All posts by Beth Dotolo

High Point Market | Why every designer should be there!

This year we are, of course, attending High Point Market as designers seeking incredible product for our clients. But, this year PULP Design Studios has teamed up with Decor Mentor and High Point Market as Market Ambassadors to help spread the word on why it’s important, as designers, to attend! And, here’s why…

Now that we’ve hopefully convinced you to go, come see us & the other Decor Mentors at the Decor Mentor ELEVATE wall kick-off party and connect with other like-minded designers.

Decor Mentor ELEVATE Kick-off Party

When: Saturday April 21st 4 PM – 5 PM // Where: 220 Elm, 3rd Floor Balcony

What is ELEVATE?

ELEVATE is an interactive wall for interior design pros to exchange ideas, encouragement and expertise, sponsored by High Point Market and 220 Elm. You can take your business to new heights by connecting with your peers to exchange what you know for what you don’t by posting your business cards on the Decor Mentor ELEVATE Wall!

The Decor Mentor wall – designed by Decor Mentor founder Lisa Ferguson – will be available for interior design pros to use continually throughout Market, April 21-26.

If you’re planning on being there, be sure to tweet us at @PULPdesigns! We’d love to connect! 

So, who’s going??

Pulp Design Studios

Pulp Turns 5 Today!

illustration by jan avendano

Today marks a very special day for Carolina & I. Five years ago two best friends formed a legal partnership… a little interior design company we like to call Pulp Design Studios.

Five years ago today, we both worked for a commercial design firm that we were both really unhappy at and we decided to make a choice to ready ourselves for something bigger and better. Rather than diving head first, we took small steps. We formed a legal business, took on interior design clients ‘on the side’, and more than anything gave ourselves a sense of empowerment and hope that one day we would design the way we wanted to design…. run our business the way we thought a business should be run… and work to achieve a sense of self-fulfillment that we simply weren’t finding under the wings of others.

Though we’ve had clients throughout the past five years, it was really just last year we both made the jump to focusing on our business full-time. In the past year and a half Pulp Design Studios has exceeded our wildest expectations. We have clients all over the country, from East Coast to West Coast and even beyond the 48 states. We have two design studios, in Dallas & Seattle. We have an amazing staff of great designers & friends. We have received some amazing accolades from publications and industry people that we admire. And, all of it started by planting a seed and cautiously building up to our dreams (followed by a lot of hard work, of course!).

I am so proud of our company, our clients, and the relationships we’ve built (which includes you who are reading this since you’ve watched it all unfold on this little blog over the past couple of years). And, I am so proud to have built it with my best friend (and, pretty proud that we actually still love each other!). I can’t even begin to describe the feeling of pride and humility as I sit here typing this blog post and think back to where we started.

Sometimes it doesn’t have to be all or nothing when you want something better for yourself.

It’s truly amazing what can happen when you just take that one small first step…

…….. Happy 5 Years, Pulp Design Studios! ……..

Pulp Design Studios

PULP Addiction | Fresh Cut Flowers

fresh cut flowers

It’s that time of year again where flowers are starting to bloom & we get to bring the outdoors in. See what the girls from Pulp Design Studios say are their favorite blooms and the containers they love to show them off in…

Beth‘s Succulents  |  Drop Glass Terrarium

Heather’s Ranunculus  |  Cluster Vase

Carolina‘s Lycoris  |  Laurence Brabant Vase

Corinne‘s White Orchid  |  Coronado Stone Planter

Hilary‘s Tea Roses  |  Ferm Living Ceramic Vase

I don’t know about you, but I love seeing different personalities emerge in something as simple as picking a flower.

What is your flower or plant of choice? 

Pulp Design Studios

a PULP fiction :: Labyrinth

david bowie, jennifer connley, jim henson movie

One of my (and Carolina’s) favorite things to do of all time is get engrossed in television shows & watch good movies… not to mention gabbing endlessly after watching them! So, we figured why not combine that love of pop culture with interior design. We will be sharing more up-to-date references, but I just had to kick off the series with my favorite movie of all time: Labyrinth. Seen it?

barbara barry globe, long nosed mask, staircase sculpture, door knocker, shag pillow, striped rug

Shop this PULP Fiction // 1. Owl Umbrella Holder // 2. Staircase Sculpture // 3. Barbara Barry Orb // 4. Red Striped Jute Rug // 5. Long Nose Gold Mask // 6. Brass Door Knocker // 7. Mongolian Lamb Pillow // Some of these items are available to the design trade only. Email us if you would like assistance.

What movies & television shows are your favorites!? What would you like to see re-created?

Pulp Design Studios

monday memento | no. 007

It’s been a while since we’ve done a Monday Memento! And, with our new geographical locations (since Beth moved to Seattle & Pulp is now spanning the coasts) & with Pulp joining instagram, we thought we’d change it up a bit…

PULP via INSTAGRAM // from top to bottom 

We installed a new custom bench for a Dallas interior design client this month & we can’t wait to show you the project when it’s done.

How cool is this leather flooring made out of recycled belts?!?

We found some amazing rugs at the Feizy showroom in Dallas for a client! Gorgeous right?

——-

CAROLINA via INSTAGRAM // from top to bottom

After Beth left for Seattle, Carolina hit the Jean Paul Gaultier exhibit at The Dallas Museum of Art before it ended.

The exhibit didn’t disappoint! Look at this headdress…

Back at Carolina’s loft, Ripsi was re-creating the JPG look.

——-

BETH via INSTAGRAM // from top to bottom

Beth is busy settling in up in Seattle and (literally) getting her feet wet.

And, since she arrived in the Pacific Northwest her instagram feed has been flooded by beach & food photos!

But, can you blame her? Look what she’s surrounded by. Check out that rainbow!

 

So, what’s been happening in your world?!? Comment below & share your instagram username so PULP can keep up…

Modern Tribal: A Pulp Art Project!

From time to time we like to tinker around with creating our own art for special projects. Remember the custom art piece that our amazing intern, Heather, did for the Dwell With Dignity Thrift Studio? Well, Heather’s at it again. And, this time, she did something more bold, graphic, and modern. When 3M approached us to review their new painter’s tape, we thought it was ideal for what Heather had in mind. Without further ado, here’s Heather’s Modern Tribal art boards and how she accomplished them in her own words…

Materials:
plywood cut to desired size
wood stain
paint
paint brush
paint roller
ruler
pencil
*Note: it’s cheaper to buy one big sheet of plywood and have them cut it down to the size you want rather than buying pre-cut and pre-sanded pieces.* 
Step 1:
Select a pattern to use. I selected a bold geometric pattern. You can find inspiration from fabrics, wallcovering, or graphic patterns online. Pinterest is a great resource for inspiration! 
Step 2:
Prepare boards by sanding surface and edges, then wipe down with dry cloth. 
Step 3:
With selected stain color, brush on in direction of grain. I did two coats of stain. Allow to dry until surface is no longer sticky feeling. 
Step 4:
Carefully measure out design so that you know where to place the painter’s tape. 
Step 5:
Tape off pattern. The ScotchBlue Painter’s Tape with Edge-Lock Paint Line Protector was perfect because it can be applied to most surfaces, so I knew it would be ideal with the stained wood. With such an intricate pattern using the correct tape is important so that it doesn’t look sloppy when the tape is peeled away.
Step 6:
Once all boards are taped, take paint roller and paint over entire surface of boards. I used 2 coats of paint to get a nice smooth coverage. 
Step 7:
Now the fun part! Once all boards are dry remove tape to reveal your pattern!!! ScotchBlue Painter’s Tape with Edge-Lock Paint Line Protector left no sticky residue behind, leaving a gorgeous result with little touch-ups needed.
Enjoy!
-Heather
Heather is a true arti-eeee-st, don’t you think!?! We always love seeing what she comes up with!

This post was brought to you in partnership with 3M and ScotchBlue Painter’s Tape.

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