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American Design in Paris

4/16/2014



We're excited to be participating in the 5th edition of American Design in Paris organized by Jacques Barret of the Left Bank gallery Triode. This year's show, held at the Mona Bismark American Center for Art & Culture May 19th - 25th, will highlight work from independent designers such as Grain, Bec Brittain, Fort Standard, and Chen Chen & Kai Williams as well as more established American brands such as Roll & Hill, Bernhardt, and Emeco.

We'll be showing our Dish Side Table (pictured below) and promise to post photos from the exhibition once we have some to share.

Italian Dreams

4/11/2014



We have Italy on the brain this week as we watch our feeds flood with images from Milan Design Week. We wish we were there, instead of rushing around getting the final details for our ICFF launch organized. That said, we did have the great fortune of spending a couple weeks on the Amalfi Coast last summer. Above and below is a little eye candy from that trip. Viva L'Italia!

Road Trip: Cape Kiwanda

4/4/2014



A few photos from our last weekend getaway to Cape Kiwanda on the Oregon coast. Northwest rugged coastal at it's best. We still have sand in our shoes.

Up And Coming

4/3/2014



Huge thanks to Jill Singer and Monica Khemsurov for featuring our work, home, and inspirations in Up And Coming on Sight Unseen as part of Seattle week! We were especially thrilled to see so many of our friends and family mentioned. Reading it back reminded us how lucky we are to have such talented and inspiring people in our lives. Read the full story here.

Storefronts Seattle

4/2/2014



This just in: A proposal from Grain was selected by Shunpike and the Storefronts program as one of seventeen new projects to take over a Seattle storefront sometime in the next 18 months.

Our creative enterprise proposal, called Grain Open Studio, will be a studio and gallery of our work in collaboration with selected Pacific Northwest artists and designers demonstrating social and environmental responsibility in design.

The location of the actual storefront and dates of the project are still to be determined. We'll let you know as soon as we know more!

Image above is from the 2013 Storefronts project Somewhere Out There by Ryan Everson at the former Publix Hotel on 5th Avenue South in Seattle.

Sight Unseen Presents: Seattle

4/1/2014



Big news: Sight Unseen, has declared Seattle the American design city to watch. Editor Jill Singer writes:

"Seattle is proof positive that these days you need only to find two or three talents in a local scene (that’s Iacoli & McAllister, Ladies & Gentlemen, and Grain, leading the way) before scratching the surface will lead you, Tumblr-style, to a whole community of creators who no longer feel the need to live in a major city in order to express themselves."

To celebrate their finds, Sight Unseen will be featuring a week and a half of artists, designers, and photographers working here in Seattle. We couldn't be more proud to be included in this roundup (Grain's post will be Thursday) with Jill Wenger of Totokaelo, Iacoli & McAllister, Amanda Ringstad, Charlie Schuck, Nicholas Nyland, Ladies & Gentlemen Studio, Ashley Helvey, and more!

Photo from our very own Washington State Ferries by Michael A. Muller.

Computer Numerical Control

3/25/2014



Here is a sneak peak of the new table that we are working on for ICFF. It is a continuation of our Dish table series, and as such, is made from solid ash using a CNC router. Above and below are a few shots that James took from the cutting last week. Much more on this soon!

(Imaginary) Spring Break

3/20/2014



Spring officially started today. Unfortunately, we will not be taking a break as we are on the final stretch of our ICFF preparations. We have a couple surf weekends planned between now and New York, but otherwise you will find us here in the studio.

In honor of the imaginary spring break that we would like to be taking this week, above and below is Lille Danser. Lille Danser is a 50 foot sailboat docked in Eagle Harbor here on Bainbridge Island that we recently found on Airbnb. Next time we have a few days break (and good weather) we might just have to splurge!

Totem Candles = Beeswax + Lathe

3/12/2014



Thanks to a little Sunset magazine mention, our Totem Candles have been in high demand this month. Above and below are a few images from our last production run. Each candle is turned on the lathe here in our Bainbridge Island shop. The beeswax comes from a 29-year-old family owned and operated company in Oregon so we are happy to say that this is a truly "made in the Northwest" product. We are enjoying the smell of honey that fills our home and studio right now!

Future This Now

3/11/2014



If you are in Seattle this weekend and looking for something great to check out, our friend Charlie Schuck has put together an amazing roster of Northwest talent for Future This Now at Love City Love. Below is a list of the line-up. The champagne opening is Friday March 15th, 8:00 pm - 11:30 pm. Come celebrate the future!

Hot Shop

3/5/2014



We had the most amazing day in the hot shop with John Hogan and Lydia Boss yesterday. After years of talking about working with glass locally (the Northwest is know for its strong glass community), we ended the day feeling very lucky have the jobs we do and to be able to collaborate with such talent.

Above and below are a few pics from the day. For more on what we are working on, you'll have to wait until our May launch at ICFF in New York. It's coming up quick!

In Process

2/28/2014



It definitely feels like the beginning of spring on the island today. The quiet post-holiday period has ended here at Grain and we are ramping up each week with final details for the textiles, ceramics, lighting, and furniture that we will be launching in May at ICFF. Above and below is a sneak peak into our in-process studio world.

Pillow Talk

2/20/2014



With a new shipment just in from Guatemala, we are officially stocked up in both sizes of our Comalapa, Jaspé, and Laguna pillows ($118.00 - $198.00). Handwoven of naturally dyed cotton in the Guatemalan Highlands, each one of these beauties is totally unique. 

All our pillows are responsibly made by textile artisans using traditional Mayan weaving techniques such as jaspé and falseria. See more process images on our Facebook page here. See all of our Guatemalan made textiles here. 

Spotted on Lonny

2/19/2014



We so love the work of local interior designer Brian Paquette and just had to post these photos of his recently completed family home in Seattle. They were on Lonny yesterday and include an appearance of our Jaspé and Laguna pillows. Best piece of advice from Brian: "buy good textiles, lighting and upholstery and take time to build your art collection." We couldn't agree more. Learn more about Brian here or follow his beautiful Instagram feed here. Photos by Belathée Photography.

Made with Love

2/6/2014



Grain partners, Chelsea and James Minola, often get asked what it is like to run a business as a couple. In honor of the month of love, Vanessa interviews Chelsea (see below) on just that subject.

Jewelry Sale

1/31/2014



Just in time for Valentine's Day, we're having our first ever jewelry sale. Use the discount code BEMINE for 35% off all jewelry including our popular Electric Love Rings and Bangles (shown above) and Chi-Chi Necklaces. Sale is good until February 14, but stock is limited, so get your orders in now! Shop jewelry here.

Super Bowl 101

1/30/2014



If you are like us, you are getting excited for Super Bowl Sunday because (a) you live in the city that might win and/or (b) you like snacks and day drinking. If you feel a little clueless otherwise, we are here to help. Our Design and Production Assistant and resident sports expert, Ryland Quillen, will give you what you need (see below) to be a more knowledgeable Super Bowl party guest this weekend. 

Island Life

1/29/2014



Occupational hazard of Northwest island life: Fog horn wake up calls. Above and below are a few shots from this past weekend when the ferry forced us to start our day a little earlier than planned.

I Think I Love You

1/29/2014



Above and below are a few ideas for how to use your Utility Cards this coming Valentine's Day. Suggestions include: "You are my Valentine," " I think I love you," "I love you so much," "I think I love you," "Smitten in love," and "Hello Valentine. I love you."

Totem Candles

1/22/2014



Launched a few weeks ago, our Totem Candles were our best selling gift this past holiday. We have one part play and one part Instagram to thank.

Originally made while experimenting with materials on our new lathe, we posted the first results on Instagram. The response encouraged us to make a few more for our Bainbridge pop-up. When they sold out, we worked out a few cut patterns and officially add them to our line. Above and below are the results along with those early Instagram photos.

Windstorm = Power Outage

1/16/2014




Living and working on Bainbridge Island means dealing with the occasional power outage. When the lights went out this past weekend, we took the opportunity to cook lunch fireside. James' homemade terracotta fish dish makes a cameo along with some of our new Totem Candles.
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