The Leela Bench and The DC MEET Market

Last Sunday (after a beautiful, super fun Saturday day trip to Charlottesville with some friends), I made my way back out to Bel Air, MD to scour for more chairs and benches. Within 10 minutes of walking through one of my favorite shops, Ryan's Relics, I spotted this gorgeous white bench with the most elegant curve in the legs. It was like a bench doing a gentle back bend. I knew I had to have it! After nabbing a couple of other great pieces, I made my way to the local fabric shop. 

For several months I've been collecting images of vibrant ethnic prints, patterns, and colors. One particular inspiration board was filled with oranges, blues, ikat prints, and textured kilim rugs (I'll post a picture to the Third + Grace FB soon). So when I was looking for fabric, a rich azure blue with a crazy print was subconsciously in my mind. As soon as I found it, I knew a bright color paint for the bench itself was in order. I mean, I wanted this piece to sing! So here she is. A wonderful new bench for a foyer, bedroom or office that I hope finds a happy home soon! I'm calling her Leela.

 The Before

The After

And in some other news, I'm super thrilled to announce to you all that on July 6th Third + Grace will be a vendor in the DC MEET Market in the heart of Logan Circle! I can't tell you how many back flips I did when I found out! (Mental back flips because you know I'm not that flexible haha). I'm going to be the first and only furniture vendor the market has had so far and I would love if you all came out to say hello! I'll be sure to post details as the event gets closer.

Have a great week!

xo,

Nicole

Osei Duro

This morning while perusing Pinterest I came across this beautiful collection by LA and Ghana-based textile and design company Osei Duro. Immediately I thought of Duro Olowu (though he's of course  Nigerian and Jamaican), and his amazing capsule collection with JC Penney. Osei Duro has that same bold and youthful approach that isn't afraid to mix bright fabrics with bold patterns. So of course I threw on the only blouse from Duro's JCP collection that I purchased--a mixed floral, paisley, and striped shirt--and happily rocked it all day :)

Pull Up A Chair

Two quick behind-the-scenes photos from the Third + Grace photoshoot this past weekend. We photographed at the lovely space of the Ulysses Room in NW DC. I'm still pinching myself that this idea has gone from a seed into something that is growing and taking root. It's awesome and I'm so grateful for the ride so far :) And to this lady below, my good friend and all around amazing stylist, fahionista and Art Director Dian Holton! She's amazing at what she does and is so multi-talented. I'm just trying to make sure I get her autograph now before she takes over the world :)

And thank you to everyone for your encouragement and coming back to this blog for updates. I'd love to see you join us on Facebook and Instagram for all the Third + Grace goodies I'll be posting! Some great events are in the works that I'm stoked to share here soon. We're just getting started! The blog will be getting a teeny tiny facelift in the coming months as developments are made, but it'll all be for you!

Cocktails with Refinery29!

Catching up on some recent shoots I did, I wanted to share this one with Refinery29 DC recently. 

When the editor Holly Thomas e-mailed me to photograph some delicious summer cocktails at one of my favorite spots in DC--Estadio--I knew only good things were to come. I was just at Estadio with a girlfriend only two nights before enjoying their jamon serrano plate (love!). The funny thing is that I was just thinking how awesome it would be to photograph in their space. Beautiful wood and iron surrounded by gorgeous textile walls. We spent the afternoon watching bartender Adam Bernbach churn out three great summer cocktails. Even for a girl who knows very little about drinks, The Rye Highball (the tall one) is my hands down fav :) You can see the full story and recipes here!

All photos by Nicole Crowder

Happenings and All the Jazz

Hope you all have been having a great week! I definitely need to download you on some great happenings and things to come this weekend.

This past weekend I flew down to New Orleans for their annual Jazz Festival, and my friend and awesome dancer Melissa and I have been excited about going for months. We literally text and e-mailed eachother every other day for three months with random notes like "Beignets!" "So excited!!!" and "Andrew Bird"!! (Ok, well, the last one was mostly me lol). But it was an awesome time. Four days in one of the coolest southern cities, all the fried food we wanted, and just an all-around mellow and wonderful time. I love my southern folk. I don't know if it was the humidity, the alcohol, or the mounds of friend oysters at our disposal, but everyone was so kind and relaxed. You feel as though you've taken a two hour plane ride to a whole other country with the gorgeous architecture and iron balconies. I can't say I was happy to return to DC so soon. But it was wonderful while it lasted and I hope to be able to do it again next year.

This Saturday I'm attending the wedding of two dear friends who I can't wait to celebrate: Ben and Kristin. Ben is one of Dave's closest friends, but because Dave is still on deployment I'm dressing up to stand in for him at the nuptials of two of our favorite people.

And Sunday I'm super excited because I'll be photographing the chairs for the debut of my site, Third + Grace! I'm pinching myself everyday because these are the photos that I've had in my head for months and can now finally create and share with you all soon! My good friend Dian and her boyfriend John are helping with the loading and unloading, and I'm forever grateful. Dian is awesome at prop styling (she does fabulous work for Anthropologie, Gap, Banana Republic, and more), and she's just great people. We're shooting at the beautiful local creative space The Ulysses Room here in DC, and when I saw the space several months ago I immediately fell in love and knew I had to do something here one day. Third + Grace came along and I knew it was a done deal. I'd love for you to follow all the behind-the-scenes goodness and updates on the Third + Grace Facebook page!

What are your plans for this weekend? Hope you get some R&R in there whatever they may be :)

Q.U.E.E.N

Wowza! Can we talk about this video for a minute? Erykah, Janelle, Alan Ferguson, Funk, and a black and white palette? Yes, and yes! This is the collaboration I think many of us have been waiting for to give us life!

Two of my favorite performers smashing on a funk song in a video directed by one of the coolest men (Alan Ferguson) with attitude reminiscent of Chaka Khan and Betty Wright in their hey. The only thing missing is probably my other girl crush--and Alan Ferguson's lady--Solange :) But hey, a girl can dream, right?

& Other Stores

Been in a bit of "go" mode the past couple of weeks, and I promise everyday I say "You really need to post, girl." So here we go with a good one! Shoes :) I came across these from the site & Other Stories, and I'm obsessed. Especially with the clear and blue leather Abigail Lorick Oxfords. I mean...look at that shoe. Gorgeous. So here's hoping your week gets off on a good foot.

xo,

Nicole

Abigal Lorick Oxford

Lace-up pumps

High heel pumps

Fabric slippers

Wedge sandals

New Chair + Announcement!

Hello + happy Hump Day! A  short while ago I mentioned on the blog that I was in a bit of a cacoon state, working on a new project. I wanted to wait until I had announced it to friends and family before an official announcement on the blog, but I'm super excited that I can now share it with you all!

As some of you have seen either via this blog, Twitter, Facebook, or even Apartment Therapy, I've been upholstering chairs for a very short time now. I've become engrossed with it and so in love that I spend my nights after work and most weekends doing nothing but sourcing and working on chairs. It started as one sale here, and then another one there, and then an inquiry here about when the business would be opening then another there by total strangers. In January, as I've done for the past 6 years, I wrote down some declarations, and one of them was to launch my own vintage chair upholstery business. It sounded incredibly bold for me, seeing how I had never before thought of myself as an entrepreneur, or having my own shop (brick and mortar or online). But I also said I wanted to wow myself :) And God has a way of amplifying a light in us that even we can't see until the time is right. 

So without further ado I am excited to announce that I am officially launching my upholstery business, Third + Grace (!) 

I've been planning and working away on this since January, and it's taken off in ways I could not have imagined just a few months ago. The collection will feature vintage chairs, benches and vanities, with hopes to grow into settees and couches in the future. Thanks to many weekends of scouring all over Virginia, Maryland, and Craigslist (ha!), I've amassed quite a collection that sits in our sunroom waiting for happy homes :) Currently, I'm in the process of having a logo and website designed, and will debut the site at the end of April. And in less than one week I'm photographing the collection at a beautiful local studio space that I can't wait to share with you here!

But I did want to give a sneak peek at one of the chairs that will available online when the Third + Grace shop opens. This is a vintage barrel chair I purchased in Maryland two weeks ago. I'm finishing her up with some welt cording this week.

Wanted to send a big virtual hug to everyone for lending your support and encouragement along the way! Can't wait to see the greatness in store for each of us!

xo,

Nicole

Kyle Thompson

The internet is a funny little rabbit hole. The widest and deepest space of information one can fall in to virtually (or be pulled into). Doing a search on one separate item lead me to the work of conceptual photographer Kyle Thompson from Chicago. I was trying to figure out to explain the sensation I had upon first viewing his work without it sounding like the body of images made my sad. Quite the contrary. I felt uplifted. Perhaps it's the reoccurring theme of water that was reminiscent of a baptism, and the image of someone being lifted upward that made me see this as more revelatory than some other works I've seen recently. Either way I'm smitten and wouldn't be mad if one of these prints found its way into my home. Say, right above the living room sofa in a 16x24" ? ;)

AND! That's not all. Kyle is expanding his project to now launch a book of his conceptual style of imagery, and thanks to pledges made through the crowdfunding site KickStarter, Kyle reached his goal and his headed out on the road to see more locations! You can check out the video where he explains the project here. It's going to be incredible, and I can't wait to see what he produces.

Why Can't I Keep You?

Call me a year late and $2 short, but I just came across the sister+brother duo Wild Belle from Chicago, but who are now living life all over the globe thanks to their musical chops and soon-to-be released album Isles. My summer crush is in full effect, albeit a little early.

 Photo shot for Interview Magazine by Steven Pan

Everything. I mean everything about this dang video is hot. I love that Melina Matsoukas directed it and put her signature touch and haze over it. And the "little man" Jibari with so much swagger in the video should have his own fan club. Too cute. Now to find out which stylist worked on the video...

Wild Belle's music comes at a perfect time as festival season is about to explode. Crop tops and aztec- printed shirts and dresses will be in full effect at at Coachella, Lollapalooza, and countless others.  Someday (crosses fingers, toes, and closes eyes really tight) I'll be living a weekend under the desert moon in Coachella or the open field at SXSW. But for now, I shall rock the mess out of Wild Belle via every other means I have available. One thing I really love about their sound is how across the board it feels. Reggae, Rocksteady, soul, disco, hip hop, you name it the beat will appear in one of their tracks by album's end. And that seems to be how the band likes it. It makes sense: if your musical influence spans multiple genres your album shouldn't be confined to only reflecting one of them, right? I think they're closer to doing what other bands strive to do, which is be defined as "undefinable".

To Another Great Year!

Today is/was (it's 11pm EST) my birthday! I spent the day at church, working on some projects around the house, and hosting a small dinner with a couple of friends. Not to mention taking in Season 3 of Game of Thrones! (Are you watching?? I'm obsessed! Let's talk:) 

The past year was wonderful and filled with so many great experiences, new friends, revelations, (some frustrations and natural growing pains), and achievements. But in a word it was fruitful. I discovered a new passion and am in full pursuit of it (Will announce it in April on the blog!). The creative collaborations have been popping up like daisies, and I'm ecstatic about all of them. In this moment I feel humble and grateful. For everything. This is perhaps the first year where I actually felt the transition of a new age. It's been settling over me like a new skin for a few days and I feel...renewed. Falling on the same day as the resurrection of Jesus and coinciding with the introduction of Spring has made it feel all the more special. I hope your weekend was also lovely. Here's to the week ahead!