While this is not the first time — and surely not the last — that the home of sisters Hollister and Porter Hovey has been online, we couldn’t resist the opportunity to get a deeper look inside and see some of the fresh changes (like a new wall color) they’ve made to the place. While…
Erin Austen Abbott and her husband, Sean Kirkpatrick of the band Colour Revolt, live in this Water Valley, Mississippi, home. Built in 1890, the house is over 120 years old, and Sean and Erin are only its fourth owners! Erin has a “flea-market vintage meets grandma chic” decorating style, which gives the home so much…
You know how your favorite music has a way of burying itself deep inside your brain and coming back at unexpected times? In my life, the same thing happens with furniture. I’ll see something, do a double take and then — if it really grabs me — I go back again and open drawers, run…
Earlier this summer, before I packed up to leave Portland, I made a frantic drive around town trying to hit all the boutiques and shops I hadn’t visited. One of my favorites was a beautiful lingerie shop called Lille, which felt like walking into the dressing room of my dreams. As much as I loved…
Tomorrow we officially kick off the Design*Sponge Book Tour with our first home-town event at the NYPL. Before I head out to gather up last-minute craft supplies, I wanted to take a quick moment to thank everyone who’s picked up a copy of Design*Sponge at Home so far. I haven’t had a spare second to…
Speaking of digital editions, I wanted to post a quick note that Design*Sponge at Home is now available in e-book form. Our publisher worked with Apple to create a fantastic digital version of the book that you can download and read on your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch (Their platform was the most conducive to…
I rarely take a moment to look back on the work we’ve done here at Design*Sponge. I’ve always been more of a “full steam ahead!” type of person. But this has been a summer worth spending a quick second looking back on. We hired our first full time team member, launched a major redesign, published…
What will you think of me once I confess that I’ve never had a s’more? I like all the flavors, but why have I never had one? Well, we aren’t going to figure that out today, but there’s no time like the present for me to make these and see what all those kids were…
We got a little teary writing this post. Today we come to you with a farewell love letter and a big thank you. It has been a wild two years! We are honored and so appreciative to have had the opportunity to share our floral projects and inspirations with you. Writing the column gave us…
Greetings, flower alphabeteers! Admittedly, “u” was a letter that truly tested my creative mettle. I considered all manner of cop-outs (Ursula roses and the like). Ultimately, I realized that a really lovely and special green would fit the bill — that is why “u” is for umbrella fern. The term “fern” applies to over 12,000…
The cutest typewriter in the entire world. Too bad it comes with a price tag that means I have to keep looking. Pink Royal Quiet De Luxe at Etsy, $750 (ouch) One of the things I miss about my life pre-D*S was not having anyone know how embarrassingly behind I can be on trends. While…
There are certain artists and designers that I am drawn to for their quiet elegance, and Michele Michael is high on that list. She first won me over with her New York prop shop, Elephant Props, and her sophisticated approach to styling — clean with handmade, imperfect touches punctuated by painterly washes of color. Her…
Fall always seems to fly by faster than any other season. Before you know it, we will be closing our windows and heading indoors for some nesting (blankets, hot tea — you get the idea). I thought we should take a moment to celebrate the great outdoors with a roundup of our best outdoor-related Before…
Old-school wooden rulers like these really take me back. I remember grabbing one from the big jar on my art teacher’s desk in fourth grade; it was always fun to get a new one and see how people had customized it with pen doodles, pencil etchings and various other markings. This is the largest design…
As someone who has trouble keeping things neat and tidy, I can totally relate to the “before” scenario for this studio makeover from Amy. It can be difficult to take a pause in the midst of projects and deadlines to completely clear out a space, but sometimes, that’s exactly what you need to do, and…
I’ve always wanted a room with wall-to-wall bookshelves, and for some insane reason, I always imagined I would have to stumble upon a home with this feature already present. Why had it never occurred to me that I could build something like this? I have no idea. I can be very dense sometimes :) Luckily,…
I’ve had stamps on the brain all week because I’m gathering the materials for our first book tour craft event this weekend and it’s all about making your own homemade stamps. As much as I love making my own, it’s fun to pick up a few nice pre-made stamps for craft projects, too. These new…
September is my favorite month in northern California; the weather gets warm and sunny (no fog!), and we actually get to experience a taste of summer before heading into rainy season :( These adorable cocktail napkins from Kirsten Gentry at Kojo Designs remind me of the best part of late summer: squeezing every last minute…
Due to my husband’s profession, we have a constant influx of absurdly enormous books. While some are aesthetically acceptable enough not to disturb the visual flow I have going on our bookshelves, others are obtrusive in color or design. Since our built-in bookshelves are open to the living room, I like to have a clean…
