In the first ever Interview Tuesday for the Crafted Webmaster I was lucky enough to snag some time with the fabulous Grace Bonney of Design*Sponge. Design*Sponge is a daily blog and website that’s dedicated to interior and product design. Everyday, Grace brings us the latest news in interior design. Design*Sponge has over 30,000 daily readers and has been featured on Good Morning America, New York Magazine, Time Magazine, and Domino among many others. Her blog has been in my RSS reader for at least a couple years. Here’s my interview with Grace:
1. Tell us a bit about yourself.
I’m a freelance writer based in Brooklyn, NY. After that I’m a fan of design and the “mom” of two of the best cats in the world.
2. Explain what Design*Sponge is all about and how you got started.
The site started as a personal project and grew into a small business very naturally. It evolved from a personal outlet to talk about design into a website where I try to promote and support (through outside projects) the independent design scene.
3. What is a typical day like for you?
Most days involve starting work around 7am and stopping work around 8pm. When you run your own business it’s hard to create a real “stop” and “start” time so I’m basically always researching, building original content for the site, editing content submitted from by our contributing writers, managing projects outside of the site, working on freelance pieces and trying to prepare for upcoming shows and exhibitions we’d like to cover on the site.
That said, there’s usually a break for frozen yogurt in there somewhere 
4. I’ve been a long-time subscriber to Design*Sponge and on a typical day you post anywhere from 4 to 6 times a day! How do you keep up with the workload?
Well, for the previous three years I basically never slept and worked all day until I realized I wasn’t leading a balanced life. So we’ve grown the site slowly to include new writers who contribute weekly content and I’ve hired people to help us with ad sales and the growing amount of administrative work that needs to be done. I also try to keep my regular life in balance more these days- I’ve gotten better at making sure I leave the house at least once a day to meet up with friends, local designers, or just breathe some fresh air.
5. What has been the biggest challenge you’ve faced running Design*Sponge?
For me, it’s always been about maintaining motivation. If I’m uninspired the site shows it so I’m always trying to test out new technology or add new features to the site that expand on the core mission without growing too quickly for comfort.
6. You have a scholarship program for artists and designers, could you tell us a little about it?
Sure. This is the second year we’ve done the scholarship and this year we’ve doubled the prize money to over $11,000 in funds for undergraduate design students. I just woke up one day last year and felt that if I didn’t focus on supporting the next generation of designers, I wouldn’t really be helping the community grow. The more we support this community the more designers can really flourish and in turn, give us something to write about and celebrate.
7. You’ve gotten a lot of press coverage about Design*Sponge, do you have any advice on how to get or handle the press?
It’s really a detached process for me. I’ve done very little press outreach over the past four years beyond emailing fellow bloggers to announce big projects like the scholarship or large contests. For me, I think press attention is a nice bonus but it doesn’t alter the state of the website that much. So I tend to just take it as it comes and roll with it.
8. You have a lot of different features on Design*Sponge, from the city guides, the mini-trends, the guest blog, and even some podcasts. What is your favorite feature on Design*Sponge? What seems to be the favorite among your readers?
Oh man, I don’t think anyone’s ever asked me that! I’d have to say that it’s the sneak peeks. I really love seeing great interiors- even though it makes me want to redo my home once a week in a completely different style. For me interiors are endlessly inspirational in terms of color palettes, DIY ideas and just encouraging me to look at space a different way.
Right now the Before & After column seems to be at the top [among readers], followed by Sneak Peeks, DIY Projects and then regular “new product” posts.
9. In addition to running Design*Sponge, you also run the D*S Biz Lady Series, could you tell us a bit more about that?
The series was designed to connect local women running design-based businesses. We aim to help them network, build support groups and provide free education on topics like PR/Marketing, Wholesaling/Retailing, Small Business/Legal Issues and how to balance life and work.
10. Do you have some favorite blogs, websites, or podcasts? If so what are they?
My favorite sites tend to be non-design sites. After being immersed in design all day the last thing I want is to read about another chair- so I tend to focus on personal blogs (like dooce.com and sweet-juniper.com) or news sites like the New York Times. But I also have a real weakness for celebrity gossip blogs. I like to give my mind a virtual vacation for a few minutes a day.
11. Do you have any advice for an artist or designer just starting out?
Absolutely- use the internet for the incredible resource that it is. Whether you’re looking to promote, find materials and manufacturers, get market feedback or just connect with other artists, it’s never been easier to connect than it is now with the online design world. Build yourself a simple website or a free blog and start connecting- it always pays off in the end.
Many thanks to Grace Bonney for taking the time out for this interview. Please be sure to visit her blog at http://www.designspongeonline.com.
Would you like to be interviewed for an upcoming Interview Tuesday? Do you know of an artist that you want to read about? Send me an email at info[at]craftedweb[dot]com.
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