September is always an exciting month, summer is winding down, the breeze changes to have that distinctive crispness, and it marks the beginning of a series of fashion, style, and trend events that impact every aspect of style and design for the next several months, if not the entire year ahead. In 2015 I was featured as Better Homes and Gardens Rising Stylemaker in their highly anticipated Stylemaker edition (a little peek at a BH&G Flea Market shopping excursion from that trip here). The honor felt like an important moment in my career, and now that two years have passed I can say it undoubtedly was a turning point for me and my business. I attended a stunning rooftop party in NYC to celebrate, and it was magical beyond belief. When I was invited to attend the 2017 BH&G Stylemaker event this year in Brooklyn, I was thrilled. Understatement.

This year's event was held at 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge, which sitting almost directly next to the Brooklyn Bridge has an absolutely breathtaking view of Manhattan. The property is lined with trees, and has an unexpected indoor/outdoor open air experience I never expected to find this deep into the city. This embrace of nature in the middle of the city is continued with the interior the moment you enter the lobby and was emphasized throughout the entire event. 

The BH&G team did such a fantastic job keeping our schedules busy the entire day with thoughtful, interesting, and inspiring workshops. One of my favorites was an Avocado Toast Challenge that we created as teams, proving there are countless ways to creatively tackle the same project. It was fascinating to see how differently each team approached their challenge with the same ingredients and tools at their disposal. Here's a shot of Kim and me doing what we do most days here in the studio already-- styling plates by natural light for that perfect Instagram shot, which often means getting into some pretty silly positions while gesturing expressively. (Anyone who knows me in real life, knows that I'm always gesturing expressively.)

After this session we enjoyed an amazing lunch and attended a baking workshop with Joy The Baker. I'm really thankful that David Keith Photography was on site to photograph the entire event. My iPhone photos just didn't do this experience justice! And it's so nice to have these candid photos of Kim and me working together! This is basically what work looks like everyday for the two of us, just less cake baking and more pottery making.

We finished the evening with a wonderful networking cocktail party, followed by a a showstopping sunset on the rooftop! Excuse the iPhone quality of the following images, but I just had to share these with you! Have you ever seen such an incredible rooftop pool?!

A huge thank you to Better Homes and Gardens for inviting us to be a part of the 2017 BH&G Stylemaker Event! 

(Photo credit for the BH&G Stylemaker event photos belongs to David Keith Photography.)