{friday finds: what’s on sale}

Hirshfield’s Paints are on sale through Monday, May 6, 2013.

• Hunter Douglas rebates on select window treatments.
• Free upgrades on select Hunter Douglas products.
• The Federal Tax Credit on Hunter Douglas energy-efficient window treatments. Good through December 31, 2013.
• 10% off Benjamin Moore Paint through May 6, 2013

Any graduations or confirmations coming up this spring? Take advantage of this great sale if some of your rooms need a fresh coat of paint or new window treatments. Don’t be like me and wait until the week before, and then decide to paint; you know when you have nothing else to do.

Have a fab weekend. I’m looking forward to the sunshine next week!

(2013 bachman’s spring ideas house)

Dining Room

Where did the time go? This is the last weekend for the Bachman’s Spring Ideas House! Remember you need a ticket to go through the house. Your $5 ticket includes a coupon good for $5 off a Bachman’s purchase, with 20% of ticket proceeds benefiting Art in Bloom, the principal fundraiser of the Friends of the Minneapolis Institute of Arts.

Visit the Spring Ideas House to see a hip take on ideas for spring entertaining and home decor from the perspective of a busy event planner and gardening enthusiast. After being buried under the Minnesota snow piles, this Ideas House rendition encourages getting out and getting together. Bachman’s designers are applying modern elements and clean design with infusions of bold patterns to the 100s of creative home décor and entertaining ideas. Expect to see an on-trend mixture of grays and yellows infused with crisp whites and plenty of natural elements. Plus many rooms will be themed around unique gatherings, giving you ideas for the upcoming party season.

Yellow kitchens were the big winners in the September 2012 issue of House Beautiful’s “America’s Favorite Paint Color.”

The living room coffee table is built from 6×6 cedar posts and decorative tiles. I also liked the idea of using a water feature in the fire-place during the months when the fire-place is not in use. Imagine that soothing sound of trickling water.

Drama Queen? An appropriate name for the wallpaper in the sun room, don’t you think? Loving the oversized scale of the vine – reminds me of Jack and the Beanstalk.

The headboard wall is covering in paper flowers and the light pendants are made from hanging baskets.

 Being an Event Coordinator,  three chalkboard walls are a necessity. The chalkboard paint went straight on the wall and was framed out with molding.

Event Coordinator’s office

Once again the Bachman’s design team did a lovely job. It has to be difficult to keep it fresh and new with every Idea’s House. We’re very appreciative to Bachman’s for choosing Hirshfield’s paint colors. It’s an excellent venue to see the paint “in action” and according to Nancy and R.C.W. it’s a great product.

For more photos, Hammers & High Heels, has an extensive montage of the Idea’s House. Have a great day - the sun is shining.  Enjoy!

Hirshfield’s paint colors used in the house:

Front Porch
Trim 0012 Bunny Cake
Floor 0211 Light Lichen
Entry
0806 Sweet Angelica
Living Room
0219 Camel’s Hump
Accent wall above fireplace 0806 Sweet Angelica
Sunroom Wallcovering
Drama Queen GC0874
Dining Room
0217 Oak Tone
Kitchen
0806 Sweet Angelica
Main Bathroom/Back Hall
0806 Sweet Angelica and 0218 Drifting Sand
Stairwell 
0217 Oak Tone
Event Coordinator Office
0462 Resting Place
Event Coordinator Workshop
Walls
0391 Crispa
Chalkboard Paint:
Benjamin Moore 529 Sweet Daphne, 627 Spring Break, 683 St. Lucia Teal
Girl’s Bedroom
0211 Light Lichen
Master Bedroom
0462 Resting Place
Upper Level Bathroom
0211 Light Lichen

 

{kendall charcoal hc-166}

Apartment Therapy

The island is painted Kendall Charcoal – Designer Sandra Ericksen as seen on Houzz

When did this happen? Benjamin Moore’s Kendall Charcoal HC-166 has bumped long-time favorite Revere Pewter HC-172 out of first place as most searched paint color on the Hirshfield’s blog. I was surprised. Revere Pewter has held the first place spot for the past couple years as everyone’s beige/gray favorite.

“Rich, deep, and luxurious, kendall charcoal pops beautifully when paired with crisp white room accents and trim. A versatile neutral, it also works well with most color schemes.” Benjamin Moore

Designer Jennifer Austin-McGrath from Gabberts – Houzz

Meister Construction – Houzz

Sarah created an entryway in her apartment with this great oversized chevron pattern, painter’s tape, and Kendall Charcoal paint. With the high contrast of paint colors, charcoal and white, this small space makes a huge welcoming impact.

Avenue B Development – Houzz

How to determine which colors are popular with Hirshfield’s customers? Talking with H’s employees who refill  the paint swatches in the chip racks and mix up the paint. How’s that for a high tech, top secret, evaluation process?

Cindy (H’s Maple Grove) tells me she is constantly filling in Kendall Charcoal (and other darker grays) on the Benjamin Moore chip rack. She thinks customers like the idea of using darker grays, but when it comes right down to it, they back off, and order a lighter and safer paint color. They mix a lot of Revere Pewter and Hirshfield’s Oak Tone 0217 at the Maple Grove store.

She’s also seeing an increased interest in accent walls – here’s where the customer will choose a darker paint color, or use wallpaper, on that one focal wall.

We painted BM Kendall Charcoal on the wall behind our bed—and it totally changed the look of our master bedroom. I love it! It looks great with white bedding and accents of either orange, yellow, red, aqua, or red. I’m currently using lemon-colored accessories! It’s a dramatic neutral color. Reader from Houzz

Want more? Color Chats from Benjamin Moore showcased their 50 favorite grays in this June blog post.

{friday finds: revere pewter hc-172}

J. Hirsch Interior Design

The most-searched-for color on the Hirshfield’s blog is the Benjamin Moore color revere pewter HC-172. Which makes perfect sense, because that is the most-searched-for color on Benjamin Moore’s site. What makes it so popular?

A light gray with warm undertones, revere pewter (HC-172) is a great transitional color that works equally well on walls, ceilings, and trim from room to room. Described as the perfect “whole-house color,” this classic neutral is perfect for an open floor plan.

Dark enough to contrast nicely with whites and off-whites, but not so dramatic as to compete with bold colors, it can ground and balance a room with colorful décor, or create a serene vibe when paired with pale hues and other neutrals.

It feels like the color gray has had an amazingly long run in popularity. My first post on gray was done in the spring of 2009, and back then it had already been popping up on design blogs since 2008. From what I’ve been seeing, grays are still best sellers, but are warming up. “I can’t tell, is that a gray or a taupe?” Good old chameleon colors.

Two years ago my neighbor used revere pewter in her lower level remodel, and with her lighting it leans towards a green undertone. It’s perfect for her space and her lower level looks fantastic. Kathy Basil (Hirshfield’s Design Studio) has found when there is a lot of natural light in a room revere pewter sometimes gets too purple. She said the Hirshfield’s paint color oak tone 0217 is actually a better color than revere pewter. It just works well in many different color scenarios. Read it and weep, Benjamin Moore.

If you think revere pewter is the color for your room, step over to the Hirshfield’s chip rack and pull a sample of Hirshfield’s oak tone 0217. Remember we sell pints and quarts so you can test drive your paint colors before you purchase paint for your entire room. You don’t have time to hide all those gallons of the wrong paint color (in the trunk of your car) and start all over. True story.

For more comments on revere pewter, here’s a link to Benjamin Moore. I always enjoy reading what “real people” have to say about their paint colors. Hirshfield’s partnership with Second Harvest Heartland ends on Monday, December 3, 2012. Save 20% on your paint purchase this weekend.

Happy painting!

{friday finds: bachman’s holiday ideas house 2012}

Den

Behind that wonderful black and white photo is a wall-mounted TV. Made from salvaged wood.  Love the wallpaper. A subtle, good looking plaid which reminds me of Ralph Lauren in design and color, but at a better price point.

This would be so easy to make!

 

Introducing our glamorous take on the rustic lodge. Get ready for an “alpine chic” touch on 100s of creative home decor and entertaining ideas for the holidays. Think “cozy, up-north cabin meets big city bling” as you tour this year’s Holiday Ideas House.

The Bachman’s Holiday House has tons of great ideas to inspire you. Freshen up your home for the holiday season! On this tour, we’re starting on the second floor and working our way down to the main level.

{i will definitely use this paint again!}

My husband and I just finished painting our entryway with your Premium Ceramic Eggshell paint. I wasn’t sure at first because I’d used something “advanced” and “new” from a different paint store and it was very unforgiving. However, I couldn’t be happier with the paint we just used. Yes, it was roughly the consistency of cake batter which was somewhat disconcerting at first but the coverage was amazing and the roller splatter was much less than the average paint. Plus, clean-up was much faster than usual – there was almost no bleeding under the tape. I will definitely use this paint again!

Posted on Hirshfield’s Facebook from satisfied customer R.C.W.

{minneapolis paint : what goes on in the lab at hirshfield’s paint manufacturing}

Take a drive down Lyndale Avenue North in Minneapolis and you’ll eventually pass the Hirshfield’s Paint Manufacturing building at 4450 Lyndale Avenue North. Hirshfield’s has been making paint here in Minneapolis since 1982 thanks to that facility and the loyal patrons who shop at their local Hirshfield’s!

Hirshfield’s Paint Manufacturing in Minneapolis

The team at Hirshfield’s Paint Manufacturing (HPM) is always working hard to make sure they are delivering the best, most innovative products. Hours of quality control, quality assurance and research and development take place in the HPM lab before any Hirshfield’s paint product lands on the shelf at your local Hirshfield’s paint retail store.

Jason Boedigheimer, operations director at Hirshfield’s Paint Manufacturing, shares more about what exactly goes on in the lab at HPM:

To learn more about what goes on at Hirshfield’s Paint Manufacturing, checkout the Hirshfield’s website.

Hirshfield’s is your local Minneapolis-St. Paul paint retailer. The paint experts at Hirshfield’s are here to help you with everything from window-treatments to paint colors. Hirshfield’s manufactures paint right here in Minneapolis.

{hirshfield’s paint experts answer the question, “what is paint?”}

What is paint?

At one point or another, chances are you’ve used paint in some sort of application. Whether you finger-painted as a child, used watercolor paints in high school art class or painted the interior of your home, paint is a common medium for expressing creativity and adding beauty.

But what makes up the substance we refer to as “paint”? What gives it color and what separates a high quality paint from the bargain brands?

Jason from Hirshfield’s Paint Manufacturing in Minneapolis is here with all the answers!

{bachman’s fall ideas house 2012}

With the change of seasons comes a new Idea’s House from Bachman’s. The theme for this fall is “Cool Trends for Fall Gatherings.” With three party setups and plenty of space for casual gatherings, this home is focused on celebrating the season with friends, family and pets.

{i have never used such a great paint}

Hello – I want to commend you on your Platinum Ceramic paint.  I am the worst painter in the world and it’s something I dread doing.  However, I recently decided to repaint a bedroom in my home and I used Hirshfield’s Platinum Ceramic paint. I was amazed at how great it was to work with.  No spatter, dried evenly, easy to cut in with, and on and on.  I have never used such a great paint. I may even live to paint another room or two!  Thanks very much for the great product.

Nancy from St. Paul

Thanks Nancy, for taking time to share your opinion on one of our products; we are happy to hear we exceeded your expectations. And we appreciate your support of a locally owned company, who manufactures their paint in Minnesota! (shameless plug)