless.

Here is a more mod-squad interior from Elle Decor with a deep blue striped floor--quite fun! I wish I could see more of that bed, it looks bright.

Okay so let's face it, blue is timeless no matter what shade it is. Will Kate and Will change a lot? Yes. I hope so. I do love that deep sapphire blue color--I hope that there are tons of shades of it everywhere in fashion, fabric, and design (you know, more than usual!).

Alicia B.

Blueberries and Raspberries

One of my best friends is getting married this summer and she mentioned that she liked blue and fuchsia as her wedding colors. I thought that sounded like a great idea because it reminded me of blueberries and raspberries. Besides strawberries, those two fruits are nearly the REASON for summer. Anyway, I was thinking about it, and wanted to see how this could be applied to interior design. Everything in my life revolves around interior design anyway, so lets check it out!

I'm not sure I'd be able to read as calmly as these children in this room. That wall color makes me want to play, not work. It's such a fun color with the much more subdued blue coffee table and x-based bench. By Eddie Ross.

Melissa Rufty, whom I discovered thanks to La Dolce Vita, may be one of my new favorite designers. I love her use of color and pattern. Really fabulous.

Masucco Warner Miller is ALL over the place right now; which is great! This is a child's room but I love its playful sophistication. The blue is very blue and the raspberry is well placed.

Kate and Andy Spade's shakey spread in the NY Times was inspiring from an interior design standpoint (only). This blue leather desk chair is a welcome contrast on that bright colored wall. I love that photograph above the desk. Creepy, no?

Diamond Baratta always delivers when in comes to color. I know this room is primarily a blueberry, but the flowers are so beautiful and add a punch of contrast.

A bedspread is a great place to start because you can easily switch it out whenever you feel like it. I love the laptop on the pink pouf and cotton candy blue lamp though. Living etc.

Ooo glamorous and romantic. Plus there's a MacBook so you know this person has great taste. Note the color combo but also all the different textures--very pretty. From Living Etc.

Angie Hranowsky really knows how to get me! A zebra pelt on the floor, a really beautiful pendant over the table, and french doors out to an enticing terrace. Though she didn't use MUCH of the two colors we have in mind here, they certainly make enough of a point.

I really wish I had a window to look out of while I'm at my desk. I have lovely pictures and an inspirational poem which is sometimes just as nice. The blue on the seat cushion sort of reminds me of those blueberries with a little white frost over them right before you touch them, no? Designed by Joe Nye.

I'm not sure what it is but something about this color combo is making me think Summer. Perhaps because is reminds me of seasonal fruits? Possibly. I love this color combo so I know my friend's wedding is going to be gorgeous. Plus, I'm a bridesmaid so she's all set!


Alicia B.

Yellow Painted Love.

If you read this blog on a regular basis you know some things about me: I love the color yellow, and I have a fondness for painted furniture. Most of the furniture in my apartment is painted--mostly just greens or one piece is blue. I have decided that I'm tired of my blue dresser in particular and decided to paint it yellow. Here is a little yellow painted inspo I've come across.

Martha Stewart offers a really helpful tutorial on painted furniture. I love how she used an accent yellow color on the trims and drawer pulls.

I love the color combination of blue and yellow which works well because my walls are painted blue. This relaxed looking living room is by Lynn Morgan. Doesn't this table look like an Oomph table? They should do a sunshine yellow color.

I love the pretty textiles in this room; the carpet, the suzani quilt, and the scroll upholstered headboard. The texture continues in the matching night stands in a mustard/gold tone of yellow. From House Beautiful designed by Johnathan Berger.

This room is the epitome of sunshine; designed by Eddie Ross. I'd love to know what paint color Eddie chose...

Okay, so now back to me. Here is my dresser which is a distressed blue finish:

Here it is after I re-organized the surface of it with all my make up (what make up?) and jewelry. See what I mean with the competing blues? It's time for a change.


These are the paint colors I'm choosing between and I'd like your opinions also.

Haystack by Martha Stewart Paint from Home Depot. My apologies but imagine this a little bit more on the lemon side of yellow.

Sunbeam by Glidden. Not quite this intense in person.

Golden Honey by Benjamin Moore

So far, my head says Sunbeam by Glidden but my heart says Haystack by Martha. What do you guys think? This project probably won't be finished for about 2 weeks so I'm going to need a decision right away. My plan for the knobs are a turquoise knob from Anthropologie I believe. Don't you worry, I'll give constant updates. Thoughts??

Alicia B.

Putting all your eggs in one basket.

Eddie Ross put all these pretty country eggs in a wire basket. I love the different colors these eggs can be without dying them.

People warn against doing that but really it can be quite beautiful! Clearly I'm on an easter high even though its not quite here yet, but I'm decorating eggs so i can't stop thinking about how beautiful they can be all together! In one basket!

What would a holiday--or even HALF a day--be without Martha Stewart? This looks like a fun project with little fern leaves silhouetted onto these little Easter eggs. I think I'll try this one this year.

I love these wire baskets and egg holders. I think this is from Country Living. OOO Jelly beans!

Pottery Barn wanted to get in on the Easter madness as well with this cute egg holder. Well played Pottery Barn.

This is a fun little project you can do with those commercial Cadbury eggs. If you put them all in a pretty box with some Spring flowers, look how gourmet they appear! From Country Living.

Whatever you're doing today, walking through the park in this amazing weather, dying eggs and getting your fingers pink and yellow like mine, or hanging out with friends, have a great day. Happy Easter everyone!!


Alicia B.

Friday Faves

Hello and Happy Friday everybody! For some of us, this was a full week of work so I'm really looking forward to the weekend. It hasn't been terribly stressful so I'm glad about that but I sure do need some fun design inspiration, don't you?

I was flipping through one of my favorite portfolios, Tom Scheerer's, and fell in love with this little scene. I am enraptured by the dark wall in the background and I can't take my eyes off those little Greek key accessories! I love them--I'll have to keep my eye out for some this weekend.
Ever since my post a few days ago on table cloths, I've been on the lookout. Isn't this round one cute? Now I just need to get a round table...This is from Anthropologie HERE.

I never tire of a great and interesting bookcase display. This one is part of Eddie Ross's window for Elle Decor in the Bloomingdale's Big Window Challenge. Head on over to AT to VOTE NOW. You can obviously guess who gets my vote!

FROM EDDIE: Would also LOVE your support on the ELLE DECOR window I did for the Big Window Challenge this year with Apartment Therapy. Check it out at http://www.bigwindowchallenge.com com. As we all know, AT doesn’t make it easy, but you can vote TWICE a day, once online and the other by texting “1” to 89800. Your support means the world to me!!

FYI there's an amazing sale going on at WS Home. A friend of mine just bought a rug there for $48. YES, you read that correctly. It's a large rug, too.

I'm off to the country this weekend. It's going to be a great weekend of antiquing, catching up with some old friends, and some math homework as well. I'm only looking forward to the first two things. Don't forget to vote for the Bloomingdale's Big Window Challenge! Have a wonderful weekend everyone!


Alicia B.

Bloomingdale's Big Window Challenge 2010

After running into Eddie Ross yesterday, and meeting his partner Jaithan, I learned a little more about Bloomingdale's Big Window Challenge. Three designers are competing against each other where they each design a window in Bloomingdale's for a specific person. WE all get to vote for the room we like the best! Here are the options:

Designed by Eileen Joyce for Bloomingdale's. "the Urbane Traveller." This one I'm finding quite tame.

By Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan for Apartment Therapy. "The Writer's Romantic Supper." I really like the portraits over the sofa and I feel like I could really relax with a book and a cocktail here.

And last but not least, but last because it's my favorite, Eddie Ross for Elle Decor. "The Modern Woman." I'm really drawn to the exciting mix of colors in this: the pop of turquoise in the lamp and throw on the chair, the orange in the artwork over the sofa, and the pink that is mixed into the throw pillows. It looks elegant yet relaxed and full of life.

To read more about these windows and the great inspiration and the intense competition AND to vote for your favorite click HERE. All of them look wonderful and like a lot of work but my vote is in for Eddie's for Elle Decor. GO VOTE because we only have until January 28th--but also tell me which one is your fave too!


Alicia B.

Table linens are a must!

French Country inspired table linen from Williams Sonoma. Right now at the top of my list!

Last weekend when my parents were in town, I had a small brunch at my apartment with some old and now, new friends! I served waffles for the first time among other things and as far as I'M concerned, the brunch was a success. I think the only thing I was missing was a table cloth. I don't have one! I have plenty of place mats but I lack an actual tablecloth. My kitchen table is very small so its not a big deal but after doing some research I've decided that it might look nice and add a little festivity to something small like my brunch. I think I steer away from them in general because I don't like to make it seem like I'm covering something up. I have changed my mind.

From Elle Decor, I love the soft subtle pattern of this tablecloth. It reminds me of the place mats that I already have from Williams Sonoma.

To coordinate with the wispy linen drapery, this tablecloth allows you to see the profile of the table which is incredibly beautiful. It is pretty and doesn't compete with the bold rug underneath it. Also from Elle Decor.

This autumnal flavored setting is by Eddie Ross. I love the yellow and white stripes--so sweet.

I know this s another seasonal setting but I am DYING over this pattern. I just adore the brown and white fabric--from Country Living.

Again, a simple table set with a burlap cloth that somewhat matches the neutral linen drapery. Designed by Abby Rizor, found in HB..

Sorry for the shoddy picture, I took a picture of it instead of scanning. This lovely table is from Domino. The bold black and white check is a nice attention grabbing contrast from the wood furniture and floors.

In a spread about pink fabrics I saw in Veranda Mag, this sweet fabric with roses on it. Perhaps I could make my own tablecloth with all the fabrics I have. PROJECT!!

This table cloth is very resort or island inspired. I'm dying to go somewhere warm as it got cold again in New York so this one is just right for me! From House Beautiful.

There are really so many fabrics out there (and in my apartment) that I could have many tablecloths if I so desired. Williams Sonoma has a gorgeous selection including the image at the top. Isn't it beautiful? You could have quite a collection, one for every season or different meal or event. Now I just need a place to store them...Good luck to me.

Alicia B.