Lovely Thoughts... Making Design Meaningful

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"Rooms are like albums that provoke memories. What you decorate with should remind you of a street you wandered down or an experience that made you happy."- Amy Hase

The best work we do as designers is when we get to incorporate the client's loves, memories, and passions into their space. Whether it be with framed photographs filled with life's moments and art or incorporating family heirlooms, such as an old chair frame that belonged to a great-grandmother, or a crystal bowl that was your mother's wedding gift. We are all about creating spaces people fall in love with. It helps us to know what you love and what makes you happy. This is your space, you need to express yourself! Everyone should get to live in a meaningful space that hugs you back when you gaze into it.

Here are a few tips:

- A gallery wall full of family photos that gives you a chance to peek into one's life and pause, browse, wonder, laugh, and remember. It gives life to ay home and tells your story.

- I like old pictures framed and matted in a clean contemporary way. I think the juxtaposition of the old picture in a cleaned up frame makes a dramatic statement.

- Collections are a great way to show what you love and what you pick up in your travels. Whether it be containers of sea-glass, old trophies, globes, postcards, or books, it's a peek into who you are and what you're all about. It says, you love the beach! Or you love to wander through antique shops...

- Flatter yourself and your room with great light. I think lamp light is the prettiest on the skin and makes you look all warm and glowy.

- Scent is essential to some people's happiness! Fresh flowers are a luxury that no woman can deny! A good flickering candle makes me feel like I'm having a moment. And nothing, I repeat nothing, is better than the smell of food cooking or being prepared that makes a house feel like a home.

Images from Lonny Magazine

Private Residence

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This week we have been working on a project for a client who has recently moved here from New York. She had grown up here in Utah but had been living on the East Coast for several years before deciding to move back to be with family and begin creating her dream home. Her style is refined and sophisticated. She loves the Art Deco look with sloping lines and smooth surfaces with a modern twist. This is how her Living Room and Informal Dining Area will lay out:

Floor Plan

Living Room Perspective

Living Room Furniture Selections

The rug is designed by Thomas O'Brien and brings a warmth that contrasts the cooler tones of the stone fireplace. The artwork that measures at 83 inches high plays up the scale of the room which has vaulted ceilings as well as the oversized studio floor lamp that reaches 122 inches high. The stone top coffee table plays off of the cool tones of the fireplace and adds curvature to the room

. Informal Dining Room Perspective

Dining Room Furniture Selections This beautiful rug adds color to the room and also incorporates the gold tones introduced in the Living Room. The rich walnut dining table is very sleek and will extend for additional chairs. The host and hostess chairs have a slight wing to differentiate them from the side chairs, both of which have the Art Deco sloping arm. The chest near the stairway is made from a beautiful ebony with a gold inlay.

We're Obsessed - Ankasa Bedding and Pillows

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We have recently picked up an exquisite line of bedding and pillows - Ankasa - created by Sachin and Babi Ahluwalia. These two have been a much sought after design team in the fashion industry, creating beautiful embroidered textiles for Vera Wang and Oscar de la Renta. Think of all of the beautiful detail put into the textiles of some of the top fashion designers and them picture it adorning your bedroom! Here are some of the newest additions to their line:

Bonne Terre in Chrome - Cotton sateen duvet with allover crewel floral embroidery King Duvet - $550 Queen Duvet - $550 Euro Sham - $105

Pillows from front to back: Belgian Linen with Center Arri Band and Ikat Emroidery 15" x 30" - $450 Belgian Nubby Linen with all over Leather Strips 12" x 18" - $285 Belgian Linen with Arri Stripes and Chiffon Ikat Half Diamonds 16" x 22" - $300

Pillows from front to back: Linen with Corded French Scrolls 15"x30" - $445 Linen with 4-Side Border of Corded French Scrolls and Tulle Flowers 25"x25" - $600 Pom Pom Euro Sham - Matelass Shame with Raised Pom-Pom Border - $130

Pillows from front to back: Belgian Linen with Center Hand Embroidered Scrolls and Leather Border 16"x22" - $420 Belgian Linen with LEather Strip Boarder and Hand Embroidered Border 21"x21" - $405

Aren't these all so beautiful? They are definitely  show stoppers and we are so thrilled to carry them here at Alice Lane!

Tyler Huntzinger

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We have had the privilege of working with Tyler on several projects. Tyler is an especially gifted artist to work with on any interior space, because he has this vision that nobody else has. I love bringing Tyler into my projects because the work turns out above and beyond what you could hope for. There is this intangible to a room after he has left his mark. It's magic! We have had a great response to the plastered walls in our shop. They are the work of Tyler and his team. I am sure you are dying to scroll down and get a closer look at the images below:

This is Tyler's artwork at the San Francisco Decorator Showcase where he worked with Ironies Design Principals to create this Dreamy Bedroom.

Before Furniture

With Ironies Furniture

Could you die? Feels like heaven! - Or true love! Or both at the same time -- being in heaven and in love!

A bit about Tyler... (as if words could describe this unearthly talent!)

Tyler Huntzinger is a visual artist, painter and designer. He studied drawing, painting and ceramics and graduated with a BFA from the University of Utah.

Tyler pays particular attention to the materials that he uses to create his works and uses materials that are not often used together and are unconventional in the creation of typical gallery pieces. He is careful to preserve the spontaneity of the materials' natural interactions with each other which are reflected in the finished pieces. His works are thickly layered with translucent materials and sometimes are reminiscent of ceramic glazes.

Contact information for Tyler: mail@iconographyfinishing.com (801) 979-2470

Stephanie Nielson

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NieNie is an inspiration to us all. We love her blog and find her to be one of today's most inspirational women! I admire so much her grace and courage to be alive and inspiring through so much discomfort - and change. Not being able to recognize your own exterior would be one of the toughest challenges you could face as a woman... and let me say, after spending a little time with her, Stephanie is the most beautiful woman in the world!

We approached Steph several months back to see if we could brighten a space in her home that she needs help with. There were two areas that she showed us, a basement family room, and an old basement kitchen turned playroom.

We went to work on the space planning - moving this and moving that would give her better use of the space. A new sectional, a charming little occasional chair, use her existing rug.... new lighting, moving the t.v. to the other wall will open up the room, custom Roman shades on the door and window, a little more of this and that... and cabinetry!

For cabinetry, we called on Magleby's! We are so excited to do this project with them. They are the best! As to not completely overwhelm them, we are splitting the project into two phases.

In round one, they will be building out the back wall in the Family Room. White built-in shelving with lower cabinets complete with a little built-in bench in the middle to snuggle into and read. The cabinets will be installed this Thursday! And the furniture will go in (fingers crossed) on Friday! Stay tuned this week as we show you the progress.

It has been hard to keep a lid on the excitement! We're so excited this week is FINALLY here!

We envision it all turning out like this!

Giveaway Time!

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This past week we featured some of our new favorite pillows - the Adam and Viktoria pillows that are hand-stitched in Europe from a Belgium linen.

We are so excited about these that we have decided to share this one with one of our lucky readers!

Enter to win by following these rules:

  • - Follow this blog and leave us a comment.
  • - For an extra entry, post this giveaway on your blog, Facebook, Twitter, etc. Just copy the link into your comment on this post so that we can see it and your name will be entered twice.

The giveaway closes Sunday, July 25th and the winner will be chosen at random and announced on Monday, July 26th. Please leave your email address so that we can contact you! Good luck!

Stay tuned next week to see the start of our project with Stephanie Nielson from NieNie Dialogues!

Alice Lane

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Many people have inquired about the location of the store, "What used to be here?" and "How did you get your name?" So I thought I'd take you all for a little trip down memory lane to where it all began...

Adam and I lived on this little enchanted street called Alice Lane in Farmington, Utah for about 7 years. We built, what we thought was our dream home, surrounded by all the best neighbors and memories my heart could hold.

When I set out to build the dream of opening a furniture store/design firm, I couldn't leave our home and friends that we had fallen in love with. So, I brought it with me and named the store after the greatest address that could ever be: "Alice Lane".

And can you believe I left it all for this? This building gave me the warm fuzzies when we first pulled up to it in the Fall of 2007! It sits on what I've been told is one of the busiest intersections in the state of Utah. Who can argue with location when it comes to real estate? My husband was not so sure that we should invest our savings into this dive.... so I doodled my way through the process, until we signed the lease!

You'll love these before and after shots!

photo by Alyssa Dodini Vincent

photo by Nicole Hill Gerulat

photo by Reed Rowe

Burlap & Linens

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Check out these fantastic new arrivals: Burlap grain sack with authentic markings made into table runners or rugs. Striped Runner - $42 Wagner Burlap Runner - $42

Canvas pillows work in just about every room. Easy to clean and durable yet extremely comfortable with down/feather inserts. $40 - $140

Linen Pillows and Bolster with down/feather inserts. $53 - $100

The metal grommets add great style to these pillows. $69-$76

Vintage Tote - $103 Vintage Canvas and Leather Purse - $103

Utah Style and Design Magazine Photo Shoot

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We were thrilled to have Utah Style and Design stop by for a photo shoot at our store a few weeks ago. They were so delightful! And a captive audience... we love to talk shop - as do they. We are excited to see how the pictures all lay out in the upcoming fall issue and maybe winter! This back area of the store was being shot for the magazine cover! (Soo exciting!) This may be the cover shot of either the fall or winter issue of Utah Style!

Shooting with them was instant gratification, after they'd shoot a scene, we would huddle around their laptop to see how the pictures came out. They'd go back and make a few adjustments and shoot again, until perfection!

We shot a beautiful vignette around the Margarette bed by Oly Studio. They wanted to showcase the color turquoise!

One vignette two different coffee tables -

We talked about how to style a coffee table and still make it look usable and effortless. We shot this scene in front of the French daybed a few different ways. We'll see what they end up using?

French daybed with a high directoire table. It's a nice usable height to eat, study or write a note on.  Fresh flowers cut from my garden earlier that morning. Ahhh, what a luxury!

It will be fun to see how these all develop for the magazine. If you haven't already got your summer issue of Utah Style, run out and grab one! It's a great issue! We are featured toward the front of the magazine in the Style File section.

Special thanks to Brad, Tessa and Adam at Utah Style and Design for making us look so good and spending their whole day with us!

Private Residence - Master Bedroom

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This is the Master Bedroom in the mid-century home our client is restoring for her father. You can find her Family Room here. These are our plans for the Master Bedroom:

It is interesting to see how they lived in the 50's. There are built-ins in every room. A place for everything and everything in it's place. No fluff. Simple lines. Don't overstate it. In this room we kept it simple and elegant - The aesthetic is mid-century modern. So it's clean lines. Minimal details - but enough style to satisfy this small Master Bedroom

The upholstery on the headboard visually softens things up a bit - and the bedding will add another layer interest and loft. The Gilbert bedside table from Julian Chichester has a bronzed and guilded frame with one drawer and a storage area underneath. The Felix chest has simple and clean lines with a metal base.

The celadon lamps will sit atop the Gilbert nightstands. The color of these lamps add to the room's vintage look and the alabaster lamp will adorn the dresser.

We are excited to see everything installed and look forward to sharing with you!

Private Residence

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We have  a client who was knee deep in a restoration project for her sentimental father. Her dad had recently purchased the home he was raised in, and asked his daughter to help him restore it back to its mid-century state. She hired us to do the space planning and furniture for the main floor. What a fun challenge to go back and study that era and get to use some of the iconic design pieces we have admired. This is how the Family Room will layout:

We always start from the ground up. So we began with this Thomas O'Brien Corsaro Rug. Avocado and teal seemed like a nice vintage color combination to kick things off with.

Retro sofa style with blind tufting has a simple silhouette with track arms and a groovy base.

A pair of Luna chairs with exaggerated angles is a definite throw back.

The George console by Oly Studio will act as a sofa table.

At the center of the room, the classic Noguchi cocktail table.

Stylized lamps play into the rooms Vintage Modern flair.

And check out that entertainment unit... Oly Studio's Jean buffet with brass door panels.

No mid-century room would be complete without the iconic Eames lounge chair - We did it in ivory and a stripy walnut base.

I can hardly wait to install this project next month. The last few pieces are still trickling in. Will be sure to show and tell!