Colorado Home Design Blog

A sale so good we almost want to keep it to ourselves

Caroline — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 23:14:00 +0000

If you love HW Home as much as I do, then you’ll be thrilled to know that their 10th Annual Warehouse Sale is right around the corner. (With an enormous, but carefully selected, trove of beautiful one-of-a-kind home goods for every room in the house, what’s not to love? Plus, the company’s local, with four showrooms across the Front Range.) The sale runs from February 12th through the 15th at the former Linens-N-Things in the FlatIron Marketplace. Click here to get the scoop.

And to get you in the mood, I’m bringing back some shots (from our June/July 2009 issue) of a home designed by HW Home’s Jim Hering. Click here to read more about this home, and visit hwhome.com to start dreaming about what you’re going to bring home…

And now for a little Friday fun…

Hilary — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 19:24:21 +0000

We just finished our March issue, and after all of the editing and fact-checking and obsessing about details, I need a day or two just to relish good design without worrying about all the tiny stuff that goes into making the magazine. So today, I stopped by Working Class Studio’s website for a dose of fun, whimsical home decor and stationery. Working Class Studio is a product development venture of the Savannah College of Art and Design. It promotes the work of students, faculty and alumni—and proves that artists don’t have to starve. It’s brilliant, really, to offer students insight into how to take a cool design and turn it into a profitable venture. The collection includes funky, mod-inspired square melamine plates (perfect for a summer barbecue); outdoor pillows in bold, graphic prints; contemporary acrylic table lamps; pop-culture-inspired stationery; silicone rubber clocks—the list is long. I’m crazy about the "Wrought Irony" plates (and who can resist such a clever name?)

And these pillows, from the Sarah Collection, are among my favorites:

You can buy Working Class Studio’s stuff online at shopscad.com (where you’ll find lots of other tempting pieces) or at the Perfect Petal in Denver and Suburban Hill in Longmont. Happy Friday!

A Bath Fit for Cinderella

Hilary — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 20:58:38 +0000

For our March issue, which is all about remodeling, we’re working up a story about glam fixtures for three rooms of your home: the living room, kitchen and bath. The pieces we’ve found are well worth the splurge; they’re the cherries on top of better functionality, smarter space planning–you know, all of the practical reasons you undertake a remodel.

While I was digging through piles of new bath products, I discovered this: Novellini’s new Cristal Tub, which retails for $21,000. The press materials promise that it "leaves nothing to the imagination." No kidding.

The tub comes with its own integrated chrome-finished, floor-mounted faucet, and its sides are made from clear safety-glass panels.

The sad news (for those of you clamoring to add a little Italian beauty to your bathroom) is that the tub isn’t yet available through a Colorado showroom or retailer, but if you really must have it, go to novellini.com and click the "contact" button.

What do you think? Worth the splurge?

Predictions for the 2010 Antiques Market

Hilary — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 20:43:20 +0000

We’re whipping up a guide to reproduction (or "young") antiques for our March issue, which hits newsstands on February 23. And while I was editing away last week, I got this list of predictions from Antiques Roadshow’s appraiser Lark Mason :

1. Large D-flawless diamonds and finer quality jewelry will be strong sellers, serving as a hedge for wealthy collectors in the turbulent economy.

2. Post-war fine arts by top artists will be in great demand.

3. Lower-end collectibles won’t be great sellers, especially outside of pop and mass culture items, so look for bargains here.

4. Middle market (items under $10,000) decorative English, American, and European furniture and decorative arts will continue to have a tough time, as this segment of the market competes against mass-market retailers offering reproductions of this material at affordable prices.

We think #4 is especially interesting, and fits just perfectly with our view that if you’ve ever been interested in collecting antiques or adding a few vintage pieces to your otherwise modern or contemporary home, now’s the time. Lower demand means better prices and a greater selection. And young antiques are a great way to enter this fascinating realm.

By the way, Antiques Roadshow made a stop in Denver last summer, and the Denver episodes air March 29, April 5 and April 12 at 7 p.m. on Rocky Mountain PBS. We sent an intrepid reporter to find out what Coloradans were schlepping to the AR taping, and we’ll publish her piece in March, but in the meantime…Did anyone out there attend the Roadshow taping and discover that you are the proud owner of a priceless gem? Leave a comment and tell us about it.

Blast from the Past–Readers Respond

Hilary — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 20:29:56 +0000

Already we’ve gotten some comical responses to our invitation in our Jan/Feb issue to look back at the milestones and missteps in Colorado design history. Judy from Denver writes, "I grew up in Denver, and my mother was so excited about the pastel flowered wallpaper she found that she put it up everywhere: the kitchen, her bedroom, the living room, even the guest bathroom. Now that I think of it, I can’t decide if it looked like it belonged in an old folks’ home or a baby’s room. Even though I know that wallpaper is cool again, especially in those big prints, I just can’t bring myself to even consider it, after years of living with those tiny baby blue and pale pink flowers!"

And Laila from Edwards says, "Ha! I loved your reference to mirrored walls. We had a whole wall of mirrors in our living room when I was a kid…and a huge sectional sofa in a brushed mauve/purple velvet. When it was delivered, I was eight, and i remember thinking how awesome it was. I wanted to sleep on it, so my mom let me spend the night on the couch."

We did hear from a reader, Karen, who said that she can’t believe that we’d make fun of the homes that once graced the pages of our magazine. We certainly don’t mean to offend anyone, and while we do believe good design is important–and a fascinating reflection of pop culture, politics and geography–we don’t think it hurts to have a good chuckle from time to time at trends that we’re glad are long gone. Disagree? Send me a note at hoswald@coloradohomesmag.com. I’d be happy to post your responses.

Behind the scenes at a remodel shoot

Elaine — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 22:56:28 +0000

We were recently in Avon shooting a very swanky remodel where the homeowners recovered, repurposed and repainted (along with moving around a few walls) for a stunning new look. Photographer Kimberly Gavin adjusts the exposure while project interior designer Tracie Schumacher, principal and owner of Studio80 Interior Architecture & Design, tweaks positioning of the chairs.

Happy Holidays: Great Deals at a Fantastic Spa

Hilary — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 21:52:19 +0000

The Spa at the St. Julien in Boulder is one of the best places in all of Colorado–ok, the country–to treat yourself (or someone you love) to an afternoon of bliss. And if you’re feeling a bit harried this holiday season, the spa is the perfect place to unwind, especially because it’s running fabulous deals on special treatments all month long.

Enjoy the Yam and Pumpkin Freshener, a 25-minute facial freshener with a yam-and-pumpkin enzyme peel for $50. Or opt for the Happy Hour Beauty Bar. From 4-8 p.m. on Thursdays, the spa serves wine and cheese and allows ladies to choose two of three mini-services: quick make-up, an up-do for the evening, and a mini hand or toe polish change–all for $50. For the guys, Happy Hour happens from 4-8 p.m. on Tuesdays, when the spa dishes up beer, cheese and sausage. Gentlemen choose a haircut or mustache and bread trim and get a chair massage and mini manicure for $50.

And if you’re still looking for the perfect holiday gift, consider a gift certificate for the spa’s new Mountain Mojito treatment. This delicious 75-minute treatment begins with a mint-and-sugar body scrub (the mint is fresh from the hotel’s garden), followed by an aromatherapy massage with essential oils. The final touch is a refreshing mojito cocktail in the spa’s quiet lounge. Trust me: Your loved one will be grateful for this gift for a long time to come. (In fact, I’m hoping that someone I love gets the hint.)

The St. Julien has all kinds of accolades to its name–the AAA Four-Diamond Award for 2010 and a place on Conde Nast Traveler’s Readers’ Choice Top 100 Hotels list, to name a few. So take advantage of this wonderful little spot in our own backyard.

Kudos to local designer Andrea Schumacher

Hilary — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 19:57:41 +0000

Congratulations are in order: Andrea Monath Schumacher, principal of O Interior Design in Denver, is featured in the December/January issue of House Beautiful! The story, "The Next Wave of Designers," identifies 20 designers from across the country who are shaping the future of interior design. "What they have in common is their commitment to innovation and their passion for creating beautiful interiors," HB says.

We’re not surprised to see Andrea on this list; we’ve been fans of her work for a long time. Check out one of her fabulous rooms here, featured in our August issue.

Congratulations, Andrea!

The Denver Art Museum gets a paint job

Caroline — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:25:52 +0000

Many of us are familiar with the angled spaces, off-kilter planes and intriguing nooks and crannies of the Denver Art Museum’s Frederic C. Hamilton Building. Now, these distinctive spaces have become canvases for large-scale, site-specific works by 17 artists in a brand-new exhibit called Embrace! (which opened November 14, 2009 and runs through April 4, 2010). Trust us, this one is not-to-be-missed. Spectacular. Here’s a taste; find out more at denverartmuseum.org (or just go see for yourself).

A Handy (and FREE) Remodel Resource

Hilary — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:32:53 +0000

Bless those good folks at the The National Kitchen & Bath Association. The nation’s leading professional association of industry experts (think designers, builders, fabricators and manufacturers) figured out that homeowners can use a little guidance when it comes to building or remodeling baths and kitchens. So they’ve created a FREE workbook, designed to guide each of us through what can be a daunting process. Get tips on hiring a designer, managing your budget, finding just the right finishes and plenty more. If you’re in the market for a new kitchen or bath, it’s well worth the few minutes you’ll spend filling out the online form to request a copy.