A few years ago, it seemed like everyone and their brother agreed that there was something special and absolutely necessary about print publications. We accepted that they needed to grow and change with the times, but everyone talked about loving the way the paper felt in their hands and wanting to be able to tear…
Today’s Kansas City City Guide comes to us from Kansas City resident Rachel Porter. Rachel has lived in Kansas city with her two children and husband for the past five years and loves learning about this midwestern metropolis every chance she gets. Along with her sister Chelsea, Rachel has put together this week’s guide to…
Despite the couch drama with my new apartment, I have (finally!) been lucky enough to stumble onto a landlord who is SO cool he said I could do whatever I want to the apartment. Like “tear out the cabinets and replace them”, whatever. While I can’t afford to do anything major right now, I’ve been…
Speaking of my new apartment, one of the rooms I’m most excited about is the kitchen. It’s got two windows, which means in the morning it’s flooded with sunlight and a great place (to attempt) to grow plants and herbs. I haven’t done anything to the space yet, but I know exactly which pendant I…
In the course of one week I both found a new apartment and moved in. I felt like the queen of the world, coordinating everything on my own in less than 5 days, only to have it all crash down around me on Friday when I moved. My movers were over 4 hours late and…
Summer is here and it felt like a good time to switch things up a bit on my radio show. So, for the next few weeks I’m going to be introducing you to some talented and hard-working artists who are creating things outside of the design field I normally talk about. Not just because I…
When we decided this month’s theme would be weddings, I got excited to plan what our Living In movies would be. Mainly because I’ve been dying for a reason to do just about anything with Muriel’s Wedding. I fell in love with it instantly when it came out in 1994 and it has remained just…
My go-to DIY seems to perpetually be a tote bag. Once you’ve got the basic technique down, you can churn one out in less than an hour. I’m always looking for an excuse to make one, and I get most excited when I can add a simple twist to make it into something totally new…
This month’s editorial theme is all about weddings and celebrating the outdoors. Our DIY projects will range from clever and crafty wedding ideas to projects that help you celebrate your backyard or local part a little bit more. When we started brainstorming wedding ideas, I thought back to all of the amazing weddings I’ve had…
A few weeks ago I slid pretty hardcore back into my old latte + chocolate croissant routine. I’d been so good for a long time, forgoing coffee for coconut water. My skin cleared up, I had more energy and I even started walking more. But then a few busy days turned into busy weeks and…
Last week, after a few days of terrible weather and cabin fever, our little blog team got a huge treat. To celebrate their new collection with Milly, Banana Republic sent a few teams of bloggers off on day-vacations. I don’t typically take these sorts of trips, but after a particularly tough few months, I decided…
Sometimes I am the world’s laziest writer. I’ll flat-out drop a post idea if it hovers around a word, phrase or topic that constantly trips me up. For example, turquoise. I don’t think I’ve ever spelled that word correctly without having spell-check or that dreaded dotted red line point out that I’m reversing the ‘o’…
This year I had to share some of my yearly trade show responsibilities with Max and Amy because I was home watching Hope. She’s got some minor separation anxiety issues so I’m slowly getting her used to being alone for smaller chunks of time. As much as I enjoyed ICFF, I really missed not getting…
I’ve got a serious thing going on with dyed rope and twine right now. From dog leashes and bracelets to tassels, I want to surround myself in dip-dyed cotton goodness. These beautiful tassels were made by Ouch Flower in Melbourne, Australia using the left over macrame twine from larger projects. Each tassel is dip dyed…
This year has been full of so many surprises already and the greatest one yet has been the new addition to my furry family. Hope has brought so much happiness to my life, it’s easy to forgive and forget the countless objects that have been torn up during puppy fits of frenzy. Craziness aside, I…
Over the years, Design*Sponge has grown and changed along with the people reading and writing this site. I’ve felt so fortunate to share in the news of weddings, births, new jobs and businesses, moves and other life events that have taken part in our community. And I am deeply aware that it is both an…
This week I’m really excited to launch a special new column for the summer. Now that the bulk of our crazy season has passed (see you next year, ICFF, NSS, Surtex and offsite shows), we’ve had more time to sit and talk around our communal desk, talking about everything and anything. Some days I wish…
A few summers ago I found myself on a hillside in Portland, Oregon having my star chart mapped. If you’d told me I’d be doing that a few years ago, I would have laughed myself silly. But over the last few years, my willingness to try new things and open my mind a bit more…
I love a good studio makeover. So often the most promising spaces start out a little rough, but all they really need to shine is a little love, elbow grease and a lot of cleaning supplies. Catherine and her team at Printerette Press recently moved across the river from St. Paul to Minneapolis to a…
Despite the New York Times’ claim that bar carts are purely a piece of hipster furniture du jour, I think they’re classic. Whether you’re a nightly cocktail drinker or just want to be able to entertain when others come over, a good bar cart is equal parts form and function. And for some reason, they…
