[Photo by Seth Kushner, at The Future Perfect]

Design*Sponge is a daily website dedicated to home and product design run by Brooklyn-based writer, Grace Bonney. Launched in August of 2004, Design*Sponge features store and product reviews, sale and contest announcements, new designer profiles, trend forecasting and store/studio tours. In addition, Design*Sponge features a unique section dedicated to covering student design, national and international design shows. The site is updated constantly throughout the day (with an average of 6-10 posts a day), and attracts a core group of devoted readers. Design*Sponge currently has over 30,000 daily readers. Click here for PRESS on design*sponge.

Design*Sponge editor Grace Bonney has a unique angle on the industry, working as a contributing editor at Domino Magazine and CRAFT magazine, and as a freelancer with top publications like House and Garden, New York Home, Food and Wine, Better Homes and Gardens, CITY Magazine, Time Out New York Kids, Archinect, The New York Post, Everyday with Rachael Ray and others. In addition, she wrote a weekly design column for the Philadelphia Inquirer for two years and has worked as Style Editor of HGTV’s Ideas Magazine.

In addition, Grace has been a featured guest on Good Morning America and has been invited to speak with wide variety of organizations ranging from design schools to professional trade organizations. Recent engagements: “Design and the Media” (RISD, 2007), “Getting Your Work Online” (SCAD, 2007), “Design and the Internet” (AIGA, 2007), Design and Marketing Online (FIT, 2008), and Design Panel Discussion (SURTEX, 2008).

Grace also runs a national series of meetups for women running design-based businesses called the D*S Biz Lady Series. Grace hosts and speaks at these events designed to connect local designers and provide free advice on the subjects of PR/marketing, legal concerns, business/financial decisions and wholesaling. Meetings have been held in Brooklyn, Chicago, Philadelphia, Portland, Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles with 6 additional cities coming in 2008.

Design*Sponge is proud to welcome four new contributors to the team:

Lauren Smith and Derek Fagerstrom of The Curiosity Shoppe have joined D*S as weekly craft editors. Every Wednesday afternoon they will post a new project called “DIY Wednesdays” for those looking for DIY fun. You can view their column archives right here.

Writer and photographer Kristina of Three Layer Cake has joined D*S as a weekly food editor. Born in the South, Kristina now lives in Rome and works in the field of humanitarian assistance. She spends her free time learning photography, trying new recipes and playing with her border terrier, Crash!. Every Friday afternoon she will post a new recipe called “In the Kitchen With” from one of our favorite independent designers. You can view her column archives right here.

Graphic designer and travel maven, Anne Ditmeyer of Prêt à Voyager has joined D*S as the new intern a contributing editor. A background in art history, anthropology and photography combined with a love of travel has offered opportunities to find wonderful design in the most unlikely places. A native Virginian, but Francophile at heart, Anne currently absorbs the charm of Baltimore.