when i sat down to reimagine the new d*s one of the first things i wanted to add was more diy and craft-based content. i love weekend projects that add character and personality to a house but sadly i don’t have time to do them as much as i’d like these days. rather than give up on the idea entirely i thought that it might be time to introduce a new editor (or two) to the site. i’m certainly not an expert on diy so i thought it might help to bring in two people who are.
it’s my great, great pleasure to welcome lauren smith and derek fagerstrom of the curiosity shoppe to d*s! derek and lauren will be serving as design*sponge’s craft editors and will join us every wednesday afternoon for a new diy project.
before moving to san francisco and launching the curiosity shoppe in october of 2006, lauren spent the previous 7 years working for designer todd oldham in his nyc studio. there she managed his PR department and helped produce photo shoots, television segments, magazine articles and events. she was also involved in the design and production of his book handmade modern, and managed the art department during the production of the accompanying television series for hgtv, where she appeared as todd’s helper on a number of episodes. a dedicated do-it-yourselfer and lifelong crafter, lauren enjoys knitting, crocheting, weaving, sewing and making things out of paper.
derek is a san francisco-based editor, curator, and designer. he recently returned to the bay area after an 8-year stint in nyc where he worked at a variety of magazines including esquire and interview. when he’s not helping lauren out in the shoppe he can be found tinkering around at ReadyMade magazine where he is their projects editor.
i’m so thrilled to welcome lauren and derek and their first DIY project: wine crate display cases! for the full instructions and their post please click “more”.
Hello design*sponge readers! Wow, it’s such a thrill to be posting our crafty DIY projects on one of our very favorite spots on the whole world wide web! We really hope you’ll enjoy our weekly episodes, but our biggest wish is that they’re a little creative kick to inspire you to do some projects of your own.
We thought we’d start with a very timely post. See, we recently moved to a cozy little apartment right above our Shoppe. It’s quiet, clean, has nice floors, there’s even an avocado tree right outside our window, but there isn’t a lick of storage. We need storage. So we whipped up these wine crate display cases to house a few of our favorite knickknacks and doohickeys.
A quick trip to our local wine shop provided us with the majority of the necessary raw materials (wine crates) as well as a bottle of a little something with which to christen the project. We loved the rough hewn look of the wooden boxes, and decided the (literal) branding on the sides only added to their charm. To contrast the raw wood, we chose a rich and elegant print we felt would elevate our objets to museum worthy status.
Here’s what you’ll need:
Metal ruler
Crate
Giftwrap or other famcy paper
Pencil
X-acto blade
Bone folder
Spray adhesive
Sawtooth hanger
Hammer
Small nails
Rubber bumpers
Hanging hardware
First, use a metal ruler to measure the interiors of each crate to make sure you have enough fancy paper to line all of them. Next, draw out the measurements in pencil on the backside of the paper. In order to avoid any potential gaps along the interior edges, add a 1″ “allowance” as follows:
Long pieces: add 1″ to each of the three sides that border the interior of the box.
Short pieces: add 1″ allowance to the side that borders the back of the box.
Back piece: no allowance necessary
Using a straight edge and an X-acto blade, carefully cut out each piece of paper (five per box). Create fold lines by scoring along your pencil marks with a bone folder. Finally, miter each of the interior corners by cutting a 45 degree angle from the outside edge in, along the 1””allowance.
Now it’s time to glue. In a well-ventilated area, apply spray adhesive to the back sides of each of your long pieces. Carefully place them carefully inside the box, lining up the folded edges with the edges of the box and smoothing out any air bubbles that may appear in the paper. Next, spray and apply the short pieces. At this point, all four sides of the box will be lined, and the back will have a 1″ border all the way around it. The last step is to spray and apply the back piece to the box. Smooth out bubbles and let dry completely before proceeding to the next step.
Decide which direction you want to hang your boxes, and attach a sawtooth hanger along the top edge of each box using a hammer and small nails. Apply peel-and-stick rubber bumpers along the bottom corners of each box, to ensure that they hang straight against the wall.
Mark the position of each box on the wall with a pencil, and attach them using the appropriate hanging hardware for your wall.
