Close to Home: Adding fun and utility to your living space

If freshening your home's decor is on your 2013 to-do list, here's a place to start. Midwest Home magazine is kicking off its Home Design Week with an all-day design seminar Feb. 10. The day will include a noon luncheon featuring keynote speaker Thom Filicia, known to TV fans as the design expert on "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" and author of "American Beauty: Renovating and Decorating a Beloved Retreat." WCCO's Jason DeRusha will host.

Lunch will be followed by breakout seminars on design tips, inspiration, specialty paint finishes and the latest color trends. The day concludes with "Happy Hour in the Marketplace," featuring cocktails, light bites and a chance to chat with local design professionals.

The cost is $40 for an all-day ticket, which includes lunch, seminars and happy hour; or $25 for a partial-day ticket, which includes seminars and happy hour.

The Feb. 10 design event will be held at the Weisman Art Museum in Minneapolis. For more information and to order tickets, visit www.mhmag.com/designweek.

Interested in architecture and historic preservation? An award-winning documentary exploring Cuban school architecture in the wake of Castro's revolution will be presented Monday at the University of Minnesota. The film, "Unfinished Spaces," spotlights Cuba's National Art Schools project and how the schools shaped the identities and careers of the architects who envisioned them.

The screening is presented by the University of Minnesota's School of Architecture and by Docomomo, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving modern architecture. There will be light refreshments starting at 5 p.m.; the film starts at 6 p.m., followed by a presentation by Bob Mack, principal with MacDonald & Mack Architects and adjunct professor in the School of Architecture.

Tickets are $5; free for Docomomo members and those with a student ID. The screening will be in Rapson Hall Auditorium, Suite 100, 89 SE. Church St., Mpls.

Here are the five hottest trends in home decor, according to Holly Blalock, vice president of merchandise and marketing for furniture maker CR Laine:

1. 50 Shades of Green. Mix different shades of green, just as Mother Nature does outside. Forget matchy-matchy — this is an everything-goes palette that layers together emerald, spruce, jade, lemon grass andavocado in one big verdant jumble.

2. It's Only Natural. The trend toward natural, neutral decor remains strong, but with a few new twists. Look for relaxed, natural fabrics in cream and oatmeal on furniture frames that have a structured silhouette. In a surprising juxtaposition, you'll find angular frames slip-covered in washed linens in soft tones. You'll also see tufting on sofas, chairs and ottomans, and furniture accented with nail-head trim. Silver and pewter finishes are giving way to gold and brass, so look for a resurgence of warmer metallic tones.

3. Palm Beach Blitz. Think yellow, coral, orange and turquoise, then pick the amount and intensity of color to suit your personal taste.

4. Painted Wood Trim and Bold Fabrics: Designers are popping the top off paint cans and spinning the color wheel to turn out singular designs that make traditional exposed wood silhouettes outrageously fun. In fabric, this year's patterns will be on a larger scale, with lots of open space.

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