Spoonflower is a leading online platform for custom fabric, wallpaper, and home décor. With a user-friendly website and a wide range of customization options, Spoonflower has become a popular destination for artists, designers, and DIY enthusiasts looking to create and sell their own unique designs, or to purchase one-of-a-kind home décor items.
Once a design is available for sale, the creator receives a royalty percentage of 10% on the revenue from the item. There is no cost to keep a pattern available for sale. However, there is an upfront cost of buying squares of that fabric to check for print quality – called “proofing” – which amount to about $1.25 per design. I have 215 designs (many of them for surfing) on the site, and I paid for the first 100 out of my pocket, but by the time I got to making the next 100 the first 100 had already paid for itself. This is true passive income after the initial costs and work.
I probably drew designs every day after work for about 6 months, which in hindsight seem like a lot of work, but I actually had fun designing the textile patterns. I had literally zero idea what I was doing when I started, and all of my designs were made using PowerPoint – which is certainly not a program traditionally used for digital art, but doing this design after work also helped me create better slides for my actual job. Like, literally got compliments for how good one of my slides was designed.
How it All Started
Founded in 2008, Spoonflower is headquartered in Durham, North Carolina, and has a team of over 200 employees. The company was started by two software engineers, Gart Davis and Stephen Fraser, who were frustrated with the lack of options for purchasing custom fabric. The pair decided to create a platform that would make it easy for anyone to design and print their own fabric, and Spoonflower was born.
Built for Creators
One of the key features of Spoonflower is the ability to upload and print almost any design, pattern, or image onto a variety of fabrics and materials. The website offers a range of tools and resources to help users create and customize their designs, including a design uploader, a color picker, and a pattern generator.
Once a design is created and uploaded, users can choose from a range of materials and finishes, including organic cotton, cotton sateen, and linen-cotton canvas. They can also choose the size and scale of their design, as well as the quantity of fabric they would like to purchase.
In addition to custom fabric, the website also offers wallpaper and home décor items, such as pillows, curtains, and shower curtains. The company has a growing community of independent designers who sell their own creations on the Spoonflower marketplace, making it a great place to find unique and original home décor items.
There is Competition
One of the things that sets Spoonflower apart from other custom fabric websites is its commitment to sustainability and ethical manufacturing. The company uses eco-friendly inks and dyes in its printing process, and all of its fabrics are printed on-demand, which reduces waste and overproduction.
Spoonflower is also a certified B Corporation, which means that the company meets strict standards for social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. This commitment to sustainability and ethical practices has helped to establish Spoonflower as a trusted and respected brand in the home decor industry.
In addition to its focus on sustainability, Spoonflower is known for its exceptional customer service and support. The company has a dedicated team of customer service representatives who are available to answer questions and help users with any issues or concerns they may have.
Spoonflower also has a robust online community, with forums and groups where users can share their designs, get feedback and advice from other users, and participate in challenges and contests. This community aspect of Spoonflower adds to the overall user experience and helps to foster a sense of connection and collaboration among its members.
Overall, Spoonflower is a unique and innovative platform for custom fabric, wallpaper, and home décor. With its user-friendly website, wide range of customization options, and commitment to sustainability and ethical practices, Spoonflower has become a popular destination for artists, designers, and DIY enthusiasts looking to create and buy custom home décor items. Maybe even AI prompt writers will get into fabric design for passive income…
