I can't tell you how much I've missed blogging over the past week. Reading about your inspirations and hearing about what's going on with you guys is such an important part of my day, so to not be able to check in everyday has been weird. However, I was lucky to be experiencing a delightful few days in New York, and now I'm back with plenty of fun planned for Bright.Bazaar (standby for a super exciting giveaway next week). Now, although I said I would be back with a colour cocktail post today, I thought it would be fun to share my time stateside with you guys and return to my regular features next week. So let's get started! On the first night the world's most fabulous and generous host, Kelley Moore, treated us to a dinner party to end all dinner parties. Seriously, check this lady out, she's the tablescape queen! It will always be a special night for me as it was the time I got to meet the Rue girls for the first time after working with them over the past few months. A fantastic evening was had by all, with hilarious dancing included!

After spending Sunday having brunch with some friends in Brooklyn, I met up with Emily who showed us her favourite places in the West Village. Emily is my age and loves magazines, J Crew, Carrie Bradshaw, the colour yellow and trashy romcom movies. A kindred spirit? I think so! On Monday I went to the HGTV lunch and met up with so many inspiring bloggers. As well as meeting new friends and gushing over our shared love of design, I also discovered I'm partial to a strawberry and raspberry snapple.

The same day brought with it another exciting event. This time, the Rue magazine launch party. These girls did good - what a blast! To be able to meet such friendly, engaging, funny and passionate people from all over the world is something I will cherish. Thank you to everyone who put their time and effort into organising such a wonderful celebration. Nick Olsen and I discussed our love for a decent checked shirt, whilst later I chatted Paris and photography with the charming Emily Anderson, giggled with Mackenzie Horan and Emily Clark over prosecco and nattered the night away with Karen, the moggit girls and lots of other fun people who I didn't manage to get a snap with.

Over the four days I snapped some of the architecture that I found most inspiring. New York oozes inspiration everywhere you go - from the brownstones of West Village to the rough, industrial feel of the Meatpacking district and Chelsea. On Sunday evening we saw the sunset from the Top of the Rock and watched as the twinkling golden lights sparkled in the darkening city below.

On Monday afternoon I popped into Vicente Wolf's showroom and had a tour of the worldly items that filled the space. Trudi, the showroom manager, told the stories behind the pieces with pizazz and her energy was infectious. I loved the collection of mirror plates (middle, right) from Thailand, along with the delicate vignette of blue vases.

And, of course, no trip to New York would be complete without a little bit of shopping. Jack Spade, J Crew, Jonathan Adler and the Chelsea Market bookstore all delivered excellent goods. Us Brits need to learn a lesson from the Americans when it comes to retail - they know how to ace customer serivce and take visual merchandising to the next level. New friendships, inspiring interiors and interesting cultures. Thanks for a top four days, New York.