By removing the wall between the kitchen and the dining room the space is opened up completely. The dining room table stays true to the wood paneling aesthetic, and fun new lighting features and modern chairs were added along with all new appliances. But the cherry on top of this sweet remodel is the framed series of Marimekko fabric, adding an unexpected and much needed pop of color.

Check out AlwaysMod‘s great selection of fabric to get started on a wall art project of your own. Do you have any Marimekko wall art that has helped transform your home? We’d love to see it!

(Images: Before/After- Apartment Therapy , After w/ Marimekko – Redneck Modern)

Marimekko head of Fashion Design, Noora Niinikoski describes the PROTO project:
“PROTO was born when Marimekko wanted to give young designers a chance to create something exciting for Marimekko. Noora Niinikoski, the Head of Fashion Design of Marimekko, also wanted to see what kind of unique design could be created from the company’s leftover fabrics. The young talents, Riikka Buri, Yonna Moriya, Elina Määttänen and Emmakaisa Soisalo, were free to design their own collections which turned out to be very different from each other. The collections captivate and amaze with their playfulness, inspirations picked from different periods and brave combinations of different materials. The collections reflect the love for stripes and chocolate licorice and peach candy, the balance between psychedelia and harmony, the 70s classic Great Gatsby movie and 90s rap music and lines and silhouettes drawn with a black marker.

“The reason why we started this project was to open-mindedly try what we could create from the leftover fabrics of Marimekko. I chose four young designers and gave them an open brief. The designers led their projects very independently from choosing the fabrics to scetching and making patterns. They also worked very closely with Marimekko’s sewing professionals who in the end made the products. We also made a very nice video about the project. The models and the set were styled by the designers themselves. Most of all, PROTO challenged our young talents to design their own Marimekko. Boldly, out of the box,” says Noora Niinikoski, Head of Fashion Design of Marimekko.”

PROTO video directed by Miikka Lommi.

—

What is so exciting about this project is that all of these clothes were made from remnants- just a bunch of leftover fabric. Think of all the exciting things you could be creating with the fabric you have left over from previous projects and creations. The possibilities seem (seam?) endless. When I think of the scraps of fabric that I have collected in my remnant basket, I usually don’t think of much, but after seeing all of the outfits that these up-and-coming designers were able to piece together—I’m inspired.

Are you? What kind of projects do you want to take on with your Marimekko “scraps”? Or have you already? If you’ve recently (or not so recently) purchased some Marimekko fabric from us here at AlwaysMod, what did you create with your remnants? Let me know and it just might wind up on the blog!

The following is from their blog:

Yes, these are not Converses. Target only had One Stars and that star on the side would really ruin the pattern. I needed All Stars or Jack Purcells. Then I saw these on sale for $10 and thought they would be the perfect thing to experiment on. I think they turned out super cute. (though now that I know what I’m doing I may have to do a pair in another color on Converses.)

Also they are not painted. I did a little reading about painting your own sneakers, people suggested acrylic paint or fabric paint. I thought paint pens would give me the best control, but have found fabric paint pens to be a little too pale in the past. Sharpies on the other hand have nice bright colors, different size tips and are permanent. I tested them on a scrap of canvas and they looked great. The black ended up bleeding a bit on the sneakers, but that worked fine with the pattern.

Marimekko Inspired Sneakers

Supplies:

-white sneakers (You can use another light color, but it might slightly change the way the colors the markers create when drawn on.)

-masking tape (optional)

-pencil

-fine tip Sharpies in red, black and orange (I used 2 reds, because the first on ran out, and 1 of each of the other.)

1. Prep your sneakers – Remove the shoelaces from the shoes. If you wish you can tape of the edge of the soles with masking tape to prevent getting marker on them.

2. Practice your design – The Unikko design is perfect for this project because it is very free form and the colors blur together a little around the edges.

3. Draw on the basic flower outline – Use a pencil to lightly sketch the outline of your flowers on the shoes. Then draw over the outline with the red marker. If you feel really confident you can skip the pencil and just use the maker, but remember it is permanent.

4. Color in the flowers – Draw in the black circle for the center of the flower, then an orange circle around it. The black tends to bleed a little so let it dry before you fill in the orange around it. Fill in the red petals and then the orange center.

Use the point of the marker to get into all the seams and stitches of the sneaker. They will separate a little when you wear the sneakers so you want them to be colored in.

Make sure to follow the pattern around the edges of the sneakers.

Draw in a few stems with the black marker.

These are not sneakers that are made to get wet . I tested the sharpies on a scrap piece if canvas and it didn’t run when wet, so a few drops probably won’t hurt but I wouldn’t jump in any puddles or throw these in the wash. Think of them as your special occasion tennies. I may try spraying them with some silicone waterproofer for shoes. If I do I’ll let you know here how it works.

If you make a pair of sneakers inspired by these, Just Crafty Enough would love to see them in their Flickr group.

As always, we love to see Marimekko projects, so send them our way and we just may post them on the Always Mod blog!

*photos and tutorial taken from just Crafty Enough’s Marimekko Inspired Sneakers blog post

Voikukka by Kristina Isola

And if you happen to fall in love with the design, we’ve got it available in fabric form, cocktail and lunch napkins, a delightful little coffee mug, and a few more wonders worth looking at,  too.

Download the desktop calendar in these sizes:

1280×1024, 1024×768, 1280×960, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1200

Download the desktop wallpaper.

If you have any favorite fabrics you’d like to see featured as the desktop calendar, be sure to let us know!

Check out this great Marimekko upholstery project that was submitted by a reader. They used some of our Marimekko Kirsikka Upholestery Fabric to completely re-do an old chair and ottoman, and yielded some pretty impressive results.

before

after

You can do this, too! All you need is a little upholstery fabric, some know-how (or help from a professional), and a free afternoon/day/evenings – depending on how big of a project you plan to take on. If upholstery seems like much to tackle, you can always try a project with some of our cotton fabrics, or just check out the rest of AlwaysMod for a lot of great, already made Marimekko goodies.

As always, we love to see what you come up with!

Supplies:

Supplies needed

- Fabric (Amount needed depends on size and height of windows, and amount of draping desired. I used 2 yards per panel- you may use more, or less.) I used Marimekko Black/Blue/Lilac Lappuliisa Fabric for my panels.
- Iron and ironing board
- Scissors
- Seamstress tape (I used Stitch Withcery fusible bonding web.)

How To:

First, cut your fabric to the appropriate length for your windows, and iron them flat.

Next, fold the sides of your fabric that will be hanging parallel to the ground in one inch and iron to make sure your fold stays straight and crisp.

First fold, iron down.

Repeat this one more time. This will keep the threads from fraying at the ends, and gives the curtains a nice, finished look.

Second fold, iron down.

Now, take your tape and run it along the length of the bottom of your second fold and iron again. This will bond the fabric together, holding like a stitch would. Your iron and the tape are doing the sewing for you. (You may want to iron on both sides of the fabric to make sure that the tape bonds completely.)

Add the tape, and iron.

Now, repeat this step on the other end of the fabric.

If you don’t want to leave the selvage line along the side, you can trim it off and use these steps to keep that side from fraying. I left it on, because I like how it looks with many panels having the selvage line on the same side.

Hey guess what? That’s it. Your fabric is now a curtain panel. You have crafted yourself some news digs. Congratulations! But wait? How are you going to hang them? There are no loops!

Curtain rings!

Curtain rings are the answer. You can buy them at most hardware/home improvement stores. They usually come in packs of about eight, and range in colors from black to silver or gold. They cost between $4-$20, depending on size and style.

Voila!

A sneak peek..

The finished product.

If you’re inspired by this easy, no-sew project, be sure to check out our great selection of fabric at AlwaysMod to get started on your own curtains. We’ve got some on sale and a lot that were just added that might be the perfect addition to your home. The Lappuliisa print I used is also available in other color options, and comes on throw pillows, aprons, totes, tea towels, and more.

As always, we’d love to see what you create, so send your projects our way!

To update my new apartment furnishings without spending a fortune, I chose to re-vamp an old vanity bench from a vintage, country floral print to the mod looking Marimekko Joonas pattern. Designed by Maija Isola in 1961, this bold black and white print is just what my old bench needed to liven it up and really put an emphasis on the lines and curves of its frame.

For this project I needed just a few things:
fabric- a little less than 1/2 a yard, but that can vary depending on the size of what you’re working with,
-scissors,
-a screwdriver,
-a staple gun,
-and of course, something to upholster

First I started with my bench, in good condition, just lacking in the look I wanted. I flipped it upside down and unscrewed the seat from its base. (It might help to mark where the screws go in, for when you replace the seat- I forgot to do that, and had quite a time getting the seat back in.)

The bench before, pre-Joonas.

Flipped upside down.

Once the seat was detached, I laid it out on top of my fabric, trying to line it up with the area of the pattern that I wanted to cover the seat. With the Joonas print, I wanted one of the circles to be the main focus of the bench, so that’s where I lined up my seat.

Laying out the fabric

Making the cut

Next, I turned the fabric around, so that the print faced outward, and lined up the seat in the center.

Turn around and line it up in the center.

Then came the fun part. I pulled up one side of the fabric and used the staple gun to fasten it to the stool’s seat.

Stapling the sides

Once that was done, I turned the stool around and pulled the fabric tight, stapling the opposite side of the one I just did. (At this point, you can flip the seat over to check your progress, and see if you pulled the fabric tight enough.)

Next, I cut off some of the extra fabric from the sides that had been stapled, leaving about 1.5” of fabric after the staples. (See picture for example)

Stapled sides with extra trimmed away

Next, I picked one corner to fold in and up, then staple – similar to wrapping a present.

Stapled corners

Stapled corners (again)

Once that corner was done, I did the next corner on the same side of the seat. Then, I tightly folded up the remaining fabric between those two completed corners, making sure to smooth out and creases, and stapled. I repeated this on the other side, and my project was almost complete.

Finished cushion

Finally, I screw the seat back into its base, and voila!

Finished Joonas bench!

Finished Joonas bench, from the top!

A brand new bench with a print that mimics the curves of its base, all done in less than an hour.

If you’re inspired by this project, let us know! We’d love to see what you create!

We’ve got a whole bunch of upholstery fabric for you to work with, or if you just need a little Joonas in your life, we’ve got that, too. You can get the same Joonas fabric that I used here, or we have a very mod Joonas throw pillow already made and waiting for you to purchase at AlwaysMod.

Kevatjuhla by Miina Äkkijyrkkä

Bovine inspired and full of electric color, this bold background is sure to give you a jolt when you start up your computer in the morning.

Miina Äkkijyrkkä is also one of my favorite Marimekko designers, mostly because of how she chooses to live.

Miina Äkkijyrkkä, photo by Juha Metso

She has a great big piece of land where she works and plays, tending to her cattle and working on her art. For more inspiring images and a glimpse at her work outside of Marimekko, check out her website: http://www.akkijyrkka.com/
You won’t be disappointed. (Hint: think larger than life, recycled cars, and of course, cows.)

And for a little more Miina in your home, check out AlwaysMod. We’ve got a great selection of her bovine-inspired prints in other bright color options. We’ve got fabric, tea towels, coffee mugs, a throw pillow (a personal favorite, one that sits on my couch at home), textile art, and much more!

Download the desktop calendar in these sizes:
1280×1024, 1024×768, 1280×960, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920 x 1200

Download the desktop wallpaper.

All you’ll need are your favorite shades of Unikko for the nail polish, white for the background, and a small paint brush to get the fine details just right. And a steady hand, of course.

Inspired by the ever popular Unikko print by Maija (and sometimes Kristina) Isola from the 1960s, this floral pattern is perfect for spring. It will look great on your nails, and in your home. So once you master the technique of nail art (and allow for proper drying time) be sure to check out our great selection of tea towels, throw pillows, bath towels, umbrellas, fabric, and more at AlwaysMod.

And don’t forget to post pictures of your manicure results!