Danmade

ALL POSTS TAGGED "[danmade]"

All-New DanMade Videos

by Abbi McCollum February 14, 2013 3 Comments

Dan Faires is at it again. In the latest installment of his DanMade videos, Dan takes reclaimed pieces of wood found in odd locations – from the beach to the side of the road – and turns them into treasures for your home. He works his magic to create a driftwood coffee table, a barn-wood headboard, a reupholstered bench and more.

Dan and his wife, Dasha

Watch the Video

Trending on HGTV.com: Shelving Displays

by Sarah Herron October 11, 2012 6 Comments

Almost everything has a shelf life.

Trends expire and seasons change so it’s no wonder that right now, online readers are looking for ways to freshen up their shelves. Arranging collectibles and displaying books is tricky so our audience has been consuming tips for decorating shelves and bookcases.

Expert designer Tyler Wisler says, “I believe that when you are displaying your favorite items you need to think in clusters, or small moments. You can either group by color, by size or by specifically what the items are. I have on my living room shelves a stack of small wooden boxes, near a large vintage trunk because they are within the same genre of accessories, if you will.”

Rustic Shelving Display by Tyler Wisler for HGTV Design Happens

“On another shelf, I let a gorgeous ram skull rest up against a piece of found driftwood and kept the surrounding areas open to give it more importance,” says Tyler.

Shelf Display by Tyler Wisler for HGTV Design Happens

If you have more stuff to display than you have space, consider making your own shelves. I was inspired by Tyler’s look and found this DIY industrial-rustic bookshelf project by Dan Faires.

If you’re adding shelf life to your home, decorate with the mantra—quality over quantity.

Tyler says, “Often the use of negative space on a shelf is just as powerful as the impact of filled space. An important tool when arranging is your editing eye, sometimes less is more!”

How are you giving your home a fresh look? Tell us about it…or just keep clicking.

HGTV How-To: Upholstered Headboard With Nail-Head Trim

by Kayla Kitts July 17, 2012 12 Comments

You don’t have to spend the big bucks to get a designer-worthy, custom headboard for your bedroom. Why not put your DIY skills to the test and make it yourself? Designer and Design Star fan favorite Dan Faires and his wife live in a 375-square-foot apartment in the Lower East Side of NYC. It’s decked out in rustic, industrial-inspired furniture and decor much of which is constructed by Dan. One of the design elements often commented on by guests is the custom headboard in the master bedroom, made from a canvas drop cloth, plywood and carpet tacks. Little do they know how budget- and time-friendly this project really is.

Canvas Headboard With Nail Head Trim HGTV.com: Urban-Style NYC Master Bedroom

Canvas Headboard With Nail Head Trim HGTV.com: How to Make a Canvas Headboard With Nail-Head Trim

Dan provides a complete step-by-step tutorial on creating this exact headboard, so head over to his how-to and get started! Get the Full Step-by-Step Instructions >>

Looking for more urban, rustic and industrial design ideas? You don’t have to live in the city to bring the look and feel into your home. Get inspired by our newest guide to Urban Design.

HGTV How-To: Reclaimed Wood Coffee Table

by Kayla Kitts May 15, 2012 7 Comments

So, there’s a bit of a design dilemma in our home. I have a love for all things vintage and a bit retro, and that includes industrial-chic, too. My boyfriend, well, let’s just say we would own the most sleek and modern furnishings available if he had his way. We’re talking Star Trek-style modern. See the problem here? It’s virtually impossible to marry both of our styles, so we usually agree on something contemporary or retro/modern-inspired, shake hands and move on. But I stumbled across this reclaimed wood coffee table and I just couldn’t let it pass me by. (Especially if I can make it myself.) Dan Faires, Design Star season five fan favorite and host of DanMade, created this rustic, industrial project that’s surprisingly easy to make and incredibly charming all the way around. And I’m pretty positive boyfriend won’t object to this living room centerpiece, especially if he knows it was handcrafted by moi.

how to make a reclaimed wood coffee table

To make this coffee table, you need four thick pieces of reclaimed wood, L-brackets, screws, casters, polyurethane paint or stain, a circular saw and sandpaper. Get the Full Materials List and Step-by-Step Instructions >>

Watch the video below to see Dan in action and to pick up some helpful tips:

So, are you dying to bring this rustic piece into your home, too? Start building and let us know how it turns out.

DanMade Gardening: How to Make a Planterfall

by Abbi McCollum April 19, 2012 40 Comments

Dan Faires, the Design Star season five fan favorite and host of DanMade, presented at the 19th annual Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival presented by HGTV at Walt Disney World over Easter weekend. Dan demonstrated how to plant with a terrarium and how to go vertical with a clever container garden. Check out Dan’s tips for terrariums and vertical gardens:

With Mother’s Day less than a month away, it’s time to start thinking about gifts. If your mother is anything like mine, she will love this Danmade Planterfall. It’s practical, affordable, and is perfect for anyone who likes to garden.

DanMade Planterfall Container Garden

Featured

Daily Delight: Living Wall Art

by Briana Mowrey April 15, 2012 8 Comments

I think the latest DanMade tutorial on our blog left a big impression on me, because I’m smitten with this living wall art by BrightGreen that I saw on Houzz. From here it looks like a solid hedge, but the effect was achieved by grouping a number of vertical planters together.

planter wall
I love the way the wall provides both privacy and style for the backyard. And the fanciful swirls and dots definitely call Van Gogh’s Starry Night to mind. Painting with plants, now that’s a clever idea.

DanMade Gardening: How to Make a Vertical Garden

by Abbi McCollum April 12, 2012 37 Comments

Hi HGTV’ers!

Spring has SPRUNG and it’s great to be able to share some of the latest Danmade gardening projects with you here on the blog. My hope is that you will be inspired and want to jump right in and get your hands dirty this weekend.

This Danmade Vertical Garden is not only simple, it is perfect for anyone with limited green space. It can also be mounted inside on the wall. As a designer, people often ask me what type of artwork to use or what to hang on the walls that will provide an unexpected focal point in the space. The Danmade Vertical Garden is a great addition in any room and it won’t break the bank either.

DanMade Vertical Garden

The steps to creating your very own Danmade Vertical Garden are:

1. Find or purchase any old crate. I literally got this one out of the trash in New York City, but you can usually find them at any flea market or thrift store. The crate I am using is relatively small, but you could expand this principle and make your Danmade Vertical Garden as big as you want!
2. Purchase seed starter cells at any hardware store or nursery. I have chosen these 100% natural fiber cells because they are eco-friendly and absorb moisture well. You could also use plastic seed starter cells.
3. Cut the seed starter cells so that they fit snuggly into the crate.
4. Purchase some chicken wire or wire mesh at your local hardware store. This will serve as a barrier to hold the plants in place when the planter is hung vertically on the wall.
5. Cut the chicken wire or wire mesh so that it fits very tightly inside of the crate. *Remove the wire before proceeding to the next step.
6. Place dirt inside of seed starter cells
7. Install plants into individual cells.
8. Re-insert wire mesh making sure to be very careful with plants. Pull any plants through holes in the wire. For larger plants, cut bigger holes in wire if necessary, making sure to keep the wire as tight as possible. For larger Danmade Vertical Gardens I would recommend stapling the wire in place onto the crate.
9. The final step is to add moss. Wedge the moss as tight as you can in any gaps. This will help the dirt and plant material from falling out until the roots systems get established. It also looks much more aesthetically pleasing and helps absorb much needed moisture for the plants in your Danmade Vertical Garden.

Since everyone loved the animated terrarium how to, I thought I’d include one here as well:

DanMade Vertical Garden

A few important points to note about the Danmade Vertical Garden:
1. This hangs on the wall, just like a picture frame. You can use a cleat, or purchase frame hanging wire from your local hardware store.
2. To water your Danmade Vertical Garden simply remove it from the wall once a week, lay it flat on the ground and soak it with the water hose outside, or inside in the shower. Leave it for 2 to 5 minutes so that the excess moisture drips away, and then bring it back inside to hang vertically on the wall.

If you missed my last blog about terrariums, check it out here to learn how to create this simple container garden.

Have a GREEN day! Be sure to leave any questions or comments below and I will try to answer them as soon as possible. Also, if you decide to make your own Danmade Vertical Garden I would love to see photos!

Daniel Grady Faires
Host of HGTV.com’s DanMade

DanMade Gardening: How to Make a Terrarium

by Abbi McCollum April 11, 2012 16 Comments

As a first time presenter at the Flower and Garden Festival, I really had no clue what to expect. I found myself on stage with an audience full of fellow plant lovers. The response was greater than I could ever have imagined and all of the people who were at the presentations had great questions and feedback.

Dan Faires EPCOT Flower and Garden Show

I covered a lot of gardening tips, tricks, and DIY tutorials including the Danmade Vertical Garden, Danmade Planterfall, and Danmade Terrarium. Many of the visitors asked me to post instructions and photos on HGTV.com so they could use them as a reference and share them with friends and family. I hope that if you missed the presentations, you will still be inspired by one of these three Danmade projects.

Terrariums are currently a very big trend in design and a lot of people in the audience were excited to go home and make one of their own. These easy, miniature gardens are a great way to bring the outdoors in or for anyone who has a black thumb. They make great gifts, and are a great way to get children started with gardening. From a design perspective, terrariums are also one of the best ways to make a bold statement in any space.

The basic steps for making your own terrarium are very simple:
1.) Select your glass terrarium of choice either online or at multiple retailers. Make sure to consider where you will be placing your terrarium in your space because the sizes and shapes are endless.
2.) Add gravel or stone to the base of the terrarium to provide additional drainage if necessary.
3.) Add an inch or two of potting soil.
4.) Insert your plants.
5.) Add green moss, Spanish moss, or mulch to fill in and help maintain moisture.
6.) Enjoy your new “miniature garden” in your home and watch your friends admire your new creation!

Dan Faires Terrarium How To

During the presentation I gave three basic terrarium tips:

1.) Don’t feel like you have to spend a fortune on plants to make your terrarium beautiful. Because these gardens are so small, all you need are a few clippings from your existing garden. Succulents work great for this because you can remove baby sprouts from the mother plant that have small adventitious roots that will soon develop into an entire fibrous root system. If you have time, I would suggest starting your baby plants in seed starter kits so that their root systems can develop a bit, but if not you can plant them directly into the terrarium and watch them thrive.

2.) Moss is BOSS! Cheesy tagline, I know, however this is SO TRUE. Moss will fill the dead space between your plants and add that finishing touch. Moss also absorbs moisture very well and will help maintain the humid environment that will help the plants in your terrarium prosper. You can use any type of moss and can find it at any plant nursery, but also keep your eyes peeled because you don’t need much. I scraped mine off of a shaded cobblestone side-street here in Manhattan.

3.) Invest in a spray bottle. I killed a lot of plants as a youngster by neglecting them for weeks and then trying to over water them. With terrariums, all you need are a few sprays per week to keep your plants happy. The spray bottle spreads the moisture out evenly and prevents over-watering which can lead to root-rot.

Another tip that I would give to those of you who might be discouraged by the prices of these leaded glass terrariums is, get creative. I found a large vase at a thrift store for $3 and it has worked perfectly to display my daffodils that are about to bloom!

I will be posting how-to steps and photos for the remaining Danmade projects – the Danmade Vertical Garden and the Danmade Planterfall – on HGTV.com in the next few days, so be sure to check back.

Dan Faires Vertical Garden Planterfall

Daniel Grady Faires
Host of HGTV.com’s DanMade

by Chelsey Bowen February 24, 2011 4 Comments

Simple yet sustainable furniture projects are designer Dan Faires’ specialty, and in case you missed any of projects, we’ve pulled them all together for you.