d*s reader erin riddle sent in this lovely laundry sink makeover. when erin moved into her home she used this space as a storage space for tools and cleaning supplies, but erin wanted a space that would serve as a cute spot to work on laundry. working on a budget, erin took off the cabinet doors, sewed curtains to the front (hung on a basic rod) and painted the formica in a black melamine paint. the pegboard was swapped for hanging storage buckets and a light was painted white and brought over to gvie the corrner some warmth. the difference is really fantastic and is such a great reminder that a cuter room is only a few weekend days of handiwork away. thanks for sharing, erin!

[have a before & after you'd like to share on design*sponge? shoot me an email right here with your (low res please) images]

CLICK HERE for tanya’s designer living room makeover and allison’s diy crib upgrade after the jump!

read more …

today’s first before & after comes from d*s reader andrea dean in the uk. she recently made over her bathroom on a tight budget and the result is a clean, bright space that would do any modern apartment justice. great work, andrea! photos courtesy of david giles photography.

[have a before & after you'd like to share on design*sponge? shoot me an email right here with your (low res please) images]

CLICK HERE for kim’s fireplace transformation after the jump!

read more …

speaking of calm simplicity, i’m also loving this super-minimalist letterpress calendar from designer beverly hsu. beverly fell in love with letterpress printing while studying at carnegie mellon and decided to create a calendar using twelve different decorative types that she discovered in various typecases in the school’s letterpress lab. each decorative piece represents a day and each set of decorative elements represents a month. it’s definitely not for everyone, but if you’re looking for a calendar that is clean, minimalist and decorative, beverly has got you covered. click here for more information and here to shop her calendar at etsy.

when life and work are crazy sometimes it’s nice to focus on something simple. i’m loving the zen-like simplicity of these leaf photographs from artist jeff friesen in nova scotia. they’re such an interesting, peaceful contrast to yesterday’s bold sailboat prints. you can check out jeff’s collection of autumn-leaf ships right here at etsy.

ps: click here to check out jill’s guest post on gardens and rain barrels at the d*s guest blog!

while working on the projects for the design*sponge book, i made a lot of trips to the craft store…let’s not say a number, but too many! every visit i rushed past the rainbow haze of the kid’s section to get to the serious adult stuff like balsa wood and X-acto blades…i know, i’m super hardcore, right? but anyway, this last trip i allowed myself to browse the kid’s aisle, and let me say there are some real treasures there! so the month of november is dedicated to making modern, useful design projects out of kids’ craft supplies. this first project is made with pipe cleaners, and is inspired in a big way by tord boontje’s until dawn curtain. this would be a great holiday garland (they sell tinsel pipe cleaners!), a quickie room divider, or drape it over a hanging bulb to create a neat lamp (not touching the bulb of course). this cost five dollars and took the duration of a movie to create, so you can definitely experiment with the possibilities. have fun!! -kate

CLICK HERE for the full project after the jump!

read more …

inspired by erik’s recycled wine bottle torches, lindsay and taylor from purr design decided to create these beautiful wine bottle vases in their home’s dining room. i love the way they set off the area with a painted square, and today you can learn their full how-to steps for the project! thanks so much to lindsay and taylor for sharing!

CLICK HERE for the full project steps after the jump!

read more …