before and after by Maxwell Tielman 52

Before & After: A Hollywood Hills Makeover

Having grown up in a household filled with preservationists, I was raised to believe that there is no house or building too far gone for a little TLC. Because of this, it always warms my heart when I hear stories of people who have taken it upon themselves to refurbish a home that would otherwise be deemed unsalvageable. One of these stories recently dropped into our inbox, courtesy of interior designer and artist Alexandra Becket. When Alexandra and her husband stumbled upon this cottage in the Nichols Canyon neighborhood of Hollywood Hills, they fell immediately in love with the home’s vaulted ceilings with original hand-chiseled wood beams. Although the 1949 home was in serious disrepair and most landowners would have simply demoed it, the couple decided to give it a second go at glory and revive its charming “storybook cabin” feeling—with a modern twist, of course. Check out all of the photos of this amazing renovation and more information about its process after the jump! —Max

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before and after by Maxwell Tielman 4

Before & After: 10 Awesome Make-Unders

Celebrity gossip blogs have all but eclipsed the standard supermarket tabloid these days, so it’s pretty infrequently that you will find me flipping through the pages of Us Weekly or In Touch in the checkout line. There is, however, one headline that is sure to get me to pick up a magazine (and it has nothing to do with Justin Bieber). It’s “Stars Without Makeup.” There are a few reasons why I love a good no-makeup feature. On one hand, you get to see some of your favorite celebrities looking utterly dejected as they do the walk of shame without their faces on. On the other hand, though, it’s actually wonderfully refreshing to see a real live human face—one that isn’t completely covered up under layers of foundation, eyeliner, and mascara. Stars-Without-Makeup pieces largely function to show famous people in a state of vulnerability, but there’s something fantastic about that vulnerability. It shows that the unadorned can actually be beautiful and, perhaps, true beauty lies in simplicity.

This logic certainly works for human beings, but it can be applied to furniture. Although I love a good makeover as much as anybody else (bring on the bold color and shellac!), I have to admit that oftentimes, the best thing to do with an object is to give it a make-under. Stripping off paint, refinishing, or simply cleaning can work just as much magic (if not more) than extra paint, finishes, and hardware. Underneath the layers of paint, dirt, or dust—there might just be something beautiful. To prove our point, we’ve chosen ten of our favorite Make-Unders from our Before & After archives. Check them out after the jump! —Max

1. Vanessa’s Refinished Dresser: What started out as a dingy, bulky dresser was completely transformed after a good strip and waxing. See the full Before & After here >>

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weddings by Amy Azzarito 9

Casual Summer Wedding in Ojai, California

In honor of wedding month here on Design*Sponge, we’re going to be sharing some beautiful weddings. Today we have a beautiful casual summer wedding that was all about friends, family and good food. Nestled in an idyllic valley and surrounded by orange and avocado groves, Ojai, California has long been an escape from nearby busy Los Angeles. It was also bride Vanessa Gates’ hometown. So when it came time to choose a wedding venue, Vanessa knew she wanted to bring everyone to Ojai. The couple rented out the entire Camp Comfort campground for their casual outdoor wedding. Not only could friends and family stay the night, but the campground also had a full kitchen for meal preparation. Groom Brian Mowell works at Pizzetta 211 in San Francisco so his work colleagues (and friends) created a vegetarian meal that was served family-style at picnic tables. The ceremony was down by the creek, everyone gathered around in a circle to watch as Vanessa’s stepfather, Neil Quinn, married the couple. Afterward, they dined under the oak trees, lit by simple white lights, and the evening ended up sparklers by a campfire. (Just this past Sunday, the couple welcomed their first child into the world. Little Ogden Dunsworth Mowell. Congratulations!) -Amy

All images by Nancy Neil

venue: Camp Comfort in Ojai, CA | flowers: purchased wholesale in Carpinteria and arranged by the bride with vintage bottles sourced from Etsy and eBay | hair: Sarah Garrity Schiek of Marquee Salon in Oakland | food: Jackson Murphy, Susan Dunn and Amy Berry of Pizzetta 211 in San Francisco | desserts: Chocolate pudding with whipped cream and/or orange blossom pavlova with strawberries and whipped cream by Caitlin Freeman (who just wrote a book!) and Leah Rosenberg | coffee: single origin and New Orleans style iced coffee: Blue Bottle Coffee | photographer: Nancy Neil

See more of Vanessa and Brian’s casual summer wedding after the jump!

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drinks by Amy Azzarito 17

The Bachelor Farmer + Cocktail Recipe

A couple of years ago, my birthday fell on the day that we happened to be in Minneapolis for the Design*Sponge at Home book tour. It was my first time in Minneapolis and I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. We were only in town for a day or so, but I fell hard for the city. For dinner, Grace took me to the The Bachelor Farmer. We fell hard for the decor and the food, which were both fresh and vibrant. And since that evening, when anyone mentions Minneapolis, I always suggest that they check out the Bachelor Farmer. The restaurant is housed in a historic brick-and-timber warehouse in Minneapolis’ North Loop. Brothers Eric and Andrew Dayton purchased the property in 2008 and began a complete renovation that aimed to modernize while preserving as much of the building’s original character. In 2011, after working with architect James Dayton and interior designer Janet Gridley, the brothers opened the Bachelor Farmer on the building’s first and second floors. The main restaurant and small adjacent bar is on the first floor with private event spaces on the second floor. The restaurant grows its own produce on a small rooftop farm. If you don’t have plans to visit, Minneapolis anytime soon, you can have a little bit of The Bachelor Farmer at home with their cocktail recipe after the jump. (A big thank you to Eric Dayton for allowing us this little peek into the restaurant! And extra thanks to Pip Hanson, bartender of Marvel Bar and The Bachelor Farmer, for sharing the cocktail recipe with us!) -Amy

Image above: Our logo was designed by a good friend of mine, Deirdre Zahl.

Image above: We call this our Afghan Room because of all the Afghan quilts, which we collected by scouring Etsy and Ebay during the renovation of the building. They’re sourced from sellers all over the world. The Afghan Room is the smaller of our two 2nd-floor private dining rooms.

Image above: This is the Living Room, which we use for private receptions. The deer head is by the French design team Frédérique Morrel. All the paintings are by early-20th-century Scandinavian artists.

See more of the Bachelor Farmer + delicious cocktail recipe after the jump!

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diy by Amy Azzarito 60

Before & After: Dresser Makeover using Fabric, Shoe Leather and Concrete

I never get tired of a good dresser makeover. It’s one of those things that I hate to spend money on, considering how many lonely dressers are lurking around the corners of thrift stores, just waiting for a good home. This particular piece was made over by designer Aleksandra Mierzwa, and if you look closely, you can really get a sense of all the work she put into this project. After painting the entire dresser, she covered the drawers in canvas and then stuck foil scales to the outside, adding additional painted detailing. The handles were made from an old pair of white leather shoes and then the whole piece was topped with a concrete counter top. Pretty fantastic. (More details on the project are here). -Amy

See more after photos and project details after the jump!
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products by Maxwell Tielman 5

Arts & Science: Luxury as Simplicity

Of the many shops the Design*Sponge team visited during our recent trip to the Hamptons, one of my personal favorites was Tiina The Store. Founded by the Finnish-born Tiina Laakkonen in 2012, the tiny Amagansett shop features luxurious, beautiful objects that speak to its owner’s origins and Scandinavian aesthetic. After spending a portion of last summer exploring Sweden and Finland, I’ve been mad about the region’s warm yet minimal style, so it was with great enthusiasm that I fawned over the Iittala and Marimekko wares on sale in the shop. Before heading out, though, the shopkeeper drew my attention to a brand that I was not so familiar with— the Japanese-based Arts & Science.

Although, geographically speaking, Scandinavia and Japan are vastly separated, the two regions’ aesthetic traditions are deeply rooted philosophically. Both countries share traditions of quality materials and expert craftsmanship that date back centuries. Their aesthetic traditions also display an interest in simplicity and the idea of using simplicity to further enhance an object’s craftsmanship. With the recent craze for pared-down, natural designs, it’s no wonder that Scandinavia and Japan are experiencing quite the moment in the international design world.

Arts & Science, based in Tokyo and created by the creative director Sonya Park, is founded upon the principle that by beginning with quality, objects will only get better with time. As such, the items within Ms. Park’s collections of fashion and housewares are minimal, but also incredibly human. Featuring natural materials like linen and leather, they are built to last, their only ornamentation being the signs of age that they proudly wear over time. In addition to the company’s line of clothing, Arts & Science also features a number of charming household novelties, from candles and pinhole cameras to cloth flowers and one of the most beautiful day planners you’ll ever see. Currently, the company’s wares are only available in a few shops stateside (check out their stock list here), but here’s hoping more of it becomes available soon! I, for one, would love to get my hands on a ton of these beautiful items! —Max

Above images: A T-shirt from the Arts & Science Spring/Summer ’13 Collection and their 2013 Hobonichi Planner.

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