Design*Sponge

we like it wild: shamrock badges

grace — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 16:00:28 +0000

Aside from the obligatory pint, we’ve never been quite sure what to do on St. Patrick’s Day. Since most of us just aren’t a green plastic bowler hat bunch, we decided to do some serious brainstorming in order to come up with a bit of wearable green that suits our particular tastes. While visiting North Beach’s Washington Square Bar & Grill last week legendary barman Michael McCourt poured us a couple of “lady’s” pints (a half pint) of Guinness to help us get our creative juices flowing, chatted us up about the comings and goings of the neighborhood, and even offered to wear a little of our green himself.

Until recent decades, St. Patrick’s Day was little more than a saint’s day observed only in Ireland. Mike told us growing up there in the during and after World War II, St. Patrick’s Day meant the bars would be closed and there may be a big soccer match to see but the raucous celebrations we associate with today’s St. Patrick’s Day were unheard of. After some investigating we found that some other traditions of the holiday had been lost over time. In previous centuries people made paper badges decorated with crosses and shamrocks to mark the day. Gradually, badge and ribbon making lost favor and most people chose to wear a shamrock in their lapel for the saint’s day, and now…the green carnation. According to Mike, it was a real religious and nationally observed saint’s day, “Until Budweiser realized there was money to be made,” he laughed.

We decided to bring a little bit of finery back to the St. Patrick’s Day celebration by making a shamrock badge (inspired by the idea of Victorian lapel vases) to wear while partaking in our lady’s pints next Wednesday. We happened upon a stash of miniature medicine bottles at a flea market recently that have been the perfect vases for our tiniest flowers in the shop and were a perfect fit for clover (bonus: these bottles are spill proof!). The shamrock is a symbol of Ireland and the holy trinity, but the same clover is a native species on most continents. It usually sprouts little white flowers and is used as a ground cover for areas where little else will grow. Due to it’s tenacious spirit, clover is also considered a weed by many, but how many weeds can say they have their own holiday? Our yards are completely over-run right now with yellow oxalis; the shamrock look-alike we used in our bottle.

CLICK HERE for the rest of Studio Choo’s shamrock badge project (including step by step how-to photos) after the jump!

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before & after: tyler’s frame + samantha’s chairs

grace — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:00:37 +0000

this next before & after really caught my eye for some reason. i really love when people subtly modify something in a way that makes me see a piece in a completely different light- especially if i would have walked right by it before. this george washington frame makeover comes from tyler goodro at plastolux. tyler explained, “i stopped by a antique store the other day not really expecting to find much in my flavor. as I rounded a corner there he was giving me this smirk, and i ignored him. needless to say two days later I went back and took this 60’s 70’s print of george washington home, frame and all for $25. i busted out the acrylics and a paint brush and went to town on the frame. i also replaced the plexi with glass, now it is a little more my flavor – modern!” i really love the way the frame mimics the print itself- and it really does change the feel for me. well done, tyler!

[have a before & after you'd like to share on d*s? just shoot me an email right here with your images!]

CLICK HERE for samantha’s chair makeover after the jump!

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before & after: beth’s sofa + slipper chair

grace — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:00:36 +0000

i’m feeling a little under the weather today so i’m going to kick off the before & afters a little early so i can try to work in a little half-day off to rest up. these first two projects come from beth at nest interior design. i love the way she updated this sofa and added the cording detail- it gives the finished result such a crisp, clean feel. not to mention it makes you completely forget about that cheetah print nightmare the couch was before. click here to check out more of beth’s design work online. [photos by kevin dotolo]

[have a before & after you'd like to share on d*s? just shoot me an email right here with your images!]

CLICK HERE to see beth’s slipper chair makeover after the jump!

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Closet Home Offices

Simone of TAA — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 13:00:50 +0000

As someone who works from home, I know that having a separate home office often seems not only luxurious, but necessary. But ha ha, too bad, you live in a tiny-ass apartment! You don’t even have a separate room for your bed. What are you gonna do now?

If you’re a good lil’ TAA-dweller, you did as we discussed in Tuesday’s post and cordoned off a section of your space to serve as your work area. Even though it’s not a fancy office suite with a receptionist and waiting room, you can still be super productive in your own tiny home office. (Just as long as you stay away from Facebook and Twitter!)

Right now I’m in love with the trend of turning closets into home offices. You can always find another way to store your clothes, and hey — how did you earn the money to buy those clothes in the first place? Yeah, a working, productive desk FTW.

CasaSugar has a gallery of 10 closets-turned-offices…

And CNN has a gallery too.

Whether it’s for your desktop computer or laptop, a place to pay your bills or to craft and sew, you need to have a good desk. Just like getting dressed in the morning, sitting down at a desk takes you from “slob mode” to “work mode” mentally. Trying to do real work on your laptop while sitting your couch in front of the TV does not lend itself to GTD. But because of your limited space, it’s important to have a desk that does a lil’ something extra.

This DAVE laptop table from IKEA (above) is the epitome of a teeny-tiny desk. Obviously, it’s not meant to hold anything more than a MacBook, but for many people that’s just fine. It’s also small enough to tuck away into a corner when you’re finished. And at only $17.99, it’s inexpensive enough to fit your tiny-ass budget.

Secretary desks are another great way to get away from your work once you’re done. Their defining feature is their hinged door/worktop that allows you to close up shop at the end of the day.

This Graham Smart Technology secretary desk from Pottery Barn is undeniably classic and beautiful. The $799 price tag? Eh… not so much.

For something more playful and modern, PointClickHome found this funky secretary on DesignSpotter. The “Alley” desk, by Swedish designer Isabel Ersa Hallerstedt, is still looking for a producer; I damn well hope someone rises to the task!

Even though the Mayfair Steamer Trunk secretary from Restoration Hardware is worth three months’ rent, I can’t help but love the rich leather and nailhead trim; the interior is so crisp and orderly it looks almost military.

Finally, though not a secretary desk, this Jay Desk and Hutch from West Elm is ingenious; just like other nesting tables, you can pull out the smaller desk underneath to expand your worktop

Your desk is bound to become a magnet for all things electronic, attracting just about everything with a wire, cable, cord, plug, socket, or port. Having a spaghetti-like mess of wires under your desk is not only an eyesore, but it takes up precious room as well. To get your tangles under control, start by labeling each cord (no more praying that you’re not unplugging something essential by accident), bundling cables together and locking them down when you can, wrapping up excess lengths, and hiding it all away.

Cute labels for all of your devices, from Spoon Sisters

Cable Turtles come in just about any size to fit any cable

The WM25 wire stay from Doug Mockett sits on top of your desk and holds those wires that you’re always reaching for

The Cable Box from Blue Lounge is a quick and easy way to neaten up — just pop your existing, messy power strip inside and run the cord through the slot

Once you’re got your office and desk squared away, have a little fun with your accessories. No boring green hanging file folders for you! My faves are definitely See Jane Work and The Container Store. With the right, cute tools, even filing can seem fun. Who says work has to be work?

mariana tocornal

grace — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 13:00:39 +0000

good morning! i wanted to start today with a little eye candy from chilean artist mariana tocornal. mariana is going to be showing her work at ICFF this may (i can’t wait for the shows this spring!) but before we get a glimpse at her work in person i wanted to post these beautiful beeswax books. something about the texture of those glossy pages has me mesmerized this morning. an overwhelmed by a desire to turn the pages and feel that waxy texture with my fingers. hopefully mariana will bring one to the show for people to see- although i imagine all those hands would melt or damage the wax. so for now, i’ll keep my browsing online. click here to check out more of mariana’s work online.

*over at the d*s guest blog simone has a great post about turning closets into home offices- great for the small space dweller. click here to check out all of her ideas.

made with love: catnip mouse

grace — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 18:00:33 +0000

Some people are born cat people. I wasn’t. It’s been a slow process but I’ve finally come around to loving cats, especially since I inherited two in an awkward post-breakup situation. Even though my kitties are the ultimate scaredy cats, they love toys. Ever the doting mom, I like to use up my extra fabric scraps by making catnip mice. Warning- whenever I stepped away from my crafting table, the cats would jump up and hide my mouse before I had even finished. Brats with a capital B. -amy m.

CLICK HERE for the full how-to after the jump!

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sewing 101: ottoman slip cover

grace — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:00:49 +0000

If you’ve got a boring old ottoman hanging around, or if, like me, if you happen to find one of those plain cubes on sale, it’s easy to recover with a custom slip cover. This is another fantastic way to bring some fun textiles into a room with a project that you can sew in an afternoon or less. (I swear!)

This slip cover uses only basic straight seams, and I’ll show you the trick for getting nice, sharp 3-D corners. So let’s get started! –Brett Bara

*click here for more of brett’s sewing 101 columns!

CLICK HERE for the full ottoman slip cover how-to after the jump!

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diy project: woven cork ikea skala tray

grace — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 16:00:30 +0000

ikea really does have some amazing finds! while i do love some of their more unique, signature products, my favorites are the very plain, simple accessories; they allow you to customize them in so many ways to fit your own style. they beg for hacking! i’ve had my eye on the skala tray ($14.99) for a while. i love its clean form, and at first the simple beech wood was appealing to me, but when i brought it home i found it disappeared among the more eclectic objects in the bedroom. with a cork roll and some spray paint, i have made a totally transformed tray that is perfect for my bed activities: reading, snacking, drinking tea, using my computer – i admit that i have a tendency to set up camp in bed sometimes. if serving yourself tea in bed isn’t your thing, you could also hang this tray from a ribbon and have a message board! this project takes only an hour or so, and is great for a rainy, snowy day. have fun!! – kate

CLICK HERE for the full how-to after the jump!

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diy idea: spring tablecloth

grace — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 15:00:07 +0000

we’ve got a whole slew of diy posts coming up today so i wanted to kick things off with this fun and affordable idea from artist eleanor grosch. eleanor picked up some cheap blue and white ikea dishtowels and turned them into a “south of france-inspired” tablecloth. total cost? $5. such a clever idea and a pretty look for spring. click here for eleanor’s full steps on her blog. thanks, eleanor!

*click here for a sneak peek into eleanor’s home!

leefee photography

grace — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 14:00:24 +0000

when i look at photographs, i want to travel. whether it’s to an actual destination, or to a make-believe world that the image creates or inspires, i’ve always really loved the way pictures can make you go somewhere else in your mind. so when i saw silvana’s photographs from paris on etsy, i was instantly smelling strong (strong!) coffee, hearing the sound of street music and imagining all of the beautiful buildings in the city of lights. silvana has a really beautiful set of parisian images in her ‘leefee’ etsy shop, but she also has some lovely nature and nautical-inspired photos as all, all priced at either $17 or $32, depending on size. click here to check out her full collection and shop online.