All posts from Design*Sponge

Here at Design*Sponge we jump at the chance to feature young, independent designers. Alice Saunders is the genius designer behind ForestBound, a unique line of accessories made out of upcycled, recycled, and salvaged materials. Alice spends a healthy amount of time sourcing antique, WWII military fabrics coupled with unexpected textiles such as vintage tents, backpacks, and grainsacks. She is quite the trailblazer on Etsy; her wares sell out almost as quickly as they are uploaded into her shop! Oh, and she moonlights as an organic farmer, in her “spare time”. She truly epitomizes ethical and sustainable American design. Alright y’all, give Alice a big, warm internet welcome!
1. Design*Sponge : What is in your toolbox?

Alice Saunders: So many things! Most importantly are my sewing machines… 3 industrials that I use pretty much all day long. The first machine I got, an Adler from the 1970’s, is one of my most cherished possessions.

I incorporate a good amount of leather into the work that I do so I’m also constantly using an array of leather working tools – rivet press, leather punch, various mallets, bevellers, skivers, etc. At a flea market a few months ago I came across a WWII era grommet setter with a few bags of military issue metal grommets. Since I use so much WWII era canvas in my work being able to incorporate bits of original hardware using the equipment that was originally used 60 years ago is a great feeling. I spend a huge amount of time assessing my materials in their original form and then taking them apart. Most of the canvas I work with originally comes as WWII era (or older) military duffel bags, cots, tents, etc. I’ve also started using a lot of grain sacks and feed bags that are 50+ years old. This means I need to take apart lots and lots of hems. I always use a very sharp knife for this part of the process.

I’m never without one of 3 knives – a Leatherman that I originally gave to my boyfriend as a Christmas present a few years ago but have sneakily claimed as my own, a camp knife from the 1950’s with a stacked leather handle, or a Carl Schlieper eye brand knife. And of course there’s fabric – I never have enough space for all of the fabric that I seem to accumulate. I spend a lot of time searching for and carefully collecting all the material that I use for my bags. These days it’s mostly military duffel bags, antique ticking fabric, grain sacks, old Boyscout packs, WWII era tents and cots.
2. Design*Sponge: Fill in the blank,”When I am in my studio I feel…”

CLICK HERE for the rest of Alice’s interview (her tips for staying organized + what superhero power she’d want!) after the jump!
(more…)

hello friends! this is  barb blair from knack, where i transform furniture on a weekly basis and love every minute of it. i opened knack studio about three years ago, but have been painting furniture for the past 8 years. in that time period there have been numerous creative experiences, which ultimately led to my passion for transformation and all things “furniture”.
i am thrilled to be joining you all as a new contributor here on d*s to share my passion, tips, and tricks with all of you! today and every thursday i hope you’ll join me before and after basics. each week i’m going to walk you through the basic steps you’ll need to tackle some of the methods you see in each week’s before & after projects. from paint washes and stains to stripping and painting furniture, i’ll teach you everything you need to know to create your own before & after masterpieces.
today we are going to tackle stripping furniture! the process of stripping wood back to its natural beauty (by removing layers of old paint and varnish) is truly a labor of love. but if you have the patience, the process is a win win situation in the end! even if you’re planning on stripping down the layers to repaint again, this process will teach you the skills you need to get done to the heart of your favorite piece. so let’s get started!

CLICK HERE for the full how-to after the jump!
(more…)

sometimes there’s nothing quite like a good makeunder: taking something that has been decorated, painted, or bulked up somehow and stripping it down to a simpler, purer state.  this chair, the brainchild of lauren and nick of second coat design in boston, is a perfect example of this theory in action; i never would have thought such an airy, modern chair could be found under all of those layers of paint! they found the lovely embroidered fabric from the etsy seller kainkain, who was kind enough to make them a custom piece for the project. i just can’t get over what a lovely transformation this is! it definitely inspires me to bring some old furniture back to basics. great work, lauren and nick! -kate
*stay tuned for a new column today at 12, before & after basics, where we’ll learn how to strip furniture like this!

CLICK HERE for jennie’s amazing chandelier (i love the bulb change-out!) after the jump!
(more…)

i am seriously in awe of the amount of skill that went into transferring these stencils onto the surface of this desk. i have hard time keeping a stencil straight when it’s simply on a piece of paper…seriously, way to go jill! this was jill’s desk as a child. she revamped it so that her boyfriend (a screenwriter) can use it for work. while the original does have rustic charm, i love that with some skilled handiwork the desk now has a totally different feel. the decorative stencil details you can only see up close are also a nice surprise. great job, jill! -kate

CLICK HERE for jill’s desk makeover after the jump!
(more…)

sometimes the most entertaining part of going to flea markets or yard sales is to see the ‘disasters’- unfortunate pieces of furniture have already been through a transformation: one that’s a bit more frankenstein than cinderella (i know this a tragically conventional notion of beauty…sorry frankenstein.). some of us laugh and continue to walk on by, having deemed the triage involved too time-consuming to bother (note: i am one of these people). i really have respect for the brave souls that decide to take on this type of recovery project.
when ryan found this poor chair at the flea market, it had been painted hot pink with standard house paint, including all the caning and the stitching (yikes!). after numerous sanding sessions, a lot of elbow grease, and some smart color choices, she managed to bring the chair back to glory. the color choices are fresh and crisp, which doesn’t surprise me after viewing ryan’s art prints at her site modernpop, or on her etsy shop.  good work, ryan! -kate

CLICK HERE for the sara’s knitted table runner after the jump!
(more…)

hello, beautiful vintage boxes. have we met? my name is grace and i’m a vintage wooden box addict. no really, i have a prob-lem. i collect you with reckless abandon, regardless of whether or not i need more of you. so even though it pains me that i can’t buy more of you (amy has to pull me away from them these days) it makes me happy to see that so many of you have gone to a good home at the modern arks studio in nashville.

modern arks creates original furniture, wall art, notebooks and postcards using re-purposed or recycled materials. their shipping crate side tables, my favorites, use beautiful vintage crates to create unique side tables with an authentically weathered patina. one-of-a-kind and perfectly worn in, they’re right up my alley. modern arks launched their debut collection on etsy last week and you can now check out, and shop, their full selection of furniture and accessories right here. thanks, jamie!

Thank you so much to WGSN for featuring D*S this week!

i am a very sad person this week…i used to have access to what i thought was an inexhaustible supply of old stair balusters. i love having them around because they work beautifully for all sorts of projects, and whenever i ran out i knew i could walk into this one salvage shop and sift through a giant bin of them. but alas, i went looking for more yesterday and they are all sold out :( if you are the collector or store owner or whatever who went to said salvage shop and bought them all…smart move. i should have cracked the piggy bank and done it a long time ago. even though my chief supplier is currently tapped out, however, i vow that this will not be the last baluster project you see from me.
this plant stand is a great project for anyone who is picky about plant presentation; the height of the stand and the plant is completely customizable, and you can finish the wood in numerous ways, or repaint it whenever suits your fancy. for heavier plants, use four legs instead of three for added sturdiness. since i only had three balusters left (sniff) i have to be content with the tripod configuration. seek out the balusters in your area, and play around with it. have fun!! -kate

CLICK HERE for the full how-to after the jump! (more…)

when I get on a mission to tidy up my apartment, i usually end up becoming promptly frustrated by my woeful lack of storage space. so i’m always looking for ways to lose that feeling of clutter, even when i don’t really have any real space to stash my stuff—and thus, this kitchen cozy was born.
in my dream kitchen i will have miles and miles of blissfully clutter-free counter tops, but until that day comes, small appliance cozies can really help to reduce visual chaos in a small kitchen—they also do a handy job of keeping appliances clean when proper cabinet space is merely a thing of our dreams. this basic piece is simple to sew, and it’s super easy to personalize with any kind of embellishment you like. i’ve made a toaster cozy here, but you can use this pattern to cover just about any small object.

inspired by the stainless steel elements in many kitchens, i styled mine with metallic ribbons and piping. the result is quite kitchen couture—but you can easily switch up the look by using a different style of embellishment. go retro-cute with pom-pom trim, or choose a bold printed fabric and skip the embellishments altogether. ready to get cozy? let’s go! –brett bara
CLICK HERE for the full how-to after the jump!
(more…)

i am always on the lookout for good gift ideas, and i think i can add these adorable love logs to the list. they look super easy to create and have great versatility: with a simple hole in the back it is easy to hang on a wall, or you can prop one on a desk or shelf as a little art object. you could even drill down into the top and make it a little vase! using a wood burning tool may seem intimidating, but it’s actually quite an easy tool to master, and i encourage you to buy one because they are useful for many different projects. you can see more of kat’s love logs on her etsy shop, where they are available for sale. thanks, kat! -kate

CLICK HERE for the full how-to after the jump!
(more…)

speaking of joke at tokketok and her amazing paper work, i couldn’t resist sharing some of it here this morning. i love how wonderfully simple her designs are- edited down to the most essential (and beautiful) elements. click here to see more of joke’s work…

this adorable quickie of a project comes from joke vande gier. originally from belgium, joke currently lives in beautiful portland, or. her blog is full of some major inspiration eye candy, as are her paper designs. if you have two minutes and some photos to display, i highly recommend this little diy. thanks for sharing it with us, joke! -kate

Materials:
- fabric tape
- strips of paper (card stock or other thick paper)
Instructions:
1. Cut strips of paper into uniform widths and lengths.
2. Pinch them together and adhere fabric tape around stack near the edges to bind together tightly.
3. Tuck photos in between paper.
VOILA!