The Virtual Alexa Hampton @ The Design Bloggers Conference

Greetings from Atlanta and the Design Bloggers Conference!

I arrived here yesterday and already met a lot of  terrific people. Some I know from online and others I met last year; some I’m meeting for the first time.

I was so looking forward to getting away from the ice and snow and guess what? It sleeted and snowed here today and it’s almost March! Still, 34 degrees is a lot better than 4 degrees.

The conference really begins tomorrow, but was supposed to begin with the totally AWESOME Alexa Hampton {one of the 20+ designers I would definitely hire}

I was so excited, but something happened and I didn’t hear exactly what, and she couldn’t make it in person.

So, she came to us via Skype. I so wanted to meet her. But nevertheless she lived up to her rep as a completely charming, self-effacing, verrry funny woman. And so freaking talented I could just throw up!

They had these monitors, but they were really far away, so difficult to see.  After hearing some mutterings around me, I scrambled to find the photos on the internet of the rooms. A couple I already had like this oft-posted favorite living room.

As you may already know, Alexa Hampton is the daughter of the legendary Mark Hampton

who met an untimely death some 17 years ago due to cancer when Alexa was barely out of college.

Alexa took over the company, Mark Hampton, Inc. and it has flourished since.

Her early work felt pretty much like she was just finishing off her Dad’s projects which is most likely true… And then, I didn’t hear too much about her again until just a few years ago. And what I’ve seen is dazzling.

One of the things I like about Alexa’s work is that I don’t always go…”oh, there’s an Alexa Hampton room.” Her range is from slightly Bohemian-neo-exotic-eclectic to exceedingly formal traditional. Her formal rooms are reminiscent of her Dad. They are rich. Some of her interiors have intensely saturated colors and some are quite pale. She often pushes the envelope with color and pattern juxtapositions.

One commonality is a design sensibility routed in the classical. But she’s not above putting a priceless antique next to something imported from India. Her work is often wildly inventive but never to the point of being weird. As I said, she’s awesome!

Even though we didn’t get Alexa in person, what we did get was an exceedingly entertaining, down-to-earth very intelligent designer–just virtually.

The following are some of the interiors she shared with us and some other interiors as well.

Her New York office

A lovely vignette from one of her licensees, Hickory Chair

Alexa said that cool palettes feel youthful, while warmer palettes are more mature. I think that’s basically true.

Eclectic mix of furnishings in this stunning living room

Above and below from Kips Bay 2014.

extraordinary colors! via Style Beat

Alexa was telling us about this client who enlisted her to help select the apartment. The choices were the Plaza Hotel and the Pierre Hotel. The Pierre won out because the layout was far better. This of course, above is the before shot.

And, the amazing after was removed due to copyright trolls.

A stately Federal era home in New Orleans is elegantly restored after being ravaged by Hurricane Katrina

Alexa described this as what she would like her home to look like when she “grows up.” I really do like this girl!

One of my favorite dining rooms ever

via

Alexa’s favorite brown is Benjamin Moore HC-68 Middlebury Brown

Alexa’s master bedroom. It has since been redone and the color is a rich green. There was a question and answer period and I found out that the color is Benjamin Moore 692 Jack Pine

From the Benjamin Moore website – Jack Pine 692 This color looked so wonderful with the rich cherry-wood door. [see below]

Another shot of the bedroom with a fabulous built-in.

A shot from her Kips Bay 2012 Bedroom found on the blog Habitually Chic. Alexa volunteered that this color is Benjamin Moore’s 1547 Dragon’s Breath. It’s a deep very, very dark warm gray. Interesting color and in this case in a rich, lacquer finish.

Tomorrow, Nate Berkus is speaking, and then on Thursday, Bunny Williams!

xo,