{friday finds: 5 simple home upgrades}

No matter the year, painting remains the easiest and most affordable way to get your home on trend and feel refreshed. This do-it-yourself transformation adds personality to any room. Whether you’re starting from the bottom up and reworking the whole house, or changing one room at a time, here are five ideas to inspire you.

{expert color advice: test boards}

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.

{friday finds: front door design}

It’s the first of March and the sun is shining! I don’t think it’s too soon to start thinking about exterior painting (and spring), do you? Let’s start with the front door.

The front door of your home is like the cover on a book, the wrapping on a present, or the icing on a cake – it’s a preview of what’s to come. Your front door assures you that you’ve arrived safely home. It warmly greets your guests and welcomes them in. With so much of your home’s reputation resting on your front door, we wanted to share some tips and inspiration to help you make your front door a true representation of the family and home that resides within.

Color When focusing on exterior colors for your home, Hirshfield’s paint expert Mark Masica recommends going by the “70-25-5” rule:

Body color (70%) Trim color (fascia, windows, overhangs) 25% Accent color (doors and/or shutters) 5% Since the paint color you select for your door will only be used on about 5% of the exterior of your home, it’s a great place to experiment and go bold! Here are some popular exterior paint colors that Mark says are right on trend for the season.

Lighting A well-lit front entrance not only looks lovely, it’s also practical. Wall lanterns on each side of the door will give your home a warm, welcoming look, while assuring the safety of those who enter.

{painted furniture}

Whether you’re operating on a budget, looking to give your furniture a new twist, or trying to add “pop” to a room, painting your furniture is a fun DIY project that gives you the ability to accomplish all or any of these things!

Ombre shading is a big trend in clothing, decor, even hair. You can adapt the look to painted furniture by adding a soft gradient to an update an old dresser. Using a fan deck, grab a sample pot of each color and paint away! Typically the top drawer, dresser top, sides, and feet are all the lightest gradient color.

atticmag.com

Don’t forget: where there is paint, there can be stencils! Forget the fusty, country blue geese you may be envisioning. Adding a contemporary stencil design is a great way to add fresh style and personality to your painted furniture. These old wooden chairs turned “wild berry” are a great example. We highly recommend you take a look at the before and after pictures, too.

roadkillrescue.net

Using a bright color on a once-basic colored piece adds focus and style. For instance, this kelly green cabinet is the perfect amount of accent to a black and white foyer. The before and after on this project is quite remarkable as well.

citydwellin.com

If instead of a new and bright look, you’re looking to age or distress your piece, look no further. The Pretty Handy Girl blog does an excellent job explaining different techniques and methods to perfecting a worn look.

prettyhandygirl.com

If you’re ready to give your furniture a little makeover, but aren’t quite sure where to start, the paint experts at Hirshfield’s are always excited to help you get your project going!

P.S. Soon, very soon, select Hirshfield’s stores will be carrying a specialty paint for use on all your best junking pieces. Stay tuned, my pretties.

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.

{MELINKI wallpapers & fabrics now at hirshfield’s}

Modern. Bold. Quirky. Fun.

We’re talking about the line of Melinki wallpaper and fabric now available at Hirshfield’s! Melinki’s range of wallpapers and fabrics add a fun, bold style statement to any home.

The non-woven wallpapers are responsibly manufactured in the UK and printed using ethically sourced raw materials on paper from sustainable European forests. The eclectic mix of wallcoverings are inspired by mid-century archive documents and modern Scandinavian design. These versatile wallcoverings enjoy a cool, clean palette of fashionable hues: coastal calm, retro kitsch, bakelite brights and urban neutrals.

Melinki Wallpaper

Melinki Wallpaper

Melinki Wallpaper

{new year’s resolution: streamline your design}

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 getting your home organized and adding color to your home. Today we’re talking about the topic of streamlining.

As with fashion, you don’t want to “over-accessorize” your home. But editing and streamlining can be difficult, especially if you have emotional or sentimental attachment to some of the things in your home.

The process of streamlining can often be made easier by having a friend or family member come over to help. They can look at your space with fresh eyes and can offer support and encouragement to do the right thing when it comes to “editing.”

Apartment Therapy offers some great interior streamlining tips in their post, “How Not to be a Hoarder.” Here are some of our favorites:

• Remove furniture that blocks hallways and walkways and choose smaller items that fit into the space, allowing room to breathe.
• Lose furniture that you don’t use, like tables designated only to hold piles of stuff that should be tossed anyway.
• Clear out stuff from under the bed and under pieces of furniture that you can see. It might be a space-saver, but it looks and feels messy.

{new year’s resolution: refinish those garage sale finds}

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 you stick to your home improvement resolutions. We’ll be covering topics such as adding color to your space, getting your home organized and using more green products in your home. Today we want to help you finally tackle those garage sale, antique store and flea market finds and turn them into the beautiful showpieces you imagined them as.

Refinishing old furniture is not only a more environmentally friendly option than buying new, it is also a way to incorporate family heirlooms or sentimental pieces into your current design scheme. Not to mention, refinishing an old piece assures you that you’ll end up with a one-of-a-kind look!

A old side table transformed via DecorHacks

You’ll want to start the refinishing process by wiping down your piece with soapy water so you can get a good look at it. Are there layers of paint or stain that need to be removed? Are there some gouges that could use some sanding or putty? Talk to your local paint professional to determine what steps you need to take to make sure your piece is ready to accept new paint or stain.

The before and after of a project that some Hirshfield’s team members worked on

Here is a refresher course in Kim Yeager, Minneapolis designer, owner of Lark Nest Design and self-proclaimed “junker”, tips for refinishing furniture:

• You can paint metal. You can do a paint makeover on metal but the surface should be primed. Pieces with lots of curves lend themselves to a spray-on primer that comes in a can.

{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.

{friday finds: wallpaper – it’s not just for walls!}

Wallpaper – it’s “in“, it’s “out“, but most recently it’s been “in”. Businesses, designers and homeowners have all embraced the resurgence of wallpaper and there’s lots of beautiful, modern designs out there right now to fit every taste. But, of course, trends are always changing and we’re loving that traditional wallpaper has been able to remained current in the design world by being used in nontraditional ways!

Wallpaper – it’s not just for your walls!

Furniture: Desks, dressers, end tables, night stands can all be jazzed up with some wallpaper. Design Sponge gives a great tutorial on how to apply wallpaper to furniture.

Design Sponge

Interiorholic

Apartment Therapy

Create Art: Scraps of wallpaper are perfect for creating budget-friendly works of art.

{new year’s resolution: add color to 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 getting your home organized and picking the best “green” products for your home. This week we’re tackling the subject of adding color to your home.

Adding a bold color to your home may seem a but scary and a little too permanent for some people. The trick to stepping outside of your color comfort zone is to incorporate colors that work with your existing color scheme vs doing a complete overhaul.

Create an accent wall
An accent wall can define a space, add interest to a room and even highlight an architectural feature of your home. Kathy Basil of Hirshfield’s Design Studio offers some advice when considering an accent wall:

• Not all walls are suitable accent walls. There needs to be a reason for an accent wall and it needs to make sense in the overall design plan. A fireplace wall, a headboard wall or a window wall all make good accent wall candidates.
• Accent walls don’t always have to be paint – Wallpaper works great for accent walls.
• Accent walls allow you to incorporate bold colors into your home without committing all four walls. Kathy’s current pick for an accent wall color is a dark charcoal, or dark chocolate color.

Martha Stewart

You don’t need to put paint on the walls
Adding color to your home doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to put paint brush to wall. We