Spring has Sprung!

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

color inspiration from Pantone’s 2012 trends

Taking more inspiration from Pantone’s prediction of the hot color trends for spring 2012, we’ve showcased two more color combos on the blog today. Take a look…

The first scheme features a daring Ikat fabric from Schumacher that features navy, margarita, tangerine, and grape. Along with this fabric, there is a white Tulip chair with green cushion from Design Within Reach, a tangerine glass pendant from Francis King, and a blue console table from Room and Board.

Our second color combo is also a bold one! This graphic print from KDR showcases tangerine, marigold, grape, hot pink, margarita, navy, bright blue, and sandy taupe. Furnishings that go along with this color scheme include a painted cabinet from KDR, a ceramic based lamp from Crate and Barrel, and a stylish blue chair from Blu Dot.

Would you use either of these color schemes in your home? If so, which room?

Pantone’s spring 2012 color trends

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

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?

Which of these four former hauthaus designs is closest to your own personal design style?

Take the poll and share your comments with us below!

showroom tour: francis king

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…

Chairs and a decorative pillow from Francis King showroom.

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.

Color takes center stage in th Francis King showroom.

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.

year in review: july – december 2011

And to round out our highlights from the past year of blogging, here are some of the entries we picked to share again from the last six months of the year…

For July we shared a blog about a cabin remodel on Clearwater Lake that we designed. The project included a new mudroom addition, re-designed kitchen with custom cabinetry, and handmade tile.  It turned out to be a great place to spend the warm and sunny summer days and nights!

In August, one of our entries highlighted different projects we worked on with different color schemes.  There is one for every color of the rainbow.  Revisit the blog for inspiration for your own home.

Cambria came out with new colors this year and in September, we highlighted the new Waterstone Collection. This new collection was the most buzzed about yet – the colors and patterns are so pretty and innovative!

In October we shared an article and video from ABC that talked all about a project in Montana where EVERYTHING going into building the house was made in the USA. The interview is interesting and comes with some eye-opening facts.

During November, we polled our readers to see what color was their favorite and orange won. In this blog entry we posted products that we love in orange… what fun!

In December, we shared pictures and drawings of a master bathroom project we worked on in Edina. With its cozy heated marble floors, shiny Kohler fixtures, and fresh paint, this bathroom is definitely work checking out.

a bathroom project in navy & grey

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.

Here is a preliminary sketch of the bathroom showing the cabinet and lighting location.

Top: This shot shows the cabinet as you enter the bathroom. Bottom: Here is a shot of the shower area with Kohler fixtures.

While the color is a little distorted, you can see the Brass Blue granite top as well as the installed wall tile.

finished: Izzy’s bathroom

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!

izzy’s bathroom progress

Here are some snapshots of Izzy's bathroom progress.

Izzy is a stylish little girl who is not afraid of color… and boy oh boy does her bathroom have it!

Check out this behind-the-scenes look at how her very own bathroom is turning out!

 

 

1. Since this floor will get tile, the installers had to make sure that the floor was level… they poured the leveling agent and taped off the room to prep for it.

 

2. The floor tile was laid and is being hidden (and protected) under paper as the installers work on the white subway tile walls and glacier blue accent ribbon.

 

3. The shower tile is up and the rest of the wall tile is getting close! The White Ice granite counter tops were installed too…

 

4. After the tile and counter tops, the plumbers, electricians, and painters are itching to get in!

 

 

 

It's painted!

 

 

 

With the bathroom freshly painted, the mirror, artwork, and accessories will finish off the bathroom!

 

I bet Izzy’s is so excited to move in – wouldn’t you be!?