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

sorry charlies...

sooooo in the midst of pulling together 3 big new projects, tying up loose ends on recently completed projects, possibly moving to BK and the torturously loud renovation going on next door, we've neglected to post anything new in foreverrr!!  new, fun stuff is coming soon so stay tuned!  we promise we'll never go away like that again :)

for your brief entertainment, some orig instagrams from mom's wedding shower + wedding.  Let me set the stage...it's 1978 and there's a lot of really old ladies...

xoxoxoxoxoxo

a+a