One of my favorite things about traveling is trying regional food specialties. Whether it’s a lobster roll in Maine or fresh olives in California, I’m always scoping out locally grown or made favorites. When I saw these colorful state-and-food prints by John Holcomb, I immediately looked for Virginia’s. Sadly, there’s no Virginia print yet (I’m…
Welcome to Thursday! Today on Before & After Basics we’ll tackle the process of refreshing tired wood with oil. While this is not a process I do on a weekly basis in the studio, it is great knowledge to have for the antique gems in my home. “What?” you ask, “not everything in your house…
When I first laid eyes on this project, I went absolutely cuckoo bananas. What I wouldn’t give for a blank room in my home to install a salvaged wood wall! This lovely version was made by Austin, a photographer living in Nashville, which explains the lovely, well-composed “after” shot. Austin saw a similar installation in…
It’s not easy to turn large, drafty warehouse spaces into bright, inviting and cozy studios. But when it happens, I immediately want to move in and live there forever. Sarah and her studio mates decided to use the space as the headquarters for two businesses: interior design studio Johnson/Soler and web-based interiors business Pushpin Revolution….
We see a lot of lovely lamp makeovers, but it’s not every day that someone tackles the lampshade. An ugly base can be fixed with a simple paint job, but recovering a shade is a different beast. It’s a shame that this beautiful lamp from Kristen isn’t going to be mass marketed; I would snatch…
When I’m in the kitchen, I tend to cook more like the Swedish Chef (cut to 0:25 for an accurate depiction of my baking) than a cool, calm and collected Martha Stewart. I like to blame our small kitchen for my messes, but I always leave a trail of flour, breadcrumbs or chopped veggies in…
I still can’t get over how quickly the weather has changed — I want to surround myself with things that feel like the inside of a warm, cozy cabin. So when I saw these sweet punched-tin lanterns (you can DIY your own version here) and Fair Isle sweaters from Sparrow & Co., I was hooked….
Elizabeth Demos is no stranger to the Design*Sponge Fan Club — allow me to present you with Exhibit A. Prior to establishing her full-service design studio, she owned the successful retail home furnishings store @home vintage general in Savannah’s historic district for nearly 10 years. I spent many, many hours poring over her unique vintage…
I love the look of old book pages. The toasty brown edges and pale centers of the pages pair perfectly with the stark black type. Simple design with such a vintage feel, but so fragile and brittle. To fix their fragility, I coated the paper with silicone. This technique preserves the fragile pages, making them…
Believe it or not, I have a drawer full of old drinking straws — superfluous craft supplies are an occupational hazard. So I was thrilled to see this straw chandelier project come across my desk, because now I can use them for something beautiful! As those of you who saw Aunt Peaches’ coffee filter flowers…
I’m thrilled to welcome one of my favorite blogging buds to D*S as part of the “What’s In Your Pocket(book)?” series. I’ve been following Lucy Feagins’ blog The Design Files for years now and it’s consistently remained one of my all-time favorites. In addition to providing endless inspiration and insight into what’s happening in the…
Last month I went to the dentist for the first time in four years. And let’s just say it wasn’t pretty. My mouth was totally clean and normal but my teeth, well, they got more than a few visits from the cavity fairy. Like, twice a year for all the years I missed the dentist….
Ok, I know it’s risky to start the day with a relatively random 30 Rock reference, but after watching the new season’s first episode again, I couldn’t help but draw comparisons. In the season opener, Jack’s character has moved in with his girlfriend and she’s decided to start re-decorating his stately bachelor pad. In an…
Party Girl is a new-to-me favorite recently suggested by a commenter. 1995? Parker Posey? New York? Sounds like a classic in the making. Tired of scraping by as an unemployed party promoter, Mary (Posey) tries halfheartedly to make rent on her Chinatown loft by taking a job as a library clerk. The ultimate ’90s wild…
I broke out my closed-toe shoes for the first time yesterday so I think it’s safe to say the cold weather is here. I wear my flip flops as long as humanly possible each year, but I’ve tossed my worn-in summer pair in the trash and am doing my best to embrace sweater weather. I’m…
Today’s Biz Ladies post comes from Rebecca Kutys of Moontree Letterpress in Dumbo, Brooklyn. Together with Breck Hostetter of Sesame Letterpress, Rebecca began a joint venture called “Brooklyn Social Cards” to create letterpress business cards for clients. In this post, Rebecca offers some do’s and don’ts to business card design. From the appropriate information, to…
Image via Wallpapers.com Today’s Ottawa City Guide come to us from Krista Leben, the designer behind urbanite jewelry and the founder of Ottawa’s Craft Co-Op. Krista understands that Ottawa may have a boring rep compared to other Canadian cities, so she has compiled a list of the top restaurants, shops, and additional “treats” to highlight…
When AC and I got married last year, one of my favorite things about the big day was seeing our handkerchief invitations worn by guests as pocket squares. When I saw these beautiful handkerchief invites for the wedding of Youngna and Jacob, I was hooked. As much as I love paper, there’s something about using…
Our resident DIY queen Kate Pruitt has a new post on Currency today! Kate’s piece is about creating your own affordable customized bed frame. Inspired by fancy beds with higher price points, Kate picks out three great bed frames that won’t break the bank and talks about how to transform them into something chic. Click…
If there’s one thing I respond to in a home, it’s color. A well chosen fabric or wall color can make all the difference in the world. So color charts have always been near and dear to me. In college I collected color chart books that I used while struggling through watercolor class. But man,…
