If you can’t find the answer to your question here, you can try the search box over on the right. If that still doesn’t help, leaving a comment with your question (or hitting me up on Twitter) is the fastest way to get a response from me. You can also email me at anna@doorsixteen.com, but keep in mind that I often take a while to reply to less urgent emails.
General policies & stuff
NO. I do not accept any form of advertising, period. That includes link exchanges, trial product reviews, giveaways, and so forth. Please do not contact me asking to make an exception.
I am opposed to widespread advertising impacting every aspect of our existence, and I am drawing a line around the space that I deem inappropriate for advertising to inhabit. In this case it is my blog.
—adfreeblog.org
If your blog is ad-free: Sure, but please don’t take the entire entry. Just take a photo or two, credit them clearly (the credit line can read “photo by Anna Dorfman” or “photo from Door Sixteen," or something along those lines), and link back directly to the specific post you took them from. When your post is up, send me the link! I always like to see who’s been inspired by my blog.
If your blog has ads on it: You must contact me before using my photos. Chances are I’ll have no problem with it, but I need to know the context first. Also, keep in mind that I do not allow my photos to be used as visual reference for any product links that may be used to generate revenue.
Please do not crop, alter, add graphics/text to, or otherwise alter any of my photographs. If you have a special request or need a certain size photo, please contact me.
If I’ve shared a photograph that’s credited to someone else and you wish to repost it, please credit the original source/creator of the image and adhere to the creator’s terms of use. There is no need to credit me as well.
If I read it regularly and love it and it's one of my favorite websites, then yes, I will. You don't even need to ask! Please don't email me submissions for inclusion, though. I usually discover new blogs by meeting people in non-email settings like blog comments (there's a field to paste your website URL in—use it!), Twitter, and through links on other sites I enjoy. I am not likely to check out blogs that are emailed to me, sorry. There just aren't enough hours in the day!
Of course! You can link to any site you want to. No need to ask permission!
Technical & design-related stuff
Door Sixteen runs on the WordPress.org publishing platform. I'm currently using a heavily modified (by me!) version of the Blogum theme from WPShower. I use Photoshop & Illustrator for image editing and graphics creation, and I do all of my coding with Coda.
Maybe! I don't do a whole lot of freelance work, but I do occasionally do some blog design work. I design exclusively for the WordPress platform. If you're interested in hiring me, take a look at my portfolio and then get in touch. If we think we'd be a good match and I have some availability, maybe we can work together.
I've been a happy Dreamhost customer since 1999.
As of September 2011, I use a Leica D-Lux 5. Most earlier photos were taken with a Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5. I'm not a photographer and I don't have much technical knowledge when it comes to taking pictures, so I prefer a small point & shoot with easily configurable options.
A number of photos (primarily the square ones!) were taken with an iPhone 4 and processed with the wonderful (and addictive!) Instagram app.
I own (and use) a lot of fonts. A large part of my job is researching fonts. I love fonts. I'm a font nerd. That said, I don't really like to do font research for other people. I'm not trying to keep secrets or be a jerk or anything, but please understand if I don't provide lists of font names. If you'd like to do your own font research, MyFonts is GREAT starting point.
The circular Door Sixteen logo is set in TJ Evolette A.
Short answer: I have no idea.
Slightly longer answer: I'm probably not the best person to ask for career advice, but I did do a Q&A about my job a few years ago that you may find helpful.
» Part One: How I Got Into It.
» Part Two: How It Works.
No, sorry.
House stuff
Other than where noted, all of the paint is from Benjamin Moore.
» Moonlight White (matte): all white walls
» Simply White (satin): white trim/woodwork throughout house
» Soot (matte): black walls in living room and bedroom
» Toucan Black (satin): black doors and stair treads
» Sea Foam (matte): pale blue kitchen walls
» Lacey Pearl (matte): palest gray walls in guest bedroom
» Olympic Knight’s Armor (eggshell): black ceiling in downstairs bathroom
» Black Beauty (satin): exterior black trim
All of the paint is from Benjamin Moore.
» Simply White (satin): white trim/woodwork throughout apartment
» Simply White (matte): all white walls
» Soot (matte): black walls in closet “office” and kitchen
Yes, very much! We've had it since December 2008, and so far it's held up really well. We even bought a second one in loveseat size for the apartment! I love that the covers are removable, washable, and replaceable. It's comfy, too. I have no complaints!
In January 2009, I painted the floor in one room in our house white. You can read the details of the whole process here. After three years (at the time of this writing), it still looks pretty much the same as it did then. Of course there are a few scuff marks here and there, but nothing that bothers me or that couldn't easily be removed if I made the effort. Evan has a lot of heavy musical equipment in that room and spends a lot of time in there, but we haven't seen any chipping to the paint or anything like that. I just clean it with a vacuum and occasional mopping like any other room in the house.
We don't wear shoes in the house (not because of the white floor, but because we think it's gross!), so I'm sure that contributes to the general cleanliness of the house overall.
The internet. If I don’t know how to do something, I Google it. Trial and error helps, too. We bought this house with zero knowledge of construction or any type of home improvement beyond painting (and we weren’t even doing that right). If we can do it, so can you. Really!
I live in the City of Newburgh. Newburgh is about 60 miles north of Manhattan, on the west bank of the Hudson River. I also have a teeny, tiny little apartment in Manhattan that I use when I’m too tired to commute home at the end of the day.
Other stuff
Fritz is a long-haired Chihuahua, and Bruno is a long-haired Chihuahua/Bichon Frisé mix. In August 2011, I did an interview about them for Dog Milk. If you ever wanted to know more about Fritz and Bruno, there you go!
Yes, I've probably already seen it, and no, I really don't want it. As much as I like listening to their music, I am not interested the related arts & crafts projects.
(No, not even the candle that's shaped like Morrissey's head.)
Thank you for thinking of me, though!
I go to Mariko at Dlala Salon in the East Village. She is a phenomenal hairdresser, and I recommend her (and Dlala!) wholeheartedly. If you go, tell Mariko I sent you!
The case was designed by Canadian graphic artist Marco Cibola for Uncommon. I have the capsule-style model, and yes, I love it.
Honestly? Not really. I’ve lived in or around NYC for my entire life, so I’ve never had to consider hotels before. I don’t know what’s out there right now. I’m also pretty lazy when it comes to actually doing stuff and going out. I’m really kind of lame, frankly. (I am happy to recommend vegan-friendly restaurants, though!)
The best advice I can give you is to be yourself. Don’t worry about what you think a blog is supposed to be like, just focus on getting out the stuff that you think is interesting. If you like it, chances are there’s someone else who does, too. Aim for quality of content over quantity of posts. Don’t apologize for liking a trend. Don’t lift content from other blogs. Include your own photographs. Let your readers have a little window into your life, not just a bunch of product photos. Make it personal.
