Man Made DIY

It happens to me all the time. I'm hanging out in the cool kid part of town, and I spy a group of youngsters, clad head to toe with the standard hipster fare: low v-neck t-shirt? Check. Bandana as accessory? Now where's the one with the fanny pack...

Oh, there … read more

Photographer Thomas Allen has come up with what may be the ultimate, "Why didn't I think of that?" project.

He cuts up the people-heavy covers of pulp fiction novels and creates mini-dioramas, allowing the characters to interact with others from different works, and with the books… read more

George Nakashima was a Japanese-American craftsman and furniture maker who was a powerhouse influence in 20th century furniture design. I've been fortunate enough to sit on and explore many of his actual pieces;the Boston Museum of Fine Arts has several, and you're welcome to actually use them. His mastery of fine joinery mixed with rustic unfinished edges are as good as handbuilt furniture can get, and he's by far the my woodworking idol. (Sorry, Norm...)

Nakashima's signature coffee tables feature flat, finely finished tops with raw or "live" edges, resulting in a natural modern look that's pretty… read more

February marks the one year anniversary of ManMade, and I couldn't be more grateful for the successes we've had and the community we've created. Over the year, I've heard from lots of readers that they'd like a newsletter, and so....

Now we have… read more

A ManMade man is well-dressed man, I've always said. Or, I've probably said that. At least once.

ManMade has always been about taking an intentional approach to the things your do, buy, and use, and clothing definitely fits in that category. So whether your a cutting-edge fashionisto (is that a word?) or just trying to look sharp for cheap, the internet is here to… read more

The liquor store is not the place to be showing off fancy design work. I'm pretty sure that you could put an Eames lounge, Frank Gehry builiding, and the Mona Lisa in my neighborhood carryout, and I'd find them as dingy as can be.

BUT! Lurking between the boxes of wine and the 99 bottle opener end caps, you can actually find some pretty amazing product… read more

You've probably seen them: tiny zippered pouches, big enough to carry business cards, or a to use as a small wallet, printed with photorealistic images of hamburgers, vinyl records, etc. And you've probably thought, "kinda cool idea, but I'd rather a cassette tape I actually like, or a camera from own collection."

Okay, no problem. Just make your… read more

Drea Cooper & Zackary Canepari of California is a Place offer a unique view into a fascinating social expression, a fight club for computer geeks.

"In Silicon Valley we have the highest concentration of aggressive people in the United States. And it's a place where all life has been reduced to working in a cubicle and then after work going out to have a Merlot at the Fromage bar. I'm kind of looking for something a little more primitive, a little more basic, something that appeals to the essential nature of a man."

This video is endearing and terrifying.… read more

A Möbius strip is a looping figure with only one side and edge. The Möbius table takes its inspiration from that mathematical surface with a continuous, undulating base, which "flares and narrows in six arcs, creating a look of poised animation." 

Maker and furniture designer Sean Michael Ragan created his own version of the Möbius table from hardware store parts and without resorting to fancy woodworking techniques or complex… read more

A few months ago,  Facebook got a makeover, allowing more and bigger photos to appear on the Facebook page (you know, so you can see how badly your high school friends have aged immediately, instead of having to click though).

Of course, some clever souls decided to take advantage of these new features, and turned their profiles into custom pieces of… read more