A Ha!

During Blogfest, House Beautiful's panel discussion centered around "Aha!" moments in design. They encouraged us to think about our own "Aha" moment and blog about it.

I think my major "Aha" moment in designing my own home is when I took the plunge and painted my dining room cobalt blue. I had been thinking that I needed a rich but bright color to set off my white pagoda mirror and abstract art, and finally summoned the courage to do it last year . . .

I couldn't love it more, and it makes me happy every day when I walk through my front door. My "Aha" moment was realizing it's sometimes the small things like a paint color that can make all the difference in a space. 

What has been your "a-ha" moment in design?

Blogfest Recap

As I mentioned in my last post, I ventured off to NYC last Monday to participate in Blogfest 2012. Sponsored by Kravet, one of the oldest and most venerable fabric houses in the country, the event brought over 160 interior design bloggers together and immersed us in the world of interior design as only New York can. It truly was a whirlwind experience beginning with a tour through the Kips Bay Show House . . .

Who wouldn't love a gigantic brass giraffe on their dining room wall?

A little Corbusier in the living room inspired by and dedicated to Albert Hadley's memory.

A snippet of the beautiful kitchen. Loved the brass hardware.

The oversize mural was quite eye-catching.

Loved this enveloping and beautiful bedroom by Alexa Hampton.

This room was one of my favorites but I was so busy gawking this is the only photo I took. Sidenote: my dad has a very similar shield. May have to steal it one day.

Oversize photography trend is going strong, and I'm glad.

On Tuesday, we had the honor of visiting publishing legend Hearst's headquarters for breakfast and  talks by the editors of Veranda and House Beautiful and panels with some established interior designers (Daryl Carter and Timothy Whealon) and some up-and-comers (including Jon Call - loved him). I ate it all up. Including the pastries.

That's Newell Turner, Editor-in-Chief of HB, seated on the left and Mr. Call on the right - too adorable.

Next, we hit up Elle Decor's Modern Life Concept House which was nice but it was so tight in there with over 160 people, I didn't get many good photos. Here are some I did snap . . .

Need an agate tray in my life.

And a tiger-striped velvet bolster. This was on the patio, by the way.

Make a wish.

The brass sea urchin wall compliments of Pieces.

Dark grasscloth + super cool lamp = good

Katie Leede discussing her yummy macaroon-colored room.

We spent the rest of the day at the New York D&D Building which was sensory overload for a fabric-loving girl like myself. 

That's Alexa Hampton on the left speaking with Ann Maine, the Editor of Traditional Home. Alexa was hysterical.

And finally, on Wednesday (the final day) we got the pleasure of touring Kravet's workroom/headquarters aka where the magic happens. Kravet owns Lee Jofa and more recently acquired Brunschwig & Fils. They let us peek behind the curtain, so to speak, and see what it takes to come up with these gorgeous designs, get them produced and into the showrooms. Quite the task. Fascinating, truly. It is a labor of love and they are masters at it. Here are some snippets of fabric heaven:

Whew! And that's not even all of it, but just some of the highlights. I had to leave early on Wednesday so I missed a couple of the afternoon events unfortunately. Along with all the visual stimulation and design information overload, the icing on the cake was getting to meet some fabulous ladies who I've long admired including Danika from Gorgeous Shiny Thingshttp://gorgeousshinythings.blogspot.com/ and her O'verlays business partner, Cheryle.

Sorry for the poor quality. Danika and I right before I left on Wednesday.

And some new blog friends from D.C. like Daniela from Aesthetic Oiseau and Barbara Franceski (whose townhome was featured in last month's Traditional Home, by the way). These ladies could not have been friendlier . . . loved hanging out with them! So many great people, so little time to chat.

Barb and I with Cheryle peeking in.

A huge thanks to the Kravet family and company (one in the same, as they are a family-owned business) for hosting such an amazing event. I had a wonderful time and am still recovering, but it was totally worth the exhaustion.

Blogfest Bound

If you don't know what I'm talking about, it's because I don't usually reference things in the future (I'm a bit superstitious although I pretend not to be). But, the time has come and on Monday, I'll be rising before the sun and flying off to NYC for a little event called Blogfest. Sponsored by Kravet/Lee Jofa/Brunschwig and Fils, Blogfest will include an amazing design-filled whirlwind tour of major design venues and publications for interior design bloggers. In short, it is my heaven.

Trying to get ready to leave my family for three days at the end of the school year is a bit, okay a lot, chaotic thus my inexcusable lack of blogging. I'm not sure if I'll be able to blog while in New York but I will try and do a little tweeting (although I'm admittedly horrible at it) and possibly use Instagram (which I'm a bit better about). Excited does not even begin to describe how I'm feeling (and maybe just a little nervous). My main concern is wardrobe as we'll be on the go from morning till night. I believe I have more angst about what to wear on this trip than I did my entire high school career - oh how I miss uniforms.

I will of course be back with a full report but will be signing off for now. So until then, I leave you with a little find from my early morning shopping excursion.  

I love the shape and detail on this mirror even if I'm not thrilled with the green color. I'm not sure if I'll be keeping it or using it in a client project, but I just couldn't pass it up.

Have a great weekend!