• Feeling blue. Blue is associated with the title of being the most productive color. Known to evoke mental clarity, blue will bring a sense of calmness while keeping your mood light. Blue is the perfect non-stimulating, relaxing color that is required to help you maintain focus during highly demanding projects.
  

People tend to be more productive in blue rooms.

• Orange goodness. Orange accents may be distracting for jobs requiring intense concentration, but is an asset for creative fields. Orange inspires enthusiasm and creativity, keeping you motivated during the day. Paint an accent wall with this vibrant hue or use orange office accessories to boost your mood.

Orange inspires creativity.

• Mother Nature. Breathe easy with an office plant. These natural air purifiers bring a touch of the outdoors to your secluded space.
• Let there be light. In a home office, you have the power to choose different light sources rather than glaring fluorescent. Take advantage of natural light when you can, but choose lamps with soft bulbs when that is not available. Be aware of monitor placement in regards to windows in order to avoid glare.

Position your desk to enjoy sun but avoid glare.

• Keep it personal. Bring in elements that make you happy. Family photographs, your favorite books, travel souvenirs, are all welcome. Create a space that feels part of your home, not separate.

Keep yourself motivated and happy with these home office tips. This is your home, you have the option to personalize the room to suit your comfort and needs.

What tips do you have to create a welcome home office environment?

Since Frank and Elizabeth Hirshfield opened their first store in 1894, it has been our mission to do the best job possible meeting customer needs and solving customer problems. Hirshfield’s. People and products you can trust.

1. You’re not going for the Sistine Chapel affect, but a painted ceiling can make the space feel bigger and roomier. The ceilings feel higher when it is painted a lighter color than the walls.
   

   A light ceiling makes the room feel bigger vertically.

2. Ombre, chevron, and stripes oh my! Bold is in. Now is not the time to be timid with your patterns. Take the runway to the room by adding these trends to an accent wall.
   

   You can find ombre this 2013 everywhere from fashion to homes.

3. Turn objects you already own into centerpieces. Coordinate your color choices by the furniture and decorations you own. Paint a square an a complementary color behind a picture frame to make it pop. Have a home center match your favorite hue from fabric or paintings to create a custom look.
   

   Color adds emphasis to decorations.

4. Paint samples are your friend this season when color blocking and bright colors are dominating walls. Experiment and find what works for you. Get already mixed paint samples in the hot hues you love. Try them on your wall and see how they work with your home and how light affects them. It’s much easier than painting a whole wall only to discover it’s not what you thought it would look like.
   

   Paint samples let you experiment with no commitment.

5. Discovery is in the details. Small changes like painting doors and trim can make a tired room feel fresh. Stray away from traditional white and you will be surprisingly happy with the results.
   

   Colorful trim is an unexpected, but pleasant surprise.

Don’t worry about whether the paint style will go out of fashion. You can change it at any time without a significant investment of your time or money. Make 2013 a year to remember, both in fashion and in decorating!

Benefits of sampling paint colors on test boards.

Paint color can transform and revitalize your home. Color expert Kate Smith from Sensational Color realizes this and uses color to engage and create welcoming home environments. Kate advises sampling your paint first to ensure the color creates the desired effect. Rather than painting directly on the wall, use test boards to avoid regrettable painting mistakes.

Advantages of using a test board:

1. Avoid time constraints. A test board allows you to paint colors without the obvious markings on your wall. You may have time set aside to paint your walls completely, but unexpected commitments may require you to stray from your unfinished wall. Avoid obvious signs of the incomplete project by keeping ideas scaled down to test boards.
   
2. Ability to move. A test board has the advantage of movement. Test the paint in multiple lighting situations by transferring the test board around the room. Sample all situations. View the test board paint behind draperies, behind the couch, in corners, next to windows, and all surface areas. This will give you an idea if colors contrast or complement.
3. Shopping partner. Once you have dutifully selected the perfect paint color, you can bring the color to the store with you to partner with other items. The test board gives you a realistic impression of the color in your room, rather than a paint swatch that may not match the dried color in actuality. Transform the room from drab to fab with coordinating accessories that will highlight your carefully selected color choice.

Have you used a test board? Were your resulting color choices surprising?

Since Frank and Elizabeth Hirshfield opened their first store in 1894, it has been our mission to do the best job possible meeting customer needs and solving customer problems. Hirshfield’s. People and products you can trust.

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.

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!

 I’m thankful the snow that blew through parts of the state last night missed the Twin Cities. But it’s not enough. I needed some wallpaper therapy to brighten my day. I hope Fleurique puts a smile in your heart with its cheerful colorways and fun, stylish patterns. From our friends in the Netherlands, Eijffinger always puts the “happy” back in color.

This book is not available at all locations, so please call your Hirshfield’s store before you make a special trip. Here’s another post showing more patterns and colors from the Fleurique book.

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Washi tape is a style of Japanese paper tape that started in Japan but manufacturing has now spread throughout the world. Washi tape is commonly made using fibers from the bark of the gampi tree, the mitsumata shrub (Edgeworthia papyrifera), or the paper mulberry, but it’s most commonly made using bamboo, hemp, rice, and wheat. Washi comes from wa meaning Japanese and shi meaning paper, and the term is used to describe paper made in the traditional manner, regardless of where it’s manufactured. – Wishy Washi Tape

Babble

Over the past few months I’ve finally started experimenting with washi tape: taping photos on the wall in my daughter’s room, adding rows of washi tape to a framed print, and attempting a cross-stitch mini-mural on my bathroom wall…epic fail, but I’ll try again.

 What’s been holding me back from jumping on the washi tape band wagon is how addictive it could become. Thousands of gorgeous patterns and colors and they’re so small and cute; what’s the harm with buying another couple rolls? Am I right?

The beauty of washi tape is there’s just enough tackiness so it sticks, but isn’t permanent. Give kids a few rolls of washi tape and this “arts and crafts” project could keep little hands busy for hours.

Recently introduced by MT Casa is a wider size tape for making a washi tape statement in your home. What a treat for people who are renting and can’t paint or hang wallpaper, but want to add color and their own sense of stye into their space. Washi tape adds an air of whimsey and fun to any project. Non-permanent flair for your walls, floors, furniture…and cars.

The Minimalist

MT Casa

MT Casa

Apartment Therapy has some inexpensive and creative ideas for washi tape and kids rooms here and here. I touched on washi tape in the home, and I can only imagine what the scrapbooking crowd can do with a roll of washi tape.

If you have any washi tape projects send us a photo – it would be fun to see what people can do with a roll of tape. If my bathroom wall turns out I’ll share a photo.

1. Coffee table. Paint, screws, and voila!

Home stores often give pallets away for free.

2. Pallet bookshelves. One pallet gives you bang for the buck, resulting in two bookshelves. Pry off the center strips of the pallet, reusing it to create the bottom of the shelf. Use a jigsaw to cut and finally stain. For more intensive directions, read more here.

3. Pallet art. Even the most artistic person can handle this one! Stain the pallet and use a stencil to keep your favorite quote or words of wisdom as a daily reminder hanging in your room.

4. Keep it comfy with a pallet day bed. The instructions are surprisingly simple and result in an afternoon escape. Sand the pallets smooth. Bolt two pallets together on the tops and bottoms. Add a cushy mattress and pillows to the top. It’s nothing but sweet dreams after that. 

5. Pallet headboard. Stack pallets behind your bed and bolt together for sturdiness. This look is perfect for lofts and houses with unfinished elements like brick walls that accentuate the warehouse look.

What are your best wooden pallet ideas? Have you tried any of these?

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

Hirshfield’s has been out at Junk Bonanza these past two days and loving every minute of it. Junkers are loving Cottage Paint, the 50+ colors, and loving the on-going Cottage Paint demos being held in our booth and in the Cottage Paint classroom. There’s a lotta love at Junk Bonanza!

Tomorrow is the last day of the Spring Junk Bonanza; the show opens at 9:00am and runs until 5:00pm. Vendors restock every evening; rearranging their booths with new pieces pulled out of trucks and trailers…some of the vendors have living quarters in their trailers. Crazy creative are the junking crowd.

From start to finish on this small table…using Cottage Paint and Cottage Paint Waxes

Benjamin Moore’s Molten Metallics on a cardboard “H”

Showcasing the different products at the H’s booth

Enough about us… here’s Junk Bonanza.

I met people from all over the country who come to shop at Junk Bonanza…Colorado, Arkansas, Thunder Bay, Iowa, North Dakota, Minnesota, Illinois, Toronto, and the list goes on.  I can’t say enough good things about the whole Junk Bonanza experience.

I apologize for the lateness of this post. Hopefully, you’re able to experience Junk Bonanza tomorrow. One last thing, I thought “the junk” was priced to sell.

P.S. I almost forgot to mention the Weddings Lab. This is where brides-to-be can gather inspiration for their own weddings from four different themed vignettes, featuring vintage and repurposed ideas.

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