Rando Design Inspiration Friday

It is Friday! This day (September 11th) reminds me to appreciate the simple things in life and to be thankful for everything that I have as an American. Freedom, independence, choices etc. I feel really great about all those things, and we should not take them for granted. SO, let's take a deep breath and appreciate the beauty that is...interior design!

You might be able to see that I'm recently obsessed with Jan Showers. Shes immensly talented, yes? I wish I could see more of that striped wing chair peaking out from the left. Her furniture choices are classic and elegant.

Another favorite and leader of the understated look is Christopher Maya. This looks like a great place to sit with your family around a fire.

In major breaking news (via StyleBeat), Amanda Nisbet's new fabric line is being sold at Holland & Sherry. I've always loved Amanda Nisbet's style and her fabrics are so fun and creative. She also has a lighting line at Urban Electric. You MUST check them out.

Brooklyn Bridge USA

I'm just going to slide this one in a) because I took it and b) because it's a symbol of New York and evokes a feeling of patriotism which always feels nice on this day.

Have a lovely day everyone! Weekend plans, you ask? Locking myself in my apartment (watching Vampire Diaries and Project Runway-don't judge me!) and doing homework nonstop! What are your plans?


Alicia B.

Crawl Space Design

When you live in a teeny tiny apartment like I do, every bit of space is valuable. You learn to maximize your space and use every little inch to its fullest. I saw this image (below) of a small space under the stairway which the designer used for a tiny dog room!

I guess the smaller dog has more privileges and gets the space under the stairs. How cute is this and what a great use of the space under the stairs! By Janet Simon.

This room by Christopher Maya rates as one of my top favorite rooms of all time. They found this crawl space and made it into a secret little room slash fort for the kids. It reminds me of this weird little room in my father's office at our old house. My sisters and I used to play up there and slide down the ramp into the room! Tres fun.


Alicia B.

A New Era: Class

Bling Barf

This post I'll be using one of my fave designers, Christopher Maya as an example of somebody that I admire. He is understated, classic, traditional, and most importantly, economically appropriate. Everyone's been talking about being thrifty and cutting back because the economy is bad, and it's probably time to stop looking for the perfect $20,000 crystal chandelier that you want just to show off the fact that you could pay for it. Looking thrifty is in. I'm not saying dress in rags and live in a box, but be appropriate. Be tasteful. Enter Christopher Maya:

This bedroom is calming, interesting, and beautiful. I super love the geometric bedspread and the bench at the foot of the bed. It's very nice how he mixes Swedish with Queen Anne style antiques.

Maya really embraces this nook in this room, then accentuates it with the sweet pierced wood embellishment all around it. Looks so cozy.

In an aerial view of the dining room, this room looks quite exotic.

I adore this room, the living room, the most. The color palette is so restful and beautiful, and I'd love to have large floor to ceiling windows like this one day.

A little hiding place for the kids! SO CUTE.

The living room, again, is making me want to curl up and read a book. I love the furniture choices in this room. It's a large room but I don't see overstuffed oversized anything in here.

And finally, the entrance. The wide plank flooring and the adorable blue door? Are you kidding me? I also love that little bench pushed off tot he side with the brown and white gingham fabric. Ps, these are all from a spread in House Beautiful here.

Clearly these are expensive interiors, but they are understated; that's what matters. I read a really cute article in the NYTimes HERE about wedding dresses and how it's now quite admirable to find a great deal on a dress. There are brides that are shopping at second hand dress stores and then having the dress tailored. Seems practical, right? Coming from New England (yes, a personal tidbit about me!), this concept of understatedness really makes sense. I used to be sad that we weren't driven to school in a Mercedes, but rather a Subaru, and that we didn't have a house on the shore but took vacations out west. Now these are the things that I love most about my childhood. We weren't poor, but my parents just didn't believe in decadence. You know, keep you're pearls on, but go shovel the driveway. Now, I love DIY projects. Making something on my own rather than having someone do it for me involves more time, but it is admirable and shows your strength, independence and resourcefulness. So, gone are the days of "bigger is better" and "I want that gold plated" because even if you have the wherewithal, it's looked down upon...you're tacky.


Alicia B.