When Kristen Dettoni was in first grade, she played Susan B. Anthony in a school play. Horrified that there had never been a woman president, she decided then and there that she would be the first female president. As she got older, she still had ambitions of being president, just of a company and not […]
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As an entrepreneur, Kristen is endlessly fascinated by the journeys of other people willing to risk it all to build the business of their dreams. In the latest Design Pool reading list, Kristen shares four inspiring books on business and the people behind them. Books on Business Wild Company: The Untold Story of the Banana […]
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Winter is my favorite time of year to spend in the studio working out new ideas. If I’m lucky, it’s also a time to travel and find inspiration beyond the studio walls. This winter, Team Design Pool had the opportunity to travel to two very different places. I spent a snowy weekend bundled up at the […]
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I just got back from a week in beautiful San Miguel de Allende. This small city in the central highlands of Mexico took my breath away, and not just because of the altitude. The colors, the food, the people, the blue sky (it had been a while since I’d seen that in wintery New England) […]
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During the winter months, when the days are shorter and the weather is colder, what’s more relaxing than curling up with a good book? If you are looking for your next read, Kristen Dettoni has some suggestions for you. Below is a list of her favorite books on code, many of which inspired her Cryptology […]
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New in the Design Pool library, The Quilt Collection, designed by Kristen Dettoni. Kristen has always had a fascination with quilts. “The quilts I grew up surrounded by always had a lot of personal meaning. They held a special place in my heart, made by people who loved me.” Kristen wanted to create a collection […]
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I am so excited to let you know that I’m heading back to Snow Farm: The New England Craft Program May 10 – 12, 2024, to teach a block printing class. I hope you’ll join me! In this class, I’ll be teaching students how to carve and print with blocks and will also dive into […]
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It’s getting to be the end of the year, which means we’re looking back at 2023 and planning for 2024. That process always begins with looking at our web traffic and seeing what our most popular blog posts of the year were. Every year, my goal for the Design Pool blog is to provide you […]
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Up now through February 4, 2024, at the Cooper Hewitt in New York City, is A Dark, A Light, A Bright: The Designs of Dorothy Liebes. This exhibit is an absolute must-see for any lover of weaving, textiles, or just good design. Dorothy Liebes was a prolific and influential designer whose work was revolutionary in […]
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I am endlessly fascinated by creativity and constantly look for new books about creativity. It doesn’t even have to be a creative field I can relate to. I just love learning about other people’s experiences and how they channel their creativity in exciting ways. I’m particularly interested in learning how people got from point A […]
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Our culture is obsessed with being busy. Instead of hobbies, people have side hustles. Yet, one of the secrets to super creative (and productive!) people is slowing down and making space in your brain for new ideas to form. You’re not going to have a flash of inspiration if you’re constantly in the weeds of […]
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Thank you so much to EFI for inviting me to an afternoon at the Museum of Print in Haverhill, Massachusetts. Spending the afternoon with a fun group of print lovers and gawking over machines was such a treat. I have been to the museum a few times before (I’m lucky to live close by) and […]
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Despite having lived in New England for most of my adult life, it took listening to a podcast from an English journalist to learn about a unique group of designers living on the North Shore of Massachusetts. If you’re a textile maker, enthusiast, or someone who loves a well-researched story, you may already be familiar […]
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Summer is officially here, NeoCon 2022 is officially over. We all deserve a little downtime, right? As I stare down the huge pile of books begging to be read, I’m thinking back to a few favorites that have been inspiring the Design Pool team lately. In unique ways, each of these five books offered a […]
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In the spring of 2022, I joined a group of thirteen women on a Local Flora Field Guides trip to Holland. The trip was led by Kimberly Becker, Lauren Pignatello, and Susan Becker with the goal of experiencing the country while learning about the local flora and creating field guides. Each of the three hosts […]
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I am a sucker for a good documentary, especially ones focusing on creative people. Fashion documentaries in particular are one of my weaknesses. I find it fascinating to see how creative people work and build a business. Plus, fashion designers are inspiring on so many levels – visually, creatively, and professionally. As an entrepreneur, I […]
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This spring, I had the opportunity to participate as an artist in residence at Snow Farm, The New England Craft Program in Williamsburg, Massachusetts, for two weeks. It was the first time since graduate school that I had an extended period devoted solely to being creative. There were no limitations or requirements. I spent two […]
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How do you turn your inspiration into something tangible? Of course, sometimes you don’t need to. Inspiration for the sake of it fuels our creativity whether or not there is a direct line to a piece of art or project for work. But, it’s also helpful to save inspiration to use as resources when you […]
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As winter loosens its grip on New England, our team was feeling the need for an inspiration day. Our small team works remotely, separated by about 90 miles. Technology makes it easy, but it’s nice to have real-life face time every couple of months. I had just spent two weeks on Kauai and was feeling […]
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For a lot of creative people, traveling can be a huge source of inspiration. Different scenes, smells, and sounds all heighten your senses and seem to open the door to new ideas. Once home, how can we take that inspiration and use it in our work? I recently got back from two weeks on Kauai, […]
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Vacation days, sick days, mental health days. There are lots of reasons people take breaks from work. At Design Pool, we’ve added inspiration days to that list. I think any creative entrepreneur will agree that running a creative business is both rewarding and challenging. On the rewarding side, the creative pursuits that inspired you to […]
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Color surrounds us, inspires us, and influences us. You can read about color science and color theory all day long, but the best way to work better with color is to play with it. The more you learn about color through experiencing it, the more you’ll train your eyes and use it better in your […]
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On a recent visit to North Carolina, I visited the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh to see their exhibit Alphonse Mucha: Art Nouveau Visionary. This exhibit is on display through January 23, 2022. When I lived in North Carolina in the 1990s, this museum was one of my favorite spots to visit for […]
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Textile lovers in the northeast should absolutely add a visit to the Montclair Museum of Art to their holiday break to-do list. Their featured exhibit, Color Riot! How Color Changed Navajo Textiles closes on January 2, 2022. This exhibit, which originally opened at the Heard Museum in Phoenix, is a breathtaking collection of Navajo (Diné) […]
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I recently attended a reunion for graduates of Cranbrook Academy of Arts who studied under Gerhardt Knodel in the fiber program. I graduated in the class of 1993 and attended the reunion with one of my classmates and good friend, Paula Stebbins Becker. Paula and I decided to use the reunion as an excuse to […]
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Is there anything more frustrating than a creative block? At best they make you feel like you’ve wasted valuable time. At worst they can make you question all your life choices. When you make a living off your creativity, feeling blocked can be more than a nuisance. It can cause a lot of anxiety. Yet, […]
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White. Bone. Snow. Ecru, Linen, Cream. If you’ve ever shopped for new paint or fabric, you’ve seen a lot of different names for colors. Is there really a difference between these colors? Maybe, maybe not so much. Sometimes, there is a definite difference. Most people would pick which color is white and which is cream […]
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Anni Albers is best known for her time in the weaving workshop at the Bauhaus in Germany and later as a teacher at Black Mountain College in North Carolina. But that is only half of her story. In 1950, she and her husband Josef moved to Connecticut when Josef accepted a job at Yale University. […]
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Our latest trend letter is all about natural materials. Wicker, rattan and cane are catching our eye on modern pieces, geometric lighting and even with loud pops of color. Natural materials are inspiring products even in the automotive industry. But, natural materials are also extending into textiles and not just in fiber form. Natural dyes […]
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Artists and designers from across disciplines often have something in common, a daily creative practice. It makes sense. Art takes work, practice, and most of all, time. Whether you make art for your job, your hobby, or your side hustle, the need to create is competing for your time with everything else in your life. […]
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If you’re not careful, work-from-home life can easily turn into work-all-the-time life. Spending more time at home, have you found yourself working more? At Design Pool, we’re definitely guilty of it. That’s why we’ve been so inspired lately by friends giving themselves the time for creativity. We’re particularly loving those with a daily creative practice. […]
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Some time around 2013, I was watching CBS Sunday Morning and was sucked into a feature on the International Folk Art Market in Santa Fe, New Mexico. By the time they went to a commercial break, Santa Fe was on my bucket list. There are many reasons to go to New Mexico, but there was […]
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Growing up one of three girls, time alone with my mom was not something that came in big doses; but was always savored. Our interests didn’t always align perfectly, but browsing through dusty antique stores or wandering through museums were always activities we could count on doing together. So when we first started thinking about […]
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If you’re a pattern and design lover like we are at Design Pool, Spain needs to be on your bucket list. Narrow that down even further to southern Spain, where the decorative Spanish tiles used in the architecture will blow you away. On a recent trip to Seville, it was inspiration overload walking through the […]
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2019 has been an exciting year for anyone who appreciates the women of the Bauhaus. Around the world, museums have been installing exhibits that celebrate the 100th anniversary of the opening of the Bauhaus in Weimar, Germany in 1919. From a vast retrospective of Anni Albers at the Tate Modern in London to The Bauhaus and Harvard, a […]
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Running your own creative business can be incredibly fulfilling and rewarding, and the life of an entrepreneur is never boring. But a creative business is not all drawing and drooling over color swatches. It’s also sending out checks, figuring out why your website isn’t updating and making sure there is toilet paper in the bathroom. […]
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