This past weekend we made the short trip to Atlanta, GA for the January market and then on Saturday, drove up to the mountains to stay at the most gorgeous cabin tucked away in the woods. Our friend Brian Patrick Flynn set up the whole weekend and brought together the most amazing group of interior designers and we felt so grateful to be included in the mix.
When we got to Atlanta on Thursday, we checked in to our hotel and immediately went to the market. Just so you have an idea of the scale of this thing, there are three huge buildings that connect to one another where the market is held. They each have about 18 floors and on each floor are around 20 to 30 stores, some that are just there temporarily for the market and some that are there year round. Our favorite area of the whole thing was the antiques area #ofcourse. Every booth was filled with the most amazing selections of old pictures, furniture, rugs, lamps, etc. We could have spent the whole day just in that area alone.
We were thisclose to buying these two prints below but at the last minute we changed our minds and bought a small, antique sailboat picture instead.
We wandered around the market and everywhere we turned were these crazy cool displays of art and furniture and if we had the money, we would have taken them all home.
After browsing the market all day, we finally met up with Brian for the first time in person! We've been friends with him for almost four years, but only online. If you don't know him personally, he is just as fun, funny, compassionate, and thoughtful in person as he is on social media. As soon as we met him it felt like we had been friends forever. There was never an awkward getting-to-know-you feeling.
He introduced us to his designer friends that he invited to the market and, like Brian, we all hit it off immediately and connected so quickly, like we were just friends catching up from not seeing each other in a while. We went out to dinner and talked about our favorite designers, movies, food, and places to travel. Then we went up the elevator to the top floor of the Mariott Marquis (where they were all staying) and it was so breathtakingly fun and scary at the same time. Did you know The Hunger Games was filmed here?
Stunning, right? Then we tried to take a bunch of photos and be artsy but it wasn't happening. So we just started laughing at ourselves instead.
The next day we went to a luncheon to hear The Beekman Boys talk about their new products which was such a treat. We heard about them way back in 2010 when Thomas' older sister showed us their new TV show. We've been huge fans ever since.
After the luncheon, we waited in line for 45 mins to get them to sign a copy of their new cook book! The line was wrapped around the store but we had fun talking to people in line and even meeting a few followers from Instagram.
Then that night we got dressed and went to the Pantone Ultra Violet Party to support Brian and his beautiful vignette he designed! We met so many talented designers, danced to the amazing band, and laughed the whole time. We also met a couple of you while we were there, too! Such a small world, isn't it?
The picture above is of us and our new BFFs. We're only missing Susan, but these women sure do know how to have a good time and they kept us laughing the entire weekend. We miss them already.
After we left the party we headed to this delicious Vietnamese restaurant called Le Fat where we got to know each other even more over Vietnamese coffee and drunken noodles.
We woke up to a blistering cold, rainy day for a our last day in Atlanta. We packed our bags, went to the market one last time, then hit the road for cabin in the mountains.
When we got to Brian's cabin, we were greeted by a light dusting of snow and the most beautiful views of the mountaintops. For as far as you could see there were nothing but trees and clouds just begging for you to stare at them. It was so peaceful.
If you think the view outside is nice, just Wait until you see the inside. Brian's cabin is the perfect blend of masculinity and woodsy, but still bright and welcoming. It has a Ralph Lauren Polo vibe to it. We're still not over the white floors. Take a look:
How talented is Brian? He designs are always so innovative and unexpected. Can we talk about the Natalie Portman Closer picture in the top left bunk? Enough said. He's been designing the HGTV Dream Home and Urban Oasis for the last couple of years and each one is so uniquely different from the next. He's not afraid to take chances and we absolutely love that.
Once all of the girls got there, Shay whipped up this spread in 5 mins and we all changed into our pajamas for the night and hung out while Susan baked a homemade chocolate cake. We got into deep discussions about design and other important topics, but the crazy fun really started to happen when we played Cards Against Humanity. Have you ever played? It's completely ridiculous and hilarious but will keep you entertained for hours. We didn't end up going to bed until almost 2am but man was it a fun night and it's all because of Brian and his husband Hollis, and all these amazing women.
We woke up the next morning, took some pictures with everyone, headed into town to eat at this great little restaurant in Blue Ridge, GA called The Black Sheep and said our goodbyes.
To wrap this waaaay too long post up, we want to thank you, Brian, Hollis, Susan, Jen, Jody, Erica, Shay, Tami, Krista, and Brianna, for your kindness and your candidness. You all welcomed us into your lives with honesty and compassion and we can't tell you enough how much fun we had with you all this past weekend. We feel so inspired and refreshed now that we're home, already planning our next get together with everyone. Until next time, y'all!
PS- if you want to check out our weekend in more detail, check out the video below and be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel!