What does it cost to hire a designer? Good question!

It’s been my good intention to write on this topic as a follow up to our Design with Added Value blog.  I’ve even got a draft saved that’s three-quarters finished.  This morning I see that The Today Show and the NY Times beat me to it and their information is wonderful!  I’m including a link below so you can read the article at your leisure.

We can see there is both a very healthy interest in home design and a great deal of hesitation on getting started.  This seems like a terrible waste of time!  You should love walking in the door of your home and our clients often say at the end of their project, “why didn’t I do this years ago?” 

Now is an ideal time to finish off an existing room or begin a project you’ve been putting off.  Particuarly since so many of our vendors and tradespeople are offering special opportunities and discounts on their services and products.  Ask us for a list of vendors at International Market Square that have provided us with discounts to pass on to you. 

That doesn’t include the many tax breaks our government is offering to ensure that the homes we reside in are more energy efficient. 

It makes me wonder, what amount of hesitation is due to simply not knowing or understanding designer’s fee structures?  As you’ll read in the NY Times article, there are all kinds of ways to work with a designer no matter what your project’s size may be. 

Here are a few examples of what hauthaus brings to the table:

• We have the ability to design remotely and will be starting a project in Chicago next week!  Send us the dimensions of your space and a few other details, we’ll send you back a plan and list of furniture and finishing needs.
• We have design packages that allow you to utilize our services but do your own shopping.  We’ll give you a “goods” list with dimensions, you hunt and gather!
• We have remodeling formulas that can help us tell you what your project will cost and how many hours it will take us to design your space.
• We can (and often!) work out a complete design plan in phases. 

Feel free to call and ask questions! 

Yours truly,

h

P.S.  Here’s the article: http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/11/09/business/AP-US-Service-Package-Internior-Designers.html?_r=3

P.S.S.  If you’re interested in the hotsy-totsy coin purse above, go to www.etsy.com and search for Mona Lisa Coin Purse!

think local: the 3/50 project

Have you heard about the 3/50 project?  Holly and I stumbled across it the other day and we think it’s fantastic, we wanted to share it here with you!

Here is a clip about it from their website:

 

Wouldn’t it be great if everyone jumped on board?

Here are some of our favorite locally owned restaurants and shops for clothing, art, and gifts:

• Bewiched Deli : 800 Washington Ave N, Minneapolis
• Via’s Vintage: 2408 Hennepin Ave, Minneapolis
• I Like You: 501 1st Ave N, Minneapolis
• Mitrebox Framing and gifts:  213 Washington Ave N, Minneapolis

For more information about this project, visit: www.the350project.net

 

you’re invited!

Here it is… just in time for the holidays… The Annual Great Finds Designer Sample Sale at International Market Square – and you’re invited!

What:  This annual event offers great finds at even greater prices on designer furniture, lighting, art, rugs, accents and more. Everything is 50% – 80% off retail.

This year, the sale includes a Couture Room which spotlights one-of-a-kind designer furniture and accessories, a Rug Bazaar where fabulous rugs are displayed for sale in the atrium in true bazaar fashion, and a Designer’s Flea Market complete with unique home furnishings from local ASID designers.

When: 

Thursday November 5th 4:00pm – 8:00pm;

Friday November 6th 9:00am – 6:00pm; and

Saturday November 7th 9:00 – 1:00pm

Where:  International Market Square, 275 Market Street, Minneapolis

Hauthaus will have the following items at the sample sale in the Designer’s Flea Market:

• Azure velvet chaise lounge with four designer pillows ($1,900)
• Queen size sleeper sofa in soft, durable fabric ($2,500)
• Undercabinet lighting in a bronze or white finish ($78-$119 depending on sizes)
• Wooden drapery hardware in an Antique Gold finish ($455)
• Various bolts of designer fabrics
• Antique Arts and Crafts crystal chandelier ($525)

To see more items that will be on the sale, check out the event’s facebook page at: http://www.facebook.com/Greatfinds

Holly and I would be happy to meet you for a shopping date at our hourly rate on Friday! Give us a call and let us know what time works for you.  612-743-7731 (holly) or 612-229-1253 (amber).

design with added value.

*Did you know Thanksgiving is 28 business days away?  Yipes!  Let us help you, read on…

did you know you don’t have to tear down a wall in order to give your home a new pair of legs?  in fact, sometimes a simple color change, room rearrangement, a new piece of art…or an old piece of art put in a different place… can make all the difference.  the good news is that you have many wonderful things already, they’re just in the wrong spot or maybe they’re hiding in your storage space?

Always on the ready, we’ve devised FOUR design packages that will have you spiffed up just in time for the relatives AND YOU!

Right My Room!  ($95)

in just one hour we can help you re-think an existing space.  Are you ready?

Welcome Home  ($295)

in three hours, we can help your front door or mudroom entry set the tone for the entire house.  Suddenly, it’s nice to walk in the door again.  a.k.a. you won’t be looking at dirty laundry any more.

Kick Back, Relax ($595)

in six hours we can tackle a dining room, bedroom or home office… get ready to love these rooms!

Groovy Baby ($895)

in nine hours your family room, lower level or bonus room will be ready for the holiday gathering.  Watch out Aunt Mildred… this room rocks.

For more information on what you get out of each of these packages, such as shopping dates, lighting plans, cabinet designs and handy men we have at our beck and call, give us a ring 612-743-7731/  612-229-1253…  or simply find us at www.hauthaus.com. 

These packages are available to you October 19th through Friday, January 8th, 2010.

The holidays have never looked so good! 

-holly

inspired concept.

inspired concept.

this morning, while preparing an elementary art lesson plan, i was reading up on michelangelo.  introducing k-5 to the world’s greatest painter, sculptor, and artchitect is no small task… making it relatable is even more challenging. 

it was unintentional motivation to be reminded of this 16th century genius’ single greatest love; the human body.  he deemed it remarkable, beautiful and the only thing worth reproducing.  we’re so fortunate to see his idea manifest. 

vasari, one of michelangelo’s students, better known for his book Lives of the Artists, wrote of michelangelo’s architectural drawings, “he was able to render our habitations secure and commodious, healthy and cheerful, well proportioned, and enriched with the varied ornaments of art.”  i want to live there… don’t you?

art is a big source of inspiration over here in our small studio.  sometimes we forget how accessible it is; we are quite literally surrounded by galleries and museums.  jada schumacher, professor of art and design at Stout, and my pal since the second grade, invited me along to a lecture at mcad yesterday.  the topic was, “From Working Girls to Girls Night Out,” given by Elizabeth Armstrong, local curator of contemporary art at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts.  It was a wonderful tour through current women photographers.  as we left the lecture, jada and i noted the overlap in curating an exhibit the way elizabeth does and the way in which filmakers, artists and even designers are most successful when a singular idea or concept is played through to create a complete show, movie, painting or space. 

amazing to me that in 24 short hours, in the middle of the midwest, i’ve taken a walk through the 21st century to the 16th in order to be reminded of the importance of staying inspired and following one good idea.  michelangelo followed one good idea for 4 years and 7 months.  it nearly broke him, but where would we be without the sistine chapel?  i’m glad he took the time. 

For more information on the exhibit at the Women’s Art Institude follow this link:  http://www.mnartists.org/article.do?rid=245602 . 

To see how hauthaus follows a good idea, follow this link:  www.hauthaus.com

thanks for reading!   -holly

We’d love to see YOU this weekend!

This Saturday  from 10am – 4pm and Sunday, same time, we’ll be answering ALL your questions about interior design at the Senger Residence, including what it costs to work with a designer. 

In the fall of 2007 the Senger’s asked us to recreate their master suite and the results were so beautiful that their space was accepted on the ASID Kitchen and Bath Tour!  This tour allows you a glimpse into real homes that have been redesigned by local interior designers.  It’s a wonderful tour if you’re considering working with a designer on a remodel project at any point in the next year, or even two!  There are 16 homes on the tour and each one is a unique solution to a kitchen or bath problem.  We have many wonderful and talented colleagues whose work is also featured in the tour and we’d love it if you stopped by.  You’ll find us at 4371 Avondale Street, Minnetonka.

Plus, we’re offering two hours of design time to one lucky winner… will it be you?  You have to visit us to find out!  See you soon… and bundle up!  – holly

must go: asid kitchen and bath tour

We are gearing up for the ASID Kitchen and Bath Tour this weekend. This year we have a master suite remodel in Minnetonka on the tour… Come, visit us and other kitchens and bathrooms Satuday and Sunday from 10-4.

Things to note in our space:

1. The curved wood vanity with curved marble top… so sublte and elegant.
2. The custom sand-blasted mirror pattern matched the pattern in the Roman shade fabric.
3. The cast iron Kohler clawfoot bath tub… wouldn’t you like to take a soak?
4. Our location is handing out cookbooks courtesy of the Junior League of St. Paul for each ticket holder. (This is a great cookbook- Holly and I  both have one and the recipes are delicious!)

Be sure to get your tickets and come and say hello!

hauthaus concierge station

Where does all of your mail,  kids’ school papers, cell phones and chargers, and bills go in your home? More often than not, the answer is ‘on the kitchen counter- in a pile’.

Hauthaus has a storage solution for you! We can design a custom concierge station for your family’s needs. Here is an example of one we designed for a family of five. It is located near their back door, so when they come home, the mail can be dropped in it’s appropriate bin in the upper cabinets, each of the childrens’ school papers go in their own drawer, and keys can be kept in the same spot, so they are easy to find.

The drawer for the cell phones have the chargers built in so the phone can be plugged in and charging right in the drawer. This hides all the cords!

A concierge station can be designed to fit right in with the style of your home, and customized to fit in with the style of your life.  In the end, it is a beautiful and highly functional addition to your daily routine.  You’ll love it!

 

cheers, amber

hot off the press!

The new October issue of Minneapolis St. Paul Magazine just hit the stands today… and in it you’ll find the annoucements of the ASID Showcase House award winners. Hauthaus, along with Laura Paulson and Suzanne Goodwin, won for Favorite Gathering Space for our collaborative design work on the Family Room.

Pick up your issue today for a complete list and pictures of the winning spaces!

 

cheers, amber

balance your life

Everyone can probably agree that their life could use a little more balance. Schedules, deadlines, and school activities seem to make life a little hectic sometimes. By paying attention to the elements of Feng Shui, you can achieve a sense of balance in your home and in your life.

What are the elements?

Metal:  is represented by using metallics, circular shapes, and the color white

Water:  is represented by wavy and curvy lines, and the colors blue and black

Fire: is represented in bright orange, red, and yellow colors, and sharp angled points

Wood: is represented by using actual wood, plants, and the colors brown and green

Earth: is represented by square shapes, and earthy tones such as beige and light yellow

Here is an example of a kitchen remodel project we completed.  The elements of Feng Shui are called out in white.

 A home or room that is well balanced, according to Feng Shui has at least one of each of the five elements within it.

cheers, amber