Q & A with Holly

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!

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Q & A with Amber

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?

 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…

 

The Egg Chair is often considered on of the most recognizable icon chairs of the 20th century. You can find it on anything from totes to jewelry to post cards. It was designed by Arne Jacobsen in 1956 for the lobby and public areas of the Radisson SAS Hotel in Copenhagen. Jacobsen wanted to create a chair with a unique shape that, when sitting in it in a public space, it still gave you a little bit of privacy. The Egg Chair did just that. 

 

Photo #2 shows a pillow design paying homage to the iconic chair.

 

As you can see in photo #3, Jacobsen was meticulous about where the seams of the fabric would fall when designing this chair. He made sure that the dimensions of the chair were exact so that it could be upholstered with two cowhides without showing the seams.

 

Jacobsen took inspiration from another mid-century modern designed chair; The Womb Chair (photo #4). It was designed by Eero Saarinen exclusively for Knoll. Both chairs are designed to have matching ottomans.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

fall dinner parties

Fall is in the air, but that doesn’t mean the summer fun has to stop quite yet! I’m sure there are a few more sunny days that would be perfect for a ladies’ brunch, a backyard picnic, or a late night dinner party with friends!

Here we highlight our ‘hauthaus table tops’ that we debuted on Kare11 earlier this summer…

Perfect for a ladies' brunch!

We have our ‘Ladies’ brunch table top’ in the stylish color combo, white, grey and yellow.  Wouldn’t it be fun to sit down at this beautful table to sip tea and eat scones?

• Table cloth: KDR Showrooms
• White round placemat, yellow square and round plates, napkin, napkin holder: Crate and Barrel
• Grey tea cup and saucer, grey salad plate, antique silver vase: Spinario Design
• Paris coaster, Eiffel Tower name card holder: Zachary Ltd.
• White Peonies: Minneapolis Farmers Market 

 

 

 

 

Backyard BBQ

I love breezy, sunny fall days. They are perfect for a backyard BBQ before the big game. Get this tabletop look!

• Tablecloth fabric: KDR Showrooms
• Vintage tin tray, juice glass, “99” place holder: Hunt & Gather
• Orange plate, striped plate: Crate & Barrel
• Green goblet: Spinario Design
• Lantern, flower pot: Zachary Ltd.
• Gerbera Daisy plant: Minneapolis Farmers’ Market

 

 

Late night dinner party

After the autumn sun has set, turn up the jazz music and have a late night dinner party with friends. This table top setting is perfect for Spanish tapas…

• Tablecloth fabric: KDR Showrooms
• Teal charger, small black bowl, pitcher, glasses, antique wooden bowl: Spinario Design
• Blue plate, napkin holder, napkin: Crate & Barrel
• Purple plate, black square plate, silverware: Ikea
• Buddah: Zachary Ltd.
• Thyme: Minneapolis Farmers’ Market

 

When putting together a tabletop setting it’s important to remember to use antique or vintage items you might have in storage. Your Grandma’s antique silver vase might be just the thing your setting needs!  Don’t be afraid to use quirky items to add character! Go ahead, stack up your plates, use herbs as decoration, mix colors and styles!

It looks like this weekend’s weather is going beautiful! So please, go ahead; invite the neighbors, family, and friends and have a fun gathering of your own!

showcase home porch:afters

The 2010 ASID Showcase Home Tour has come and gone. What a great 4 weeks it was! Thank you to all who came to support ASID, the four beneficiaries, and great interior design!

If you didn’t get a chance to go take a peek inside, here are some of our after shots from the front porch at the Isles home…

photo by Mark Ehlen Photography

photo by Mark Ehlen Photography

Porch highlights:

• We sanded down the floor, which was covered in paint, and found Douglas Fir flooring that was original to the home, built in 1908.
• To add color and texture, we applied a navy vinyl floor covering to the ceiling.
• Since the homeowner is a world traveller, we incorporated many of his own pieces into the design.
• We specified furniture from Grange’s new outdoor line from KDR Showrooms.
• All of the fabrics in the space are indoor/outdoor from KDR Showrooms.
• Palm leaf ceiling fans were installed to circulate fresh air.
• Antique furniture pieces and accessories were found at Spinario Design in Northeast Minneapolis.
• A new Waverton Cambria top was fitted to an existing antique Weiman table in the seating area.

What are some of your favorite design features? We’d love to know!

cheers, amber

hauthaus porch sneak peek

Have you been to the ASID Showcase Homes yet? …Well? What are you waiting for?!

Holly and I designed the front porch at the Lake of the Isles home, and we are so excited for you to see it!

Here is a little sneak peek of what you’ll find.

This beautiful Weiman table was found at Spinario and outfitted with a brand new ‘Waverton’ Cambria top.  The red is a great pop of color in the room!

Fiddle Leaf Fig trees anchor the ends of the porch. They provide a sense of privacy from the house next door.

The fans are both beautiful and functional in the space.

 

 

 

 

Also to note: an unexpected flooring material that is used on the ceiling, original Douglas Fir flooring, various antiques from the homeowner’s collection as well as a number from Spinario, and new Grange outdoor furniture. 

Stop by and create some origami on the porch at the large Nazareno wood table!

cheers, amber

a bright idea

While our creative client, Emily, was building her new house, she had a bright idea. 

She needed a railing. So what did she do? She went out to the woods, found a beautiful, long branch and fashioned it into a very custom, very cool railing.

Check out Emily’s super fun railing!

Using found objects and interesting pieces in your home can really personalize your space.

Some of our favorite places to shop for such things are: Spinario Design, Architectural Antiques, and International Market Square. 

Give us a call if you’d like a hauthaus shopping date!  We’d love to help you find something special!

cheers, amber