Design Blogs I Love: Cribcandy Edition

Cribcandy isn't so much a blog as it is an I.V. drip of contemporary design tapped directly into your veins. It's the Internet manifestation of ADHD for design. There's really no commentary either -- it's just a presentation of hundreds of new items of furniture, home accessories, architecture, consumer products and weirdness from all over the world. As far as navigation, you can flip through page after page or you can view by category. Unfortunately, there's no search function, as far as I can find. There are also lots of technological gadgetry, but it almost always crosses over into the world of design. There are some great design links at the bottom of the page, too.


The editorial perspective leans toward the techno-sleek, over-the-top, way-high-end that if you ask how much it costs, you probably can’t afford it. There's nothing very traditional on the site at all. I'd say very few of the items are handmade. There’s also some pretty weird stuff on there. They even have a category dedicated to weirdness.

So why am I recommending the site? Well, for every turkey leg phone and giant hairbrush, there’s a cantilever hall table and writing desk. The reason I look at Cribcandy pretty much every day is the sheer volume of interesting things to see there. When I last visited, the site featured 1,838 chairs, 119 benches and 1,193 tables. It's helpful for every designer, once in a while, to open his or her mind to new possibilities.

Cribcandy is not for everyone, but I think it's a great site if you want to break out of a mold and look at lots of innovative, if occasionally absurd, design. Think of it as a good palate cleanser.

Check it out at www.cribcandy.com.

Design Blogs I Love: Design*Sponge Edition

I'm going to start my series of "Design Blogs I Love" with Design*Sponge -- one of the sites that got me interested in blogs in the first place. I honestly can't remember how I stumbled upon Design*Sponge -- perhaps from an article in the NY Times or somewhere. Design*Sponge is one of those blogs that grew organically and then exploded in popularity, making its founder and editor, Grace Bonney, a blog celebrity and one of the few people who actually make a living by writing a blog. Grace's taste is impeccable. She's very smart and the writing is always crisp and fun. One of my favorite parts of the blog is when she features photos of interiors. It gives me an idea of how people actually use furniture and all the other things that make up a good interior design. Incredibly, Design*Sponge is updated with six to ten posts per day and has a daily readership of over 30,000.



Another great feature of Design*Sponge is the design guides. Traveling to Seattle? Grace and her reporters on the ground can recommend cool areas of town to visit as well as the top design stores that you shouldn't miss. The DIY section is also inspiring. Written by Lauren and Derek from the awesome Curiosity Shoppe in San Francisco, the section has all kinds of doable projects and great ideas for gifts. Grace's coverage of events like the ICFF is really helpful and informative.

Grace also runs a national Biz Lady Meetup, in which she connects women all over the country who run design-based businesses. She is featured in dozens of newspapers, magazines and websites around the world to deliver her take on contemporary design. She's truly a force of nature. If you want to see what's going on in the real world of interior design, Design*Sponge should be your first stop. Check it out at www.designspongeonline.com.

Furniture makers, meet furniture buyers. Furniture buyers, meet furniture makers.

One of my main goals for Furnitude is to make it a bridge between the furniture making world and the furniture buying world. One of the best ways to introduce them to each other is let them know ways to find each other.

For designers, here are some resources for finding furniture makers. National organizations and local guilds often have directories in which you can find tons of furniture makers. Another way I find out about them is the participant lists of the various woodworking fairs and shows. This is by no means comprehensive – just a few places where you can find lots of information.

Furniture Society -- Members Information – an international membership organization that includes professionals and novices alike.

San Diego Fine Woodworkers Association -- Craftsman List – I’m not sure why, but San Diego has an incredibly vibrant woodworking community.

International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) -- Exhibitor List – the show the design world seems to take very seriously.

Handmade in America -- Craft Registry – an organization that focuses on North Carolina’s craftspeople who happen to be some of the best craftspeople anywhere.

Guild of Vermont Furniture Makers -- Member List -- small organization, lots of talent.

New Hampshire Furniture Masters Assocation -- Masters List -- select group of off-the-charts craftspeople.

Cumberland Furniture Guild -- Directory -- my own furniture guild here in Nashville, TN.

That should keep you clicking for a while!

For furniture makers, here are some popular design blogs. These can be inspiring but can also connect you to interior designers and fans of interior design. And talk about traffic, if you get your stuff posted on one of them, you'll get hundreds of people looking at your website.

Design*sponge -- one of the best and most popular design blogs out there, design*sponge covers furniture, accessories, textiles and more.

Design-Milk -- covers home decor and has a decidely modern slant.

Cribcandy -- a totally addictive site that features dozens of new items daily and ranges from the very cool to the very out-there.

Shelterrific -- covers home decorating and design but also home life in general.

Decor8 -- very well-written site on home design with a modern style.

Blue Ant Studio -- covers minimalist modern design.

Check out their blog rolls to find even more design blogs.