{friday finds: 2013 asid showcase home tour}

The American Society of Interior Designers and Mpls St. Paul Magazine crossed the river to St. Paul’s Historic Hill Heritage Preservation District for the 2013 ASID Showcase Home Tour.

This historic Queen Anne-style Victorian home features the work of 39 designers and the transformation of 22 rooms. Some rooms are part of the homeowner’s private residence while others are part of the St. Paul Bed & Breakfast. Updating the house, yet remaining true to  Victorian design elements, sounds  like a challenge. It will be exciting to see the end result. I can’t imagine how much hard work must go into pulling all the pieces together.

THE FACTS:

May 18, 2013 – June 9, 2013
The house is open to the public Wednesdays – Sundays, 10 AM – 4 PM
325 Dayton Ave. St. Paul, MN 55102
Tours are self-guided
Closed  on Saturday, June 1 for a private event.
Tickets are $20 at the door and $15 at the following ticket outlets:
Hirshfield’s, ASID MN, Intersource @IMS, Bachman’s, D’Amico & Sons, Patina, Rubble Tile, and The Bibelot

For more information on the Special Events at the ASID Showcase House you can go to this link to Mpls. St. Paul Magazine.

{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!

{learn from the master…cottage paint class give-away}

Linda Lock

 In addition to her hands-on demonstrations of Cottage Paint at the Junk Bonanza April 18-20, Canadian painter and refurbisher Linda Lock is teaching a CP master class Monday, April 22, at Hirshfield’s Plaster Center in downtown Minneapolis!

Click HERE for the link to the details…Read more about this very talented painter in the Q & A featured on the Junk Bonanza blog.

Thanks to Drew Beninati of the Plaster Center for this fantastic giveaway.
More about Cottage Paint at Hirshfield’s.

Best of luck to everyone!

{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!

{bits & pieces: Sarah’s before & after photos}

“Before” photo

You recognize this living room don’t you? It’s a typical living room of a certain era; large picture window with two side windows, front door off to one side, hardwood floor and fireplace optional. (I bet there’s a coat closet behind the opened front door) Check out the “after” photo and see how the new homeowners transformed this living room into a room right out of a home decorating magazine.

{Friday Finds: Bachman’s Holiday Ideas House}

Bachman’s Holiday Ideas House: “Alpine Chic for the Holidays”

Dates: November 8 – December 16, 2012 (Open 7 Days a Week)

Theme: Alpine Chic for the Holidays

Color Canvas with paint by Hirshfield’s: deep, natural tones accented with a glitzy twist on traditional colors, patterns and textures

Location: Bachman’s Historic Family Home, located at 5936 Lyndale Ave. S., Minneapolis

Tickets: On sale now at bachmans.com and at 612-861-7311. Buy tickets now (Same-day tickets avaialble at the gift counter at Bachman’s on Lyndale)

Hours: Tickets are sold on the half-hour during the following times: Mon, Tues, Wed, Fri: 10-5:30, Thurs: 10-6:30, Sat: 10-4, Sun: 11-4.

Visit the Holiday Ideas House to see our glamorous take on the rustic lodge. Bachman’s designers are applying an “alpine chic” touch to 100s of creative home décor and entertaining ideas for the holidays. Expect to see a mix of deep, natural tones and textures like wood, fur and antlers accented by a glitzy twist on traditional holiday colors and patterns. Think “cozy, up-north cabin meets big city bling” for this season’s update to the historic Bachman family home.

For the third year in a row, Bachman’s invites you to get inspired by our Holiday Ideas House. Each season, our designers transform the home by repainting, refurnishing and redecorating the house with their signature mix of new trend items, repurposed pieces and a touch of vintage.

Themes by Room
In addition to its overall design, the house’s many rooms showcase unique themes with dozens of creative ideas, big and small. Here’s a look at what’s planned for the 2012 Holiday Ideas House.

Porch: The perfect place to warm up after playing out in the snow, with bench seating for taking off boots and sipping hot cocoa.

Dining Room: Featuring an elegant dinnerscape with rustic accents, this room exemplifies the overall “alpine chic” theme of the home.

Living Room: You’ll want to settle right into a comfy leather rocking chair to admire the home’s statement Christmas tree paired with a creative holiday topiary “tree.”

Sunroom: Made for entertaining friends at a casual holiday party, this room’s centerpiece is an elegant wine bar surrounded by our glamorous take on traditional décor.

Kitchen: This cheerful room featuring traditional holiday reds accented by modern grays and updated Scandinavian patterns is perfect for cooking and baking.

Master Bedroom: The perfect blend of soft and feminine with rustic and masculine, this inviting room includes a coordinating Christmas tree.

Boy’s Bedroom: With sporty pieces like a backboard-turned-headboard and a basketball-rim nightstand, this room is designed for a tween boy obsessed with basketball.

Girl’s Bedroom: Perfect for the young bohemian teen, this room will be as colorful and free-spirited as her personality.

Den: We let lodge be lodge in this cozy, cabin-like room featuring lots of wood, leather and rustic charm—the perfect place to enjoy a hot toddy at night.

As Seen in the Ideas House
Nearly every item in the Holiday Ideas House is priced for sale. Items with blue dots on their price tags are one-of-a-kind items only available at the house. They can be purchased on a first-come, first-served basis. Buyers can pick up or arrange to have these items delivered after the house closes in December.

Items without blue dots are available for sale at Bachman’s on Lyndale, while supplies last. Look for “As Seen in the Ideas House” signs inside the store to find the items featured in the house.

Tour Details
The Holiday Ideas House is open 7 days a week, November 8 – December 16, 2012. Self-guided tours are sold in 30-minute increments during the following times: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday: 10-5:30, Thursday: 10-6:30, Saturday: 10-4, and Sunday: 11-4.

$5 Tickets
Tickets are available for purchase at Bachmans.com or by calling 612-861-7311. Your $5 ticket includes a coupon good for $5 off a Bachman’s purchase, with 20% of ticket proceeds benefiting the Children’s Home Society & Family Services. Tickets are not refundable; see our Returns and Exchanges page for details.

Buy tickets now (NOTE: Same-day tickets must be purchased at the gift counter at Bachman’s on Lyndale)

Ideas House Photos Gallery
Fall 2012
Spring 2012

{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.

{friday finds: hirshfield’s and houzz}

            “The rug came from Hirshfield’s, a local (Minneapolis) showroom .”  Design by Lisa   

 “ The color of the vanity is Hirshfield‘s Color #0540 – Praise Giving”   Martha O’Hara Interiors

“The exterior color is Hirshfield’s 8632W Timeless Gray. The shutters are painted Hirshfield’s Old Porch 8636N.”

 Alethia with Erotas Building Corporation

“Paint – Benjamin Moore #2057-20, Galapagos Turquoise”  Cheryl Burke Int. Design

Hirshfield’s Young Colt 0198 is the wall paint. Hendel Homes

           Wallpaper from Ronald Redding John Kraemer & Sons

HOUZZ is the leading online platform for home remodeling and design, providing people with everything they need to improve their homes from start to finish… With the largest residential design database in the world and a vibrant community powered by social tools, Houzz is the easiest way for people to get the design inspiration, project advice, product information and professional reviews they need to help turn ideas into reality. 
-Houzz at a glance

Have you been sucked into the Houzz vortex and re-emerged hours later, thinking,”what the heck, where did the time go?” I like Houzz because as a homeowner you get a firsthand look at the work of your local design community; from designers, architects, remodelers, homebuilders, landscapers, and homeowners.

It’s also a great tool for auditioning “the trade” when you’re looking for a professional; you can get a feel for the type of work they do. Do they have the same design aesthetic as you?

And as a Hirshfield’s employee, seeing the Hirshfield’s paint colors, wallpaper, and design studio products used in actual residences, is of interest to me. Houzz has it going on!

Houzz offers over 500,000 photos and 1.8 million “ideabooks” that users have created, the options for interaction are endless on Houzz. See for yourself all the features that Houzz has to offer.

For a little background on Houzz, here’s a link to an article The New York Times did on the house that inspired Houzz.

{made in Minnesota Monday: Hirshfield’s Paint}

As a Minnesota company, Hirshfield’s is proud to offer many Minnesota-made products! Hirshfield’s offers a range of products made right here in Minnesota. Last Monday we highlighted Graco products, and today we will take a closer look at Hirshfield’s paint!

Hirshfield’s is a Minnesota-based, fourth-generation, family owned company. The company has been selling paint since the late 1800′s, and has been making paint right here in Minneapolis since 1982. Hirshfield’s Paint Manufacturing is now the largest manufacturer of trade sales paint in Minnesota. The facility also produces paints, stains and specialty finishes and coatings.

Hirshfield’s has more than 20 retail locations throughout the state of Minnesota, as well as locations in Wisconsin and North Dakota, where you can purchase all of your painting supplies and get advice from Hirshfield’s color and paint experts. Hirshfield’s Design Resource in Minneapolis is your resource for the latest design trends and home decorating inspiration.

{made in Minnesota Monday: Graco}

As a Minnesota company, Hirshfield’s is proud to offer many Minnesota-made products! Besides Hirshfield’s paint, which is manufactured in Minneapolis and sold throughout the state, Hirshfield’s also offers a range of other products made right here in Minnesota! Each Monday we’ll take a closer look at some of these products, starting today with Graco!

Graco’s story begins on a cold winter day in Minneapolis in 1926. Russell Gray, then a parking lot attendant, figured there had to be a better way to lubricate cars than by using hand-operated grease guns. The temperature that day had dropped so low, the grease was impossible to move. So Russell developed a grease gun powered by air pressure, which was met with rave reviews.

By 1948 the company had moved into the paint industry with the introduction of its first paint pump. In 1957, the Gray Company (the name was changed to Graco in 1969) developed an airless spray gun, cementing the company as a market leader in spray coating and painting.

Hirshfield’s is proud to sell a variety of Graco’s Minnesota-made products in retail locations across the state!

Graco was one of the exhibitors at last year’s Hirshfield’s contractor show:

Hirshfield’s is your local Minneapolis-St. Paul paint retailer. The 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.