{win a $100 Hirshfield’s gift card!}

For some of us here in Minnesota, Memorial Day weekend is a time to welcome the start of summer. But for others, it’s a time to tackle some of those home improvement projects that have been staring us in the face all winter and spring!

So for those of you getting ready for a long weekend of painting, priming, staining and sanding, Hirshfield’s wants you to know that their paint and color experts are here to help! Plus, if you head over to the Hirshfield’s Facebook page, you can enter to win a $100 Hirshfield’s gift card! Click here to enter!

Use the gift card towards your purchase of paint, paint supplies, stain, anything you want from your local Hirshfield’s to make your Memorial Day home improvement project a success! And your gift card will go even further with the Memorial Day Paint Sale going on now at all Hirshfield’s locations!

{friday finds: bits & pieces}

Is this the summer you improve your home’s curb appeal? It is for this Hirshfield’s customer who is already giving his home a new coat of paint.

A Hirshfield’s colorist went out to his home and selected a color scheme she thought would work for his style of home and for the neighborhood. The homeowner had difficulty visualizing how the colors would look on his home from the color chips. Problem solved. The homeowner asked the painter to do a mock-up for him. He loved the color scheme once he was able to see how the paint colors looked on his home.

This homeowner is not alone. Having a mock-up done is an excellent solution to a very common problem. Hirshfield’s can help you out with a variety of sample options: pints, quarts, Hirshfield’s Big Swatch, and selected 2 0z.Benjamin Moore colors are available for test drives. It’s a DIY project or hire a professional to paint it out for you.

Paint colors shown are Benjamin Moore 1154 Dash of Pepper for the body of the house, 1547 Dragon’s Breath on the shutters, and OC-45 Swiss Coffee.

The ASID Showcase Home Tour kicks off Friday, May 18, 2012 and runs through Sunday, June 10, 2012. Located at 2002 W. Lake of the Isles Parkway, the home features 26 breathtaking spaces and showcases the talents of 30 Twin Cities interior designers.

A portion of proceeds from the Showcase Home event go to the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra and The Women’s Foundation of Minnesota.

Tickets can be purchased at Hirshfield’s for $15 and $20 at the door. For additional information you can visit their site at MSP magazine.

Great savings on Hirshfield’s paints and deck care products thru May 31, 2012!

On Thursday, May 24th, 2012, Hirshfield’s is giving away a $100 Hirshfield’s gift card to one lucky winner. Here’s the link to enter the Facebook Giveaway. Good luck and have a spectacular weekend.

{made in Minnesota products from Hirshfield’s}

When you shop local, you’re supporting local businesses and the people behind them! Hirshfield’s is proud to be a local Minnesota-based, family-owned company, manufacturing paint right here in Minneapolis and selling that paint throughout the state.

But Hirshfield’s sells more than their own Minnesota-made paint. They also sell many other Minnesota-made and USA-made products. Dave Gerber, procurement and distribution manager for Hirshfield’s, spoke with us about Hirshfield’s commitment to purchasing products from other Minnesota and U.S. companies.

How long has Hirshfield’s been manufacturing and selling paint here in Minnesota?
Hirshfield’s has been manufacturing paint in Minneapolis since 1982 and selling paint and painting supplies since 1894.

What products does Hirshfield’s carry that are made right here in Minnesota?
Besides Hirshfield’s line of paint, Hirshfield’s also carries Atrix products which are made in Burnsville, Graco products which are made in Minneapolis and the Handy Paint Pail line which is made in Chanhassen. Hirshfield’s also carries more than 25 other products that are made in the U.S.A.

{design blogger feature: Lark Nest Design}

The Twin Cities is filled with lots of great design, and lots of great design bloggers! With such a thriving design blogging community right here, we thought it would be fun to get to know each other better through some local design blogger features. A few weeks ago we featured Twin Cities design blogger, Jennie, from Twin Cities Design Scene. Today we sit down with Kim from Lark Nest Design.

Kim is a life-long lover of design, with a background in journalism -  so it’s no wonder the projects she chronicles on her blog are smartly written and truly inspiring. Kim says the blog began as a natural outgrowth of her website, LarkNestDesign.com, as a way to share her finds and illustrate the process of giving new life to old furniture. Although she does admit the blog also has a self-serving purpose – to indulge her passion for fabric, color, texture and design!

Not only do you blog for Lark Nest Design, but you also blog for Flea Market Style Magazine and Junk Bonanza and are a former writer for the Star Tribune, so which came first – your love of writing or your love of design?
Probably the latter, though I’ve been so fortunate to find a way to integrate so many of my interests. I’m trained as a business journalist, but my love of textiles, color, textures and decor won out! I am incredibly fortunate to spend each day searching out finds and fabrics for decor clients or for myself, for the projects I retail through Linden Hills Florist and the Piccadilly Prairie occasional sale. In addition to blogging for the Junk Bonanza and Flea Market Style magazine, I handle marketing for the former and build projects for the latter. So the writing/decor functions are fairly seamlessly intertwined!

How would you describe your personal style as it relates to home decor?

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

Tablescape in sunroom

Welcome to Bachman’s Spring Ideas House 2012.

“A Relaxing Renewal” celebrates spring energy and renewal. It’s all about relaxing, organizing, getting together with friends and watching things grow.” 

{design blogger feature: Twin Cities Design Scene}

The Twin Cities is filled with lots of great design, and lots of great design bloggers! With such a thriving design blogging community right here, we thought it would be fun to get to know each other better through some local design blogger features. A few weeks ago we featured Minneapolis design blogger, Erin from House of Turquoise. Today we are going to chat with Jennie from Twin Cities Design Scene!

Jennie, the blogger behind Twin Cities Design Scene

As a Minnesota native, Jennie has spent a lot of time learning and exploring the (excuse the pun) Twin Cities design scene. She started her blog in 2009 with the goal of creating an online resource for local design-related businesses, groups and individuals to showcase their work and connect to customers. Since starting the blog, Jennie has created an entire community of design enthusiasts who come together via her blog and Facebook page to share design-related ideas and events.

Now we’ll turn it over to Jennie and let her do the talking…

As a Minnesota native, what do you love most about living in Minnesota? Have you ever thought of living somewhere else?
It’s cliche, but I adore the Minnesota summers. Everyone seems to be coming out of hibernation and it feels like a big, happy community. There is so much to do in the summer! This summer, I am most excited to attend the Northern Spark Festival, Barbette’s Bastille Day Celebration and go to movies in the park. Although I love going to events in the summer, there is something to be said to going out in the winter. There is a great vibe when attending a concert when it is 0 degrees out, because you know  everyone is committed to being there. No one is going to leave their homes in the winter unless they REALLY want to be somewhere!

Do you have a favorite place to visit or shop to find design inspiration?
Hands down, the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. In order to understand current and future design trends , you have to have knowledge of our design past. Most of our current design trends give a nod to past designers. What is old, usually comes back as new in one way or another. The MIA has a great collection of not only paintings and sculptures, but furniture and home goods. Once you start looking through their collection, you can see how you can build an eclectic and beautiful room based upon the different eras of design.

How would you describe your personal style as it relates to home decor?
Speaking of mixing eras of design, I use a mixture of Mid Century Modern and 1930′s inspired pieces in my own space. I love the juxtaposition of the serpentine lines you find in the 1930′s furniture mixed with some of the clean, straight lines from the 1960′s.  

You feature lots of local stories on your blog, is there a favorite story or person you’ve blogged about?
I’ve loved all of the people I’ve talked with for my blog and I am so appreciative of everyone who has taken time out of their days to share their stories. I love seeing the excitement people have to share their own stories. I do have to thank Swedish designer, Pia Amsell. She granted me my first in-person blog interview while she was in town in 2010 to talk about the accessories line she designed for IKEA with Barbro Wesslander. I spontaneously asked her to tell me her about her history after her public talk at the Bloomington IKEA store and she graciously took the time to talk with me for 20 minutes. You can read the interview here.

Through your current work at Spyder Trap and your past work at Room & Board and Gabberts, what have you learned about design?
What I have learned the most is good design can come in many different packages. We see all of these giant homes with expensive furniture showcased around town. Some of the most beautiful spaces I have seen are smaller apartments that have been thoughtfully put together with a combination of new, vintage and found items. While it is important to invest in quality furniture, not everyone can afford to do that. My biggest recommendation is to save up to buy quality pieces where you hang out for long periods of time, mainly your sofa, mattress and office chair. Make sure to shop around all of our locally owned stores across the cities and state to for great furniture and decor!

You can join Jennie’s community on her blog or Facebook page. Feel free to post your ideas and jump in the conversation!

{bits & pieces: orange cupboard}

I have pinned it, tweeted it (or tried to), and put it on Facebook. I’m in love with this orange cupboard from Lucy Interior Design, based here in Minneapolis. Imagine this same cupboard stained instead of painted. Yawn. I love what a coat of paint brings to the party.

{friday finds: happy holidays}

Front window of Hirshfield's South Robert

Happy Holidays from everyone at Hirshfield’s!

 

{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!

{kim receives stamp of approval}

Kim,

Thank you for the perfect colors you picked out for our townhome. Our home now has its own style which has come alive in each room by colors that enhance our furniture and decor. We would not have been able to accomplish this goal without your professional help. Your thought, ideas and color complements were given with much care and consideration towards the outcome we wished to achieve. We must admit we were on a completely different page when we first came in for our consultation.

Thank you for doing your job and being direct in showing us we needed to think differently. We love all the earth tone colors. Our townhome is now complete and we are truly at home.

M & T

Thanks, M & T, for sharing your appreciation of  Kim’s color expertise. Another satisfied customer brought to you by Kim, Hirshfield’s Coon Rapids location.