it's my party

Well, its official! allora reaches the one year mark this month! Who could have known all of the exciting things that allora.signature.RUTLEDGE would get me into just a short 365 days ago? Things do change in a year... but not as much as I would have expected! I'm still mentally "moving," as I break in the new apartment, but as I said before, things don't change that much. I'm still on Rutledge. There are some exciting things coming in the next year... magazines, blogs, websites, and of course--more chairs! I'm going to be sure to keep all of the surprises surprises though! Just be excited--its good to be a year old!

sneak preview

Usually I like to debut a newly finished chair--or in this case, set of chairs--with the finalized, typical black and white allora images, but after spending my lunch hour sitting outside (finally!) and reading in this refreshing autumn air, I couldn't resist sharing the most recently completed allora.signature chairs! Here they are in their new permanent home, my screen porch--allora.signature.CANDIA! There are so many things that I love about these chairs, but I'll have save that for the official debut next week! Hope you're all enjoying this weather as much as I am; see you at the design walk tonight!

babies rock

Aside from eating, a baby's only other priority is sleeping. Conveniently, this is often a priority of both parents as well--particularly after a few nights of restless, cry-awakened sleep. For this reason, no nursery is complete without a rocking chair. Rocking chairs come in a variety of styles, fashioned to about any taste and can truly become a feature of your baby's room! New parents might also have an old rocking chair that has been passed on to them by siblings or grandparents that only needs to be updated to match the nursery's decor. Reusing a chair that has meaning is not only thrifty, it adds sentiment and provides a special story. It is amazing how the most outdated looking chair can be updated with a coat of paint and an interesting fabric to achieve that something extra in your baby's first room! An allora gift certificate for a mom-to-be is also a great gift idea to help with the nesting--as well as assisting in getting the little one to sleep! I can't wait to meet all the sweet babies that are on the way! "Peanut," "Strawberry," Kate, Wright, and Ra--happy rocking!

haute chair

It is only reasonable for one to assume that following the wedding season of your generation of friends that the baby season will not be far behind, however, I assure you, it has taken me by surprise! Don't get me wrong, I am THRILLED--more than thrilled--for all of my soon-to-be-moms-and-dads friends; it has just taken me a little off guard! I feel quite educated on folic acid regimens and trimester timelines, but lets be honest. Part of the fun of these blessed little people is in preparing for their arrival (namely, while they are still quiet): decorating the nursery, stocking up on clothes, wandering through aisles filled with such exciting finds as desitin and bottles...

Once the baby arrives, life consists primarily of eating and sleeping, so these two functions quickly begin to fill the minds of soon to be new parents (at least in my experience). So in honor of the first of these two activities, I give you... haute chair.

While the nursery is the child's exclusive domain, your kitchen and/or dining room will still (hopefully) remain pleasantly civilized and adult, with one exception: the highchair. So why should it be boring or basic? There are so many great options... all waiting to be customized, not just to match your existing space but to accent it! What better way to celebrate the new one's arrival? What a great and thoughtful gift! Fun for the parents and good for the child... as I recently learned that high visual contrast helps with brain development. Tomorrow, we'll focus on a baby's other favorite activity: sleeping!

urbanSHED arcade

I know that I've mentioned that September was a crazy month, and I feel certain that in the same breath, I mentioned, among other things, deadlines. One of these deadlines was the urbanSHED competition that Alicia and I entered on behalf of Liollio. Our scheme, ARCADE, is built around over-emphasized structure which is secured by water ballast via q-drums. These q-drums roll on site easily before being filled (again, easily) with water. They not only serve, however, as efficient connections, but as street furniture for passers-by and regular pedestrians, as a place where they can read the paper, talk on their cell phones, rest their feet, or wait to hail a cab. Seating at its best!