‘cool’ summer sales

Whew! It’s been hot, hot, hot in Minneapolis the past few days… but keep your chin up, we’re almost done with this heat wave! 

If you’re looking for ways to stay cool today (and thru the month of July) stop on over to Roam Interiors on Glenwood across the street from IMS. They are having a moving sale with 40-60% off their amazing home decor items! AND you’re in luck! They are one of our favorite places to go for accessories. Their stuff is so cool… (pun intended). Once their move is complete, you will be able to find them in Uptown.

Roam offers great kitchen products, gifts, home accessories, locally made jewelry and more! (A great place to get that one-of-a-kind gift for an upcoming wedding, birthday, or anniversary!)

Also, while over near IMS, you really should swing on over to the lovely Baker Showroom. They are holding their July “Clean Sweep” event with weekly deals. And yes, they are open to the public during this sale… 75% off retail pricing. How great is that?

At Baker you’ll find furniture, home accents, pillows and lighting. Who knows… maybe that one piece that will finish off your room is waiting for you at Baker!

One of the best parts about both of these sales, besides the amazing deals? AIR CONDITIONING!!! 🙂

rainy day fun: see art!

Did you know that the Northrup King building is open to the public on Saturdays? Well it is!!

What a perfect activity for a rainy day! (which is what the weatherman is predicting…)

Here’s the scoop:

What: Lots of artists open their studios for a day so you can pop in, chat, purchase art, or just see what a ‘day in the life of an artist’ is like!

Cost: Free

Times: Noon to 4pm

Location: Northrup King Arts Building at 1500 Jackson Street NE, Minneapolis

Who’s studios/ stores are open: Click HERE

(hauthaus INsider tip: While you’re over there, drop over to Architectural Antiques – they have lots of goodies to see and buy!)

it’s june!

Wondering what to do this month? As we’ve done before, here are some hauthaus approved June activites:

June 3-5 – Edina Art Fair. Free. Get out and enjoy one of the first art fairs of the summer. More that 300+ artists will be showing and selling their creations, along with face painters and food vendors. It’s fun for the whole family. Fri 10-7pm / Sat 10-7pm / Sun 10-5pm. More info: http://www.edinaartfair.com/

June 5th – Grand Old Day. Free. The yearly festival is happening this weekend, Sunday 8-5pm. Bring the whole family or a group of friends out to enjoy the festivities, music, parade, food and drinks! More info: http://grandave.com/grandoldday/index.php

June 18th – Rock the Garden. Sold Out.  The biggest summer concert, put on by 89.3 The Current, is sold out, it’s true. But you can still catch an ear full of great music by Neko Case, My Morning  Jacket, Tapes N’ Tapes and Booket T Jones if you head out the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden that day. Great idea: bring a cooler and make a picnic out of it! More info: click here.

All of June – Farmer’s Markets. Free. What is summer without famer’s markets? Heading to the market is a great Friday afternoon or Saturday morning activity… what a great way to spend a couple hours! For a farmer’s market near you, click here to see the markets in Minnesota.

Weekends in June – Canterbury Races. $5. Switch it up and head out to the race track! Races take place Fri-Sun all of June and Thurs – Sun starting June 16th. Sunday they have pony rides, a petting zoo and face painting for the kids. June 24th is Craft Beer Day. If you’re looking for something different to do, this might be it! More info: http://www.canterburypark.com/

All of June – Landscape Arboretum. $9 non-members. Visit the beautiful landscapes, drive or hike the 3 Mile Drive, or take a class. The Arboretum has something for everyone. Spend a couple hours or a whole day exploring the grounds. More info: http://www.arboretum.umn.edu/default.aspx

Commissioning custom art is fun and can be affordable!

The finished commissioned art will be installed over the sofa in the front room.

Traveling is a favorite past time of many of our clients, not to mention both of us!

This winter when our clients Sherman and Becky returned from a new favorite locale, Cinque Terre, Italy, they were brimming with excitement.  They’d had a marvelous time and celebrated their tenth wedding anniversary.  We suggested they have a piece of art made to remind them of the experience.

They were hesitant at first to consider commissioning an artist, mainly because the term sounded like it might also come with an out-of-this-world price tag.  When we suggested getting a bid for the size, style and medium of their ideal piece, they agreed.  The two of them had purchased art from a variety of different shops and dealers in the past and felt it would be nice to be able to compare the costs associated with two very different ways of acquiring art.

We asked one of our favorite local artists, Candice Simpson, to consider Sherman and Becky’s concept for the piece and offer pricing.  They were surprised to find that commissioning Candice to create something for the two of them, with their personal taste in mind, could be so similar in price to purchasing art from a store or gallery.  They grinned from ear to ear.

And rightfully so.  They’ve had the opportunity to become a part of the art experience.  We’ve worked with Candice to incorporate all the lovely new colors, textures, tastes and sounds they felt while on their get-away and provided her with their design concept as a starting point.

The finished piece will be featured in their front room.  It’s a space they both use every day and the first wall they see each morning when they come down the stairs.  We can’t think of a better way to stay connected to each other than to have a daily reminder of a shared experience.

The following pictures are from a recent studio visit to check on the progress of the pieces.  Stay tuned in the coming weeks for pictures of the final piece being installed!

Candice shows Becky her progress on the artwork.

Candice is detailing the inspiration image and telling us about her next steps.

Candice hangs the inspiration images from Sherman and Becky so they are easy to reference as she paints.

Here’s what Becky had to say about the experience:  ” Having artwork commissioned by Candice has been such a magical experience. She has taken our memories and made them into something tangible that we will always cherish. We could have searched high and low but we would have never found a pre-existing piece that we would have loved this much. Not only will the artwork fit our space and color palate perfectly, but it will have an incredible amount of meaning to us. And the best part of all, it will always be one of a kind!“

Where are YOU headed next?

-Holly

friday quip

Here’s a lovely, short quip for a Friday…

We LOVE Ian Grant over at Bjorling & Grant in Minneapolis. Check out one of his latest creations!

See more of Ian’s work at:

www.bjorlinggrant.com

5 ways to get inspired

Whether you need a little inspiration for a new wardrobe or room change, here are 5 easy ways to get inspired…

1. Go for a walk! Take in the nature and all there is to see, smell and touch… Bring your camera and snap some pictures of colors or textures you like; or bring your journal and take notes and doodle some sketches while the weather is still nice!
2. Read a magazine. See how someone else has put together a certain look and dissect it to find out what it is you like about it. Rip out the pages and put them in your ‘inspiration files’.
3. Visit the museum. Art can be very inspiring. Notice all of the colors and textures. Try to think of the artist as they were creating the piece and come up with ideas of how that finished piece came to be.
4. Listen to your favorite music – loud! Listening to the beat and emotion of the music can be quite moving. Whenever I get out my paint brushes and canvas, I make sure to crank up the tunes!
5. Go to your local craft store. Whenever I go to Crafty Planet in Northeast Minneapolis, I always get inspired to create something. They have a wonderful selection of fabrics, patterns, and ‘how-to s’.  My sewing machine is happy when I come back from that store!

how to hang art

Hanging art can be a tricky feat. In general, people tend to place art a little too high, making it uncomfortable for the viewer. We’d like to share a couple quick and easy tips  on how to hang art. Hopefully you can apply some of these ideas to your own home. 🙂

Your art piece should be centered at 60"-62" from the floor. This might seem a little low at first, but you'll notice how it's at eye level. People won't have to strain their neck or eyes to view it.

When we hang groupings of art, we like to see about 1.5" - 2" between each piece. A simple way to measure this is to use the distance between the tip of your pointer finger to the 2nd knuckle.

Generally, you should hang a collection in an odd number. Groups of threes and fives are pleasing to the eye.