Design Public

It may not come as any surprise to learn that at Design Public we LOVE bedding. We treasure bedding pieces that make it a joy to go to bed at night as well as hard to want to leave in the morning…not to mention look sharp all along the way.

With the introduction of Sanford Burrows we knew right away that we found something amazing. Take a look at the embroidery, the Italian crafted textiles, and the attention to detail Jill Sanford Burrows puts into her work and you’ll see what we mean. Enjoy the Q&A!

I’d love to learn a little bit about your background…how did you get into working with linens and designing for the home? How did Sanford Burrows come together and get off the ground?

I had a long career as a graphic designer. Years ago, I was living and working in London and found myself wanting to design something more tangible—something that people would have an immediate, emotional reaction to that didn’t carry a marketing message— so I decided to take a few fashion design classes. But, my interest kept being drawn (more…)

In case you have not seen it…our friends at Blu Dot are quite possibly the most creative folks around. I can’t get enough of the video! This just shows: if a squirrel can assemble the chair, anyone can.

Upon the event that Mr. Squirrel inspires some Blu Dot love, check out all of their products on DP.

The newest addition to the DP family: Mod Mom Furniture. Mod Mom, aka Kiersten Hathcock, personally designs and builds all of her modern, mid-century inspired children’s furniture from her home garage.

Personally, I think it is hard to beat beautiful handmade furniture built by a mom with a power saw.

Enjoy the Q&A!

We know a little bit about your story…ex-TV network marketing executive turned stay-at-home mom turned self-taught furniture designer/builder. I absolutely love that you went for the power tools rather than the sewing machine or knitting needles. Now we want the full scoop. How did Mod Mom Furniture really get off the ground?

Mod Mom Furniture really came out of me needing two things: 1.) Another source of income (since we lost my salary) and 2.) An outlet to channel all the drive and creativity that surprisingly didn’t go away when I decided to stay home with the kids (then 6-months and 4-years). After leaving the corporate world, I took freelance marketing jobs and even nannied to help make ends meet but also be home with the kids. During that time, in 2005, I rekindled my love for woodworking while building a tiki bar and luau tables with a friend for my husband’s birthday party. I had forgotten how much fun it was to build and started to really think about how I could turn it into a business.

I started very slowly building toy bins and selling them to friends (who were kind enough not to point out the flaws because they wanted to be (more…)

Our friends at Hybrid-Home graciously sent us one of their new Limited Edition Bike Love Prints. A very attractive scarlet red, I must say.

I know there are already a number of bike lovers out there, but recently we discussed how to create the next generation of bike aficionados…start from birth! We envision a new type of nursery with a completely different angle, moving away from the pastels and cute animals. Imagine the Oeuf Sparrow Crib in gray, a couple Erich Ginder Ghost Antler Coat Racks on the wall (away from baby’s reach, of course!), maybe a Patrick Townsend Orbit Chandelier if space permits, and of course a nicely framed Hybrid-Home Bike Love Print as a major focal point. Just imagine how influential a room like this could be on a child!

View all of Hybrid-Home’s new color options for their limited edition prints.

Pictured: DP’s Antoi peeking over the new Bike Love print. Thanks Hybrid-Home!

Designers Matthew and Ariana Broerman of Paper Cloud have brought a truly handmade approach to design. All of their pieces, from journals to pillows to cards to lampshades, are made solely by the duo in their Cincinnati studio.

If you are on the hunt for a geniunely handmade item for your home, Paper Cloud is a great place to start. Enjoy the Q&A!

I find it inspiring that you two went from making handmade holiday cards for your friends and family to starting a business as extensive as Paper Cloud. A dream for many of us (myself included)! How did Paper Cloud come together and get off the ground?

When we started Paper Cloud in the fall of 2005, we had both been working as designers for two years in Cincinnati. We got great responses from the cards we were making for friends and family and we loved the idea of working and designing for ourselves. Matt comes from a very entrepreneurial family, and he grew up seeing the freedom and flexibility you have when you own your own business. Both of those things (more…)

When I think of butterflies, I think of two things:

1) The Silence of the Lambs

2) Even more terrifying than that, Mariah Carey’s apartment on MTV Cribs.

However, Alexander McQueen, who rocks, has me coming around to butterfly love just a little. Perhaps it’s because of Julian Schnabel. Whatever it is, I believe we are in the middle of a butterfly blitzkrieg in design right now:

Alexander McQueen as seen in Harper’s Bazaar:

from Domino magazine:

(more…)

Sheeeeeeee-yit! I am so happy to report that the best show on television starts up again tomorrow night - the final season of “The Wire” airs on HBO at 9 p.m. EST. Of course, I’ve cheated and watched it on On Demand twice already. I love to try and hold out for the Sunday night time and get my dose when I should, but I could not sit at home for a week with a cold, when all the other shows on TV seemed to involve Tila Tequila, people losing weight, or reruns about sex crime forensics, and NOT watch the first episode of “The Wire.” I mean, I’ve been re-upping on all of the other seasons and interviews for months now in preparation for this episode!

My favorite scene had to be the Xerox scene, though usually the drug dealers and little hoppers are MUCH smarter than that. Did you notice that the latest package is being branded as “Greenhouse Gas?” A few years ago, it was “WMD.” They keep up with the times. I can’t believe how the show (more…)

I suppose I have to join in the staff profile fun…

Where are you from?
I am a Boulder, CO mountain girl at heart, but I lived in a small town in Illinois for a few years during my formative years where like Joe I learned to appreciate the taste of Midwestern cuisine (meatloaf, corn, frozen peas, Jell-O with marshmallows, etc.). I moved to Northern California for college and have pretty much been here ever since. I also lived in Saudi Arabia and Alaska shortly after I was born, but I don’t really remember either spot so I guess they don’t count.

Where do you live now?
I have been a bit of a nomad during my 9 years in Nor Cal, but I have now nestled myself into a corner in Oakland and love it. Actually, next week I’ll be moving into a loft space in Emeryville so expect lots of photos oh-so-soon!

How did you get interested in design?
I have always had a passion for crafts, design, and art in general. As a child I would make intricate dioramas for book projects and they would typically be scenes in a home (and no, my parents didn’t make my school projects for me). In college one of my majors was in art with a focus on mixed media painting (I love textures!). I took a couple photography classes and while other students did their final projects taking pictures of people or landscapes, I was off photographing chairs.

What’s your favorite DP product and why?
Where do I begin?! The very first item that caught my eye when I saw the DP site was the Blu Dot Buttercup Rocker. I have a thing for chairs just like most gals have a thing for shoes (oh, and I have a thing for shoes too). I feel like many chairs have just about as much personality (or lack of personality) as people do. Perhaps my chair love manifests from watching “Chairy” on “Pee-wee’s Playhouse.” Of course, I can’t just stop at the Blu Dot Buttercup Rocker. I have a slew of items on my wishlist. My fist DP purchase ever was the Matteo Due Stitch Duvet in brine and I looooove it.

What do you like most about our Design Public? Why do you work here? The office cactus named Kelly Clarkson.

If you weren’t doing this what would you do? Probably sit at home and eat beef sandwiches while watching daytime TV…kidding. Actually, I’d most likely try to pursue creating my own line of items. Although, this would require some start up, and that means saving some money, and that would require finding a job. I then would probably resort to finding any job off Craigslist and then get stuck working in a cubicle for 20 years.

What do you do in your spare time? I don’t really have a lot of spare time. My side gig is as a second photographer for Cooper Carras Photography which requires working weekends shooting and editing photos. We do a lot of destination wedding photography so we have to do a good amount of traveling. Luckily, traveling is my thing so I can’t complain. If only there were 10 days to each week then I would have time for more hobbies.

Who was your favorite member of the A-Team?
Although I am pretty quiet, a little on the scrawny side and a really fair-skinned gal, I would have to say I am a lot like B.A. Baracus at heart. Thus, Mr. T is my absolute favorite.

Looking to coordinate your bedding and your Fatboy? The long wait is over! The new Fatboy’s by Dwell are live on the site!

This is Dwell’s first licensing deal, and we hold the worldwide exclusive for a limited time.

Check out the complete collection here.

Continuing our first post about plastic bag alternatives, there are two more on the scene, if you can manage to get a hold of one.

Unless you’ve been on a media ban, you must have heard about Anya Hindmarch’s “I’m NOT a Plastic bag” frenzy. Such bag frenzies come along every season, whether it’s a Louis Vuitton Murakami Cherry Bag, the oversized Chanel tote, or the Kooba Sienna, the bags sell out and then the lucky few who have them make a bundle exploiting people who just have to have the latest trend. Oh yeah, and then China starts pumping out illegal fake ones. As of today, the $15 MSRP bag is going for $120-$140 on eBay.

My pick would be Lauren Bush’s FEED bag, and here’s why: (more…)