>> Grace Bonney is a Brooklyn-based freelance writer and the founder/ editor of Design*Sponge ( designspongeonline.com). She also runs a national series of Biz Lady Meetups, designed to connect women who run design-based businesses.
If you’ve picked up a design magazine, clicked through a home blog, or flipped on a home makeover show in the last year, you know that print and pattern are back in a big way. Whether it’s in the form of bold new wallpaper designs, peel-and-stick decals, or brightly colored fabric, pattern has made its way back into homes with a vengeance.
For some, the reemergence of pattern means
choosing from the wide range of designs available
in stores. But for others, this new trend represents The great thing about
a chance to create handmade designs that speak
to their own unique personalities. hand-printed projects
Designers Lena Corwin and Lotta Jansdotter both
recently released books dedicated to the art of hand-printing. Corwin’s, Printing By Hand: A Modern is they come in all
Guide to Printing with Handmade Stamps, Stencils, and Silk Screens, and Jansdotter’s, Lotta Prints: How shapes and sizes, and
to Print with Anything, from Potatoes to Linoleum, are both packed with projects that teach readers can suit any skill level.
how to hand-print patterns onto their walls, pillows,
tea towels, and practically anything else they can After recently visiting Mexico, she was inspired
get their hands on. by a painted floor she saw in a local boutique and
Craft and design publications have also begun decided to create her own version at home. After
featuring more homes, projects, and products that sketching for a few hours, she came up with a pat-
showcase hand-printed pattern work, whether it’s tern she loved, and cut it into some spare cardboard
done via silk-screen, stencil, or hand-illustration. she had lying around. A bit of measuring and a few
Graphic designer Catherine Weis, who runs the coats of paint later, she had a totally personalized
design firm Intoanout Creative and the Etsy shop kitchen floor that spoke to her distinct taste.
Lekker, recently entered a patterns-at-home contest While not everyone is able to sketch a pattern like
I was running on my blog. Weis’, the great thing about hand-printed projects is
I was blown away by Weis’ entry (a stunning hand- that they come in all shapes and sizes, and can suit
painted floor design), as well as by the hundreds any skill level. Printing a pattern by hand is one of
of submissions we received. People are picking up the simplest and most gratifying ways to customize
paintbrushes and rollers or making their own stencils your home. So the next time you see a pattern or a
and having a blast customizing their homes. picture that inspires you, turn it into a personalized
Along with the entries we saw, I started hearing stencil or stamp you can use around your house.
from editors at magazines who said they’d been You’ll be left with something truly unique: a design
receiving submissions from readers who had stencil- that represents who you are and what you love,
printed living rooms, bathrooms, and even garage rather than what stores are loving this season.
floors. That led to a few more hours spent browsing home galleries on Flickr, and seeing examples of crafters creating their own patterns.
When I spoke with Weis about her patterned floor, she explained that she’d recently purchased a home best described as a “fixer-upper.” Because of financial constraints, she wasn’t yet able to fully redo her kitchen, but wanted to spruce it up in the meantime.
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