A White Bedroom for My Sister

My younger sister came to me for help with her new room off campus at school. This will be her first real chance to make her room "her own." She expressed to me that she was much more feminine in design than she thought and she wanted lots of white furniture to create a calm and cozy room. I was surprised to say the least, but it makes sense. Here are some white clad rooms that I think she might drift towards.

Spence Hogan Harris provides an adequate amount of femininity with very little color here. I love the detailing on the bedframe and the fabric behind the upholstered headboard. Someone needs to make the bed though...

Marie Claire maison. This is simple and spare looking but I think a little too spare for my sister. I think this could be remedied with a big puffy down quilt and some well chosen pillows.

Marie Claire Maison. The bed stuck in the nook makes this look super cozy despite the industrial looking bed frame. It looks like antiqued galvanized metal, yes?

Despite the lack of color, even I can get on board with this room. The punches of color here are enough to satisfy me. Coburn Architecture and Interiors.

Living Etc. More galvanized metal and a big chunky blanket that looks perfect for this fall and winter!

Tom Stringer. Okay, I know this isn't all white but this is so beautiful I couldn't stop. The yellow nightstands and upholstered headboard look so sunny here.

I think sometimes I'm a 7 year old girl in a 23 year old's body because pretty much anything pink is good in my book. OKAY I'm 26-JEEZ get off my back! Pink loveliness by Gary Mcbournie.


Country Living. This is probably my dream for a white interior. Something with a country feeling with lots of texture to replace the lack of color would be ideal for me.

My sister ended up getting sheets from Pine Cone Hill and various pieces of white furniture that I helped her select. For art, she has a few of my framed photographs which it sounds will be very dramatic in her space. Given her choice, she would order everything from Pottery Barn Teen, but I'm happy that she has put a lid on that idea as she is 21 years old. I am very excited to see how everything turns out when everything arrives!

Alicia B.

Rando Inspiration Design Friday

Precision Rigging.

Happy Friday! This week has flown by like a rocket ship! What a great week--I'm sorry it has to end with this dreary rain. Yuck. Anyway, I'm offering 20% off my Nature photography today at www.aliciabdesigns.com. This is only today, and ONLY because I'm in a good mood. Who knows how long this will last...Enjoy my pictures in design inspiration from this week!

Point Click Home has a wonderful house tour of a family in DC. This super minimalist fireplace caught my eye. An asymmetrical look is quite often very wonderful.

From Marie Claire Maison, this foyer is so quiet and calm. I wish I could see what's behind that door, and the wispy curtains.

Hamilton Design Assoc. I wonder who designed this, the designers or the kids?! So charming. I was a deprived child and my father never built us a tree house (he was afraid that we would fall out of it and hurt ourselves, BUT WHATEVER).

I have a feeling the good mood might last as I have a great weekend ahead of me. Flea market shopping with my friend on Saturday, and visiting my cousins and the little cutie baby on Sunday in Prospect Park. Plans? Tell me!


Alicia B.

White Interiors for a Color Monger

I have a bit of a reputation for being a color monger, so I thought I'd expand my palette, so to speak, and love on some white rooms. I'm finding them very calming and full of personality as they can't rely on color to make them beautiful.

Marie Claire Maison. These beams and this little elevated seating area looks like a great place for a mini party with tapas and mojitos with friends!

This living room is designed by Lynn Morgan. It looks so peaceful with the pretty pale colors and the tall simple drapery (not to mention the amazing beams and wooden brackets).

This is a tres romantic bedroom, oui? Love the fur, love the headboard, swoon over the chandelier. Elle Decor.

What a lovely dressing room. I love the contrast of the deep rich floors with the sweet feminine wall paper and white walls. Madeline Stuart.

This is designed by Benjamin Noriega Ortiz, who loves to design with white. If you need tips on how to live in a white home, skip on over to If the Lampshade Fits who reviewed BNO's home from the NY Times.

So, what's the verdict? I'm thinking very beautiful to look at, but not practical for someone like me to live in. They are graceful, feminine, and calming looking to be sure, but every time there is a little bit of color, I'm more drawn to that in the end. Happy Thursday!


Alicia B.

Small Spaces for a rainy day.

This apartment is only 400 SF! The designer, Anu Suebsawangkul used mostly white and black to make the space look bigger! Point Click Home.

It's been a terribly long time since I've written about small spaces. Since I live in NYC I'm very familiar with living in less than 800 square feet and am learning how to make my apartment seem bigger than it really is. My main principle is to make the most of the space by way of strategically arranging furniture, scale, and storage.

This mini 47 square metres home is free from clutter. The book cases are definitely full and I think the repeating ceiling beams expand the space a lot. Marie Claire Maison.

Another funky space from Marie Claire Maison. I love these stairs but I'd be afraid to climb them. This space has more clutter but less furniture and things that take up space. Keep it simple.

A lot of attic spaces have pitched ceilings so built in bed is a smart and cozy idea! From Coastal Living. Also, aren't you dying over the white painted wide planked floors? I am.

In this super small entry way, the designer put a day bed and storage underneath to hid clutter and make good/comfortable use of the space! Cottage Living.

You wouldn't guess this for a MOMENT but this space is 95 square feet! This is Garrow Kedigian's amazing little room from the Kip's Bay 2009 Showhouse. The Greek key motif throughout the room and the lines created by the moulding expand this space.

Another shot of this amazing room. I LOVE it! From Habitually Chic.

I love living in a tiny apartment. All the places in my apt are cozy and special. I will be excited to live in a giant farmhouse one way and have a large wooden trestle table and Orkney chairs but for now, I'm enjoying getting creative with my mini space.

Alicia B.

Rando Design Inspiration Friday: Outdoors Edition

In honor of the fact that this weekend is Trade Secrets Weekend (see post below), our design inspiration is going to focus on outdoor spaces. Today is a gorgeous day in NYC; sunny and warm and finally NO RAIN! Since most of us are stuck inside, here are some lovely pictures to speed you along to the weekend!

From Point Click Home, isn't it just lovely how the green grass grows in between each stone creating a geometric pattern. The obsessive side of me isn't even mad.

Who wants a cocktail here at my new home in the French Riviera? This look like the perfect space for a fun garden party. I wish I knew what was going on in the back though. Marie Claire Maison.

J'adore mini potted plants! Probably because that's about all I can handle. From Living Etc.

This picture from House Beautiful just makes me want to go home even more. I love the manicured yard with hedges, and the doorway of flowers with a backdrop of rolling hills. AHHH.

From Desire to Inspire. I don't much care for the furniture where but the way the ivy is creeping up the wall, it's so charming! Also tres charming is the crystal chandelier outside.

I don't want to brag but...I've sipped white wine in this adorable little outdoor garden/terrace by the incredibly glam Charlotte Moss. It's even more amazing in person. And so is she.

I super hope the weather this weekend is sunny and warm. I don't want to be shivering helping Martha Stewart, ya know? Not cool. Not a good thing.

Alicia B.

OH. Well, these look like nice places to get clean...

I've always had a design obsession with bathroom spaces. Don't make it weird, but I really love them. They are places to get clean and refresh yourself. Start anew. They are centered around water and light and can be your own personal sanctuary if you do it right (like these designers).

Everything in here is so ethereal/perfect. It's the perfect mix of femininity and rustic style with the antique chair, the glow of light from the one window, and the exposed wood beams of the ceiling. This bathroom screams, or whispers rather, relaxation. From Marie Claire Maison.

This would look so great in my bathroom in the house I just bought on Nantucket (I'm really over the Hamptons)! What I love about this precious but glam room is the round lantern! A glow of beauty hovering over the antique nickel plated tub. By Mabley Handler (I think this is actually in the Hamptons.)

From Living Etc, I love the green tub! The doors make me think there's a lovely natural overgrown terrace outside with a pool. And that I'm in the countryside of England.

The marble floor and mosaic tiles inside the shower make me think of somewhere exotic. I'd love to have that many towels at my disposal too. Yum. James Michael Howard.

This bathroom has a little more modern look to it--but BE SURE not to miss the gnome holding your towels! It's easy to miss because you're probably staring at the oval window. Swoon. By Irwin Weiner. Double swoon.

This round upholstered chair is absolutely gorgeous in this space. Can't you imagine yourself in a bathrobe putting your feet up on the tub to give yourself a pedicure? I can! From House Beautiful. Also, a butterfly framed on that adorable table!

This looks like the ultimate relaxing sanctuary. You can draw the light curtains to have a little bit of privacy in this moody bath nook. By Greg Lanza.

I didn't notice until I was finished, but all the images that I chose (except for the one shower) were all tubs separate from the room with either little claws or a more sleek modern look but they are all free standing! I think a bathroom is nice because it's centered around water, rejuvenation, and most importantly, cleanliness.

Alicia B.

Pool Girl

Bunny Williams adorable pool house in CT.

I don't know if it's the last post I did on Yachts, or if it's the fact that I'm looking forward to my Miami vacation coming up, but I can't stop looking at outdoor spaces. Perhaps it's the little glimpse of warm weather that we had over the weekend and I can't get my mind off going outdoors. I started looking at some swimming pools and fell in love with so many! Take a look at some that passed my test.

From Marie Claire Maison, this minimalist infinity pool was designed by Rudy Ricciotti. I love how the architect worked with the landscape here; he really took into account the fact that the house is built into a hill or a cliff.

From Marie Claire Maison, this pool (piscine, en francais.) is based around natural elements, from the color of the water, to the stones surrounding it. I love the way the lights reflect the water and the trees up on the wall of the house.

I think this one might be one of my favorites, designed by John Oetgen, this pool is in Atlanta (Hotlanta!). I love the traditional style of the surrounding walls and the little seating areal at the end which gives your eye something to look at. The topiary is so sweet and well placed, too.

What a gorgeous and unassuming tropical pool--in NEW JERSEY! I know! Designed by Jill Morris.

This one designed by Jay Griffith in LA, wins the creativity award. I love the overhang cabana deck area but what really caught my eye were the silver balls floating in the pool. They add a sculptural element to the pool and reflect the light and the water! From this super cool garden store Terradisiac.

From House Beautiful, this simple and modern pool really matches the style of the house very well. Designed by Fred Doss.

I love this one for the view and the reflection in the water. Designed by Fern Santini found in House Beautiful.

This is a sunset or rise reflected so beautifully in the narrow pool, that I just fell in love. It was designed by Parisian designers, Fabienne Couvert and Guillaume Terver in Marie Claire Maison.

People who know me might realize the irony of this post. I'm amazing at lying by the SIDE of a pool, but put me into one and I'll literally sink to the bottom. I spent years on the swim team as a child swimming very close to the bottom of the pool, and even failed a swimming test because I couldn't do the "dead man's float" as I just sunk to the bottom. Anyway, survival skills are shaky...


Alicia B.

Shades of Grey

One of the features of my new apartment that I'm most excited about is the tile in the bathroom. I know it sounds small and silly, but I walked into the bathroom and it had this cool grey subway tile in it. Usually, it's mini white, or ugly black and white cop-out tiles, but not this time. As I'm trying to make each room fun, I've decided that perhaps I'll play up the grey so that I can do punches of color in the towels, the shower curtain and the wall decor. Grey may seem dull or too neutral, so here are some grey rooms that still carry lots of drama.

OMG. Talk about dramatic. I love this painting; so moody but beautiful and the stools with the angular animal legs add to that feeling. By Susan Ferrier. Painting is by James McLaughlin Way and the stools are from John Rosselli.
(Thank you Emily Amy Gallery you little art scout!)

How many different greys/silvers/steels are in this minimalist kitchen by Julie Stevenson? Cool and dramatic.

I guess this isn't technically grey; more of a black/grey/brown, I suppose. I love the punch of yellow though in that chair. It just shows you don't need tons of color in a small space like this. From Marie Claire Maison.

I love the greys and the natural wood tones here. From Point Click Home.

This was how I originally wanted to do my living room before I decided on yellow. How beautiful and calming is this grey on the wall with the black and whites contrasting? By Eddie Ross. So beautiful.

I love this bedroom here from Domino mag. It looks so cozy with the grey tufted headboard and the light flowing in reflecting off the blue glass lamp etc. The grey paint is Benjamin Moore Rushing River.

This is Jamie Drake (genius) INSPIRED by the show Californication (better? Thank you to my loyal/rad commenters). The scaly tiling is very dramatic yet organic and I LOVE the built in open shelving on the back wall.

A brown shade of grey here with a separate tub from the faucet. So cute! From Point Click Home.

I think I'm going to do a dark grey on the currently white walls. The grey is cool and calming and I love the way that it absorbs and reflects light. Next stop: the paint store!


Alicia B.