Holiday Design Workshop 2010!

This year's holiday design workshop will be held at Acalade, the new event center at Hamilton's. Come enjoy a night filled with fun holiday tips presented by Michele Dunker Interiors, Andi Saxton Florals, and Justin Hamilton.
The program for the evening will include rotating workshops on the following:
Easy Entertaining by Justin Hamilton
All Things Ribbon by Andi Saxton
Heartfelt Gifts by Michele Dunker Interiors
Holiday Decorating/Signature Color by Michele Dunker Interiors

Appetizers and drinks will be served throughout the night.

Come join us and bring a friend! Pre-registration dates and admission prices are as follows:
$45 per person if registered by Nov. 13th
$50 per person registration Nov. 14th-17th
Register by calling 435.713.0561
Space is limited so register soon!

Designer Picks!

Our Designer Pick for this month is pillows! Constantly being exposed to what is new and fresh in the design world I find myself wanting to change things around my house ALL the time. Pillows are something that can change an entire space without breaking your budget. Pillows from Chooty & Co. are offered in a wide variety of colors and patterns. These pleasing pillows will be sure to add a touch of flair to any room and keep you coming back for more!

Call or come in today for pricing and ordering information!435.713.0561

Giveaway Winner!

And our winner for the September Giveaway is... SHALA!
Congratulations!

Come by our office at 656 N 600 W, or call anytime between 9-5 to arrange shipping. 435.713.0561

Our next giveaway will be October 4th so tell your friends!

Monthly Giveaway!

Mark Hampton said of flowers, "Even the most hardened philistine seems to love flowers. They are what we present as tokens of our love. We wear them. We ornament our houses with them. They are fitting decorations for our most august occasions-weddings and funerals. So it is extremely rewarding to be able to grow and possess the tangible beauty of flowers". As fall approaches and the last of your summer flowers die, this faux flower arrangement won't! It is the perfect accent to any bedside table. Good luck!

Giveaway closes Friday, September 10th. Winner will be announced Monday, September 13th.

Getting out in the Community: Bear River Charter School Service Project

When Cache Valley Learning Center went from a private school to Bear River Charter School , they decided they needed to make the students environment more conducive to learning and give the school a face lift. Upon hearing this, Michele decided to donate her and her staff’s time to making this new look come to life.

Drawing inspiration from the exciting colors in a crayon box, we used splashes of blue, purple and green to transform the walls into exciting visual points. Large frame borders were painted around juvenile art boards to clean up the space and make the boxes pop off the wall. Black accents on trimming and heat registers added a refined sophisticated look that tied everything together. Bear River Charter School’s mission statement states that they will “provide a positive, dynamic, social and educational environment everyday.” The end result is a wonderful place that will aid in doing all those things!

BEFORE

AFTER

This project was a great way to get out in the community and give back to those who make it so we can keep doing what we love! Thanks everyone!

The Inside Scoop of Interior Designers

We read this in Mark Hampton's book on decorating and had to laugh because it is SO true. Here is a beautifully written insight into interior designers jobs - the not so glamorous side.

"The telephone rings. "We would like to talk to you about decorating our apartment." What does a decorator think? First, you wish you could see the person and the apartment at the other end of the line, because sometimes a decorator and a client can never achieve rapport in the realm of taste. After that, you wonder whether the caller is interviewing dozens of other decorators and whether she has just had a falling out wither her current decorator. In any case, the first phone call is not a point at which you are filled with cheerful anticipation. You usually rely on that very uncertain realm of impressions made by a voice, then consult your calendar and either make or not make an appointment."

Let's forget about the false starts and the misfires because this is about the sort of experience that makes the business of interior decorating worth all the headaches that seem to be part of the job. You do know about the headaches: horrible delivery lags, dye lots that are wrong, orders that are lost and never processed, worse still, orders that are incorrectly filled. And this short list does not include one's own mistakes, those self induced headaches."

And the list goes on... we were just glad to hear that even the most well known designers have the same ordering issues we do:)

Top 5 things to spend your money on

Where should you splurge? (In no particular order)

Flooring - Invest in a good carpet, we love wool! And if you are going the vinyl route, there are some great products out there that are just pennies more than the cheap linoleum that will make all the difference.

Upholstery - If you have a stellar sofa and chairs, you can really find inexpensive casegoods and have a really good looking living room.

Countertops - Having a good countertop makes all the difference. Something that is durable and lasts forever and looks beautiful will really make your cabinets look amazing.

Finish Work - Can make a house look like a million dollar home if you spend just a little more adding in the crown molding, doing a little shadowboxing, and beefing up your headers.


Lighting - People walk into a home and notice the light fixtures. You can set your house apart just by the lighting you choose to put in it.

Giveaway Winner

And the winner for our June Giveaway is Heidi!!!!
Congratulations!

Come by our office at 656 N. 600 W. anytime between 9-5 or call to arrange shipping. 435.713.0561

Our next giveaway will be July 12th!

June Giveaway!

It is time again for our monthly giveaway! This month we are so excited to give away this beautiful leaf bowl. It is the perfect white accessory for any room, and will surely add some glam to your space.
Giveaway closes Friday June, 25 Winner Announced Monday June, 28

Blue Houses

Don't you just love this blue house?! This house is in Salt Lake City and it is a showstopper! The blue, white and green together is so stunning! We love blue houses!

And the Giveaway Winner Is. . .

Kate from Kate's Online Space!!!
Come by anytime from 9-5 to pick up your fun new tray! Or call to arrange shipping. 435.713.0561
Address: 656 N. 600 W. Logan, UT

Our Next giveaway will be on June 14th!

May Giveaway!

We are beginning a series of monthly giveaways that is beginning this month! You won't want to miss out. Each month we will be giving away an accessory. All you have to do to win is go to the blog and leave a comment. A winner will be chosen at random!

Don't you just love this white tray! It is so fresh and would look great in any space! Trays are perfect for bathrooms to hold soaps or perfumes. They are also great on nightstands to set your jewelry and accessories in. We love to keep a tray by the back door for a perfect spot to keep your keys. The options are limitless! Make a comment on this post for a chance to win!

Who doesn't love a good BEFORE & AFTER!!

FAMILY ROOM

LAUNDRY ROOM

WOW! What a difference! This is one of our big house remodels that is happening right now. We can't wait to have a photo shoot and show you the finished product!! We have had so much fun working on this house, the clients are GREAT! They have allowed us some freedom in design and in turn have received an amazing project!

Bring Spring Inside Early

By Jake Young: Landscape Architect
Forcing flowering plants to bloom early inside your home is a fantastic way to kick-start Spring into action. By cutting branches from flowering trees and shrubs and bringing them inside you can force them to bloom earlier (February to March) than normal. This is a good antidote to the Winter blues while you wait for Spring to come. The most common residential and commercial plants for forcing blooms are: Forsythia (Forsythia spp.), Crab apple (Malus spp.), Saucer Magnolia (Magnolia soulangiana), Lilac (Syringa spp.), Flowering Almond or Cherry (Prunus spp.), Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis), Spirea (Spiraea spp.), and fruit trees.

In general cut branches in late February or March. Choose branches with character such as curves, twists, and shoots with lots of flowering buds, this will provide for an interesting show. Flowering buds are more plump than leaf buds. Most people like cut stems that are 24-36 inches in length, but this will depend on the type of vase and arrangement you have planned. Start with longer branches, you can cut them to a size you need when arranging them in the container. Cut a few more than you think you might need. Cut branches and bring them inside the home, a second slit cut will need to be made just above the previous cut. If the outside temperature is below freezing it is a good idea to place the branches in slightly warm water for a few hours. Place the branches in a container with water and move to a non-sunny location inside the home (temperature should be 60-70 degrees). Floral preservatives can be added to lengthen bloom duration and quality. When buds start to show (1-8 weeks) move to a sunny location and enjoy!

- Jake Young

Jake Young is a Landscape Architect with Three Men & A Shovel Landscaping LLC. He does residential and commercial landscape design, site-design, and land-use planning. He can be reached at 435.232.8615 or Jake@ThreeMenLandscaping.com
Pictures source: www.GardenDesign.com

Chapel Hill Homes

There is something to be said about a home with character. A recent trip to Chapel Hill, NC proved to be an inspirational adventure. Walking around the quaint little neighborhoods that are tucked behind Franklin Street and neighbor the beautiful grounds of UNC was a treat indeed. Here are some of those inspirational photos.

Item of the Week

Item of the Week - We love this mirror! We have used this bamboo framed mirror for many projects. It always seems to give any space just the right touch. It can become traditional, transitional, and even looks good in a contemporary space. It is a great vertical mirror that makes a fantastic vanity mirror.

• Dimensions: 29" W X 42" H
• Price: $299.00 + shipping
• To order: call 435.713.0561 or email info@micheledunkerinteriors.com
  

BEFORE

AFTER

We are lovin' the new bathroom remodel!!! Construction just finished on one of our client's bathrooms. We kept the tile in the tub and on the floor the same and just did a little sprucing up with a new vanity, new paint and a new light fixture. What a difference!!

Fun Fabrics!

Around here we love a good link fabric! Whether it be a Kelly Wearstler or a Barbara Berry, we are in love with pattern and color. Recently we did a clubhouse in Salt Lake where we used Kelly Wearstler's Imperial Trellis fabric as Roman Shades.

New Logo

A new logo for a brand new year! We are now officially using the name Michele Dunker Interiors.

Sneak Preview

Just a small sneak peak at our nearly completed Dental Office! We had the awesome opportunity to start this project before construction - the best time to hire a designer. We did all the cabinetry design, the lighting design, specified the paint, carpet, tile, wallpaper and are excited to install furniture on Friday!