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November 2009
Newsletter

If you’re a fan of Mad Men, then you’ve probably been curious about how you can get the 60s feel at home (albeit without the excessive smoking and drinking). This Mid-century modern look encompasses the furniture designed from approximately 1940-1965 that is known for uncluttered shapes with clean simple lines. Furniture designers traded in oak and other traditional woods for teak, and the incorporation of new materials like lucite and plexiglass became popular.

But the best thing about mid-century modern furniture is that you don’t need a mid-century modern house or even an entire room done in the style. The simple shapes and colors of the pieces work well in most spaces. This is one of the biggest reasons the style has seen such a revival in the recent years. But finding this look in the twin cities can be tough; so we’ve done the research for you.

So if you want to feel like Don Draper, check out these Twin Cities stores:

 

Spinario

Spinario is a small brick building in Northeast Minneapolis that’s packed full of authentic mid-century modern furniture, artwork and accents. And even though it’s a lot of stuff in a small place, it definitely doesn’t have a flea market feel of many antique stores.

They have everything from inexpensive vintage handbags and ashtrays to full dining room furniture sets. Spinario also has a fair amount of artwork and smaller items that would be great for gifts. They say their inventory is always changing; so no 2 visits should be the same. The location is pretty residential, making parking easy.

 

 

Danish Teak Classics

Also in NE Minneapolis is Danish Teak Classics, located in the Northrup King Building. They specialize in vintage furniture, but also sell new productions of classic designs. And as the names implies, they have a lot of Danish furniture.

According to their site, the owner travels to Denmark twice a year, and sends back well preserved pieces he finds. From there, they are restored to “near-original” condition. Their website has a plethora of examples of their finds.

In addition to this, they also offer their restoration services for your existing furniture or from other retailers.

 

 

 

 

Salvation Army

I know what you’re thinking, “Salvation Army? but I’m not looking for some gently used circa 1988 children's books, are you kidding me?” Actually the salvation Army thrift stores in the twin cities can be a great source for mid century modern pieces, especially accessories.

That being said, you’re going to have to look a little harder and try a bit more often. But, you can find some really unique pieces for a fraction of the cost.

See below for some examples of accessories recently purchased at the warehouse district location on North 4th street (a location also known for having new cast offs from Target’s design projects weekly). Each piece you see was less than $10, with the large blue vase as the exception (it was $20).

 

 

 

Pillow Talk

Hello to all the DIY Designers, Martha’s and HGTV addicts out there and welcome to Happy Interiors first bi-monthly design newsletter. You can look to us and our newsletter for the latest design inspirations, trends and ideas.

Ever watch those design shows on TV or flip through your latest design magazine and immediately want to make over a space in your home? Well, for those of you with a design addiction to feed, sink your teeth into this newsletter. We at Happy Interiors have a fun and more importantly cheap and super easy way to makeover any room in your home. Pillows!

Often over looked as a small part of design, pillows, create a focal point on furniture while establishing the rooms overall look and theme. They are a quick fix for an instant style update. Starting with your pillows is a simple step towards transforming your room. Start small and think big. A great pillow can be an inspiration piece for your entire room. The more creative you are with your pillow selection, the more fabulous your space will be. When chosen correctly, they add color, texture and style to your home. So read on as we break down pillow talk (with pictures!) so you can select the perfect plush accessory combination for your home.

First, and most importantly, your new selections should compliment the room’s current style. If your room is traditional and you choose pillows with wild, modern prints you will have only created style confusion (a.k.a. a hot mess). Traditional style spaces are best complimented by pillows in more classic prints. If a contemporary look is more what you are after, use geometric prints or large, bold graphics. Pillows with vintage prints or funky images will help those wishing to attain an eclectic look. Once you have your style pinned down, you will need to decide on a color palette.

Color can be your best friend or your worst enemy. Keeping colors in the same hues and tones can give your room a calm, refined feeling. When going for visual impact, two contrasting colors in different textures and patterns can really pop. You need to be careful though, because when working with contrasting colors too many can quickly lead to color madness (a.k.a. another hot mess). For this reason, I would recommend limiting your space to 2 or 3 different colors maximum. Along with your new color choices remember texture also plays an important role. For example, silk and velvet will give your room a touch of elegance and sophistication while linen and suede will create a casual, homey vibe. Beading, lace, ruffles, pleating and embroidery are all textures too and depending on how they are used can work with a variety of styles. My final note on texture pertains to leather and faux fur; in all cases use them sparingly.

After discussing style and color and texture and prints this may all start to sound rather confusing. So here I will leave you with a simple guideline for all your new found pillow knowledge. Just be careful to not overwhelm your space with too many different types of pillows, generally three to four designs per room is a good balance. As cliché as it sounds “Less is More”.

A quick review of the 3 ways to improve a space with pillows:

• Have a style/theme in mind (chic, eclectic, casual, whimsical, mod)

• Select colors and textures that compliment your rooms style

• Balance the space with 3-4 pillow designs

If you would like any of the pillows you see here just contact us at happyinteriors.com. Some of the most fabulous pillows are only available to the trade, but with Happy Interiors on your side they can be yours! We get you designer style without the designer prices because we pass our trade discount on to you. We do anything from a small pillow purchase to entire room makeovers.

So if you need some design advice, have questions or just want to check us out; go to happyinteriors.com and find your happy place!

Written by Abby Tallman, the newest member of the Happy Interiors team.

 

Mock Me

Trying to picture a 2 inch paint swatch with a brown roadster chair on a beige tufted carpet in your head is incredibly tough for the most experienced interior designers, but that’s what we attempt to do every time we go to a home improvement or furniture store. And with all of this mind-bending visualization, we often look back at the finished room and think to ourselves “something’s off.” This is where the always helpful mock-up comes in.

Designers are able to create that complete look because they’ve already worked it out on paper several times. They start with a simple floor plan to see the flow of the room, then move onto sketches and mockups to see how the different pieces work together. This enables them to quickly isolate many of the rooms problems (e.g. bad lighting, awkward space etc.) and create solutions for them.

But you can create simple mockups too. A little time drawing out a desired floor plan on graphing paper can save you an expensive and time consuming mistake (like buying furniture that is too large or seating that will have to be at odd angles).

But we aren’t all the best artists or have an eye for color. (Warning: shameless plug ahead!) That’s where a little bit of time and money spent hiring a designer to create mock-ups can solve the issues your rooms are having, and this will help prevent you from replacing furniture, wall colors and accessories every few years. In the end, you'll have a room you're much more happy with, and already staged for prospective home buyers if you ever have to sell.

Written by Amy Mathie, Owner and Founder of Happy Interiors.