Spring has Sprung!
April 26, 2012
Last weekend my mom’s family gathered to provide a clean sweep of Grandma and Grandpa’s basement. Ranging in age from 1.5 to 87 years old, we picked up, cleared out, found treasures, bugged each other and also laughed; a lot. It was a great success and the old adage, “many hands makes light work,” was uttered more than once.
My grandma, Lucille, has been a source of inspiration since the birth of my first son, eleven years ago. Inadvertently, I started paying attention to the things she was cooking, what she was planting, calling her for recipe and laundry advice; often. Each time the season changes, as it’s been doing here in the Midwest for a month, I watch to see what she’s up to. Without knowing it, she puts rhythm into my calendar and it’s a wonderful, grounding, heart-happy thing.
In design, we look at color to inspire the seasonal shift. Pastels arrive, this year with neon mixed in, soft neutrals providing a base for these brighter shocks of color. When I try to combine what Grandma’s doing out in Stearns county with the latest on-trend happenings, I see a happy woman in a vintage shirt dress with neon rubber boots out in the garden. There’s mud on her boots, clean laundry on the clothesline and the grass is the most vivid shade of green!
If you’re itching for inspiration I recommend calling your Grandma, hopping on Pinterest -where I pin five inspiration images each morning- and visiting our 2012 ASID Showcase Home on Lake of the Isles. Let me know what inspires you! This year’s home is another example of how designers transform space, for the good of the house, its occupants and the earth. That’s right, you’ll see all kinds of environmentally-kind solutions. Like Grandma Lucille, the homeowners are avid gardners… in fact you’ll find them too, in the garden. See you at the house!
http://mspmag.com/Contests-Promotions/ASID/Home/
xo, hb
Pantone’s spring 2012 color trends
February 16, 2012
Welcome to our analysis of Pantone’s color trends for spring, 2012.
We’ve taken the colors that Pantone picked to be hot this spring and matched them up with new fabrics and furnishings to show you how you can incorporate these new colors into your home.
The first color scheme features pinks, blues and neutrals.
The items from this color scheme can be found at: fabric at Schumacher showroom at IMS, blue table and pink vanity at KDR Showroom at IMS, and blue chair at Room and Board.
The second color scheme picked from the spring colors features the new color of the season, Tangerine Tango, along with olive, grape and navy.
The Items from this color scheme can be found at: fabric at Schumacher showroom at IMS, chair from Design Within Reach, lamp from Francis King at IMS, blue chest from KDR Showrooms at IMS.
More color examples to come…
home goods; valentine’s day style
February 14, 2012
It’s Valentine’s Day. The roses, chocolate, and handmade poems are in full swing, it’s true. Here are some lighting, furniture, accessories, and more pulled together with this day of love in mind. These pieces could add a splash of color (and love) to your home everyday!
1. Fuchsia chandelier from Francis King; 2. Kissing Giraffes Rug from Jonathan Adler; 3. Red lacquer bench from Bolier; 4. Mr. & Mrs. Salt and Pepper shakers from Jonathan Adler; 5. Red painted chest from Francis King; 6. Magenta pendant from Francis King; 7. Poppies floral tile mosaic from BonTon Tile at Rubble Tile; 8. Red cocktail table from Francis King; 9. Pink indoor/ outdoor stackable chair from Rich Rosenberg; 10. Flamingo writing desk from KDR Showrooms.
what style is closest to yours?
February 3, 2012
showroom tour: francis king
January 18, 2012
Francis King, Ltd. is one of our favorite furniture showrooms at IMS. Charlie, Mary, Lynn, Kali and Petra are all wonderful – they help us find our clients some wonderfully unique pieces for their homes. The last time we were in their showroom, we snapped some pictures of the new furniture and accessories they have.
You’ll notice lots of color for 2012…
Above: These two upholstered chairs have beautiful soft curved lines and can be custom ordered to be upholstered in endless choices of fabric.
Above: The bold snail pillow adds a pop of color and whimsy to sofa or chair. The pillow’s poppy-tangerine and watery blue are some of Pantone’s colors for Spring.
Above: Color definitely is taking center stage this season in the showroom. You can find purple upholstered chairs, amber colored hurricanes, bright red garden stools, bold green accessories and much, much more.
Another benefit to this wonderful showroom is that they feature many made in America furniture lines.
Francis King sells to the trade only so if you’d like a peek to see what could work in your home, give us a call – we’d be glad to give you a showroom tour.
a bathroom project in navy & grey
December 29, 2011
One of our latest projects involved a second floor bathroom that would be used by the family’s little boy as well as guests that were hanging out by the second floor family room fireplace or watching movies and playing games in the hang out area. We wanted the bathroom to keep in line with the rest of the home’s design, while still being a little masculine and something that would ‘grow up’ with the little boy and not be too childish right off the bat.
We settled on a color scheme of navy and grey and after finding classic grey subway tiles, a deep grey chair rail, and glossy navy accent tiles we were ready to roll! The floor is a mushroom colored 1″ x 1″ hex to warm up the space and we used a soft grey Benjamin Moore paint on the walls. We found a Brass Blue granite remnant that tied in perfectly with our colors. The lights add a classic modern feel to the space as well.
finished: Izzy’s bathroom
December 9, 2011
We blogged recently about Izzy’s bathroom and showed you a ‘behind the scenes’ snippet of what went in to building it…
Well now it’s done! Check out the final shots of the bathroom from all angles.

Here's Izzy's bathroom with the mirror, lights, and towel bars in place. See her lovely white and black mosaic floor tiles, the fun pop of glacier blue deco tiles on the walls, and Benjamin Moore's Dill Pickle on the walls!

The top shot shows inside Izzy's shower. We continued the deco tile in there, as well as the white subway tile. We had shampoo shelves installed to keep the bottles off of the floor. The bottom shot shows the bathroom from the shower area. There is a lowe vanity seat for Izzy to practice her make-up!