{spring home makeover: front porch edition}

The return of warm weather means it’s time to get outside in Minnesota! Spring is the perfect time to open up your windows and revamp your front porch so you can enjoy the outdoors for the months to come.  But time is wasting, so here are some decor tips  for a quick and easy front porch makeover.

Paint the Front Door

Minnesota ASID Showcase Home 2015

For the biggest impact, add some bright, inviting color to your door and accessories. Whether you go bright or light the key is using complimentary colors. For every blue, green, or violet, choose an orange, red, or yellow.

Credit: Hannah Brown

If you’ve got warm brick or siding, try a cool color like spring green, teal, or turquoise. If you’ve got white siding, no color is off limits — not even this canary yellow.

Credit: LDa Architecture & Interiors

Plant Your Flowers

Flowers and planters are another quick fix, but you need to be thoughtful for maximum impact. These planters are a great choice because they are similar to the chandelier in shape, but opposites in finish — traditional warm metal compared to a contemporary cool plastic.

Credit: Historical Concepts

Turn On The Lights

Adding new lights will give new life to your porch. It will make your entrance bright for all those late-night comings-and-goings if you’re looking for safety and security. Don’t forget about scale. People often make the mistake of not buying large enough outdoor fixtures. Looking for the soft glow of porch ambiance? Welcome your guests with a string of decorative twinkling lights.

Credit: JS Interiors LLC

Add More Furniture

If you have enough space, consider adding more furniture to create a room with a view. Whether it’s conventional wicker furniture to create a three season sitting room, or the right rug, and chairs, you’re sure to enjoy the warm breezes all summer long.

Minnesota ASID Showcase Home 2015

Give it a Swing

And if there’s one look that’s made for any porch lover it’s the porch swing. This updated swinging sofa completes a classy yet comfortable porch combo – perfect for enjoying a late night in the still summer air.

Minnesota ASID Showcase Home 2015

Whether your goal is extra color or extra comfort — or both — the right choices can add to your curb appeal and the enjoyment of your home. So, now that you’ve been inspired, how will you make over your front porch?

Check out Benjamin Moore’s photos for an inspired exterior. Paint is your best friend when it comes to upping your curb appeal!

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.

{decor blogs we love}

Where do you turn for design inspiration? Like most people, our Hirshfield’s employees turn to the internet. With the click of a mouse or the tap of a tablet, we all have instant access to the smartest ideas and latest trends.

So, the next time you’re looking for some design ideas to spark your imagination, either come down to your nearest Hirshfield’s location or check out some of our team’s favorite blogs.

Design Sponge

Design Sponge

Julia R. of Hirshfield’s Design Studio likes the look and content in Design Sponge, “I like the format,” she says. “It also has other things like DIY projects and different articles – not just about designed rooms.” Julia says blogger Grace Bonney and her contributors are really all over the board, with a huge variety of different kinds of people with widely varying viewpoints and experiences. “I also like Apartment Therapy and My Scandinavian Home,” she says.

{friday finds: 7 fresh ideas for using up leftover paint}

Your freshly painted room is looking gorgeous. In fact, you love the color so much, you don’t want any of it to go to waste! Have no fear, we’re here with some great ideas for using every last drop.

1. Freshen up a lampshade with a wash of color.

Emily Henderson calls painting a shade with watered-down house paint “the simplest, most genius upgrade to a fabric lampshade that you can do.” She suggests a ratio of 1/3 water-based paint to 2/3 water.

Credit: Style by Emily Henderson

2. Paint the back of your built-ins.

Painting the back wall gives shelving an added dimension — and gives you an excuse to use more of your favorite paint! Are you noticing more bookcases and built-ins featured in room sets, or is it just me?

Credit: Jamie Keskin Design

{friday finds: easy 4th of july decorations for your home}

Want a patriotic look for Independence Day that’s quick and easy? Sure you could stop by the store and buy something cheesy, but DIY is as American as apple pie, and these patriotic projects are all quick and easy.

Spray painted lawn stars:

Looking for an easy and unusual way to add some spirit to your lawn? Cut a stencil, grab a can of spray paint, and let the kids help create a very patriotic addition to your front yard.

Credit: Previously Paired

Easy Red, White and Blue table runner:

Add color to a white tablecloth with red and blue strips of crepe paper. Weave the colors and tape them to the table’s edges with double-sided tape.

{wallcovering wednesday: florals that never go out of style}

Can there be too much of a good thing? When it comes to florals, some designers say no. It seems that flowers never go out of style – it’s just the way they’re presented. Check out these ways to mix florals in your own home, from easygoing to a bit more daring.

Flowers to match floral wallpaper:

If you love flowers, why not go with more? The live bouquet blends beautifully with the watercolor flowers in Brewster’s Claressa Blueberry pattern — from the Catalina Watercolor collection.

Catalina Watercolor Wallpaper | Brewster Wallcoverings

{exterior painting: how to pick an accent color}

So you’re painting the exterior of your house, and you’ve got the main color picked. That’s a good start, but the next choice is often more important. How will you choose the accent color — the color of your door, trim, or shutters? It’s all a matter of taste, but we have some time-tested guidelines to help you along the way.

Saturate

Chances are, your main color won’t be loud or highly saturated — unless you’re trying to paint your home Vikings Purple — but your accent color can be bolder. If your siding is toned-down, your accent should be pumped-up, and vice versa. For a white house, you can pick any color you want as an accent — except an off-white, which would just look like you forgot which paint to buy.

A bright red door is a classic choice for a white house. You could go a bit more contemporary or trendy with a coral or orange.

Benjamin Moore Raspberry Glaze

If you have a brightly colored house, though, pick an accent color that isn’t so saturated — either a neutral or a color with a bit more white, black, or gray in the mix.

{fearless trends: how to pull off interior color blocking}

If you loved it when we discussed color blocking a few years ago, we have good news: the trend is back and bolder than ever. Color blocking returned to fashion last season, and it has funneled back to interior design this year. So, here are 6 tips to fearlessly add color blocking to your decor, plus a few extra ideas from Benjamin Moore.

1. Pick one color to emphasize unique architecture.

Accent walls are a basic kind of color blocking, but you can do so much more. Advance a level by highlighting some interesting architecture or painting around a corner or two.

Credit: ArkPad

Credit: Remodelista

2. Use painter’s tape liberally.

If you want geometric, modern lines, grab an armful of painter’s tape and a friend, and tape your walls before you begin painting. Here’s a yellow outlined block filled with pink.

{6 ways to include matte in your design}

Texture and glossy finishes are out, and matte is in, according to designers like Genevieve Gorder and John Douglas Eason. Especially matte black, which is spreading from the kitchen to the rest of the house.

So, if you’re inspired to add the latest trend to your own home, here are six ways to incorporate matte into your design.

1. Chalkboard paint

Chalkboard paint exploded sometime around when Pinterest did, making it easy to find and easy on your budget. You don’t even have to draw on it, but hey, you’ve got the option.

Credit: SchappacherWhite Architecture D.P.C.

Credit: SchappacherWhite Architecture D.P.C

 2. Chalk-finish painted furniture

Chalk paint is paint with chalk added into it to give it a matte texture. This, too, has become popular on Pinterest, especially among DIYers and furniture refinishers.

Credit: Kristie Barnett, The Decorologist

To stay sleek, and fit the no-texture trend, choose something that hasn’t been aged or antiqued by sanding or any faux finishes. And consider using Hirshfield’s Cottage Paint.

{9 creative ways to use pink}

“I believe in pink.”  — Audrey Hepburn

She’s not the only one, either. We reported on the pink trend at Highpoint Market back in April, and it’s just getting hotter. From the hottest of pinks to the subtlest blushes — and everything in between — here are some of our favorite ways to use pink.

Cozy up in a rose quartz sofa. It’s the Pantone Color of the Year, and it warms up this cool, modern living room.

Credit: Daily Dream Decor

Or swap the colors. Go with a soft pink on the walls — like Benjamin Moore’s Love and Happiness — to offset black and white furniture.

{friday finds: bright lights from high point}

If one theme dominated light fixtures at High Point Market for Spring 2016, it was gold. “Lots of gold, larger in scale, and somewhat organic,” said Kathy Basil, part of our three visitor team from Hirshfield’s Design Resource.

In fact, Kathy saw so many of the glamorous gold/organic combos that she tried to coin a term for the new look in light fixtures. “Maybe we’ll call it orglamic,” she joked, “or maybe not.”

All kidding aside, Kathy said statement pendants were the top lighting trend at High Point. “Larger scale statement pendants,” that definitely fit that glam/organic theme. “Gold was definitely the finish we saw the most — many embellished with rose quartz, alabaster, and a variety of agates.”