{new benjamin moore products: molten metallics}

Benjamin Moore has introduced Molten Metallics, a new addition to its Studio Finishes portfolio of specialty paints. The name of this new paint product evokes the end result: a surface imitative of a hand-hammered metal.

The Molten Metallics paints provide a look worthy of an artisan, but achieved by any do-it-yourselfer. Turn any outdated piece of furniture into glimmering gold or silver worthy of an Olympic medalist. The full line of colors includes: Gold, Copper, Bronze, Gun Smoke, Silver, and Charcoal.

(friday finds: junk bonanza spring 2013

Housekeeping at the end of the day at Junk Bonanza…

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.

{new year’s resolution: use green products in your home}

Raise your hand if you made a New Year’s resolution this year!

Making the resolution is the easy part, the hard part is actually following through! Have no fear, the team at Hirshfield’s is here to keep you accountable! All month long we’ll be bringing your tips and advice to help stick to your home improvement resolutions. We’ll be covering topics such as adding color to your space and getting your home organized. Today, we’re going to help you in your resolution to use more “green” products in your home!

Low- or no-VOC paint is an easy place to start. This type of paint releases fewer or no volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into your home or office air. VOCs create ground-level ozone pollution and carry potential health risks.

Benjamin Moore Natura® Zero-VOC Interior Paint is ideally suited for residential applications. Unlike conventional zero-VOC paints, Natura remains zero-VOC even after tinting, which means it remains virtually odorless regardless of color.

{new year’s resolution: get your home organized}

Raise your hand if you made a New Year’s resolution this year!

Making the resolution is the easy part, the hard part is actually following through! Have no fear, the team at Hirshfield’s is here to keep you accountable! All month long we’ll be bringing your tips and advice to help stick to your home improvement resolutions. We’ll be covering topics such as adding color to your space and picking the best “green” products for your home. We’ll kick off our New Year’s resolution month with our best tips for getting your home organized!

Clever Storage Solutions
Shelves and cabinets aren’t the only storage solutions. Invest in pieces that serve double-duty, such as ottomans and benches that open up to store blankets, pillows and other odds and ends. Have you ever considered using a toothbrush holder to store those rampant pens and pencils laying around your home office? Or decorative glass jars to store miscellaneous kitchen and bathroom clutter? Better Homes & Gardens offers these clever storage solutions and more!

Better Homes & Gardens

Label It

{design tips for creating a relaxing bedroom}

Desired by many, yet achieved by few – the ever elusive good night’s sleep! November is National Sleep Comfort Month, a whole month dedicated to the importance of sleep. Everyone has their own tricks and tips when it comes to getting a good night’s sleep – eat this, drink that, do this, try that – but did you ever consider that the secret to good sleep may be as simple as good design?

Design tips for creating a relaxing bedroom

Calming colors
Did you know that colors actually have sound? Pat Verlodt, president of Color Services & Associates, Inc., says the most common calming colors are blues and greens because they remind us of calming sounds in nature – the ocean, rustling grass, a whispering breeze.

My Home Ideas

Benjamin Moore Mountain Laurel

Benjamin Moore Scenic Drive Blue Paint Color

{friday finds: benjamin moore chalkboard paint at hirshfield’s}

Chalkboards aren’t just for the classroom! With Benjamin Moore Chalkboard Paint, available at select Hirshfield’s locations, you can create your own erasable, washable chalkboard wherever you need it – at home, at the office or in the kids’ room. And don’t assume that your blackboard has to be black. Benjamin Moore Chalkboard Paint can be tinted to any Benjamin Moore paint color (except the Color Stories collection).

Benjamin Moore Chalkboard Paint, available in any color, lets you turn virtually any interior surface into an easy-to-clean chalkboard. It goes on smoothly, just like other paints and is formulated to minimize lingering odors.

Benjamin Moore Chalkboard Paint

• Available in any color
• Easy to apply
• Washable
• Quick drying
• Best used with Prang Hygieia Chalk (available at office supply stores and educational stores) and a quality eraser

Here are some of our favorite ideas for using Benjamin Moore Chalkboard Paint:

Kids’ Activity Center

Benjamin Moore

{candice olson picks her favorite benjamin moore colors}

“I believe that the essence of good design is its ability to sustain long term integrity – to become classic and create a truly captivating home.”
- Candice Olson

Candice Olson, host of “Divine Design” and “Candice Tells All,” is one popular designer! Perhaps this is why Benjamin Moore teamed up with her to develop an exclusive fan deck. The Candice Olson Designer Picks fan deck includes 60 of her favorite neutral paint colors. Including her top five to-go paint colors:

View the Candice Olson palette of Benjamin Moore Paint colors here.
Candice’s top five go-to Benjamin Moore paint colors:

Benjamin Moore Nimbus Gray 2131-50: Reminiscent of a stormy sky, a beautiful gray/blue.

Benjamin Moore Nimbus gray 2131-50

{friday finds: benjamin moore 2013 color of the year}

The color experts at Benjamin Moore have made their selection for the 2013 color of the year. And the winner is…..

…

…

…

Lemon Sorbet 2019-60

Benjamin Moore Lemon Sorbet 2019-60

The palette is shifting from super saturated and strong hues to softer, lighter pastel shades. It’s the perfect partner for the emerging palette of freshened, polished pastels that promise to be favorites in the coming year. Additionally, it’s the ideal transition color as we move from the more vibrant spectrum and mid-to-deep tone hues that we’ve been experiencing in home furnishings and fashions.
- Sonu Mathew, ASID, IIDA, Benjamin Moore’s senior interior designer (Source)

{keeping summer style in your home all year}

Can we all just agree that summer goes by much too quickly here in Minnesota? Ok? Agreed.

Thankfully, design transcends time and allows us to keep summer alive in our homes all year long! Here are some of our favorite year-round summer-inspired design elements:

Grasscloth wallcoverings
Adding natural elements, like grasscloth wallcoverings, to your home evoke the feelings of nature and the great outdoors. Grasscloth wallcoverings not only look great, but they also help cover any slight imperfections in walls, absorb noise and create a dramatic backdrop to any room. Check out the grasscloth wallcovering options at Hirshfield’s Design Resource, including the Thibaut collection.

Grasscloth wallcovering from Thibaut

Grasscloth wallcovering from Thibaut

Keep it clean with white…

{when to splurge and when to save when decorating your home}

Furnishing a home can be a major investment. You have the necessities – a table, bed, dinnerware, and a place to sit. Then you have the “nice to haves” – wall art, fancy lighting, a glam rug, and accessories to tie the space together. When you’re excited about decorating, and anxious to get started, the line can easily become blurry between the two categories. Which is why we love Apartment Therapy’s post on when to splurge and when to save when furnishing your home.

Here are some of their tips:

Splurge where your health is concerned.
This means mattresses, office chairs and work surfaces at the proper height for the job at hand. If you’re lucky you may find these items at a bargain price, but generally I’d suggest budgeting more for items which directly affect your health and comfort.

A comfortable looking office, color on the wall is Benjamin Moore Hot Apple Spice 2005-20.

We would also add that along with furniture that affects your health, products that affect your health. Consider going with a low or no VOC paint to cut down on odor. Hirshfield’s offers Preserve LOW VOC INTERIOR LATEX FLAT with Microban® antimicrobial product protection and Benjamin Moore Natura® Zero-VOC Interior Paint.

Splurge on statement pieces.
These are the pieces that you love, that you’ll take with you when you move, that make your home feel like yours. The Eames chair which detracts from the big-box store sofa, or the vintage armoire which makes putting away the laundry fun. It goes without saying that falling in love with pieces that are also functional is advisable, but it doesn’t always work out that way.