before and after by Grace Bonney 15

Before & After: Rachel & Andrew’s SF Office

Today’s second Before & After comes from Rachel Gant and Andrew Deming of Yield Design Co in San Francisco, CA (you might recognize their picnic series with a convertible picnic bag/blanket). Rachel and Andrew made over their studio space in downtown San Francisco using only $500, their own two hands and one week’s time. The final result is such a lovely space. I’m so impressed with how much they did in such a small area- talk about making the most of every inch. These two shared some great details about the entire process after the jump, so read on to hear all about their week of makeover-ing. xo, grace

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before and after by Grace Bonney 34

Before & After: Sarah’s Striped Dresser

Today’s first before & after comes from Sarah of Trevi Vintage Design. After picking up a sad little white dresser at Goodwill and decided to save it from its chipped-paint and missing-knob existence. After sanding down the entire piece (using an orbital sander) to expose the natural wood, Sarah stained the drawer fronts with Minwax Poly Shades in Bombay Mahogany Gloss and primed the rest of the dresser with a shellac-based primer (B-I-N Brand). With the help of some painters tape, she painted the colorful stripes around the entire piece, sanding between each coat. To keep the final look neutral, Sarah used 1.25 Inch Rowland Cabinet Knobs (only 98 cents each at Home Depot!) and stained them with the same Bombay Mahogany Gloss. Last but not least, she added tapered legs (purchased on eBay) and stained them to match the rest of the piece. I love the finished result and think it’s definitely a far cry from the sad little white piece sitting alone at the Goodwill. Great job, Sarah! xo, grace

*P.S.: It turns out Sarah’s talented sister Diana was on D*S back in 2007! This family has some talented women.

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products by Grace Bonney 5

Pinks & Reds

When I think about colors and the idea of a month devoted to them, I immediately go to my favorite color combo: red and pink. I’ve devoted most of Design*Sponge’s color themes to that palette (our book is red and pink and so are the website accents and our office) so these pieces from Leif caught my eye this morning and felt right on target. This plus-print tea towel comes in a bright poppy red and seems bright enough to wake me up on even the earliest morning call. I love the way it looks against this pink woven storage basket, too. Red and pink always feel so warm and happy and, for me, they never go out of style. Click here and here to check these out at Leif and shop online. xo, grace

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Color History by Amy Azzarito 9

Color of the Day: Emerald Green

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diy by Grace Bonney 7

Every Day DIY: Beaded Lamp Pull Cord

Sometimes two heads are better than one. After excitedly planning and making this week’s DIY project, I ran into a crafting snafu- now going on a major fail. The “10 minute drying time” has turned into 24 hours so I had to bag it for today and lean on my trusty teammate, Max to help me come up with something that would be fun, colorful and easy for anyone to make in under 30 minutes. We looked around at our craft supplies and BAM!- Max made a cute pull cord to dress up our super simple West Elm lamp. I’ve always loved projects that are about dressing up existing objects (rather than buying something totally new) so this one is right up my alley. You could easily paint your beads, wood burn a pattern into them (if you want to spend more time adding delicate details) or make clay beads using last week’s craft supplies. But today we’re using simple hemp cord (dyed blue) and beads that match our couch area’s main color theme (orange and red). I hope this project will be one everyone can do on a quick lunch break- or even the bus/train commute home. *If cords aren’t your thing, you could easily tie this into your key chain for a little extra color. xo, grace

This post is brought to you by Kate Spade Saturday! See why every day can feel like Saturday here.

The full how-to is after the jump….

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diy by Grace Bonney 23

DIY Gem Pushpins

Every now and then a craft project falls into my inbox and I’m blown away by how the simplest ideas are often the best. This clever plaster push pin project comes from blogger Mandy Pellegrin of Fabric Paper Glue. She was kind enough to share it here with us today- and she has another DIY great idea we’ll be sharing next week. Thanks, Mandy! -xo, grace

Sure, Pinterest has revolutionized the way we keep tabs on our sources of inspiration, but if we’re honest, nothing can really replace a good old-fashioned bulletin board. They’re not only home to our favorite glossy clippings; they can also be a place to stow and display the items that represent so much more than the visual stimulation afforded on our computer screens — a place to keep the tactile textures of our favorite fabrics, little reminders of life’s events, or sweet handwritten notes. So, why not give these items the presentation they deserve by using pushpins with a little design flair? With this DIY, you’re three steps (four, if you’re ambitious) and about 15 active minutes away from a truly unique set of gem-shaped pushpins. -Mandy Pellegrin

The full how-to continues after the jump…

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