Remodel Your Bathroom in Three Easy Steps

I’ve moved many times – in fact, in 17 years of marriage I have had 2 apartments and 5 homes.  One of my favorite things about my newest home is that I finally have a huge tub in my master bath; I can officially get my whole self under water all at one time!  This was a major selling point for me in choosing this house, but the rest of the bathroom was not exactly what I was hoping for…

So in order to make my bathroom a place I can truly enjoy while I soak, I found ways to take the focus off the parts of the room I didn’t like and turn the attention somewhere else.  There are three areas that you can look at in order to improve your bathroom, without necessarily doing a major remodel.

Your bathroom can be more than just a room of necessity; it can be an oasis.

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Tags: Bathroom Remodel

Hirshfield’s Hosts Upper Midwest Fine Finishing Conference & Open House, Oct. 16

Hirshfield’s and the Minneapolis Institute of Fine Finishes will host the industry’s best at the Upper Midwest Fine Finishing Conference & Open House on Oct. 16.  The event will feature information and demonstrations on going green, application workshops, product discounts and new products like the introduction of Drew Beninati’s Venetian and Metallic plaster color lines available exclusively at Hirshfield’s Plaster Center.

The free event is open to the public and will include presentations from guest speaker Kelly S. King, an artisan, instructor and product developer as well as American Clay, makers of earth-friendly wall plaster from reclaimed industrial waste from granite countertops, Architectural EnhanCement, a local countertop resurfacing company, Modern Masters, a zero-VOC decorative paint firm from Los Angeles and Texturline, markers of eco-friendly metallic wall coatings.

The Open House runs from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. at Hirshfield’s Plaster Center, located at 725 Second Ave. N., Minneapolis.

Loft Living Tips

Decorating your loft or condo can be very different than decorating a larger house — you have to be sure to make the most out of the space you have.  Here are some of my top tips for styling your loft or condo:

• Make the most of your focal points: Highlight unique spots in your home, such as walls with a fireplace or windows with a great view.  For example, if you’re going to splurge on silk panels for a window, make sure to put them on the best window in the space.
• Be creative with storage: In most lofts, storage space is at a premium, so you must make the most of any space available.  You may have great vertical options, and you can even turn the storage space into a decor piece in a room, such as using shelves with baskets that look great and also hide your clutter.

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Tags: Loft Decor

Make Your Kitchen Sizzle

The kitchen is where most families spend the most time together — debriefing each other on their busy lives, spending quality time together, preparing and consuming meals. However, the kitchen may be the room in your home that is given the least consideration when it comes to paint and decor. Mark Masica, manager of Hirshfield’s Edina location, has some insight on painting your perfect kitchen:

• Choose Bright Colors: Kitchens generally have the least wall space of any room in your home, so it’s important to choose a color that makes the most of the wall space it’s got. Soft yellow and golds often work well in kitchens because, as Masica says, “yellows are bright and cheery, and since your kitchen is often one of the first things you see in the morning, it helps get your day started on the right foot.” Reds, which may seem a bit overwhelming in other areas of your home, are often ideal for kitchens, with just the right amount of wall space to make the room stand out without being too much.

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Tags: Bright Colors, Kitchen Decor, Red Paint, Yellow Paint

Inexpensive Home Improvements

You want to remodel, but with the economy still working its way back, it may seem like now isn’t the time to pour your hard-earned dollars into a large-scale project. Don’t despair — there’s plenty you can do to spruce up your home without breaking the bank. Kim, a color consultant at Hirshfield’s Coon Rapids location, has some great tips for inexpensive home improvements — little details that can drastically change the look and feel of your home.

• Lighting: Many homes, especially older homes, don’t have adequate lighting, and making a simple change to the light fixtures can make a huge difference in the tone of your house. Also, choose paint colors that, paired with good lighting, will make the rooms of your home seem lighter, brighter, and full of energy.
• Paint Ceilings & Trim: The ceiling, or “fifth wall,” can often be overlooked. It might sound unconventional, but painting a room’s ceiling is a quick way to create a different feel without having to overhaul the entire space or spend the better part of an afternoon painting. There are plenty of options for choosing the ceiling color — it can be painted the same color as the room, in a different shade of that color, or even a different color completely.

You don't have to be this creative, but adding some color to the ceiling can really light up a room.

• Replace Hardware: This is an easy option for those that want to make changes but don’t want to stretch their budget. Replacing accent pieces — such as making the switch from a flat to framed mirror, changing the knobs on cabinets, or switching the bathroom fixtures — can really modify the overall tone of a room.

Tags: Inexpensive Remodels, Painted Ceilings

Trade Secrets

Painting is easy, right?  Anyone can grab a brush and throw paint on a wall, but there is a significant difference between the work of a master painter and what your teenage son’s room might look like if he completed the job himself.  Perhaps even more important may be the color and design selection process itself – if the color isn’t right, it doesn’t matter how excellent the paint job is.  However, you don’t necessarily need to hire a team of professional painters and designers to produce similar workmanship – our expert staff has come up with its top trade secrets to help your painting projects turn out perfectly:

• Before you change wall colors, update trim and ceiling colors: White trim or ceilings can appear too stark in rooms with dark color on the walls.  “In rooms with very dark wall colors, bring the color of the ceiling closer to the wall color.  The color of the ceiling can really make the room,” says Mark Masica, manager of the Edina location.  When repainting the walls or staying within the same color family, the trim or ceiling may not need to be painted.
• When selecting wall colors, don’t shy away from traditional hues: Painting is the easiest and least expensive way to dramatically change the character of any room, and you can easily repaint a room if you dislike the results; however, don’t choose a wild color to make a statement.  “Choose a color you can live with for several years,” says Kathy Basil of Hirshfield’s Design Studio. “You can’t be too bold or too subtle but the color should reflect your personality and style.”

Tags: Painting Tips, Remodel Tips

Keep Your Deck Looking Great

You’ve got a new deck. Congratulations. Now, what do you do to keep it looking great?

First of all, you’ll want to use a semi-transparent stain or clear finish with UV protectors so the grain shows. A deck paint or solid color stain will hide all the grain but does require additional attention.

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Tags: Deck Stain, Deck Stain Tips

Fall Color Trends — Manufactured is out, Metallic is in

It may seem as though summer has barely started here in Minnesota, but in the design world, they’re already thinking fall.  I stopped by Hirshfield’s Design Studio a few days ago and asked Kathy Basil, the showroom manager, for her insights on color and design trends for this autumn.

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2009 Color Trends: Bright is back!

As spring is springing in the Twin Cities, it’s an ideal time for home maintenance inside and outside the house.

Our friends at Hirshfield’s are always on the pulse of upcoming trends in paint and design, and they’ve shared some of the key trends for 2009 with me.  Greg Yaghsezian from Hirshfield’s Design Studio suggests that black will be big in 2009, especially paired with strong colors or whites.  Whites like porcelain, whipped cream and cotton ball will be layered and bright colors, like kiwi and popsicle greens, will make a comback.  Hirshfield’s predicts that vibrant, culinary-inspired yellows – think buttered popcorn and yolk – will be prominent, as will soft, metallic golds like gold dust or brushed gold.  These shades will be reflected not only in paint, but fabrics as well.   

Greg also mentioned that the November election will have an impact on color choices in the coming months, and patriotic colors – presidential blues, etc. – will be popular.  As he told me, ““While most people aren’t consciously choosing these colors because of the election, there is definitely an uptick in sales of these more classic colors during election years.”   Who would have thought?

All this talk of color and design trends has made me wish that I had a house of my own to implement these trends in.  Those of you who do own a house, head to Hirshfield’s and get painting!  

Making Your Home Eco-Friendly – and Cost-Efficient

You may have noticed a sudden uptick in the number of stores offering reusable bags lately – Lunds, Barnes & Noble, Cub.  I too tote my bright red Target bag around proudly in an effort to be more environmentally friendly.  Carrying a reusable bag in lieu of its plastic counterpart isn’t the only thing you can do to help the environment – there are plenty of ways to make your home more eco-friendly, and our friends at Hirshfield’s have great tips on how to do just that — and even save some cash.

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