Over the years, I’ve learned that making linen room dividers, tablecloths, napkins and slipcovers does NOT have to involve sewing…
Read MoreSublimely Analog Chalkboard Drawings of Mathematicians, Rudolf Steiner, Twombly Inspire Our Own
“This is what thought looks like” begins Dennis Overbye’s article about Jessica Wynne’s remarkable photographs of mathematician’s blackboards, that reminded us of Steiner and Cy Twombly…
Read MoreKraft Paper Dispensers That Let Your Write On the Walls, and Elsewhere
Kraft paper is so wildly useful that if I had the room in my city apartment, I’d keep a roll on a wall to have easy access when the mood/need hits.
Read MoreManifestations of Gold: Forest Sculpture, Poem, Graffiti, a Dusting Found on Leaves
After I started working with gold, melting, rolling, forging the 22-karat coins I bought years ago, I started to see other forms of treasure, including Karin van der Molen’s beautiful sculpture…
Read MoreThe Art of Collage and Assemblage: ‘Everyday, Non-Art materials…Provoke Imaginative, Even Visionary, Thoughts and Associations’.
In the images from The Art of Collage and Assemblage on view at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, it was the ordinariness of many of the materials used that we found both moving and inspiring…
Read MoreBuild A One-Page Beautiful Website for Yourself or Your Project or…Anything, Fast
If you are daunted by the prospect of creating a website for yourself or a project, check out Carrd, a free platform for building simple, stylish responsive one-page sites, fast.
Read MoreA Homemade Foam Core Screen to Block the Sun or Define a Space
In my top floor space, the scorching temperatures have been pushing me to find non-electric ways of cooling the place down to mitigate air conditioner use. I turned to the material that seemed most likely to provide insulation: foam core leftover from the many life-size prototypes I’ve built …
Read MorePauline Caulfield’s Ingenious Textile Panels Become Wall Covering, Art, Window Shade
This tiny video of textile artist Pauline Caulfield’s brilliant 1968 diploma show while studying at the Royal College of Art shows an inspiring, ingenious alternative to obstructing window treatments.
Read MoreSleeping like Donald Judd in Low-to-the Floor Beds, with Details and Plans
At the Judd Foundation, we stumbled upon this wonderful bedroom with a very Judd-esque low bed. It reminded us of the austere low platforms he made for his Spring Street Loft. We took a closer look at how he made them.
Read MoreFloating Blossoms in a Tiny Indoor Pond (Su Tung Po)
Photographer Maria Robledo inspired us to copy the lovely pond she improvised for fallen blossoms culled from her garden. A perfect accompaniment to this Spring poem by Su Tung Po.
Read MoreBring a Little Piece of Nature Into the Home, Heart, Day (Yoko Ono, Max Lamb)
It usually takes just a shift of orientation, or your usual route to work or the store, to work some living trees into your day and heart. Here’s some inspiration from Yoko Ono and Max Lamb…
Read MoreWhite Sneakers are Your Blank Canvas for Graffiti and Dalmation Spots (DIY)
Like many white things, plain white sneakers are a blank canvas just waiting to be embellished with permanent fabric markers or paint. Here are two favorite iterations for summer.
Read MoreEphemeral Curtains and Room Dividers Strung on Wires Are Easy to Do
In these images of gauzy curtains hung on simple wires via Clothier Aurelie Lecuyer, the lack of an imposing curtain rod achieves a pleasingly minimalist and ephemeral quality that’s easy and inexpensive…
Read MoreA Messy Scrap Ribbon Collection Inspires Delights and Inventions
By saving bits of ribbon and string, I’m not just recycling them to use on other gifts; I’m collecting a beautiful materials to use for all sorts of applications…
Read MoreCool, Graphical Masking Tape Decorations for Walls, Cards, Wrapping
“I haven’t done a thing to get ready for the holidays” is an echo I’ve heared from many people I know. No matter. There’s always ways to festive things up at the last minute, with whatever is on hand.
Read MoreBrian Eno’s Early Handwritten Oblique Strategies Cards Inspire Our Own
Brian Eno’s original set of handwritten oblique strategies cards designed to break creative impasses made us wonder about making our own…
Read MoreYour Clothes Embellished with Simple Stitching
Over at Kleidersachen, we occasionally spot boldly stitched clothing that makes us wonder why we don’t take a need and thread to our clothes more often to jazz them up.
Read MoreOtto Zitko Makes Me Want to Paint on the Walls
Even though I will never have the mastery of Otto Zitko’s wondrous scribble-scrabble, I wanted some of the experience of it, so I figured out how and when…
Read More2 Ideas To Evoke Charming Wabi-Sabi in Your Space
Tiny Japanese restaurant Davelle employs inspired tricks to create a “bright and thoughtful little world” and a lovely feeling of wabi-sabi.
Read MoreSimple Ways to Create Private Space with Fabric Room Dividers and ‘Slung Cloths’
The quest for a calming, private space can feel like an impossible dream, particularly for those who share tight living quarters. Here are some ideas…
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