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
amber signing off…
March 23, 2012
My journey in interior design with hauthaus (and Holly) began way back in 2006 when Holly hired me as an intern straight out of The Art Institutes… It’s hard to believe it’s been six years since that day we met at the coffee shop in Hopkins!
I have had so many great experiences on projects large and small, I met and got to know fabulous clients, and I developed relationships with vendors, other designers, and craftspeople in the industry that I really value and hold dear to my heart.
It’s after these six wonderful years that I am opening up a new chapter in my design life. I will be joining the design team at Modern Design Cabinetry next week, starting Monday. This is a new and exciting time for me and I hope to grow and learn there just as I have at hauthaus.
I want to say thank you to my wonderful clients, Facebook fans, blog readers, and everyone else that has supported me over the years! It has really been great!
Signing out of the hauthaus blog for now…
Amber 🙂
look what holly found!
March 6, 2012
Holly and her brother Jon... at about the age she was playing with her (very sophisticated) doll house!
Last night Holly found something special from one of her very first toys she can remember… an Eero Saarinen Tulip Table and Chair set from her first Fisher Price doll house!
It seemed she was destined for great design stardom from an early age…
How cute!
Holly's vintage Tulip Table from her dollhouse.
hauthaus is 10 years old!
February 20, 2012
Did you know… last week hauthaus turned ten! According to tradition, Aluminum or Tin are appropriate gifts for a ten year anniversary, but we would gladly accept the more modern gift suggestion of… Diamonds! 🙂
Here is a quick look back at 10 years of hauthaus!
2002– Holly opened the doors to hauthaus.
2003– Holly’s work was featured in Window Fashions magazine, a national publication.
2004– Holly, along with Bonnie Birnbaum, won 2 ASID awards for her work on the Showcase House that year.
2005– Holly won the ASID Emerging Professional Award.
2006– Holly, along with Purcell Construction won a Coty award for bathroom design.
2007– Amber started full time at hauthaus.
2008– We started the hauthaus blog.
2009– Hauthaus, along with Laura Paulson and Suzanne Goodwin won a People’s Choice award for our work on the ASID Showcase House design.
2010– Our website got a facelift.
2011– Holly was acting Chair of the ASID Showcase Home committee and Amber was acting Co-Chair of the Awards Gala committee.
2012– Our blog readership passed 44,000 views!
Ten years of hauthaus designs.
5 things you didn’t know about hauthaus
June 28, 2011
1. We have sold over 7,000 feet of fabric since Holly opened the doors in February 2003… That’s about 1.35 miles of fabric!
2. Our previous office space was located in the Ford Center downtown Minneapolis where they once built the Ford Model T.
3. Holly was named “Emerging Talent of the Year” in 2005 by the American Society of Interior Design.
4. Since we started our design blog in May of 2009, we have had just about 30,000 views and have posted 198 entries.
5. We have worked on projects all around the country… from Minnesota to Florida to Arizona and places in between!
it’s june!
June 3, 2011
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
kitchen trend: fresh herbs
May 10, 2011
Fresh herbs. Yum!
The American Society of Interior Designers reported this month that requests for mini herb gardens in kitchens are on the rise. As we see a shift turning away from ‘fast food’ and onto ‘slow food’ (foods cooked more meaningfully and with fresh, local ingredients) fresh herbs are popping up in kitchens all over…
You might be thinking, “What a great idea! How can I incorporate herbs into my kitchen?”
It’s easy! You can keep them in a small container on your counter or table, in a window box ‘green house’ by your kitchen sink, in an island trough with skylight above, or, if you’d prefer to just buy them fresh cut as you need them, you can always store them in an herb preserver.
In the picture, you can see some of these suggestions: a hauthaus kitchen, herb preserver and herb kit from Crate & Barrel, and herb container from Williams Sonoma.
If you’re looking for tips and ideas on how to use more herbs in your cooking, Kitchen Window in Calhoun Square in Minneapolis is hosting a “Flavors from the Garden: Greens and Herbs” class on June 2nd. It might be worth checking out as their classes are always lots of fun and informational!! Click here for more info.
In addition to adding freshness to your kitchen and your food, herbs will help your kitchen to smell delicious all of the time!
Q & A with Holly
May 5, 2011
As promised, here is a Q & A with Holly where she tells us her favorites on everything from her favorite designer to her favorite spot for a cheap date night! Enjoy!
Some of Holly's faves...
1. Artist: Paul Klee and Alice Neel
2. Art Event: Art Perchance at the Minneapolis Institute of Art
3. Bar: The Local, downtown
4. Book: The Sartorialist
5. Chair: The Egg Chair
6. Color: No. 2 pencil yellow and Midnight Blue by Crayola
7. Concert Venue: Red Rocks and The MN Zoo
8. Design Icon: Sienna Miller
9. Flower: Ranunculus
10. Food: Huevos Rancheros
11. Gift Shop: I Like You in North East Minneapolis
12. Guilty Pleasure: Bacon!
13. Hobby: painting with the kids!
14. Jewelry: round silver studs and fun cocktail rings
15. Museum: Minneapolis Institute of Art – I’m an Art History major!
16. Musical Artist: just one? 🙂 Caroline Smith and the Goodnight Sleeps
17. Place for Lunch: Thanh Do on Minnetonka Blvd – Vietnamese Egg Roll Salad
18. Restaurant: Travail and The Sample Room
19. Spot for cheap date night: Bryant Lake Bowl
20. Summer Activity: lakeside with the kids, friends, and a margarita!
21. Spot for retro furniture: Spinario in North East Minneapolis
22. Spot for new trendy home accessories: Garage sales and Roam.
23. Vacation Destination: my bed. I love my bed.
24. Winter Activity: Snowshoeing in the woods.
25. Design Magazine: Domino – I miss you!
Q & A with Amber
May 3, 2011
Q & A with Amber!
The CityPages came out with their ‘best of’ list a couple weeks ago, so why can’t we do the same thing? When Amber was asked, “what’s your favorite…” Here’s what she had to say…
A few of Amber's faves...
1. Artist Mondrian. I love his use of bold color and black lines to distinguish space.
2. Bar for unique cocktails Bradstreet Crafthouse in the Graves Hotel.
3. Color Red. The color red makes me happy; it adds a snappy pop of color to any outfit!
4. Chair My favorite is an orange mid century modern chair I got from my grandma. I love the shape and the color. My grandma has great taste!
5. Design period Mid Century Modern. I love the clean lines and innovative use of materials.
6. Flower Gerbera daisies and Spider Mums… they remind me of springtime.
7. Gift shop Patina; they have something for everyone.
8. Guilty pleasure watching Glee… shhh don’t tell anyone! 🙂
9. Hobby Being crafty; I am in a “Stitch N’ Bitch” club – we get together once a month and create everything from candles to sock monkeys!
10. Jewelry anything vintage – usually found at Hunt and Gather in Edina or other thrifty places.
11. Museum Milwaukee Art Museum; designed by Eero Saarinen, David Kahler, and Santiago Calatrava. It even has ‘wings’ that open and close during the day!
12. Musical Artist Dessa – she is a lyrical acrobat!
13. Restaurant of the Moment I’ve been really digging Urban Eatery. They took over the old ‘View’ restaurant in Calhoun Beach Club, and it’s run by the Crave guys. They have yummy food, a sexy atmosphere, and a great happy hour!
14. Summer Activity Spending time at the lakes. Depending on your mood, you can bike, play volleyball, have a picnic, or just relax and people watch. I love it.
15. Spot for retro furniture and accessories Spinario Design in Northeast. They have it all!
16. Spot for new and trendy home accessories Roam on Glenwood in Minneapolis.
17. Winter Activity Seeing the British Advertising Awards presented at the Walker Art Center; they are always so interesting. I’m not much for the cold outdoors!
What are some of your favorites? Stay tuned for Holly’s answers…
what came first… the chair or the egg?
April 22, 2011
Since we are heading into the Easter Weekend, there are sure to be lots of egg dying and egg hunts taking place. Let’s take a look at the ‘egg’ in terms of interior design…