we are looking forward to our event on tuesday evening (may 21st, 2013) inside/out.  it is our first design event here at the store and we have invited norwalk furniture and lucas paint our local benjamin moore supplier to be available to share some of the industry trends in textiles and paint color.

i’ve always been a big fan of benjamin moore but lucas paint (specifically shane) helps us specify the right color and type of paint for our clients.  ever had a white that ended up being to “pink”, to “gray” or two “yellow”?  not any more!  shane’s eye is great and helps us get it right the first time.

25 years ago i was trying to pick a chinese red paint for the front door of a client and we painted the door 3 times before getting it right.  the door would barely close!  thank goodness my client was a good sport!  those days are gone, experience has been a great teacher and with a little help from shane at lucas our team gets it right every time.

recently i went to the norwalk furniture factory for a pre-market event.  during our time there we were able to see some of the great new fabric and style trends in the furnishings industry.  i’ve asked sally simerson our rep to come and show these fabrics that have come from around the world and she will also be able to provide some insight into some of the style trends emerging in design.  just to whet your appetite here’s the trends:

urban studio, velvet reverie, the kasbah, gem palace and monogram….if you’re in the neighborhood come by, talk with the experts and enjoy some libations!

oh and don’t forget to spin the carnival wheel for a discount on your next purchase or design service.

tuesday, may 21st, 2013   7700 w. 44th avenue wheat ridge, co

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we are always delighted when we get to be the first to share new furniture with you and this is no different! we recently became the exclusive denver-area dealer for nuans design/kubikoff italy and absolutely love their products!

some of our favorite pieces are kubikoff’s new take on the iconic mid-century molded fiberglass chairs. kubikoff has reworked them by instead making the seat of molded plastics, either in clear or white, or in wonderful wooly felt fabrics, and has a wonderful selection of unique bases for the chairs as well – weather you want something ultra modern or a little bit kitsch, this line has something for you.

in addition to their chairs, nuans and kubikoff have a wonderful selection of upholstered furniture pieces and tables, perfect for everything from dining to office use. this incredibly versatile line is sure to have a piece that is perfect for every home!

market is always a great time to see the trends that have been flying around for a while come together, and see which ones really make it. you may have heard that pantone’s color of the year is emerald green – and they’re really trying to make it happen. with sponsored events and exhibits around the color emerald, some of the vendors had their seemingly ubiquitous “emerald” corner, pulling in their few emerald colored products, but it was obvious – green was in, but not emerald. the greens that were everywhere were less jewel toned, more kelly green and lime green.

the big trend this year was mixing modern furnishings with more textural and natural elements like flat weave rugs made of wool and jute, organic pieces like tree trunks made into tables, and elements like floor pillows and poufs for extra seating.

in addition, the industrial look of metal, riveted steel, and leather mixed with linens and textural, almost burlap fabrics – made famous by stores like restoration hardware is still going strong. iconic mid-century pieces are now being re-made to match this style which is a fun way to get the vintage look without getting a knock-off piece.

and finally, know that color is BACK. without following trends in a specific color, across the board, vibrant hues are in. whether it be tangerine oranges, bright fuchsias or saturated navy tones, the more color the better.

it was another busy saturday at modmood with fun furnishings being sold and plenty of traffic from open to close, great sales and the “fiscal cliff” seemed but a distant memory

however, with a lot of customers it was time time to give our regular attention to cleaning  the bathrooms. although we rotate this bathroom cleaning responsibility daily among our staff it was time for our newest employee, cyrus bobo, to take his turn and learn the fundamentals of toilet cleaning, etc.

i’m sure cyrus wasn’t thinking of toilet cleaning when he asked to help at our  retro vintage, modern and contemporary studio and design center.

after jeanne, our resident bathroom guru, had finished teaching cyrus the abc’s of making our restrooms spotless and sanitary, i’m sure he felt more like mr. clean than an apprentice retail associate. however, for better or worse, richer or poorer, most brick and mortar stores try their best to make the shopping experience enjoyable for their customers.  even teaching their grandchildren how to clean toilets–welcome aboard, cyrus!

in a recent survey i read, can you guess what the favorite color for living rooms in the mountain west region was?

brown (beige to be exact)… are you kidding me? it made me wonder who they polled to come to this conclusion. i’ve found that brown can absolutely suck the life out of any room. i like to keep it fresh and white is a great go to color for that…yes, white is a color too!

as an accent or more these colors can add so much to your space:

blue is a great color and can be safely used in so many areas of the home. usually classified as a cool color, it is generally relaxing and serene and is great in colorado as it blends nicely with our wonderful blue skies.

purple can range from a soft lavender to eggplant and is a great accent color whether used in an analogous palette, with blues or pinks or a complimentary one with yellows and golds.

red is one of those colors that either you go full blown, all the way, “katy bar the door” with OR you use just a touch. it can be overpowering quickly if used as an accent or vibrant and delicious if carried to the limit.

orange seems to be an all around favorite with the modern style and also the vintage and retro – it can add excitement to any space. of course you want to be careful; having lived in both tennessee and colorado (think tennessee vols and denver broncos) it can take on a unsophisticated turn very quickly if used with the wrong color or accent.

yellow can be fabulous or disastrous. due to the huge amount of sunlight we get in colorado it’s important to spend time selecting just the right yellow for your space. keep in mind the amount of direct sunlight to which your room may be exposed. one of my favorites is a butter cream yellow as it adds brightness yet is soothing to the strong bright light we are lucky to have here. another yellow that i love is what i refer to as the “aspen” yellow. you can’t live in colorado and not know the wonder of that beautiful color contrasting our snow covered mountains.

green is one of those colors that has a great organic quality. whether you are using a fresh bright yellow – green or running to the opposite side of the green range with blue – greens you can’t go wrong. green is a favorite for dining rooms and front doors and foyers.

to introduce myself a bit, one of my personal interests is fashion.  i have a few favorite fashion designers that i follow very closely, i am always excited in the spring and fall for fashion week to see the new designs and trends for the upcoming seasons. and most importantly i find it fascinating that fashion repeats itself and i love the way fashion has changed and evolved over the generations. working at modmood for the last few months i have been able to translate my interest in fashion designs and trends to the great furniture pieces and accessories we select for our showroom. i was unaware how much fashion and furniture trends have in common. mercedes benz fashion week occurred a few months ago and after the event many analyzed the similarities between the numerous designers that presented collections during the week, one similarity that was found in this past show was an aquatic inspiration from many of the designers. numerous dresses and designs were made with beautiful shades of blue and green that relate to water and the designers manipulated fabrics to show movement and fluidity.  shown below are two designs with this inspiration, the one on the left is by zac posen and the one on the right was designed by diane von furstenberg.

in a new accessory line we carry, arteriors, i was recently exploring new products for the upcoming season and found the lamps displayed below. the lamps were obviously designed with the same aquatic inspiration as the fashion designers.

another trend that was projected from fashion week was stripes. big, bold, graphic stripes.  pictured below are two designs michael kors sent down the runway showing this trend.

these corresponding vases are made by global views, which is one of modmood’s favorite vendors for accessories. the stripes on these vases are practically identical to michael kors’ designs!

as you can see the similarities between the products are apparent. i have had fun putting my interest of fashion trends to use here in the store, and i hope no matter your interests, fashion or furniture, you come in and check out the new innovative designs by all of the vendors we carry here at modmood!

check out this great video by local film student, travis hubbard!

travis was looking for a local business to feature in a recent project of his and we were so glad when he chose modmood, it was a fun project to be a part of!

modmood: a modern fix

Today weddings are much different than they once were. People are waiting until they are older to settle down and get married, and often couples have lived together for some time prior to their wedding day, and already have many of the necessities of day-to-day life. Wedding registry was once used primarily so the newlyweds could acquire the necessities of starting a household together, all the dishes, bedding, appliances and knick knacks you need when you are right out of high school or college and you are moving into your first home.

With the trend of marrying later and most couples not having a need for household items, the idea of registry has evolved and should continue to evolve to fill the needs and wants of the present day bride and groom. Many stores of all sorts offer options for couples to register. Brides and Grooms should really sit down and think about the places they love to shop together, and the items they have seen in passing that they would love to own and would see value in for years and years to come. Once the bride and groom make these decisions, you would be pleasantly surprised at the stores and shops of all kinds that would be accommodating to figure out ways to do a registry. Many stores even allow you to have multiple people contribute to the purchase of larger more expensive items if need be.

With the progression to a more eco friendly society here in the United States it is also nice to consider that minimal waste is being contributed when only a few large gifts are purchased for the couple instead of multiple smaller ones that the couple has less of a need for. Receiving a few expensive pieces that the couple really wants, and would enjoy for a long time is better for everyone. Knowing that multiple friends and family members pitched in to get you the things you really wanted is also a pretty neat idea.

For all the mid century modern and vintage loving couples out in the world that have a wedding coming up or the people that know a couple that is, keep in mind that modmood would love to provide the perfect home for any and all of the fun pieces we have here in our store! We would be more than happy to arrange a registry that would work perfectly for any and all of the brides and grooms to be.

here at ‘the mood’ we’ve been obsessed with the awesome lines of minotti’s allen sofa (pictured above) for quite some time. the sofa, carried exclusively in the denver area at studio como, is a testament to how good design is often the most simple.

for those of us who don’t have sofa budgets in the tens of thousands of dollars, there are some great, similar options in other companies.

camerich, for example, has their alison sofa (pictured below) which is available in an infinite variety of combinations. this is a great option for people with kids or pets who are looking for a clean modern look – the alison’s fabric is actually a tailored slip cover that can be removed and dry cleaned if a spill or stain should occur, and when the fabric has reached the end of it’s life, it can be easily reproduced without the expense of full reupholstery.

another great option, which will soon be on the showroom floor at modmood, is the manhattan by sohoConcept (pictured below). this wonderful sofa is not only good looking, but is also comfortable and well constructed. this is a great, clean lined piece that can fit in with a number of styles, most especially with a cool, relaxed modern feel.

we realize that the subject of “knockoff” or similar items is often touchy, but since the original items are also often out of reach of the everyman, we’re happy that these items exist. after all, the modern movement started as a way to bring great furniture to the masses, so why shouldn’t it continue down that path?

last night, the modmood crew got the chance to take in a screening of design on film’s latest project with director jake gorst, modern tide: midcentury architecture on long island. this was a great piece on how the architecture of, specifically the east end of long island, changed and progressed after world war two.

the film dealt with the progression of modern architecture from the quickly built modern homes of the post war era through the new designs of architects like charles gwothmey, phillip johnson, as well as husband and wife team barbara and julian neski, among others.

the film was also a call to arms to save these homes which have been torn down as the land has become more valuable and the want for larger homes has trumped the desire for preservation.

below, our own elizabeth farrell gives her take on the film:

modern tide was a great film discussing the progression of architecture in long island and i would recommend this film to all to see. this film showed how architecture of a home defines the way you live.

the part of this film that interested me the most was how simplistic the designs of the long island vacation homes were during the times of modern architecture. the modern designs of the homes encouraged families to spend time together in the open family areas of the home, or better yet out on the beach. summer vacation truly was about family and spending time together. it was discouraging to see the progression from modern architecture, to huge poorly crafted mansions being built along the coast, primarily in the hamptons. many modern homes built by noteworthy architects were destroyed and in their place mansions were built that discouraged the previous ideas of what summer vacation with family was truly all about.

this film did a great job capturing photographs and video of the modern homes, and descriptive commentary from both architects and historians helped portray the story and the progression of the times.

come on down to the mood and let us show you how modern design can help you and yours live harmoniously with your space!

check out the trailer here.