We are always looking for interesting ways to use unsung materials to create a new kind of WOW for the events that we design. Like the Maine Wedding I blogged about a couple of weeks ago, we recently had the opportunity to explore a very different kind of re-use for a fundraising gala for the American Friends of the Israel Museum. Held at Cipriani’s grand ballroom on 42nd Street, the evening’s theme, The Written Word, inspired us to make recycled newspaper our material hero dujour.
I am so excited about our very first product line, David Stark for West Elm, and it’s is in the stores right now! During the holiday season, folks with the most refined taste often lose their heads and douse themselves in green and red glitz. That’s because there are few other modern options to deck their halls with — but my holiday collection offers a cool solution to that quandary, mixing naturals with metallics and using an array of recycled and repurposed materials to create special items that can be used in multiple ways.
Here at David Stark Design, we’re always thinking of ways to re-use discarded objects or to see everyday, humble items in a new light. One such flash of inspiration came this summer as we scouted for a wedding in Maine.
For times when you don't feel like dealing with all the goop, or just as an extra bit of spookiness.
• Donations: $3,394
• Goal: $10,000
• Donors: 35
We have teamed up with the DonorsChoose.org and other top blogs and during the month of October we're asking you to help us buy much needed classroom supplies for public schools. Check out our Giving Page and help us provide students with art supplies: Art in Action! ($385 needed)
• Donations: $2,083
• Goal: $10,000
• Donors: 188
We have teamed up with the DonorsChoose.org and other top blogs and during the month of October we're asking you to help us buy much needed classroom supplies for public schools. Check out our Giving Page and this week help us provide students with art supplies: Art in Action! ($440 needed)
A few designers have always given us a great deal of inspiration: Alvar Aalto, David Hicks, Massimo Vignelli, Milton Glaser — but no one more so than Lou Dorfsman, the brilliant and legendary designer behind CBS' corporate identity for more than 40 years. Everything he had his hand in at CBS set the design bar to an always striven-for height, and probably his most fascinating design was the Gastrotypographicalassemblage — the massive wall of hand-milled type set in a 35 foot long by 8 foot high California job case for the CBS cafeteria.
Much of our inspiration comes from books and magazines, and because Linda and I are out yard saling and flea marketing just about every weekend, the overwhelming majority of that material is not very recent, and our bookshelf is a rainbow of aged, oxidized, antique whites.
A few years ago a friend asked us if we could decorate her apartment in Brooklyn. She didn't have a whole lot of money to spend on it — which was fine as we didn't like to spend people's money anyway. The apartment was a basic new-remodel, with the original space broken up into basic drywalled rooms, which lacked any character. Sometimes of course this is exactly what you're looking for, but we wanted to make it look more feminine and European.
Being color month at Apartment Therapy we thought we'd start our month of guest posts with one that combines yard sales and color. Linda and I go yard saling every weekend, and from this collections grow. They could be books, dishes, prints, furniture, records, clothes — whatever catches our eyes. Speaking of, we've put together a collection of blues-and-reds, a color combination which usually gets no attention other than a passing thought that together they may be slightly incompatible, dated, and even optically unnerving. In large expanses it might be totally unnerving (see Syd Barrett), but here we're just (re)considering it as an accent.
I’ve always said if you can only invest money in one room of the house — or, in this case, one section of the studio — pick the bedroom. It’s where we theoretically spend 1/3 of our life sleeping, so it makes sense to get the healthiest, greenest and most comfy components for a restful sleep. When you skimp on bedding, your body feels it. So for Part 3 of this $500 makeover, I decided to invest about $300 in the bedroom with some surprising results.
When you find a very reasonably priced studio apartment in Manhattan, two things come to mind: it’s either rent-controlled and you’ve struck gold or there’s something wrong with it. While this small studio had nothing glaringly wrong with it, the tiny bathroom did suffer from a lack of ventilation to let the morning steamy shower vent anywhere. Since this was not a gut renovation job, I had to think of Plan B in dealing with this ventilation issue.
Having remodeled about a dozen homes and produced/styled close to 100 home stories for magazines, I may have met my match recently with a tiny studio apartment in Hell's Kitchen. In the past, when I do a before-and-after makeover on someone’s home, it’s usually with a limitless budget and a team of stylists and assistants pinning, painting and primping a home from dull to magazine-worthy perfection. So, when I saw my friend’s Facebook photos of his new Hell’s Kitchen studio apartment, I thought, “how hard could it be do a total makeover in an afternoon with a few hundred dollars and just myself?”
1. Can I submit a gift certificate in the place of a gift?
This is an opportunity for you to highlight one of your products, so unfortunately we do not accept gift certificates.
2. Can I see a proof of the post beforehand?
Similar to an editorial post, we do not provide you with a proof before we publish the post. With over 100 gifts we aren't able to accommodate that request. We will be using the image and copy that you submit. If you would like to see an example of what the post will look like, click here.
3. What should the picture look like?
Our readers prefer active, colorful, illustrative pictures, not plain product shots. Please select an image that will best show off your gift. Here is an example.
4. How does the gift get to the winner?
Once the winner is selected, you will be notified with their name and mailing address. It is then your responsibility to ship the gift to the winner within 30 days of notification. We will also provide you with a link to a form where we would like you to fill in the date the gift was shipped and the tracking number in case follow-up is needed.
5. If my one item is less than $100 can I submit more than one?
We are looking for gifts of value and $100 is our minimum. If your gift has a value of less than $100, but is a part of a set or collection you may complete the set to reach the $100 minimum.
6. What if my gift is more than $100 but is a part of a set?
Regardless of the dollar amount we request that you complete the set or collection in order to make it a gift of value for our readers.
7. How does Apartment Therapy pick the gifts?
Apartment Therapy picks a variety of gifts that are aligned to our mission, and should help readers make their homes more beautiful, organized and healthy. We also prioritize those gifts that are interesting and are our reader favorites.
(We're trying out some of the best applicants from our New York Blogger Search — this House Call comes from applicant Kat Howard.)
Name: Aaron and Kat
Location: Boerum Hill, Brooklyn NYC
After living in a cramped, under 500 square feet, walk-up with no closets and two cats Aaron and Kat were excited to move into the long cream and white rooms of their new 1,100 square foot railroad apartment with abundant closet space, and a terrace. Their design of the space reflects this sense of relief and combines warm wood, mid-century Danish furniture, earth tones, and a respect for the empty space...
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