meet the designer

Meet the Designer: Michael Uhlenkott of muhlenkott

May 21, 2018

For this week’s Meet the Designer series, we’re excited to highlight the tiki-inspired patterns of designer Michael Uhlenkott, otherwise known as muhlenkott in the Spoonflower Marketplace. Michael and his partner reside in Echo Park, a neighborhood near downtown Los Angeles, California, in a 1930s Spanish Revival house that holds a unique secret known only to the tiki-loving locals in his area. Keep reading to see where Michael gains his inspiration, learn more about his design process and even gain a glimpse into what he calls The HaleKahiki.

What’s the first thing you do in the morning?

“An early morning swim workout or a surf, followed by breakfast. Then to work designing or composing music. I am definitely a morning person!”

Meet the Designer: Michael Zindell

March 26, 2018

Toucan Pattern 2 by michaelzindell

For the next installment in our Meet the Designer series, we’re chatting with designer extraordinaire Michael Zindell of Salem, Massachusetts, a city he calls vibrant and creative. You may recognize Michael’s work from recent Spoonflower design challenges such as Kilim, where he won first place and Hygge, where he placed second. What you may not know is that Michael has been a product designer for over 15 years, creating thousands of home décor products for companies such as Pier 1, Home Depot, ROSS and Michaels among others. We’re so excited to introduce Michael today and can’t wait to dive right into his engaging interview!

How does your day start?

“I’m usually up by 6 a.m. or earlier. Weather permitting, I take my dog for an hour-long walk through town to the city common and back. Then I come home to make coffee and go right to the computer. Before I start my full-time job, I try to eke out an hour to myself to work on freelance or passion projects, as well as Spoonflower design challenges.”

Black Makers + Creatives You Need to Know

February 19, 2018

Today is an exciting day, but first, introductions! My name is Jenell, and I’m a graphic designer on the Spoonflower marketing team. Nice to meet you! Today, I’m bringing you some magic in the form of a few black makers and creatives you need to know. No seriously, they’re pretty magical. Together they offer a smorgasbord of talent that ranges from surface pattern designers and illustrators to interior designers and DIY bloggers. That’s right, I am hooking you guys up! Enough chit chat, let the fun begin.

What’s the best part about being a woman of color in your industry?
“I think the best part is that I have a different cultural background to tap into. I find joy in sharing that part of me with the world.”

Meet the Designer: Jessica Prout of LittleArrowDesign

February 5, 2018

Modern Moroccan on Navy by littlearrowdesign

Jessica Prout, aka littlearrowdesign, didn’t start out designing, and that’s why we find her story so inspirational. In 2012, she stepped away from a corporate job in engineering to stay at home with her daughter, but soon after realized that while motherhood was an amazing experience, she still needed a creative outlet. So she opened an Etsy shop featuring her handmade bibs, crib sheets, and baby bedding. While searching for ways to make her shop stand out, she discovered Spoonflower. From there, the combination of her love for fabric and her husband’s background as a graphic designer led her to try designing too—with over 6,600 designs in her shop, you could say she found her calling! Get to know this featured designer who hails from Richmond, Virginia in our interview (and video) below.

My day starts with:

“Getting my kids ready for the day and a cup of coffee.”

Meet the Designer: Heidi Kenney

January 22, 2018

Stacks (melon) by heidikenney

Welcome to this week’s edition of Meet the Designer! Today we’re taking a deep dive into the playful and vintage-inspired world of Waynesboro, Pennsylvania based artist Heidi Kenney. Not confined to just one type of creating, you’ll find Heidi’s adorable, spirited character art adorning pottery, plushies, custom toys, fabric and a dozen other trinkets you’ll want to get your hands on. We are so excited to get to know one of our community’s Marketplace favorites, that one blog post just isn’t enough. Don’t miss a special Valentine’s Day tutorial created by Heidi just for you.

My day starts with:

“Coffee and a trip to the ceramic studio. I am part of a ceramic guild and like to go in first thing in the mornings to get a little pottery time in each day. I love making things and could never commit myself to just one sort of making or designing. My days are usually filled with a mix of design, pottery, sewing, and maybe a little knitting thrown in somewhere.”

Meet the Designer: Annie Chen of Lemonni

January 8, 2018

Toucan – Navy by lemonni

For this week’s Meet the Designer series, we’re traveling to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada to talk with self-taught surface pattern designer, Annie Chen who is known as lemonni in the Spoonflower Marketplace. With a deep passion for sleek colorful pattern that is both sophisticated and playful, Annie seeks to share happiness and style with the world through her home accessory line of the same name. We are in absolute awe over Annie’s imaginative body of work and can’t wait another second to dive in!

My day starts with:

“Coffee. I cannot function without a good cup of coffee. I usually check my emails first thing when I’m at my desk. And then I’d spend a few hours doing some admin work, such as replying to emails, following up on leads, maintaining my online shops or working on marketing. During the day I also spend a lot of time and energy taking care of my two fur babies (one senior bunny and one young dog), so I usually design and work on projects in the evening when I feel most focused and creative.”

Meet the Designer: Heleen van den Thillart

December 4, 2017

Christmas Birds in Snow by heleen_vd_thillart

If you’re someone who’s curious to delve into pattern design for the first time, we have just the interview for you. This week we’re getting to know Dutch designer Heleen van den Thillart, who joins us from the heart of Rotterdam, Netherlands where she lives with her spouse and two children. Heleen discovered Spoonflower as a way to earn money doing something she loved while raising her young family. She had never designed patterns for fabric before, so using Spoonflower’s design challenges as a springboard, she decided to commit to it for a year. Not only is Heleen now publishing new designs weekly, but she’s also secured licensing deals with companies large and small. How cool is that? Keep reading because we promise you’ll be running for your art supplies by the end of this post!

My day starts with…

“Early morning snuggles with the whole family. I do not function before 7 o’clock in the morning, so my kids (ages 1 and 4) are allowed to crawl in bed with us to cuddle and play. During the day I stay home with them which sometimes can create a struggle to get work done since they don’t have the same nap schedules. I make up for it in the evenings, though, unless I don’t have the energy to work after a day with the kids. That’s when I will watch a movie or binge a series on the couch. But, I love to draw and design so it’s often not a problem to sit behind my desk in the evenings. It doesn’t feel like work at all. Except when I have to do my taxes, but nobody likes that anyway, right?”

Meet the Designer: Heather Dutton

November 13, 2017

Autumn Woods by heatherdutton

Welcome to another edition of Spoonflower’s Meet the Designer series! This week we’re introducing surface pattern designer, Heather Dutton, who resides in the quaint coastal town of Kennebunk right on the southern tip of Maine. Heather began her career as a fashion designer in San Francisco but she quickly fell in love with designing seamless patterns in the process. Shortly after, Heather diverted her career to follow her heart launching Hang Tight Studio. We’re so happy to share Heather’s story with the community today—we know you’ll gain your own dose of inspiration.

My day starts with:

“An embarrassing amount of coffee while I check my emails and look at yummy images on Flickr, Pinterest & Instagram. Once I’m fueled up I head to the beach for a long walk with my sweet Sussex Spaniel, Gracie Mae, before I settle into my studio for a day filled with designing and Netflix binging.”

Meet the Designer Halloween Edition: Johanna Parker

October 9, 2017

Meet the designer: Johanna Parker | Spoonflower Blog

Trick or Treat Black Cat design by Johanna Parker Design

Welcome to the Halloween edition of our Meet the Designer series! This week, we’re showcasing the frighteningly adorable designs of Johanna Parker. Tucked between Denver and the Rocky Mountains, Johanna lives in Lakewood, Colorado with her husband and black cat, Jack, in what looks to us as the perfect fairytale-like home prime for inspiration. Not only is Johanna a fabric designer and illustrator, but she also makes papier-mâché sculptures reminiscent of vintage Halloween decoration. Grab a handful of Halloween candy and nestle in because we’re so thrilled to share this spirited interview with you!

My day starts with:

“The happy sound of purring from our black cat, Jack. He’s always excited when we wake! Then, that rolling list of creative to-do’s switches on. A hot cup of black coffee or tea and perhaps a piece of dark chocolate helps to kick-start the day.”

Jack the cat ready to party

Meet the Designer: Holli Zollinger

September 25, 2017

Orinoco Banana Leaf Jungle by holli_zollinger

In our next meet the designer spotlight, we sit down with the wildly creative, Holli Zollinger, to find out what inspires her iconic bohemian style that instantly established her as a Spoonflower community favorite. Holli comes to us today from Moab, Utah, which she describes as, “An amazing destination for travelers from all over the world.” Holli loves the vast and open feel in Moab, describing the color, texture and variety in the landscape as “So very extraordinary!“And get this—she’s currently living in a 1974 Carpenter Bus that she’s renovated to serve as her living space while she builds an eco-friendly and sustainable home. We’re greatly inspired and impressed by Holli to say the very least!

My day starts with:

“Coffee which then fuels a huge mental and physical list of TO DO’S.”