‘Tis the season for gatherings and traditional meals, and even in a time when gatherings are small, we all want to make our holidays feel just as special as normal! One key element to the perfect holiday dinner is your dining table, and today we’re sharing a few of our favorite tables!
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One of the most important design choices you can make in your home is choosing paint colors. We’ve all seen the difference new paint can make in a room, so we’re sharing a few of our favorite neutral paint colors with you all today!
Read MoreThere have been a few items, ok let’s be honest, a lot of items, that I have felt really strongly about while building #thelakeloft. However, I’m guessing one item in particular will surprise you: our garage door openers. For as long as I can remember, we have used LiftMaster in the homes that we build and remodel. To be completely honest though, I didn’t pay all too much attention to them until a few years ago. One of my relatives had installed a belt driven LiftMaster opener (the 8550 to be exact), and I was blown away by how QUIET it was when you opened it. So in my last house, I had to have that opener, and let me tell you, I was NOT disappointed. I raved about that opener to all of our clients. One of my favorite features is the myQ connected technology, which allows you to open your garage door from the myQ App on your phone. Not only can you open and close it from your phone, but you can check to see if your garage door is currently open or closed (because let’s be honest, how many times have you had to turn around because you couldn’t remember if you actually closed the garage door?!). Guilty! So needless to say, when it came to the garage doors for #thelakeloft, this was definitely an item I was pretty passionate about. Instead of going with the overhead 8550, this time, we went with the wall mount 8500W. I loved that it still had myQ connectivity (which was a must for me!), and it was ultra-quiet. It also has a battery backup system, which means I’ll never have to worry about getting locked in the garage, even if the power goes out. One of the main differences with the 8500W is that instead of the opener being mounted near the ceiling above the garage door, it is mounted on the wall to the side of the garage door. This eliminates some of the overhead clutter and makes everything feel more clean and open (which is always a win in my book). Now that the openers have been installed and we’ve been able to use them for a while, I have a few new favorite features that have surprised me (seriously, who would have thought I would love garage door openers so much?!). First off, each opener (we…
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The last week in the Twin Cities (and the country as a whole) has been a time of pain, tragedy and the first flickers of hope – that people are ready for a change to systemic racism that’s a real problem in our country. We know that it can be hard to know where to start. This is a great place to start: follow this link for a comprehensive collection of ways to donate, petitions to sign, educational resources, and more. (We didn’t design this link, just happy to share!) We’re also compiling some local ways that you can get involved here in the Twin Cities. Donate Money: North Star Health Collective – helping to organize safe events in the Twin Cities Communities United Against Police Brutality – a Twin-Cities based organization that was created to deal with police brutality on an ongoing basis Black Lives Matter – their mission is to eradicate white supremacy and build local power to intervene in violence inflicted on Black communities by the state and vigilantes. The Bail Project – a non-profit organization designed to combat mass incarceration by disrupting the money bail system ‒ one person at a time. At this time, the MN Freedom Fund, Reclaim the Block, Black Visions Collective and other local organizations have actually received more than they need! If you visit their websites, you can find more organizations and fundraisers to support. Donate Supplies Many, many locations across the Twin Cities are accepting donations of food and household essentials at this time (and will continue doing so while communities work on rebuilding). This map is a great, consistently updated way to see when you can get involved near you. Remember that our communities need ongoing support, not just a one-time donation. Donate Time At this point, a lot of clean-up is already done (the Twin Cities community is amazing!), but there will be an ongoing need for cleanup and rebuild assistance. If you provide any relevant services (construction, building materials, insurance help, etc.), now would be a great time to offer up your time and abilities to those in need. Listen and Learn There is finally light being shone on the injustice that has been happening in our country for a long time – and the Black community is shouting to be heard. If you’re feeling the momentum right now, lean into it, and don’t forget about it…
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If you’re hosting Thanksgiving (or Friendsgiving!) dinner, you probably understand the pressure to get it all just right. The food, of course, is generally the first priority, but you also want your home to be inviting and event-ready for the big day, right? Us too! So we went searching for some simple ways you can decorate your home (and table!) for Thanksgiving this year, that won’t take forever or kill your budget.
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It’s no secret that the kitchen is our favorite room in the house. The kitchen is where you spend a large portion of your time, and it’s a prime gathering space for family time and holidays. Making the kitchen functional (and beautiful!) is a necessity for virtually all home buyers and renovators. But where to start? We’ve rounded up a few of our favorite trends and styles in kitchens right now so you don’t have to!
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