Articles by Hilary

Even though we write about home design (and related topics) almost all of the time, I always say that I love ALL design–from really cool industrial work to beautiful packaging. (Speaking of which, these new green Bon Ami cleaning products have the best labels, don’t you think?)

Here are a few things I’m admiring today…

These pretty custom silhouette necklaces from Le Papier Studio. I know silhouettes are everywhere, but I just love the idea of preserving my 15-month-old’s sweet profile in this way!

I could pretend to be sipping my coffee at a bistro table in Provence if I had these tea towels from Bochard.

(Ok, I admit that I’m crazy about tea towels these days. If you’re looking for a great–and inexpensive–way to add a bit of artistic flair to your kitchen, buy three tea towels with different but complementary styles and have them framed. Viola!)

So here’s another great source of French tea towels, particularly for wine-lovers among us. This company reproduces famous wine labels on tea towels. Tres chic.

These cards are the perfect gift for the font geek in your life. (Guilty as charged.)

And finally, how about this pretty vintage vase? Just makes me smile.

I’m not sure how Louis XVI would have felt if he had known that some 221 years after the storming of the Bastille, we’d be celebrating Bastille Day with a sale on lovely French linens…but we are. Brass Bed in Denver is offering 20 percent off all Yves Delorme goodies from July 9-14. If you’re in the market for fresh, beautiful bedding fit for a, um, king (sorry, Louis, I couldn’t resist), this sale could have you toasting French independence (and design) like never before.

This afternoon, as the clouds rolled west over the mountains, I drove down from Denver to Colorado Springs for an event that reminded me of one of my favorite design adages: Often, simple design is the best design. The event is called Design for Hope, and it’s a project of the Interior Design program at Pikes Peak Community College. The concept is simple (and modeled after the TV show “Design Star” on HGTV).  Each of eight teams of students gets a blank space (three walls and a floor platform) and is assigned a room (kitchen, kid’s bath, art studio, outdoor living area, etc.) Each team gets $1,000. The rest is up to them.

Students were encouraged to use recycled and reclaimed items, and I think they did a brilliant job. As I walked around the rooms (at an empty retail space at the Promenade Shops at Briargate), the student designers talked about how they recycled items they found from places like Freecycle and Craigslist. (You would never guess that these pieces weren’t brand new. These students know how to give second life to furniture, finishes and lighting.) Part of Design for Hope’s goal is to promote sustainability in design practices. Mission accomplished.

Kudos to the program’s director, the talented and tireless Tara Gray, for giving design students an opportunity to learn how to make the most of their resources, use their imaginations and execute fantastic work.

If you’re looking for a design-inspired way to spend tomorrow night (Saturday, June 12), head to the Promenade Shops at Briargate in Colorado Springs for the gala and silent auction from 5:30 to 9:00. Tickets are still available for $35 each, which includes wine and beer tasting, music, appetizers and a silent auction, in which you can bid on all of the objects from the students’ rooms. (I have my eye on a particularly cool chandelier in the dining room…) Proceeds benefit CASA of the Pikes Peak Region, which trains and supervises volunteers to represent victims of child abuse. Volunteers work for the best interest of these children in the court system and in the community. It’s a worthy cause–and the gala promises to be a very fun event. Don’t miss it.

The editorial team is starting to plan for our September/October “kitchen and bath” issue, so I’m on the lookout for lovely things for these spaces. Today, I discovered this gem of a vanity from Hastings Tile + Bath. Called the Ameli, it’s definitely sleek, a minimalist’s dream. I wonder how it looks with toothpaste dripped in the sink basin…

I admit it: I’m no cook. My husband cooks 99 percent of the meals in our home. (I make a mean grilled-cheese-and-tomato sandwich. That’s the other one percent.) But I still love cool appliances. Maybe it’s because so many of them are just so beautiful, so high-tech, so inspiring I almost wish I had some kind of culinary instinct.

So I’m excited to tell you that the TurboChef Mobile Culinary Institute (sounds so official, doesn’t it?) is coming to Denver on Tuesday, April 20. Between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m., you should join the good folks at Kitchens at the Denver for demonstrations of TurboChef Double & Single Wall Speedcook Ovens and Jade classic ranges. I hear there will plenty of good things to taste, which is reason enough to stop by.

Kitchens at the Denver is located at 761 Kalamath St., at the intersection of 8th and Kalamath. For more info, contact Cindy at 303-629-0119.

See you there!

We are in the midst of creating our April "real estate" issue, so I’m especially tuned in to good news about Colorado’s markets. And I was pleased to hear this bit of particularly good news about one of Denver’s most interesting neighborhoods: This Old House, the national home-improvement magazine that has been around forever, named Curtis Park one of the country’s "Best Old-House Neighborhoods."

Curtis Park, TOH reports, has nearly 500 late-19th-century homes in styles such as Second Empire, Italianate and Queen Anne. If you’re in the market for a dramatic roofline, beautiful turrets or unusual facades, Curtis Park could be the place for you.

The neighborhood is enjoying a strong cultural renaissance, and smart investors–and homeowners in search of homes with some architectural history–are renovating the old houses to great success. TOH says that the prices are right: fixer-uppers average about $173,000.

Curtis Park’s boundaries aren’t clear-cut, but here’s a rough estimate: The neighborhood is bordered by Broadway and Downing streets on the west and east, and by 23rd and 38th to the south and north.

You get the benefits of city living at affordable prices about 15 minutes from downtown. It’s a good mix, and we’ll be keeping our eyes on Curtis Park in the coming years. You should, too.