Last night over dinner, AC, Kristina and I ended up having a conversation about winter hats (mainly how unattractive the best/warmest ones are), and it instantly reminded me of these cards that I’d seen in my inbox this weekend. Designed by W+K studio, these “Warm Heads” cards range from adorable pom-pom styles to a slightly…
When Grace asked me to wrap up the 2010 Design*Sponge gift guide marathon (This is number 24! Whew!) with the ultimate last-minute gift — books — I nearly jumped for joy! After all, I am a librarian, so I have that love of books thing down, but honestly, there have just been so many amazing…
Five years ago, Cecile Carré founded MisMAS, an interior design studio, and adopted the concept of interior design for everybody. Based in Barcelona, the company provides a tapas-style “menu” with a lot of “plates” to choose from, depending on your budget. As with Cecile’s own home, “Casa Radas,” MisMAS mixes contemporary design with old things,…
It’s not everyday that we get to feature a home that is between 300 and 400 years old, but such is the case for the home of Di Overton, whose cottage sits in a little hamlet of six ancient properties in Northumberland National Park (northeast England, not far from the Scottish borders). Granted, the house…
If you’ve read Malcolm Gladwell’s The Tipping Point, you’re probably familiar with the man behind this sneak peek without even knowing it. Joel Fitzpatrick appears in the first few pages of the book, cited as a key visionary in helping bring the Hush Puppies brand back to life. Joel is an entrepreneur, artist, fashion designer,…
Artist Trish Grantham has a charming house in Portland, Oregon. Her home is filled with paintings she loves that she acquired from friends and favorite artists. The Norway Spruce wall color in Trish’s living room is absolutely stunning; it looks great against the hodgepodge of framed art and miniatures. I’m also a fan of the…
I’m still riding the high from this weekend’s holiday DIY classes at the Brooklyn Flea. The lovely ladies of Twig Terrariums and our own Amy Merrick did a fantastic job, and everyone who came made such beautiful things. I can’t wait to do some more DIY events after the holiday, but in the meantime, I…
I seriously cannot believe that Christmas is next week. I feel like I need another week or two to prepare, but whether I like it or not, the year is coming to a close. So as we gear up for our last week of content, I wanted to take a brief pause to thank you…
Alright! It’s time to dive into our next round of talented finalists- graduate students! These 10 designers have quite simply blown my mind with some of their designs and I will definitely be lining up to buy some of these pieces when they hit shelves. If you’re looking for inspiration, these designers definitely can provide…
The time has finally come to vote for the 2010 Design*Sponge Scholarship finalists! Today we’ll be voting twice, once for undergraduate finalists and once for graduate student finalists*. Today we’re starting with 10 undergraduates first- in total, they are 20 of the most talented students I’ve seen in a while! These top 20 10 undergraduates…
Pancakes have taken a very special place in my heart, ever since I learned how much my father loves them. Each year when I’m home at Christmas, we go out for pancakes to my favorite pancake place, The Pancake Pantry. In the lead up to Christmas this year, I couldn’t resist bringing you prop stylist Martha…
When we were brainstorming for holiday post ideas last month, the first name that came up on our list was Jenny from This Humble Abode. Jenny is totally awesome. She is the homemaker we want to be- she is always canning and cooking all sorts of amazing things, has the cutest apartment, runs her own…
Nothing makes me happier than giving a unique gift, or one that has taken significant personal investment. I have divided my guide into two parts. The first part are all samples of work that some of my favorite artisans make. The images you see are just representative of their work. I have worked with almost…
I love the holiday season. I really do. The smell of pine resin in the air, the crackle of the wood stove, the cocktail parties and white lights in city trees and mulled cider. I love wearing cardigans and scarves, donning snuggly boots (these beauties are en route as I type!) and flannel p.j.’s at…
Good morning! I’m off to prep supplies for our DIY events at the Brooklyn Flea’s Gifted fair this weekend and wanted to post a preview of the Wreath class our own Amy Merrick will be teaching on Sunday. Amy still has a few spaces left in her class so if you’d like to sneak in…
We are crazy for all of the iconic, heritage brands that are stealing back the spotlight right now. This classic style, paired with a renewed desire to get back to an authentic, hand-crafted way of life, inspired this heritage gift guide for men. If you’re looking for something a tad less “manly” stay tuned for…
Hi everyone! I’m so sorry for the additional delay but after narrowing the applicants from 650 down to 60 I had to request some additional information from the applicants to help in my editing. Because some of the students are across the world, they needed a bit of extra time to gather images and information….
Whenever I start a piece of furniture, I spend a good bit of time planning its design. I start with the exterior and work on paint colors and knobs, but the design is never complete until I have picked a paper to line the drawers. There is just something about opening up the drawer and…
Here is the second installment of Percy’s 1915 home transformation. As you may know, I have a weakness for salvaged wood walls, and this guest bedroom room is making me way too envious. I also find it inspiring, though; Percy has tackled not one but several plain walls in his house to install a textured…
Okay, get ready for some serious eye candy. I know that term usually refers to attractive people and that I might be misleading you. For clarification, I’m a design nerd, so if I say “eye candy,” I’m usually referring to a great home or inspirational image. Percy bought this 1915 house around 13 months ago,…
