{friday finds: hand painted bathroom & ranch guesthouse redo}

The creativity that I found on-line this past week was awe-inspiring. How do people come up with such creative ideas? A gallon of paint does that? Re-purposing a 150 year old prayer rail from an English church as a backsplash?

A reader of the blue hydrangea blog sent in these amazing bathroom photos. I’ll let the room speak for itself. There are just a few photos and I don’t want to spoil the fun.

Creative repurposing oozes from the owner of this ranch guesthouse in Abilene, which I found on Cote De Texas. Love the pinwheel quilt block on the floor and the old Texas deed documents that paper the walls in this bedroom. It’s all in the details.

Let Hirshfield’s staff share their expertise in helping you implement your own repurposing idea or DIY project.

Shop local…For every $1.00 you spend in a local business, 68¢ stays in your community. Spend $1.00 in a national chain and 43¢ stays in your community. Support your local businesses.

{happy anniversary NASA!}

In honor of NASA’s anniversary today, we would like to share with you some truly out-of-this-world design! These murals, from Brewster Home Fashions’ National Geographic Kids Collection showcase how you can bring the wonder and beauty of space into your kid’s room. Pique their interest in space with these designs and see where it takes them!

These murals and many others are found at most Hirshfield’s retail locations. The mural books still show deer and mountain sceneries, but there are so many more options available for children, teens, and adults. Good looking options.

{tinting paint: creating the perfect color}

Finding that perfect color of paint for your next project doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Think of the possibilities!

Shades of red can have a hint of orange to deep cranberry.  Blues can be anything from a cool turquoise to a deep navy.  There are even countless shades of white and cream!

But how does that range of color become reality? It’s all thanks to quality, professional tinting to take a base and turn it into something that can transform your home.

Kevin at Hirshfield’s Paint Manufacturing says it all starts with the tinting base. Hirshfield’s uses four types: White Base, Medium Base, Deep Base and Neutral Base. White Base will be used for the pastels and lighter colors that you’re looking for. Neutral Base is basically clear before the tinting process and is used for very dark or very bright colors.

Each base is designed to accept a certain amount of color. That makeup along with a pigment in the base helps the professionals at Hirshfield’s control the depth of color that ends up in the paint can you purchase.

Tinting is not something you want to try on your own.  The tinting equipment used right now is designed to make sure that each gallon of paint gets the same amount of colorant. Bases are also designed to have certain amounts of color mixed in. Those precise measurements ensure that the color is consistent and will give you the coverage you need for your room.

Summer science class visits Hirshfield's Paint Manufacturing

Painting is a stressful enough project as it is, it would be even worse to have your paint not cover well or take three times as long to dry!  So leave it to the professionals to get the tint right, so you can focus on grabbing those rollers and getting started!

{twin cities design scene shares the loft love}

One of the more popular searches on this blog is lofts. We have one posting, loft living tips, and it receives a fair amount of views. Realizing viewers would like to see more, lofts have been at the top of the “need to find” list for a while.

Last week, Jennie came to my rescue with a posting on a Minneapolis loft featured on Apartment Therapy. Twin Cities Design Scene will give you a proper introduction to this now famous loft.

Thanks to Jennie and Casey (owner of the loft) for allowing Hirshfield’s to share. Image from Apartment Therapy.

P.S. Hirshfield’s carries Benjamin Moore and Ralph Lauren paints.

{literise shades}

When you’re looking at how to dress up and cover your windows, the options can be endless.  One approach is to use blinds or shades as your window coverings to filter or even block out light.

Picture your favorite room, with lots of windows letting all that glorious light through. You don’t want those cords hanging all over the place!
The LiteRise cordless system is clean and uncluttered. You just push up to raise the blind or shade and pull down to lower it.  There are no cords to have hanging loose.

Duette Top-Down Bottom-Up with LiteRise

Country Woods with LiteRise

The cordless system is offered in several styles, from Duette Honeycomb Shades to wood blinds to the new Vignette®  Tiered Shade from Hunter Douglas.

Vignette Tiered with LiteRise

LiteRise shades are a great option if you have kids or pets in your home. A cordless system eliminates the risk of a child getting tangled in a hanging cord. According to the  CPSC, there are 120 reported fatalities and 113 injuries caused by corded window coverings since 1999.

Duette Duolite with LiteRise

Shannon Scarrella at the Roseville Hirshfield’s says the Vignette®  Tiered Shade is not only cordless, but it also has no exposed cords in the back to pose a safety risk. The truly cordless system has earned the Vignette®  Tiered Shade awards in both safety and design.

Vignette Tiered with LiteRise

Shannon says no matter which style of LiteRise shade you choose for your home just make sure you can reach your cordless LiteRise shades when they’re up!

{friday finds: thibaut’s damask resource volume 3}

Great looking wallpaper is what Thibaut is bringing to your home with the release of Damask Resource Volume 3. Thibaut is updating the look of their damasks with gold foil and cork peeking from the background, raised patterns, and heavy on the metallics. Perfect timing for the resurgence of all that is Victorian…with a 2010 twist. Enjoy the wonderful room settings that Thibaut always provides.

In London recently I saw wallcovering used in so many specialty shops, salons, and restaurants, that it made my heart sing. The English get “it” when it comes to wallcovering.

For additional eye candy from Damask Resource visit the Thibaut website. The new books should be available in our stores in a couple of weeks.

Shop local…For every $1.00 you spend in a local business, 68¢ stays in your community. Spend that $1.00 in a national chain and 43¢ stays in your community. Support your local businesses.

Thank you for your patronage.

{update: china shepherdess}

Remember Amy, the blogger behind China Shepherdess who is redoing her 1950’s home in Minneapolis? Well, we are so happy and excited to be bringing you her first update! She has selected paint colors for her living room, and pending “eleventybillion degrees with 100% humidity” she will be tackling the project this weekend. Check out her most recent blog post here: http://www.chinashepherdess.com/2010/07/my-new-living-room-paint-colors.html

Good luck with the painting, Amy! We all look forward to seeing the end result!

{how to remove wallpaper}

When it comes to removing wallpaper, everyone seems to have his or her own theory about what technique works best. But Jon Lovejoy at the Edina Hirshfield’s decided to put the four most common techniques to the test; vinegar and water, fabric softener and water, plain water and DIF Wallpaper Remover concentrate and water.

And this was no easy test; the room Jon was working on had wallpaper that had been painted over. And any true do-it-yourselfer knows this is one of the ugliest jobs to tackle. For his experiment, he used each of the four wallpaper-removing concoctions on each of his four walls. Any guess as to which one worked the best???

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Even Jon was surprised to find that the DIF and water combo reigned supreme. “I was really expecting the fabric softener and water to be the best since I had always heard so many success stories from others. But if the DIF and water can remove wallpaper that has been painted over as easily as it did, I know it can remove just about any other type of wallpaper.”

DIF is a liquid wallpaper stripper, available at Hirshfield’s. Just buy a spray bottle, mix the DIF liquid with very hot tap water, according to directions, and spray it over the wallpaper that’s being removed. Let it soak for 15 to 20 minutes, reapplying if it begins to dry out.

Using an inexpensive tool, such as The Paper Tiger, to lightly score the wall surface before applying the wallpaper stripper will improve the penetration of the solution and speed up the process.

For extra hard jobs, Jon recommends covering the wall with plastic after you have sprayed the DIF and let that sit for about two hours to contain the moisture and let the mixture soak in longer. Then use a stiff, non-flexible scraper to remove any lingering tough patches.

After fully removing the wallpaper, take medium sandpaper and use it like a washcloth over the walls and rinse well with clear water so they are completely clean before painting or, dare we say, re-wallpapering!

{friday finds: imperial trellis by Schumacher}

House and Garden

First introduced in 2005, by designer Kelly Wearstler, Imperial Trellis has to be the overall best selling Schumacher pattern. A classic pattern, offered in a great array of colors, makes it well suited for any room in your home.

I thought I would have tired of the pattern by now, but it is as fresh looking to me now, as the first time I saw it. What are your thoughts? Still loving it?

Anna Spiro's office - Absolutely Beautiful Things

Gwyneth Paltrow - House and Garden

DesignSponge

Unknown origin

Absolutely Beautiful Things

Wearstler stationery

Apartment Therapy also loves the trellis, and they are sharing the love in an “Ode to Imperial Trellis.” I don’t usually care for the yellow and grey combo but their “House Tour” images are the best looking of the group.

Hirshfield’s carries the Schumacher books, but just not at every location…call first…and as always, we appreciate your business.

{more exceptional customer service… Hirshfield’s}

At Hirshfield’s, we don’t treat our customers well just for the recognition. We do it because it is part of our mission to share our knowledge and ensure that every customer is treated with respect. However, letters like this remind us just how important exceptional customer service is. We always love hearing about our customers’ experiences with us, and we thank Chris for sharing his!

Great work Eden Prairie, truly an example of great customer service!

To Hirshfield’s Decorating Center in Eden Prairie:

I would personally like to recognize your store for providing outstanding customer service.  Every employee that I have worked with has been tremendous.  Your staff truly understands what it means to “put the customer first”.

Each employee demonstrates a complete knowledge about your product line.  Additionally, your staff is extremely friendly and has a great attitude.

I look forward to coming into the store, as I know that it is a positive atmosphere.  Your store is phenomenal when conducting business over the phone.

My painting needs have been very random this summer, and I have needed many gallons of paint spur of the moment.  Everyone has been very accommodating and easy to work with.  In my job, I have worked with many vendors this summer alone.

I have to say that Hirshfield’s is by far the best company that I have done business with in my four years in this position.  I am excited to continue buying paint from Hirshfield’s in the future.

In a society where customer service seems to be declining at times, the Eden Prairie Hirshfield’s location sure deserves to be recognized for achieving stellar customer service.

I have never taken the time to recognize any other vendor before, but I would not feel right without taking the time to recognize and thank the entire Eden Prairie team.  In particular, I would like to acknowledge and thank Grant, Robin, Jamin, Devon, and Diane.

All of the employees combined are what make the store so great.  I am sure that I have forgotten some, but these are the ones that I have had the privilege to work with.  I cannot thank each of you enough for continually helping me out with my paint orders.

Thank you for making ordering and purchasing paint such a wonderful experience.  Our building has never looked better with all of the fresh paint!  Thanks again for all that each of you do on a daily basis!  Your efforts are making a big difference!  Keep up the good work!

Chris