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BRYN & DANE’S gets ANOTHER MAKEOVER!

April 19, 2013 by Percy Bright Leave a Comment

It’s been a whirlwind April for us up in Horsham PA. Bryn of Bryn & Dane’s took possession of his new location (inside Horsham Athletic Club) on April 1st, and we had until the April 11th Launch Party to make it beautiful. There were more than a few late nights packed in there, but we did it!

And now we can finally show you where the wood from that old barn and the sign in progress ended up!

Also be sure to scroll all the way down for a couple before pics, which don’t convey nearly how disgusting it was in there. Sticky surfaces and ants everywhere, old egg on the griddle, and a walk-in fridge that smelled like death. Thank god for commercial cleaning crews.

SPRING has finally SPRUNG!

April 18, 2013 by Percy Bright Leave a Comment

MAGIC CARPET RIDE

April 17, 2013 by Percy Bright Leave a Comment

I’m not usually a big content re-poster, but when I saw these cotton dhurries from Oyyo in Stockholm on Remodelista today, I couldn’t help myself.

Bye Bye, STAINLESS

April 15, 2013 by Percy Bright 1 Comment

For some reason, at some point in the last few decades, some idiot decided that appliances should no longer be available in custom colors. And after seeing a bunch of grandma-house atrocities while house hunting in Philly yesterday, I can’t blame him (yeah, it was definitely a dude). But something tells me all the major appliance manufacturers just got together one day and decided over stiff cocktails, the fewer options the “better” (read: cheaper). And so began the reign of stainless, black, and white. Not a lot of fun for us designers!

Now you’re probably saying to yourself, “Smeg, Smeg, Smeg!” Yeah, we get it! They’re adorable. Just like a wittle kitten. Cute, but too small to get much done. The first time Tara and I saw one in real life (after gushing over a bunch of pictures), we couldn’t believe how tiny it was. Plus they only come as a fridge or a freezer, not both.

Enter Big Chill Fridge! Well, twelve years ago–I’m a little late on this one. But how awesome are those colors? Not only do they have normal-person-size and Smeg-size fridge-slash-freezers, they also have ranges and range hoods and dishwashers and microwaves. Check out Drew Barrymore’s kitchen below!

Now all we need is a big-budget kitchen job.

Just in TIME for SPRING!

April 14, 2013 by Percy Bright Leave a Comment

Well it might not really be Spring related, but National Geographic’s recently started posting a huge archive of old travel photos to this new tumblr of theirs.

There are about a thousand other photos I want to post here, but I’ll refrain. Go check it out for yourself!

For the LOVE of WOOD

April 12, 2013 by Tara Mangini 1 Comment

Hunting for barn wood is always a bit of a challenge. We’ve gotten a few good hauls through the years, and have lusted after many dilapidated barns on the side of the road, but have never actually had the chance to see the wood in place before it ends up in the back of our truck. Until now!

We took a hike up to Phillipsburg, NJ last week and took a peek at the falling down barn and its 100+ year old wood planks before they tore them off for us to use at the new Bryn & Dane’s location in Horsham, PA. The siding we got was awesome, but I wish we could have taken the whole place with us. The floor boards were gorgeous, and the entire lower level was white (and dirt) washed in the most beautiful way.

Take a peek at the barn, and stay tuned to see where the salvaged wood ended up.

CUTTING a PERFECT CIRCLE

April 9, 2013 by Percy Bright Leave a Comment

We’re pumped to announce that yesterday we put the finishing touches on the second Bryn & Dane’s location! (For a few pictures from the facelift we gave the first location, click here.)

Oh, and you’re all invited to the big launch party this Thursday from 5-8pm at 400 Horsham Road! Get ready for some awesome local food, beer, and healthy cocktails. Plus you’ll get to see the finished sign and the rest of the new space, which we decked out with tons of beautiful reclaimed wood we literally pulled off the side of a barn up in Phillipsburg NJ. If you aren’t able to make it Thursday, keep checking back here for photos of the new space and the barn where we sourced all the beautiful wood.

On to the circle cutting!

You could obviously trace out a perfect circle in pencil, then do your best with a sure hand, a steady eye, and a jig or band saw. But it’ll never be perfect that way.

Cutting a perfect circle really isn’t as hard as it sounds. Especially if you have a Rockler circle cutting jig and a nice router. You don’t? Me neither. Lucky for us, even a scrap of wood, a single screw, and a crappy little palm router will do the trick, though you might find your router smoking and burnt out by the end if you’ve constantly pushed it too hard.

Here’s what you do: Find yourself a long enough scrap and notch out one end so your router fits snugly. At the other end, drill a hole a little wider than your screw. The distance between screw hole and router notch out (adding in the extra distance to the router bit, about 1.5 inches on a palm router) will be the radius of the final circle, so plan accordingly! Fire your screw in and go to town, increasing the depth of your cut just a little on each pass so your router doesn’t suffer the same fate as mine.

Voila! Now stay tuned for the finished sign. She’s a real beaut.

All our EGGS in one SPANISH MOSS FILLED BASKET

April 3, 2013 by Tara Mangini 2 Comments

I’ve been a ridiculous dreamer/idea maker/unrealistic planner my entire life. I thought that when I escaped the world of waiting tables and started to “figure out my life” the big crazy plans would subside, but in fact they’ve only grown bigger, and actually feel more possible than ever. So when Percy and I started dreaming about our potential new lives in Savannah, I completely 100% fell in love with the idea, and fast. It was like somebody said the word Savannah and we said “YES” in unison.

We instantly booked a trip and started planning our perfect lives down there. A great old house with a yard and a garage, suntans all year round, spanish moss, cobblestone streets, a vintage shop, a design firm, an ice cream shop (to finally make some sense of our name) a bed and breakfast that would rival Ace hotel, complete with a speakeasy style underground bar AND a roof top pool, (because frankly, why not?) and of course, an amazing group of creative (but not too artsy) friends who would invite us over to big dinners under twinkle lights. Savannah! The place where dreams come true and you can wear a dress every single day, which is exactly what I would do, after I went for my morning run and made a fresh smoothie and efficiently responded to emails. I’m telling you I was so excited my stomach ached. This was IT.

I wish I could tell you that we were packing up our things to head down there for good, but it seems that our big dreams may have gotten slightly ahead of us. At least, for now. Instead the dreaming continues, the plan everyday slightly different from what it was the day before. I’m just holding onto those Georgia butterflies that had me so excited and waiting impatiently for Spring.

Now PRINCE CHARLES APPROVED

April 2, 2013 by Percy Bright 1 Comment

I went over to Remodelista this morning to show Tara their article on Superfront, who’ve taken Ikea hacks to a whole new level with their beautiful cabinet fronts and pulls. (Fingers crossed that they follow the Ikea model of flat packing and shipping to the US at crazy low prices.)

Anyway, what did I see on top of Remodelista’s homepage but the Upstate NY kitchen we designed! We had no idea that was coming and are so, so honored to be featured today. Thanks, guys!

WE are BETTER TOGETHER

March 27, 2013 by Tara Mangini 1 Comment

We were so happy to take part in Etsy’s great post today, Creative Couples : Making it Work in Love and Business. I love a captive audience so when they asked us to answer a few questions, I was thrilled to blabber on. It’s so easy to get caught up in the day to day craziness of running your own business, so it was nice to force myself to sit and reflect for a bit and remember how lucky we truly are.

And because I’m nuts, even though I’m part of the article myself, I still find myself a little envious of the couples featured! They are all doing such beautiful work, and seem to be so happy and in love. Take a peek at some of the magic they are making together.

L: Chocolate Caramel Sandwich Cookies with Chipotle and Sea Salt from Whimsy & Spice. Adorable as the couple themselves.
R: Nautical Themed Print on Large Wood Whale by Edie’s Lab.