{Hirshfield’s Earth Day giveaway!}

Earth Day is  April 22 – a day to celebrate Earth and support environmental programs. Earth Day is the largest civic event in the world, celebrated simultaneously around the globe by people of all backgrounds, faiths and nationalities.  More than a billion people participate in Earth Day activities every year.

Hirshfield’s is helping to celebrate Earth Day right here in the Twin Cities with a giveaway of two of their favorite environmentally friendly products; Benjamin Moore Natura® Zero-VOC Interior Paint and Smart Strip™ Paint Removal System.

Benjamin Moore Natura® Zero-VOC Interior Paint
Ideally suited for residential applications. Unlike conventional zero-VOC paints, Natura remains zero-VOC even after tinting, which means it remains virtually odorless regardless of color.

Smart Strip™ Paint Removal System
This is a 100% biodegradable, water-based paint stripper that is extremely effective for removing multiple layers of architectural and industrial coatings from virtually all interior/exterior surfaces such as wood, brick, metal, concrete, stone, plaster, fiberglass, etc. Smart Strip™ does not contain methylene chloride, any caustics, or toxic chemicals. It is odor-free and safe for the environment.

{woven woods}

Hunter Douglas Provenance 

House of Turquoise – Lucy Penfield

House of Turquoise

Cote de’Texas

Palmer Weiss 2010 Showcase Home

Hunter Douglas Provenance

Hunter Douglas Provenance

House of Turquoise – Lucy Penfield

A little texture goes a long way! Improve the view of your room with au courant woven woods.  Made from natural fibers like bamboo, grass, reeds, and woods, they add another layer of color and texture to your room.

Hirshfield’s has a large selection of natural woven shades at price points to suit everyone’s budget. Stop in and work with our window treatment experts.  I love listening to them talk customers through the process of selecting the right treatment for their lifestyle and budget. They know the right questions to ask to make sure you are completely satisfied with your window treatment purchase. I may be biased, but the window treatment professionals at Hirshfield’s really are the best in the business!

{friday finds: bachman’s holiday ideas house 2011}

Stairwell

“The Elegance of Winter” is the theme for Bachman’s Holiday Ideas House 2011.

  Expect to see creamy whites, cool blues, celadon, soft greens and shimmering metallic accents mixed in with botanical elements and natural textures. Vintage architectural pieces, such as repurposed porch posts and railings, will add historic charm throughout the house. Needless to say, it’s definitely not your traditional red and green Christmas!

{friday finds: bold and beautiful paint colors}

Bright Lime 2025-10 Benjamin Moore

Grappa 1393 Benjamin Moore

Venetian Plaster

Venetian Plaster via House of Turquoise

Benjamin Moore 1601 Hearthstone, 2028-30 Tequila Lime, 2124-10 Wrought Iron, 1307 Geranium

Benjamin Moore 2169-10 Racing Orange

Benjamin Moore Lucerne AF-530

Benjamin Moore 2083-10 Raisin Torte, HC-46 Jackson Tan

It’s all about color today. Strong colors. Can you see any of these colors in your home? Get your eyes use to Raisin Torte; it’s like the color of the candy, Boston Baked Beans. I’m starting to see that color appearing in different fashion blogs, which means it will show up in home fashions down the line. Kathy, from Hirshfield’s Design Resource, had a customer use that color just yesterday. Okay, it might take two years to reach Minnesota, but it’s coming.

As soon as the angels go back to school, are there any paint projects you want to start? Right now I’m finishing the touch up in my newly painted family room, and still pondering the interior barn door idea. And I want to get started painting a Union Jack flag, on canvas, to hang on the side of the shed. I can’t get this pink flag out of my mind. We’ll see.

Hirshfield’s Labor Day paint sale starts next week, so keep us in mind when it’s time to start (or finish) your painting projects.

If the Venetian plasters piqued your curiosity, check out The Plaster Center in Minneapolis. Fun, fun colors, and many variations of the plaster look.

May the force be with you, until school starts.

Images: Elle  Decor magazine, Elle Decor magazine, Elle Decor magazine, House of Turquoise, Benjamin Moore, Dabble, Benjamin Moore, Benjamin Moore

{picking the perfect window treatments}

You’ve picked out the perfect paint color. You’ve selected a fabulous combination of furniture that doesn’t necessarily match, but goes together effortlessly, and you’ve finally found the bold statement piece your room needs in a luxurious area rug. Yet your space is still lacking one finishing touch – window treatments.

There are so many options out there when it comes to window treatments, which is why they can be an overwhelming purchase to make. But, with just a little background knowledge you’ll know exactly what to look for.

The first thing you will want to consider is safety. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, there are 120 reported fatalities and 113 injuries caused by corded window coverings since 1999. LiteRise shades are a great option if you have kids or pets in your home. A cordless system eliminates the risk of a child getting tangled in a hanging cord. You can read more about safe window coverings in this blog post.

Duette Top-Down Bottom-Up with LiteRise

{friday finds: smart strip}

Remember stripping paint back in the day, and that oh-so-familiar burn when the remover splattered on your skin. Ooohh, now that was a burn that had staying powers. I’m sure those strippers are still available, but I don’t think we need to go there after reading this review from Janell.  Smart Strip is carried at Hirshfield’s stores, but call first if you are making a special trip to make certain they have it on hand. Smart Strip + Hirshfield’s = Success.

No projects in your future? Spend time on Janell’s blog, Isabella & Max Rooms, and you will be inspired by her creativity, good taste, and great projects.

Make certain to check out her new on-line magazine “House of Fifty.” It looks like it will be a good read.  It’s on my list of reading material for this weekend.

Did you pay attention? Brass is back.

{green design}

With Earth Day only days away, now is the time to think about the ways in which your home can be more environmentally friendly. April 22 marks the 41st observation of this event, designed to inspire awareness and appreciation for nature and the environment. Bringing elements from nature indoors is one way to design a green home. Many products used in houses today are also eco-friendly, with low toxins that are good for both your home and Mother Earth.

Bamboo blinds and shades are not only beautiful but also environmentally friendly. Generally speaking, woven woods are better than classic wood because they are considered renewable resources. Indeed, a bamboo tree grows hundreds of times faster than an oak tree. This is what determined manufacturers of window coverings to take advantage of bamboo, reeds and grasses in creating special lines of eco-friendly products.

You can also opt for bamboo flooring over hardwood. The flooring can be installed with formaldehyde-free glues.

Hirshfield’s offers eco-friendly wallcoverings for home and business settings. EnVision, ECORE, and REcore all provide stylish options made from recycled materials and are low VOC (or volatile organic compound) emitting.

We also have a wide range of colors in our various lines of “green” paint, which include the top quality of Benjamin Moore and Hirshfield’s paint you know and trust. Find a variety of stains and indoor and outdoor paints at any of our Hirshfield’s locations, and be sure to recycle your unused and unwanted paint properly.

Hunter Douglas is one of the major players in the window treatments industry who take pride in protecting the environment while not giving up on quality and comfort. The Provenance woven wood shades offer a natural look, the warmth of nature inside your home, combined with excellent durability and with the latest technology available, in order to maximize the comfort.

The Hunter Douglas Provenance woven wood shades are eco-friendly in more than one way. Not only are they manufactured from renewable resources, but they also feature excellent thermal insulation properties and an outstanding solar heat control which lead to reduced energy consumption for heating or cooling the house. These insulating qualities are emphasized by adding the optional liner provided by Hunter Douglas with this line of window shades.

Additional tips you can implement around your house to help save our planet include making sure your home has proper insulation and buying and installing Energy Star appliances and windows. Finally, strategically plant shade trees and shrubs around your house to save energy. In summer, trees and plants can blocks infrared radiation that would otherwise enter and warm your home, while in winter, bare branches let the radiation come through for added warmth.

{friday finds: bachman’s spring idea house}

Front porch favorite - bathtub turned into planter and coffee table

Master bedroom

Master bedroom vignette

Girl's bedroom - Accent wall created with ribbon, paper flowers and thumbtacks

Close-up of DIY accent wall and stools turned into night stands

Scrapbooking room

Living Room wall

Boy's room - too cute to be forgotten

Upper level bathroom

Kitchen looking into back hall and stairs

Dining room tablescape

Sunroom featuring on trend wallpaper pattern

Floor grates used as wall decor

This is the last weekend for the Spring Ideas House 2011 at Bachman’s on Lyndale. If you have time, rejuvenate yourself with a leisurely tour of the house, garden center, and store.

The theme of this Spring Ideas House is “European Romance.” A light, airy and refreshing antidote to our long, cold winter. The design team did a wonderful job conveying that feeling, largely in part, by the paint colors they chose. Flowers, plants, bedding, repurposed and new accessories, and fragrant lilies all add to the ambience of the house.

Once again there are many repurposed accessories mixing it up with the newbies. My favorite is the barn door/headboard in the boy’s room. I do love my barn doors used as interior features. Have you been to the Spring Ideas House? What’s your favorite feature of the house?

Bachman’s Spring Ideas House is open until Sunday, April 17, 2011. Tickets are $5 and all guests will receive a coupon for $5 off their purchase of $25 or more at Bachman’s Floral, Gift and Garden Stores. Call 612-861-7311 for tickets or order online.

Hirshfield’s and Benjamin Moore paint colors used in the home:

Front Porch
Trim 0012 Bunny Cake
Floor 0211 Light Lichen
Entry HC-80 Bleeker Beige
Living Room 0391 Crispa
Sunroom Seabrook wallcovering
DiningRoom 0398 Island Embrace
Kitchen 0461 Calm Breeze
Trim and cabinets OC-68 Distant Gray
Lower Level Bathroom 0461 Calm Breeze
Stairwell 0278 Barberry Sand
Boy’s Bedroom 0462 Resting Place
Girl’s Room 1062 Albino
Master Bedroom 0279 Garden Country
Upper Level Bathroom 0278 Barberry Sand
Scrapbooking Room 0407 Vapor

{friday finds: Home & Garden Show 2011}

The Minneapolis Home & Garden Show is taking place now through Sunday, March 6, 2011. Spring is right around the corner or right through the doors of the Home & Garden Show. Come see all that is new in garden design, landscaping, remodeling, interiors, home staging and cooking. Stop by the Hirshfield’s booth # 2306  and check out our Home & Garden promotions.

Home and Garden Show highlights:

• Kids get in free on Friday when they show their library cards.
• 2011 Idea House completely built by Energy Panels
• Innovation Avenue
• $5,000 Kitchen prize given away each day
• Domain Architects small living domain
• Music themed gardens
• Meat Raffle
• Hundreds of home and garden vendors

Hirshfield’s Home and Garden 2011 Promos

$30 Off In Home Color Consultation - sign up at Hirshfield’s Booth 2306 or sign up online using “Marsha” as the Promo code. Book your appointment by Friday, March 11 to qualify. The actual color call does not have to take place by March 11, just you making the appointment to take advantage of $30 off. Click here for information on Hirshfield’s Color Consultations.

10% Off Pinnacle Closets – Hirshfield’s has closets?

10% Off “Blind for Every Budget” Collection – Customers at the H & G Show will receive a coupon for an additional 10% off…so that is 10% off in-store and 10% off with their H & G coupon. 10 + 10 = savings.

Free Top Down Bottom Up on Hirshfield’s Premier Collection Cellular Shade – H & G Show and in-store promotion

Free Installation on Hunter Douglas products – through March 29th, 2011. H & G Show and in-store promotion.

30% Off select fabric through Hirshfield’s Shop at Home

$5 Off Hirshfield’s Platinum Ceramic and Benjamin Moore Regal  Finishes – H & G Show promotion

Can’t wait for spring? The annual H & G plant sale starts at 5:00 pm on Sunday night. Flower frenzy. What a great way to end the show.

{friday finds: hunter douglas iMagine™Design Center}

There are hundreds of options available to consumers when it comes to choosing window treatments. Hunter Douglas realized that many consumers do online research before stepping into a dealer showroom (Hirshfield’s) and they are making it easier with iMagine™ Design Center. This existing online interactive tool has been enhanced this past year and has already won three industry awards*.

Some of the newly enhanced functions:

• Upload your own photos so you can see how Hunter Douglas products will look in your home.
• Provides photo tips in the beginning so consumers can take the best photo to take full advantage of the tool.
• Store your uploaded photos in the “My Workbook” feature for future reference.
• It can even show you the window treatment as an inside or outside mount on the window frame.
• Recognizes opacities in consumer’s room; i.e. room lighting will darken if an opaque fabric is selected and brighten with a sheer.
• Mask out objects that are in front of windows, objects will be shown in front of added window treatments not covered by the added window treatment.
• Offers views of multiple windows within a room.

In addition to all their a-mazing products, Hunter Douglas has over 4,500 colors, materials, and fabrics from which to choose. As easy as it was to upload my photos, mix and match different products, my preference is to start the process in the store. I am a tactile person and I love to touch and feel the fabrics, pull cords or not, and use the remote controls. If I have a funky space or window I take a picture and bring in my camera and show it to the salesperson. When I go into the store I tell them my ideas, but I always ask what they personally would do if it were their home.  I recognize they are the experts and I value their opinions and product knowledge.

Back to the iMagine™Design Center:  it’s a great site to learn, “play around” and explore possibilities.  Then, bring those ideas to a window fashions designer at Hirshfield’s for their expert opinions.  Web-based tools are great, but they cannot foresee the subtleties and nuances that must not be overlooked in your decorating project.

Visit the Hirshfield’s website and check out the mail-in rebates being offered on select Hunter Douglas treatments from January 14-April 29, 2011.

Behind the Scenes…

*This new Upload Your Own Photo tool won a Best-in-Class award from the Window Covering Manufacturers Association, even before it was released to the public.

In the Online Media Marketing & Advertising (OMMA) Awards, the Upload your Own Photo feature won in the House and Home Category for Web Site Excellence.

It also won a Silver Award in Consumer Goods Category of the W3 Awards. The W3 Awards honors creative excellence on the Web and is sanctioned by the International Academy of Visual Arts.