well hello, office of my dreams. scot at parliament sent over a link to his company’s amazing portland, oregon office and i have been trying to find my jaw on the ground ever since. not only does the parliament office seem to be jam-packed with beautiful things to look at, but it is also clearly…
designer dana cannam of eindhoven recently released the final results of his project to create an environmentally friendly desk lamp. her “clamp lamp” is constructed from a solid maple base and a free-moving cantilevered LED strip. the entire system is compression fit without glue or screws holding it together. dana says the lamp “explores the…
artist simon page‘s international year of astronomy prints (last two images below) were a big hit online, so i was happy to hear from him this morning about a new series called futurism. it’s not often that i get submissions that i think ac will like, but this one has my ac radar beeping, so…
Perhaps fox hole living isn’t your idea of bliss, but there is no denying that Fantastic Mr. Fox is a morsel of such homey goodness it would be morally bereft of me to ignore it. Over the holidays, I saw the sets from the movie displayed in the Bergdorf Goodman windows and i was totally…
tomorrow evening ac and i are hopping on a plane to salt lake city to attend the altitude design summit (come say hi at the 8am keynote breakfast panel if you’re in town!) so i’ve been taking notes from our salt lake city guide all week. after the events are over, i’m hoping that ac…
i don’t typically do a lot of book “reviews” on d*s, mainly because i’m not a huge design book reader. for some reason my mind seems to wrap well around online content and magazines, but i’ve always had a hard time making the jump from $5 magazines to $40 books. but as my favorite titles…
if you’re looking for a beautiful hand-written letter to go with your paper flowers, but, like me, you have less-than-desirable handwriting, you’re in luck! the lovely ladies of hello handmade will be offering their services for valentine’s day this year. shanna and betsy explained that this year they’re “taking a cue from jane austen” and…
one of the things i love so much about blogging, and the internet in general, is the way you can connect with people with similar interests in completely different parts of the world. today’s first city guide (stay tuned for another at 12!) is a great example of this across-the-globe connection. i was thrilled to…
happy tuesday! i could think of no better way to kick off today than with these beautiful handmade valentine’s gifts from emersonmade. i’m a big fan of handmade gifts for a holiday like this, when pricey/fancy presents often overshadow the meaning of the day- which for me, is just about taking a moment to celebrate…
photo above: jon jensen photography here at design*sponge, we’ve been following the work of heather frazier since 2007, when we became completely captivated by her ethereal mobiles. four years ago – after 20 years in san francisco – heather and gallery owner husband charles hartman moved to portland. daughter elizabeth was just about to head…
ever since i visited japan several years ago i’ve had a fascination with japanese design and its relative simplicity. there is still so much i have to learn, but today is a step in the right direction. this “moss house” sneak peek comes from oki sato who is behind nendo, a tokyo-based firm specializing in…
i figured i’d keep the love theme going this morning with this new “love lights” screenprint from scott and jacqui of slide sideways in tacoma, washington. if you’re looking for something fun to give your special someone, this 100% recycled, hand screenprinted print could be just the ticket ($20 each). click here to place an…
good morning! i thought it would be nice to start today on a love note. these beautiful notes are from mara zepeda of neither snow. as part of her valentine’s day suite (which you can order on her etsy shop through feb. 8th), mara is offering limited edition calligraphed valentines with vintage postage. each oversized…
i thought it would be fun to close out the week with this great design project from KURO in long beach, california. kuro designed the visual identity and some additional packaging/design work for a new cowboy-themed luxury b&b in nevada called “a cowboy’s dream“. i love all of the little cards, letterhead and logo work…
This recipe for Zucchini and Mushroom pies, by Bill from The Pie Truck, was prepared thanks to the fantastic work of food stylist Adam C. Pearson and photographer Matt Armendariz in their Long Beach studio. I really loved the time I spent learning in their studio because it has a million and one props to…
I’ve long worshipped at the altar of “busyness”. I have running, ongoing lists of things I’d like to, and intend to, complete. Lists for house projects, lists for garden and landscaping projects. Reading lists. Essentially, all manner of lists for filling up my free time. For as long as I can remember, I’ve felt uncomfortable…
i nursed a pretty major crush on a sailing boy for years when i was younger, so i’ll always have a soft spot for anything sailboat-related. these new angela adams sail bags are made from recycled sails in collaboration with a local portland, maine company, sea bags. i’m partial to the full-sized bag, but the…
tgif! the weekend is finally here and i’m ready to celebrate making it through another cold week in the city. thankfully sweet paul is ready with some party-planning tips at the guest blog, so click here to check out his suggestions for events at home!
January is the perfect month for parties. Its dark and cold outside, the bills are piling up and tax season is just around the corner. So why not have a party? I love inviting friends over for dinner. Love the whole planning stage, what to make, witch wine, flowers, just love it. I take pride…
In honor of the new year we’ve decided to redouble our efforts to use locally grown flowers and produce in as many as arrangements as possible. This week was the perfect week to get started again: a little bit of rain and a little bit of warm sun meant that the fields have been pushing…
