Posts by Sara Barnes

Sara Barnes

Sara Barnes is a Staff Editor at My Modern Met, Manager of My Modern Met Store, and co-host of the My Modern Met Top Artist Podcast. As an illustrator and writer living in Seattle, she chronicles illustration, embroidery, and beyond through her blog Brown Paper Bag and Instagram @brwnpaperbag. She wrote a book about embroidery artist Sarah K. Benning titled "Embroidered Life" that was published by Chronicle Books in 2019. Sara is a graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art. She earned her BFA in Illustration in 2008 and MFA in Illustration Practice in 2013.
Hotels
September 25, 2025

Populus Denver: A Climate-Positive Hotel Combining Comfort With Stunning Contemporary Design

Stunning design and sustainable living aren’t mutually exclusive. The two can support and inform one another, creating something that is climate-neutral or even climate-positive. The luxury hotel Populus Denver strikes a balance between stellar architectural design and environmental consciousness. As an impressive addition to the Denver skyline, the exterior celebrates nature with white, round forms and eye-shaped window cutouts.

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Store
September 19, 2025

Clip-on Prism Transforms Your Phone’s Photos Into Rainbow-Drenched Scenes

Photo filters haven’t always been digital. Long before VSCO, Instagram, and TikTok, if photographers wanted to add tints, distortions, or other special effects to their images, they’d have to use analog lens clips to manipulate the camera lens. This tool hasn’t gone away—many DSLR and film photographers still use them to create great effects in-camera.

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Tiny Living
September 5, 2025

Sleek Prefab Home Can Be “Dropped” and Ready To Inhabit in Just One Week

Great design can go anywhere, and the Drop Pod is proof of it. Created by Inspiral Architecture and Design Studios, Drop Pod is a prefabricated, modular home series designed to adapt, protect, and, most importantly, welcome you in. Drop Pod’s Lombok design has sleek, swooping lines reminiscent of a futuristic exterior, like something that was shot out of a spaceship and landed on Earth.

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Street Art
September 3, 2025

Monumental Lacework Mural Highlights Cultural Heritage of a Romanian City’s Fabric

A building in Ploiești, Romania, has had a giant piece of lace affixed to its side—at least, that’s what it looks like. Polish street artist NeSpoon has worked her signature magic, painting a monumental mural that depicts ornamental lace. With incredible attention to detail—especially at such a large scale—and subtle drop shadows, it creates the illusion of real lace that’s been crafted to stretch five stories high.

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My Modern Met

Celebrating creativity and promoting a positive culture by spotlighting the best sides of humanity—from the lighthearted and fun to the thought-provoking and enlightening.