Dining Room Sideboard from Hemnes dresser! By: jchoquette

Materials: HEMNES dresser

We took our unused large, black Hemnes dresser and repurposed it into a dining room sideboard. First we removed the four large drawers and their drawer slides. The holes were filled and sanded and the entire base was painted with two coats of white paint.

The four small drawers’ hardware was removed and the fronts were sanded down to the raw pine, stained natural, tung oil was applied and new hardware pulls from Menards were attached. We cut 1/2″ pine for three shelves and treated that wood the same as the drawer fronts. The dresser backing was removed and a pine support board was nailed to the back of the base to give the frame support.

The finished sideboard is a perfect compliment to the 1800′s pine table and cupboard in our sunroom/dining room!

via IKEA Hackers http://ift.tt/1jog9JX From jchoquette

Recipe: Spicy Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Thai Basil Jalapeños By: Grace Bonney

Last month I attended the first Cherry Bombe Jubilee in NYC. Cherry Bombe is a wonderful bi-annual magazine that celebrates women in food. From writers and chefs to makers and academics, Cherry Bombe has done a wonderful job connecting women in the food community and giving them a larger platform. They had an incredible one-day conference last month that tackled some really important issues like women in the media, funding for food businesses and restaurants and also gave women valuable advice and insight on how to grow a successful food business in today’s market. I was so moved by everything I heard (I could listen to Katie Button and Gabrielle Hamilton talk all day), but I was equally inspired by getting to meet so many amazing people face to face. One of my favorite people I met was Sarah Gordon, co-founder of Gordy’s Pickle Jar in Washington, D.C.. Along with her partner, Sheila Fain, Sarah creates small-batch pickles using local produce and responsibly grown spices. They sent us a jar of their spicy Thai Basil Jalapeños and we loved them. So much so, we asked if they had a recipe they like best for using these in everyday meals. Luckily, Sarah and Sheila had a recipe up their sleeves already (a quick and delicious grilled cheese) that we thought would be perfect to share here. Whether you’re making a speedy lunch before running out of the house today or just need a fun meal for the weekend, this sandwich is definitely a winner. You can pick up Gordy’s pickles online here or check for a local stockist on their site, too. Thanks, Sarah and Sheila! xo, grace

*For those of you who like a little less heat, the Gordy’s team provided a sweet pickle version of the recipe after the jump, too!

Food photos by Mathew Ramsey

Click through for the full recipe after the jump!

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via Design*Sponge http://ift.tt/PXAs5b From Grace Bonney

IKEA kitchen cabinets to make BaffleXchange speaker boxes By: Ben

Materials: AKURUM

I am an amateur speaker builder. While I have not tried his method, this is an excellent DIY example of building better quality cabinets using partially the IKEA cabinets. I did not see anything similar on here, please link to it if you like. Thank you.

See more of the IKEA kitchen cabinet speakers by charlielaub. (via TechTalk Parts Express)

via IKEA Hackers http://ift.tt/1iKF6KN From Ben

2014 Sister Cities Wallpaper Collection from Grow House Grow By: Grace Bonney

Katie Deedy of Grow House Grow is one of my favorite designers working today. Not only because we’ve had the joy of getting to know her over Biz Ladies lunches, but because she is consistently searching for inspiration and ideas in unexpected places. Whether she’s opening our eyes to the world of women in science (her first wallpaper collection) or the stories behind the early days of Far Rockaway, Katie is always teaching through her work. I love that I walk away from her designs not just inspired, but with something new to learn, research or share with others.

Her latest collection, Sister Cities, was inspired by the tradition of voluntary alliances between different parts of the world. Known as Twin Towns or Sister Cities, these connections can form for important political, historic or artistic purposes, or more comic ones, like the pairing of Dull, Scotland and Boring, Oregon. Inspired by these pairings, Katie created three new wallpaper patterns that celebrate the different artistic traditions of each city: Mexico City + Chicago, Stockholm + La Paz, and Marseille + Marrakesh. I’m partial to the deep charcoal hue of the Stockholm/La Paz pattern, but they all celebrate pattern and color in such beautiful ways. Congratulations to Katie on another great collection and thank you for keeping narrative alive in your work in a way that keeps us all learning and thinking after we’re inspired. Click here to check out and shop The Sister Cities Collection. xo, grace

Click through to see more colorways from each pattern after the jump!

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via Design*Sponge http://ift.tt/1rJ9YRh From Grace Bonney

From Marius to Ektorp Headrest By: Remo

Materials: krakris pillow, Marius white stool

Ektorp is a comfortable sofa but it has too low cushions to let tall people rest their heads. I saw a headrest in a showroom and had my idea!

A Marius can become an headrest!

That’s all folks.

via IKEA Hackers http://ift.tt/1n6TVgb From Remo

DIY Project: Brushstroke Upholstered Bench By: Grace Bonney

I love a good bedroom bench. It provides a nice little place to slip on shoes and can even serve as an extra spot to display art and books in a unique way. The only thing I’m crazier about than a bedroom bench is fabric. Any opportunity I have to include more fabric in a room is one I’m taking. Thankfully, the shape of our bedroom (which is actually a lofted attic) demanded that I create a custom piece to fit our non-standard wall sizes. Since I was already building the bench from scratch, I decided why not throw in some hand-painted fabric, too? This project combines the simplest approach to make your own upholstered bench with a modern brushstroke upholstery style that you can easily tackle yourself in a weekend. -Mandy Pellegrin

Click through for the full how-to after the jump!

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via Design*Sponge http://ift.tt/1hSEA1u From Grace Bonney

A Day In The Life of Maryanne Moodie By: Grace Bonney

As most textile lovers can attest, there is something magical about watching things be woven on a loom. Whether it’s beautiful material for dresses or a detailed wall hanging, seeing hundreds or thousands of tiny strands moving and working together on such a large scale – controlled by a single human being – is like watching an elaborately controlled dance. I’ve got a short list of textile-based artists I watch on a daily basis, and artist Maryanne Moodie is one of them. I came across her work relatively recently on Lucy’s blog, The Design Files.

Originally based in Melbourne, Maryanne now lives in Brooklyn with her family and creates stunning tapestries by hand. I love the vivid colors and rich texture she works into her pieces – they’re almost like living creatures on the wall with their own character and personalities. Though she’s only been weaving since 2010, Maryanne has built a devoted following who adore everything from her well-curated vintage collection to her dramatic custom-order wall hangings. Today we’re taking a peek inside her daily life, including time with her son and packaging up custom orders ready to mail. Thanks so much to Maryanne for sharing her day with us! xo, grace

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via Design*Sponge http://ift.tt/QZYrBY From Grace Bonney