{window treatment wednesday}

Once again, Hunter Douglas leads the world of window coverings with their recently launched iPad App, “The Art of Window Dressing.” This free app lets you see what Hunter Douglas products will look like on the windows in your home.  If you have a hard time visualizing the end product this App is for you.

App highlights:

Fashion Show lets you view hundreds of Hunter Douglas products. With a tap of your finger you have the product details, a gallery of room settings, whilst still seeing your window treatment in the background.

Swatch Sorter lets you do just that, sort through all the fabrics, colors, and styles available from Hunter Douglas.

Dress A Window lets you take a photo of your window, and using the Hunter Douglas proprietary iMagine rendering tool, lets you see how the window treatment will look on your window. Renderings can be saved with fabric type and color in a “Workbook” and shared by email, Facebook or with a dealer.

I uploaded my family room window, selected products, and found operating the rendering tool was seamless. Selecting different fabrics and products also worked smoothly. I was told I could not use a particular shade because my window was too small. Scratch that shade from my short list.

What it didn’t tell me was, because I have an older home, the Architella window covering would not be flush with my window casing and would stick out a tad. Michele (Hirshfield’s Roseville) shared that intel with me, which promptly slowed my roll; I need to decide if that would bother me.

The iPad app is a great tool to use to begin searching for window coverings. With thousands of options available, looking through product photos and room settings will help you decide what you like and don’t like, before stepping into a Hirshfield’s store. Then you’ll be in the very capable and knowledgable hands of one of Hirshfield’s many window treatment experts. I know you’re sick of me telling you about Hirshfield’s window treatment experts, but they are A-mazing.

If your home needs  freshening up in the window treatment department, click here for information on Hunter Douglas’ Celebration of Light spring savings event (sale) which runs through June 17, 2012 .

The “Art of Window Dressing” iPad App was named Best Marketing Technology at the Window Covering Manufacturers Association Product Awards.

{friday finds: benjamin moore hosts olioboard contest}

Think spring. Think paint. Think, I’m going to win this contest.

 Here’s an opportunity to put your finely honed Olioboard skills to use. Benjamin Moore has teamed up with Olioboard and is hosting a Spring Color Makeover Contest. Create a room, and include at least three Benjamin Moore paint colors, to be eligible for a chance to win 1 of 3 $450 prize packs.

Riddella's Olioboard for Benjamin Moore's Spring Color Contest

We wanted to create an app that would allow anyone to experiment with interior design, no matter the age or technical ability.
 Sheilah MacSporran, Olioboard

What is Olioboard? Olioboard is the Polyvore for interior designers and interior design enthusiasts. It is an on-line community where you create and share digital mood boards. You can upload, download, organize, drag and drop interior design products. It is free, but you have the option to upgrade to the Pro Plan Color Tool. Recently included in the Pro Plan are all the Benjamin Moore paint colors, and in honor of this great new addition, all members will have access to the color tool for the duration of the contest.

To get started you need to set up an Olioboard account, read the rules for the Benjamin Moore Spring Color Makeover Contest here, and start creating.

When you enter your board, let us know so we can all vote for you. Good luck!

Entries need to be received by May 10, 2012 at 12:00 EST.

{bits & pieces: bossy color goes yellow}

 Annie Elliot, an interior designer in Washington DC, spent seven years waiting, and wanting, to fall in love with her living room. Benjamin Moore helped seal the deal with Sunrays 343.

You can read more about her yellow living room and entire home on her blog, Bossy Color. Check out what the living room looked like a year ago; it gives me hope, as my rooms are always evolving.

What do you think of Annie’s yellow living room?

Here’s what you can do to find the perfect colors for your home:

•  shop at Hirshfield’s
•  take advantage of Hirshfield’s infinite color knowledge
•  sample a color at home with the Hirshfield’s Big Swatch, color sample pints, quarts and selected 2oz. Benjamin Moore colors

Let Hirshfield’s help you fall in love with your home all over again.

{window treatment wednesday}

Silhouette with LiteRise® lifting system

Innovation, quality, functionality, beauty and style. The newest products from window fashions leader Hunter Douglas have it all, according to the just-announced results of the annual Window Covering Manufacturers Association (WCMA) Product Awards.  For the 17th consecutive year, the company has won more awards than any other manufacturer – an outstanding 27 out of the 50 conferred this year. In addition, Hunter Douglas captured the coveted Product of the Year for the 12th year as well as the prestigious Judges’ Award reserved for a submission selected by the panel that exhibits measurable benefit or standout aesthetic appeal to end-users.

Product of the Year went to Silhouette® window shadings with the LiteRise® lifting system. Soft, sheer Silhouette shadings, unrivalled in the industry for their beauty and performance, have another important feather in their cap. Silhouette® with LiteRise® features an innovative cordless operation that not only makes raising, lowering and tilting the shading for variable light control easy, but eliminates the need for cords of any kind. No cords makes it especially ideal for homes with young children and provides a clean, uncluttered look at the window. A soft-touch handle allows for simple, convenient operation. For taller windows, a pull tassel is easy to install and use.

This product was also awarded Most Innovative Overall Concept in the “Health and Environmental Safety” Green Category of the awards and Best New Technical Innovation in the Miscellaneous Products and Specialty Applications Category.

Congratulations to Hunter Douglas on being recognized as the industry leader in the world of windows. Hirshfield’s is proud to represent such an outstanding company to our customers.

The Silhouette® is on sale during Hunter Douglas’ Celebration of Light spring sale, now through, June 17, 2012. In addition to the Hunter Douglas savings, Hirshfield’s is offering a FREE LiteRise® cordless lifting system upgrade...that is a $60 savings.

Come in and see all the fabulous window treatment options Hirshfield’s has to offer or make an appointment with one of our Shop at Home designers.

{friday finds: pottery barn diy video & kids colors spring 2012}

Bring excitement into your child’s room with a can of paint and a little imagination.

  After watching this video from Pottery Barn, painting numbers and letters on a wall never looked so easy. Maura Garrity, decorative painter for Pottery Barn, does an excellent job demonstrating this DIY painting project. This is an affordable, DIY project that transforms a room from plain to ” I love that room.” That’s what paint is all about.

Do you see a paint color in Pottery Barn’s Spring/Summer 2012 collection that reflects the vibe you want for your child’s room? Or a color you both can agree upon? This paint collection is a good starting point, along with stopping at one of the many Hirshfield’s locations for your painting needs.

P.S. If a family member has asthma or is sensitive to odors, Benjamin Moore has Natura, which is a zero VOC paint, and Aura, which is a low VOC paint. No odor and low odor. Something to keep in mind.

{window treatment wednesday}

Texture Trends 

The current offerings in stylish window treatments really have something for everyone.  Adding a textural dimension to your window covering has a time-honored appeal.  You can use a textured window treatment in a utilitarian fashion, or step it up and let the window treatment be the focal point in a room.

Woven wood shades have become a classic window treatment solution. The combination of natural woods, bamboo and reeds create a timeless treatment suitable for any style home. From contemporary to traditional styles, woven woods natural beauty compliments almost any setting.  The delicate, yet durable Grass weave shades are another wonderful treatment possibility to ensure the right choice.

Interior Design By Lucy

Wood blinds, in either a stained or painted finish, offer yet another texture to a room.  The smooth, more regimented lines feel right at home in both sleek contemporary or more laid back cottage decor.

The Hunter Douglas Silhouette is offering us more choices in texture with the Chateau fabric fast becoming a favorite for clients.

Drapery panels are another beautiful choice to add some texture into a room.  Not to mention style and sound absorption as added benefits of fabric on your windows.

Make certain window treatments inject the appropriate texture to balance a room. Too often, texture is overlooked as a consideration, even though it can entirely alter the ambiance of a room.

For a hard, predominantly wood-filled space with few upholstered pieces, select soft, voluptuous curtain fabrics. In a carpeted room with plain drywall or plaster at the walls, consider wooden blinds or shades to inject the warmth of natural wood tones; or create a mixture of textures in a single window treatment to provide textural richness and depth.

Guest post from Beth Zentis, Hirshfield’s Woodbury location

{window treatment wednesday}

Spring is the time when Hunter Douglas introduces to us new fabrics, colors, and features on their window shadings.

We are really excited to hear about Silhouette being introduced with the LiteRise cordless operating system.  The LiteRise cordless system conveniently controls light by raising, lowering and opening the shade easier.  It also enhances child and pet safety.  It’s available in all of the Silhouette fabrics and vane sizes.

Since spring is here, remember cleaning your Silhouette shade is easy. Lightly dust or vacuum using low suction or for more thorough cleaning, professionally clean ultrasonically. For those Asian beetles, use a can of compressed air to blow them out of the vanes.

Update:

Here’s a link to additional information on the Silhouette with LiteRise® window covering. This window covering won Product of the Year and two other awards at the Window Covering Manufacturers Association. It doesn’t get any better than this in the world of window coverings!

Guest post from the Decor Department, Hirshfield’s Lakeville location.

{window treatment wednesday}

My all time favorite window treatment is the Silhouette® by Hunter Douglas. If you’re not familiar with the Silhouette®, it’s a horizontal shade with fabric vanes suspended between two sheers.

 Why I like the Silhouette® :

• it works in contemporary, traditional, and casual room settings
• depending on your decorating taste, it can stand alone or side panels can be added to dress it up
• visually, it’s a pretty shade
• you can see through to the outside when the vanes are opened
•  it’s a full privacy shade when the vanes are closed
• the shade disappears into the fabric-covered headrail when raised
• beautiful neutrals, with over 200 fabric and color selections
• the vanes are available in 2″, 3″, or 4″

Guest post from Michele Maxx, Hirshfield’s Roseville location.

P.S.  In the 2011 “Oscars” of the window covering industry, the Silhouette® shade won “Best Overall Concept.

{friday finds: benjamin moore color stories}

What do you want first? The great news or the not-so-good news?

 It’s here. Finally. The new color collection by Benjamin Moore. The line is named Color Stories and offers 240 brand new paint colors. Can you stand it? The not-so-good news is Hirshfield’s Edina is the only location with the Color Stories chip rack and pint sampling. It’s worth the trip, you’ll see.

{window treatment wednesday}

Hunter Douglas Duette Architella

This is the last week for tremendous savings on all the Duette products from Hunter Douglas Window Fashions. The selection of product and color choices are fabulous!

The new Duette Architella, or “cell within a cell,” offers the best insulation for our Midwest area windows. Duette Architella comes in a variety of cell depths, lots of beautiful colors, and numerous choices of fabrics.  There is also one grouping that has a “streetside” back color… so, if you do not care for white showing to the outside of your home, there is an option.  No problem!

Duette Architella gives you the best window coverage fit, inside the frame or on the outside; the control options are endless; and best of all, Hirshfield’s stores are offering exclusive “Free Upgrade” choices (you get one option free per shading) plus Free Installation of your new Hunter Douglas window fashions until MARCH 10, 2012.

What a wonderful time to take advantage of all these great offers….this does not happen very often! Hurry on in, we can help you…and you’ll be ready with a new outlook for a wonderful spring!

A special note here:  Another important energy-related function of window coverings is to diffuse the incoming light, to soften it and bring it deeper into the room. This function is called “daylighting.” In addition to reducing glare and improving visual comfort, daylighting can sometimes save energy by reducing the need for electrical lighting!

Also, hold onto your hats, Rebates from Hunter Douglas on these and other shadings until March 31st.

Guest post from Margaret Cole, Hirshfield’s Apple Valley location.