I’ve always been a fan of seeing embroidery on unconventional materials: porcelain, wood, metal, and so on. With a couple well-placed embroidered monogram letters, wood and craft workshop mentor Dana Israel has given this simple little chair infinitely more personality and sweetness. Wonderful job, Dana! — Kate
I may have discovered my new favorite color palette, thanks in no small part to this painted headboard from Heather. Doesn’t the gold, wood, cream and ochre combination look fantastic? So rich and warm, and incredibly soothing. The untreated wood gives the gilded stencil design so much character, and I love the accessibility of the…
I took a beginner’s upholstery class last fall, where my fellow students and I were cautioned against choosing an intricately patterned fabric to work with on our first attempt. Stupidly, I ignored my teacher’s advice and chose a plaid — not a great idea. I simply could not get the pattern to align properly and…
It’s funny how things overlap in life sometimes — this Before & After dropped in my inbox just as I was attempting to make my first-ever mosaic design. I’m using standard pre-cut tiles, but after seeing Marisa’s lovely kitchen backsplash, I’m inspired to break a few china pieces and play around. The dark grout was…
I don’t think I will ever tire of the salvaged-wood wall trend happening right now. How could I? There’s something visual happening with the texture of the varied wood boards and the dimensionality of these walls that is just very appealing, and I don’t think that will go away any time soon. Sarah’s wall is…
I’ve been having so much fun with Grace and Amy here on the West Coast, and I have to say that the San Francisco weather has been on its best behavior for their visit. As luck would have it, not only is this beautiful beach home from Elizabeth just a short jaunt from here in Stinson Beach, but…
This post was perfectly timed for Father’s Day. I want to give a shout-out to John and his partner for whipping up this amazing room for their two-year-old daughter in just four days! For the amount of cutting, wallpapering and painting involved in this room, that’s pretty impressive. It’s so bold and bright, with a…
Foot stools are such fun little pieces of furniture, and I really like it when people recognize this fact and upholster them accordingly. This fabric is so eye-catching that it could totally overwhelm a large piece, which is why this stool is such a perfect fit. Great work, Laura! — Kate Read more details about…
Woodworking is possibly my all-time favorite craft, and seeing new inventive techniques and creative re-uses only reinforces my love for the material. Matt has taken a simple, old chest of drawers, some shutters and an old belt and turned them into a really rad piece of furniture. The dark and light woods, leather and crisp…
If I ever owned a business, I’d like to think that I would do everything myself. But I know better, and I can pretty much guarantee that my desire to handle plumbing or paperwork would die quickly. The kind of shop-related projects I can really get excited about, though, are the little handmade details like…
Sometime in my adult life, I would love to live in a home with a working fireplace, but in lieu of that, I will settle for a great mantel. I love that you can find loose mantels because they are truly versatile objects — just the other day, I saw that Shauna & Stephen had…
There’s nothing more exciting than the potential of an empty space, and I love seeing creative entrepreneurs translate their vision into their workshops, offices and studios. This incredible studio was designed with its location in mind, and according to Zak Davis, the creative director for Juliet Zulu, the rustic materials, simple palette and minimalism were…
I might be very biased when it comes to wood, but currently, I’m in a phase where wood can basically do no wrong in my mind. Wood floors? Always amazing. Wood furniture, wood accessories, wood grain on anything? I’m all for it. Needless to say, I think covering an entire wall with dark, beautiful panels of…
I know I shouldn’t anthropomorphize furniture, but I have to admit that it saddens me to see decrepit, neglected furniture. This chair was in serious need of love and attention — a very sad specimen indeed. Irina has done a wonderful job bringing it back to life and making it stand out with the custom…
Chairs are unquestionably my weakness. I don’t think I can fit another chair in my apartment, and I even have a few that just hang out here and there in corners, but that didn’t stop me from buying stools at Brimfield. They’re like half-chairs, though, so it’s okay :) Whenever I try to stop noticing…
I don’t have nurseries on the brain just yet, but I can already see myself gravitating toward a subdued, sophisticated and clean nursery style. I like the occasional crazy, colorful toy-filled nursery, too, but sometimes it feels a bit overstimulating. Lindsay’s nursery room strikes just the right balance for me. The gray walls and black…
Bathroom renovations can be tough; while other rooms usually see huge improvements from a new coat of paint, a few accessories or small furniture swaps, replacing an ugly pink toilet or bad eighties sink fixture can set you back quite a bit. However, as Becky’s beautiful new bathroom clearly illustrates, the investment can be well…
When warmer weather rolls around, I start to crave airy, open rooms like the “after” of this bedroom in Kim’s home. The clean minimalism mixed with homey accents, patterned textiles and lots of light neutral tones immediately put me at ease and make me think of summer breezes. The decision to rip up the carpet and…
I’m a huge admirer of the quilts of Gee’s Bend, and I think part of the reason I love this reupholstered chair from Amy is that the seat has the same kind of modern looking, graphic-collage quality as the Gee’s Bend quilt designs. It provides a great contrast for the warm wood and curved lines…
We get a ton of dresser makeovers in our inbox, but I thought it was interesting to receive such similar styles all around the same time. And since they were all so nicely done, I figured why not share them all? The unifying trend to the success of these pieces seems to be patient and…
