We’ve had lighting on the brain lately. Our new Design*Sponge office came with huge fluorescent hanging lamps that we avoid turning on at all costs. So Kate, Grace and I have been hunting for something cool and functional. While I don’t know if these pendants will cast as much light as we need, they certainly…
I admit, I’ve been skeptical about painting fabric to change up the color of a piece of furniture, but I think today’s first Before & After from Stella Poore of Mon Petit Studio may have changed my mind. Having snagged this incredible sofa for only $25, Stella decided to take the plunge and paint it…
Living room image above via Emily Summers + Coleman Coker via Fauxology I’m excited to announce that D*S is branching out this week with two fun new projects. The first is the creation of a Design*Sponge page on Pinterest! Despite working online, I can be slow and skeptical about adopting new tech or social networking platforms. Just ask…
Before joining the Design*Sponge team full-time, I spent my days at the New York Public Library. It remains one of my favorite places in the city, and my former colleagues at NYPL Labs have been doing some amazing things. Their new project, the Stereogranimator, launched just last week. If you’ve ever spent time looking through historic photographs,…
Remember my kind of embarrassing descent into pom pom madness last week? Well, it’s back today, courtesy of some beautiful embroidered necklaces from the UK. Each of these necklaces are handmade by Anna at A Alicia. Each ‘Mountain Necklace’ is a one-of-a-kind hand-embroidered creation that uses organic fair trade cotton backed with eco-felt for the…
After a particularly long week, I like to reward myself with a small something. My go-tos are often a chunk of dark chocolate at my favorite neighborhood shop or a new notebook for next week’s notes and agenda-making. But when I saw these sweet watercolor and confetti party bags from Poppies for Grace (the name…
If I had to buy myself a Valentine’s Day present, it would be this sunglass case from Thomas Paul. Not only is it in my favorite color combination of the moment, but it also reminds me of my beloved Miu Miu glasses that I will never be able to afford or pull off in real…
It’s still early, so I hope you’ll indulge me in this momentary pen craziness. How fantastic is this transparent neon orange pen? If I had to pick a single color that I have (and will) always love, it would be bright orange. I like it in jewelry, on paper, as accents on my shoes and…
I may not know as much about wine as I would like. In fact, I usually prefer to pass the wine list to someone else. (I’ve been trying to rectify my wine-list phobia with Drink This: Wine Made Simple.) But there’s one thing I know for sure: When at home, always decant the red wine….
Growing up in a beach town meant that water-related sports and their accoutrements would always be a part of my life. But after a tiny fish (or crab, though I was convinced it was a killer shark) bit me while I was boogie boarding, I pretty much bailed on the actual water. Too dark to see…
Much like one of my favorite TV characters, Sheldon Cooper, I have always had a deep and abiding love for trains. There’s something about the gentle rocking of the train on the tracks and getting to see so many beautiful seaport towns (on the East Coast) rush by that always makes me want to stay…
It may seem premature to be writing about bike bags, but here on the East Coast, when the thermometer hits 35 degrees Fahrenheit, it feels like a warm-up. Just last weekend, on a super cold New York Sunday, I bought a new bike (Surly Cross-Check) from Bicycle Habitat. I had been visiting this particular bike…
I’m a sucker for a functional table mat. While my heart always leans toward linen runners and placemats, I know they’re not as practical as something that I can immediately throw in the sink and hose down. Thankfully, functional mats can be chic and sophisticated, and these new Kyoto mats from Chilewich are a great…
This is a little embarrassing to admit, but around this time every year, I start checking the times for the sunrise and sunset. (OK, I’ll be honest — I pretty much start checking right after the Winter Solstice.) When the dark days get me down, there’s something comforting about watching it get lighter for one…
Just about this time last year, we featured a Sneak Peek with Erin Abbott, and then she wrote our D*S guide to Oxford, Mississippi. This tiny southern town has a lot going for it, including Erin’s store, Amelia. But after the Design*Sponge at Home 30-city book tour, it’s going to be a while before I get…
I love when designers who work with paper find a way to use recycled paper or their own paper leftovers. These new kits from Polli are made from 100% recycled card and come with 19 feet of red twine so you can create your own bunting or a series of gift tags. I think they’re…
It’s hard to believe that just six short months ago, we met here for the first time and headed to the workshop to begin our upholstery journey together. We’ve tackled dining seats, coil springs and even bookshelves, so my gift to you this holiday season is the picture back. Because the outside back fabric only…
Since a pretty young age, I’ve been something of a stamp hoarder. When we moved at the beginning of the year, I decided to say goodbye to my secret stash and sell them off at our “yard” sale. It was pretty painful to see them go, but I was glad to have my closet back…
Post-Thanksgiving, the Design*Sponge at Home book tour is beginning to seem further away, and it’s hard to imagine that Grace and I spent nearly the entire fall (10 weeks) in airports, hotels and Starbucks (Soy Chai Tea Lattes!). The only thing that kept us going was how much fun we had at the events once…
Naomi Stein describes her aesthetic as modern bohemian glamour. She gravitates toward an eclectic look, mixing colors, patterns and time periods. This was Naomi’s first apartment completely alone, without having to factor in a roommate or a boyfriend’s tastes, so she pushed herself to take risks with color, pattern and art. Together with her father,…
