Kid's Bedrooms Galore...

Typically the design world comes to a halt in the summer time, leaving us loads of time to beach it, pool it, vacation it.  This summer, not so much, but busy is good and as a year old company, we are not complaining!

The past few weeks we've been bouncing back and forth between two really fun projects- both for the client's kid's bedrooms!

Color blocking built-ins. shocker! we can't get enough of it!

Walls: Benjamin Moore- Polar Ice.
We cut the color in half for the crown + the beams and painted the ceiling in BM's Super White 02.
Windows: Missoni
Ceiling Fixture- Solaria Bubbles Chandelier.  It's ok to be obsessed with it, we are too!
Dresser- Our client found this at Jonathan Adler- totally perfect fit.
Floors: NuSilk carpet.  Not silk, but looks + feels like it!

Bed: Kid's Supply. We used a great ostrich vinyl to upholster the headboards + footboards.

Somebody had a really hard time with this vacuum.  She swears it wasn't her first time using one.

Across town, we're working on two bedrooms. Installation of the furniture + floors isn't until after Labor Day, but here's a sneak peak of one of the rooms...

This room is small and used primarily when the eldest son is home visiting from college.  The furniture we're installing is all white and will take up most of the room, so we went dark, really dark on the walls ceilings and floor, matching the doors + trims with a corresponding paint color.  Our wallpaper installer kept insisting he could wallpaper the crown molding. We said, "No. It'll look crappy, please don't."  He really wanted to prove us wrong so he did a sample of it and, well, we were wrong. It looks FAB!

Walls + Ceiling: Phillip Jeffries: Juicy Jute Grasscloth


xoxo
a+a

just FYI

this is amazing...i want it in every color!!!  Espesh pink..

Zack Morris would wear this surfing......Zinka Nosecoat.  buy buy buyyyyyyyyy!!!  And it's like $6/tube ps so super cheap.

xxoxoxoxoxoxo

a+a

DIY Nakashima Table Inspiration..

OK, so most of you design-obsessed out there (like us!) have heard of the design world icon George Nakashima, designer and craftsman of beautiful free-formed, hand made wood furniture.  Where most furniture and design is created by the designer, their approach is to allow the beauty of the grain and form and shape of the wood pieces available dictate the design of the piece... truly revolutionary.  And creates a beautiful relationship between designer and material in a time of mass production when everything looks the same.  The result is a piece of furniture that is equal parts form and function - art and everyday usable furniture, aaahmazing.  His studios are still up and running to this day, headed up by his daughter, Mira, in New Hope, PA..it's a must-visit-before-i-die kind of place, truly inspiring just to walk around the grounds and explore the studios. 

Original Nakashima Trestle Table, 1965, via here

Orig Minguren III Dining Table from '78..via here

 

Now, if you've heard of Nakashima, you must also be familiar with the price of his pieces...crazy and wayyyyyyyy out of our budget!  And now that we're hopefully moving to a bigger place, I dream of my own Nakashima-esque dining table in our apartment, and there's some great stuff out there..but we want it to be unique! and hand made! and CHEAP!!!  CB2's Dylan Dining table is a great option just sooo.. CB2...so...that said, here's our inspiration combining Nakashimaness + CB2ness..and a fun idea we're psyched to try out soon and let you know how it turns out...

TheLumberShack on Etsy is an amazing shop with gorgeous free-form wood pieces sold as a matched pair as a "DIY Table Top", finished or unfinished, assembled or unassembled, ready for you to do with them what you please!  They offer coffee table top sizes, bench sizes, dining table sizes, and custom as well!  the possibilities are endless!  This pair is giving me heart palpitations as we speak...and what about legs you say?  We're loving hairpin, and they're so inexpensive!!  Just a quick google search and we came up with a few good options...namely Ian MacLean, but there are etsy shops out there who sell them as well, among other online retailers.  So...

highly figured walnut dining table top

+

Raw Steel 3-leg hairpin legs (28"H!!)..only $35/leg!

+

a little hard work 

=

 my new dining table at a fraction of the cost of the real thing!  we'll keep you posted with pics!!

xxoxoxo

a+a

solid gold baby...

so, totally obvious to everyone who's ever read this blog previously or met us or spent time near and/or around us or anyone we knowww, a + I loooove all things brass and gold and shiny.  the shinier the better.  we love!

During a little eBay shopping trip for vintage modern brass anything last night I somehow managed to contain myself and not bid on eeeverything, but instead thought i'd share with you some fun finds we thought might inspire...

And bear in mind, whatever's hanging around your house and isn't gold already can always (inexpensively) become gold...

gold + antlers...my dream.  such a cool wall hanging, would look amazing over a bed or sofa..kiinda pricey for eBay but it's so unique!  via here

gorgeous.  a vintage brass + patina ashtray/bowl from israel with hammered interior, via here

love vintage hardware!!  there's so much of it out there to choose from too, and at a good price!  Slap these on a plain old ikea set of drawers (This is perfect!  and such a fun new color, especially with the brass hardware!) and for around $100 you have a beautiful and unique piece of furniture!  via here

an iconic piece of mid-century modern design, set of ben seibel for raymor bookends.  no reserve so they can possibly sell for way under value!  6 days left on the auction, keep an eye on them here 

beautiful mosaic porcelain lamp with brass base, lots of warm tones with texture to spare.  would make a great addition to a modern space, or add a modern touch to a more traditional space.  put on a tailored linen drum shade and you're good to go!  via here

you can't have brass without a hint of modern regency, now can you?  these mid-century sconces are gorgeous and unique, and scream modern hollywood glamour.  I'm sure they give off the perfect amount of romantic ambient light too..made of solid bronze the finish needs a little tlc as you can see from the pics, but otherwise they're gorgeous..auction is for one so keep an eye on the pair! via here

and finally, my new obsession - super skinny candlesticks.  and their super skinny holders.  and this vintage one is such a good price starting at $9.99 with no bids and only a few hours left!  someone buy pleaaaaase????  via here

have fun shopping!!!

xxoxoxo

a+a

Etsy obsessed..

new day, new etsy obsession, eh?  Honeywell home is a fun new shop with lots of yummy vintage finds recently opened by owner/designer/master chef extroardinaire/bff Stephen Honeywell.  With amazing finds from estate sales and thrift shops and everywhere in between, everything he has to offer is pretty, and perfect and ready to transform your space!

personally, a+i love all things gold and shiny and glassy and lucitey and, well, Honeywell Home has it all.  and damn good pricing too!  peep some of our favs below, and check out his shop here!

a pair of woven ceramic trivets..love the black and white/yin and yang of it all.  via here

pair of chunky glass bookends with a creepy little bird inlay..love it, so unique!  would add such depth and character to a shelf full of books, via here

brass? check.  peruvian alpaca?  check?  love this little figuring, plop it on a coffee table with a bunch of big art books, it will be a conversation piece to say the least!  via here

more brass, this time with turquoise.  and it's an ashtray, but perfect size for a jewelry dish too...  need i say more? via here

these are amazing!  vintage set of hand carved ivory toothpicks with amazing and dainty detail, each appears to be unique! gorgeous.  via here

a+i obsess over unusual scale, and the teeny size of this little artichoke lamp is our dream.  can someone please adopt it and give it a good home?  via here

this vintage slag glass dish is killing me...reminds me of my grandfather's ashtray.  so heavy and beautiful.  via here 

finally, agate.  every girls dream. chunky, gorgeous little dish/ashtray.  i'll say no more.  buy.  via here

xxoxoxo

a+a

Lets trade clothes..

getting a little nytimes reading in this past sunday i came across an article on the launch of a new website for clothes horses like a+i.  we both like to shop, shop and shop some more, and are loath to rid of the real goodies we love out of fear of wanting to wear it again sometime in the next 40 years.  everything comes back into style again at some point!  But let's be clear: we're not hoarders and we do clean out our closets (at gunpoint) from time to time, but everybody knows only H&M and Forever21 things are reaaaaally disposable because..well..they're made that way.  But this site is opening our eyes..and our minds and our closets........................and of course our wallets who are we kidding?

Threadflip.com was just launched this week, it's an amazing site to shop for pre-loved goodies including clothing, jewelry, bags, shoes and more.  Simply log on, register your style, your sizes and everytime you check back all the goodies that fit with your style description and sizing are laid out before you like magic!  Here's the best part: they also make it super easy to list and sell your own items, even going so far as to mail you the pre-paid packaging!  it seriously doesn't get easier than that.  and for lazy bones like us, that means there's no more excuses.  So get to listing people!  This site seriously has everything, from designer duds to vintage, to everything in between...it's all there and i want to buy it all.

some of our recent favs are below, but be sure to check back often there's always something new out there!

in looove with this vintage leopard print fur coat...yum.  via here

i'm a sucker for vintage lanvin. obv.  someone please buy this so i stop spending money it's such a good price only $145! seriously similar styles sell on ebay for hundreds more.  someone take advantage quick! via here

some cutie pie vintage oxfords..love the exaggerated tassel. via here

alex wang. wah. via here

some purple prada?  with jewels? yes pls.  via here

karen walker sunnies yum! via here

finally..a vintage sailboat locket because i wish i was sailing somewhere beautiful right now...  love.  via here

xxoxoxo

a+a

A Modern Bathroom for a Pied a terre

While yesterday we lamented over our difficult relationship with our previous contractor, today we are giving a nod to our clients.  We have been extremely lucky.  All of them are incredibly kind, eager to see what we dream up for their home and trusting in our designs.  A sweet couple we met years ago called on us to renovate their Pied a terre bathroom.  They come in on the weekends and so we were excited to hear they wanted to go all out.  We called on the usual suspects (waterworks, ahem, etc.) and turned a not-so-contemporary bathroom, into a sleek, modern space for them to really enjoy. 

since it's a small bathroom, we wanted a monochromatic look.  smoky blue walls, white ceiling + floor with nickel finishes.

waterworks repose glass tile

 davis + warshow fittings + trims

toto toilet.

custom white glassos vanity top.

vanity drawer fronts made out of the same waterworks repose glass tile.

hard to see in this pic, but we had our friends over at plexicraft make us this custom lucite towel holder above the toilet.  the sliding glass door (originally wood. see below.) is a white opaque back painted glass. not easy to get right and not cheap either. but well worth it!

before

we've got some exciting news coming up regarding this project and can't wait to share!

stay tuned!

xoxoxo

a+a

A Beautiful Result

as with most things in life, they don't always go the way you want them to.  in our world, it's very rare to have a project run perfectly from start to finish.

exhibit A.  a wonderful, incredible client of ours hired us to design + renovate their bathroom.  we brought in a contractor who we knew and trusted and the project got underway.  for the first few weeks all was well, but as the project dragged on, we realized we were quickly losing control over the progress and quality of the project.  our contractor, for whatever reason, went AWOL.  impossible to get a hold of, pulling his workers from our project to put onto another of his own...the list goes on. our clients, while incredibly patient, wanted their bathroom back.  of the many lessons learned during this period of time, rushing to get the job done in the time frame promised vs. making sure it's done properly is a tough balance.  in the end, we know it's better to tack on some extra time to ensure the work is up to snuff and something we are proud of. 

as the project neared the end, and just a few days before christmas, we knew we were walking away from something that wasn't right.  sure it looked beautiful from afar, but it was 90%.  it wasn't 100% and it wasn't what we wanted to put out there with our name on it.  we also knew we had to end our relationship with our contractor. with a heated and rage-filled goodbye, we sent him on his way and began our search for someone who could come in and fix this- a task we knew wouldn't be easy.  we got lucky, and found a wonderful tile guy recommended to us through our new contractor (and saving grace!). it took months to re-order new custom made tile, resubmit insurance requirements to the management company and to coordinate a schedule with the clients, building and contractor, but finally he got in there and went to work. 

today we finally finished and while it's hard to say it was worth the wait, we actually think it was.

specs.

carrera marble field tile, white ceramic subway tile, bathtub, toto toilet, recessed medicine cabinets, wall sconces, all sink and shower fittings, towel hooks, towel bar and toilet paper holder

waterworks

vanity + carrera marble vanity top

davis + warshow

herringbone marble floor

nemo tile



xoxo

a+a

The flyest candles you ever saw..

sooo a and I met with one of our amazing clients the other day who is just back from a quick trip to Paris and she introduced us to THE coolest candles you have ever seen.  Cire Trudon is a french company which dates back to the 1600s with ties to versailles and Marie Antoinette..all of which kills us of course, not to mention the fact that this old old old company makes THE most amazing candles you have ever seen.  Barneys and Bergdorfs sell their scented glass candles + tins, but their neon cameo pillars are to die for, and for some reason tough to find here in the states except through a select few online vendors.  They're not cheap, but nothing special is.  And besides, you only need a few to make a statement.  check em below..available via here + here