Design*Sponge » furniture

still + company / sit and read

Grace Bonney — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:00:15 +0000

When Brooklyn’s Still + Company gets together with Sit and Read, great things happen. I’ve seen overdyed rugs used in many different ways lately, but these sling chairs are by far my favorite. Created as part of a collaborative show at Sit and Read Gallery, Still + Company made these custom chairs using Persian rugs that were cut, hemmed and then hand-stitched onto wrought-iron frames. Each is handmade in Brooklyn and makes quite a statement. Click here to check them out in more detail, and click play below to watch a beautiful video about the collaboration between these great local companies. That purple overdyed rug is so gorgeous. xo, grace

kirv outdoor furniture

Grace Bonney — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 14:00:55 +0000

Earlier this week I ate lunch outside on an eerily warm January day. As much as I’m enjoying not having to not bundle up for freezing temperatures, it’s a little odd to be able to eat al fresco when I should be piling on another coat. But it seems to be warm enough that outdoor furniture is popping up in stores and in my inbox already. I thought I’d share some nice pieces that seem to make sense considering that- with a little heat lamp- most backyards in NYC seem warm enough to spend time in right now. These colorful outdoor benches were designed by the husband and wife team at Kirv in West Sussex. They design and hand make all of their seats, including their latest piece, the Kirv Otto that acts as a multi-functional table bench. The low height makes it easy for children to get up and down from the seat easily and the finish allows it stay in the yard for outdoor dining. If you want to check out more of Kirv’s modern outdoor furniture, click here to check out the full selection online. xo, grace

sweet: sofas under $1000

Grace Bonney — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 13:00:16 +0000

Over the holiday break, I had coffee with an old friend who recently bought her first apartment. We were laughing about that phase after you save up for and then buy your first home and can’t afford to immediately decorate it. I was trying to help her find a decent sofa under $1,000 and kept coming up empty on the style front. Except for the usual suspects (IKEA sofas), everything seemed to get better designed once it crossed the $1,000 mark (though I loved this chaise). I’d given up for a few days when a random Home Decorators Collection catalog ended up in my mailbox. I’ve never shopped there and was about to throw it in the recycling when I happened to notice a pretty gray tufted sofa for only $599! I immediately called my friend and told her I’d found her sofa. She’s got it on order, so fingers crossed, it will look as cute in person, but until then, it appears HDC has a few cute options under $1,000: the Emma Tufted Sofa (my fave, $599), the Olivia Love Seat ($569), the Rockford Sofa ($999, with nailhead trim), the Roberts Tufted Sofa ($679), the Martine Sofa ($799), the Laurel Sectional ($899), the Avery Sofa ($999), the Markham Sofa ($999) and the Gordon Tufted Sofa ($999 in leather). If you’re in the market for a new couch in the new year, click here to see the full range online. And if you’ve got any faves on the more affordable end of the spectrum, feel free to pass along raves/rants below . . . xo, grace

*Here are my old favorite sofas and some new sectionals that are pretty nice . . .

All sofas above from HDC, links in paragraph above.

chris palmer

Grace Bonney — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 14:00:28 +0000

The winners of this year’s scholarship will be announced today (yay!), so I thought it would be fitting to kick off the day with more fantastic student work. Chris Palmer is studying at Cranbrook and has created some really beautiful furniture so far. I really love his webbed table series- it’s the sort of simple, functional design that has the added bonus of being nice to look at. I’m on the hunt for a new coffee table for the D*S office so I’ve got my fingers crossed that this design will make it to the market. For more information and to contact Chris about his work, you can drop him an email right here.

matter matters

Grace Bonney — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 14:00:46 +0000

I’ll never forget the day my local Matter store in Park Slope closed. My weekly design destination sadly moved across the river to Manhattan, but it has been on a roll ever since. I’m always excited to get their newsletter with updates, and the most recent one contained some seriously beautiful work. A few of my favorite pieces from this update are the incredible gold candlesticks from Lindsey Adelman, an airy Bubblebank for change and Jamie Gray’s Shaker Chair. The classic stools from Sawkille (below) are beautiful, too. Really solid, timeless pieces like this are totally up my alley these days. Click here to check out and shop Matter’s most recent additions. xo, grace

keating woodworks

Grace Bonney — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 15:00:10 +0000

There are few things I love more than high quality woodworking. After seven years of blogging and watching trends come and go faster than I can even process, few things stand the test of time like beautiful, natural wood. These gorgeous pieces were created by Geoffrey Keating of Keating Woodworks. A fifth-generation furniture maker, Geoffrey worked as a roofer in Texas and a mechanic for a racing team before turning to furniture (he also got degrees in theology at Yale and Notre Dame). After embracing his love for woodworking, Geoffrey decided to focus on creating furniture that is, in his words, “as beautiful as it is useful.” I couldn’t have described it better myself. I’m partial to the amazing desk above, but you can view all of Geoffrey’s work online right here. In a time where people easily toss away $100 to $200 for veneer furniture, it’s great to see a craftsman like Geoffrey producing work that’s worth investing in. I’ll have to add this to my “things to save up for” list with a few other favorites. xo, grace

More images of Geoffrey’s beautiful work continue after the jump . . .

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