A grey kind of day.

Church Spire Reflected in a Puddle.

If you live in New York or anywhere else on the East coast right now, you know that today was a rainy dreary grey kind of day. When I was walking to work this morning, it wasn't raining on me as much as it was raining at me. Grey doesn't have to be all bad though, especially when it comes to interior design. Here are some grey rooms that feel more lovely than dreary.

I think we all know that this wall paper is out of this world beautiful. It only enhances the incredible architecture in the room: the fireplace, the dental work moldings. By Thad Hayes.

This bedroom by Alessandra Branca is black, white and grey. It's soft and so subtly beautiful it makes you think that grey is a bright color.

Of course I'm immediately drawn to the two anchors on the wall, which is a nice soft grey, but the more I look at this the more elements I love! How cute is the stack of books on the nightstand? And I love the structure of the bed frame against all the soft elements of the bed. By Susan Ferrier via HB.

Though I despise mirrored furniture, I find this room quite intriguing and warm. I think it's all about the textures: the matelasse quilt, the upholstered wall panels...and the hanging pear. By Celerie Kemble.

Isn't this bath by BNO just so beautiful? The hard marble looks so soft because of the grey and white veining throughout. Looks luxurious.

See how good things can come from a grey day? Especially a grey Monday. Grey is also a wonderful color for other colors to contrast against. You can put a nice turquoise accent in a grey corner and really make it pop. Or you can use grey as a nice enveloping color for a room. Also, no matter how grey it is outside it can always be sunny inside!


Alicia B.

Cool off Blues

Robert Stilin put a beautiful abstract painting over this table with different blues. Clearly a focal point.

Summer can get pretty steamy, especially here in NYC. In August the heat can be almost unbearable! Coming home and sitting directly in front of the air conditioner is one way to solve the overheating that comes with summer, but another way is to visually cool off your home! Adding cool colors to your home in the summer can be a way to take the heat down a notch and add some freshness too.

A blue geometric rug sets the tone subtly for this room by Thad Hayes. Also different blues are all around the room in throw pillows, a blanket and the drapery.

Simply adding blue accessories is also a fun and less expensive option. Massucco Warner Miller used different blue glass vessels in these cabinets.

Blue and white cachepots for the plants around your room also catch your attention. Wouldn't this be a nice place to sip lemonade after being outside for a bit? By Joann Barwick from Traditional Home.

My favorite idea, which is temporary for the change in season, is to switch up the throw pillows and lampshades. It's an easy way to freshen up the room and you can change the pillows back to orange in fall or tartan in the winter! By Frank Roop.

Pastels and different blues are nearly everywhere throughout this large living room by Diamond Baratta. Blue lampshades and lanterns are molto fun!



Don't want to repaint your walls or buy new lampshades? Want a project? A fun idea is to paint your bookcase blue, or even just the back wall of it for a pop of blue when you're admiring your books/bookcase display. From Remodelista via HERE.

Painting the walls blue is also a fun and inexpensive option. I love how this dining room is painted above the very high chair rail. Draws your eye up to the amazing ceiling too. By Marshall Watson.

When I started this and was thinking of cool fresh blues, I immediately thought of Bunny Williams summery room for the Kips Bay 2009 Showhouse. It's more of a turquoise blue but bright and lively. From Habitually Chic.

Do y'all ever change a room based on the season? Slip covers are also a good idea for an inexpensive seasonal change if they are done in a very tailored way though. My living room has yellow walls and a brown plaid love seat so I'd probably change (sew my own!) the throw pillows before I did anything else.


Alicia B.

Rando Design Inspiration Friday

YAY, it's Friday again! Though it's raining now, we have a great sunny/warm weekend to look forward to. Here is your weekly fix of lovely design brought to you by... ME!

I've officially fallen in love the Thad Hayes for this living room. What a soothing color palette and I great choice of antique furniture (bobbin benches).

Phoebe Howard could not be more of a genius with these adorable brass turtles on a side table. What a great accessory/how cute are turtles??

A good man is hard to find. And when I say man, I mean bookcase display. I'm still trying to find an attractive balance between all my books, and fun accessories that I want to display. This office is by KAA Design.

KAA Design also designed Hotel Oceana in Santa Monica. I love that wall of fabric behind the table/booth contrasting with the fabric lampshade.

From House Beautiful, this little moment of blue and white is absolutely mesmerizing. I'd love to sit here with a book and read my whole day away!

Do y'all (yeah I said y'all, what of it?) have any great weekend plans? I'm having my housewarming party finally so I have lots of planning to do tonight and Saturday but I'm super looking forward to seeing spending time with my friends and enjoying my new home. Happy Friday!


Alicia B.