APRIL 2016
COMPLIMENTARY
The
Project Issue Repurposed, Remodeled & Handmade
FROM THE EDITOR
Makers gonna make...
I
love this time of year. I can actually feel a shift in the air and an upswing in positive energy. On the first warm, sunny day, I noticed a pep in my step, I drove a little slower and even rolled down my windows so I could cruise through town listening to a song only seven-year-olds are supposed to love. Arriving home, my casual honey-do list suddenly got exciting. In one sunny day, my quaint list had morphed into an alarming, neon sign with sirens that go off on the hour. No one had put a time limit on these to-dos, yet somehow I had convinced myself that these things MUST get done before the first 80-degree day. After analyzing my strange direction in thoughts, I realized that I have officially turned into my mother. If we're being honest, turning into my mother has never been something that frightened me. In fact, I'd like to think that she somewhat inspired this issue devoted to all things projects. She is the queen of spring, summer, fall and, well, all year-long projects. "After this project, we're just going to sit back and enjoy it. No more working for a while," she says multiple times a year. I used to believe her, back in junior high when I was still naive to her mom powers. Now, I believe she might be one of the hardest working and most creative women I've met. Growing up with a mom who rarely sits still, we were no strangers to manual labor. Yard projects, deck projects, room remodels, closet reorganizations, recovering and staining furniture, painting buildings, painting lamps... whatever could hold a coat of paint, she painted. Whatever
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could be fixed was fixed. Want a new doll? Well, she might just sew you one from scratch. I believe she was the very first person I knew that continually repurposed and salvaged furniture, even when it wasn't a hot trend. To this day, she's still drawing up designs from barn wood and scrap metal from the farm, somehow convincing my dad to build them for her. He complains, he grumbles, but he always smiles when he sees the finished product. I'm not convinced he truly hates the projects as much as he says he does. I'm pretty sure these two are the dynamic duo of DIY projects and I'm 100 percent sure we will never get to sit down, relax and just enjoy it. In fact, just like our six people profiled for this issue, there's no doubt they've loved every bit of the journey. Maybe I have too. If you are still sitting idle, pondering how to approach each project on your list, planning your attack and weighing out your budget, fear no more. We found six people who have made a career out of tackling repurposed, remodeled and handmade projects. These people have the gift of imagining, then creating. And just like my mom, their passion never sleeps.
If you need a little extra inspiration, make sure to check out these upcoming events: Eco Chic Design Conference: April 23 Scheels Arena, Fargo iloveecochic.com Spring Parade of Homes: Tour Dates: April 28 - May 1 and May 5-8 hbafm.com/events/parade-homes Junk Market: May 21 - 22 Scheels Arena, Fargo iloveecochic.com Sincerely,
TRACY NICHOLSON Associate Publisher/ Editor tracy@spotlightmediafargo.com
CONTENTS DESIGN&LIVING
FEATURE 64
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE 34 TREVER HILL DESIGN: ULTRA CONTEMPORARY
When you have a friend who happens to be a designer, there's bound to be some fringe benefits. Good friends with Trever Hill for the last ten years, homeowners Karla and Jeff Johnson hired Hill back in 2009 for a basement re-design, and after a casual conversation over dinner, decided to embark on a contemporary, kitchen renovation.
46 COTTAGE ON THE PRESERVE Combining four generations of building expertise with gorgeous design and finishes by Monica Hart Interior Design, this modern cottage by Hanson Brother Construction in Rivers Bend at the Preserve is on the market and ready for one lucky family to make it their home.
THE PROJECT ISSUE
Makers, get ready to make! Spring is the time to plan your remodel project, repurpose that old dresser or get your hands dirty creating something extraordinary. To provide some added inspiration, we'll introduce you to six locals who are experts in all of the above. We let you in on their secrets to completing the perfect remodel, expert tips on their own DIY projects and the endless possibilities of creating with your own two hands.
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130 HERITAGE HOMES: THE ASPENS
Last May, we introduced you to a new concept in maintenancefree living with The Aspens at Timber Creek. If you loved the concept and renderings back then, you'll be thrilled to see the first townhome complete and ready to tour, just in time for the Spring Parade of Homes.
ON THE COVER
NEXT MONTH’S ISSUE
Shown on April's cover are three repurposed furniture pieces painted in Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, by Eco Chic Boutique of Fargo. J. Alan Paul Photography shot this cover against shiplap walls at the Eco Chic Design Center. Want to see more lovely projects by Eco Chic? Check out page 66 for their full story.
Spring into Summer Shopping Guide Get the cure for that warm weather itch with some great summer shopping. The May issue of Design & Living takes to the streets, shops and galleries to find hundreds of unique must-haves. With the latest in patio furniture, gardening, entertaining and fresh interior decor, you won't want to miss this summer shopping guide.
DESIGN & LIVING APRIL 2016 Design & Living Magazine is a free publication distributed 12 times a year. Our mission is to showcase all that the Red River Valley has to offer in terms of interior design, architecture and landscaping; profiling the people that make these possible. We also strive to provide a quality and fun reading experience and improve the way of life in our community. The publication is mailed to homes across the US and has stand distribution throughout North Dakota and Minnesota.
PUBLISHER
Spotlight Media LLC
PRESIDENT
Mike Dragosavich
EDITORIAL DIRECTOR ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER
Andrew Jason Tracy Nicholson
DESIGN/LAYOUT
Sarah Geiger, Soda Tran, Ryan Koehler
CONTRIBUTORS
Maria Bosak, Kris Carlson, Karla Krengel, Tom Spaeth, Trever Hill, Hailey Colbrunn
COPY EDITORS GENERAL MANAGER WEB EDITORS BUSINESS OPERATIONS MANAGER MARKETING/SALES
SOCIAL MEDIA PHOTOGRAPHY
DELIVERY
Erica Rapp, Hailey Colbrunn Brent Tehven Danielle Wente Heather Hemingway
Tracy Nicholson, Paul Bougie, Paul Hoefer, Tank McNamara, Jenny Johnson Tracy Nicholson, Danielle Wente J. Alan Paul Photography, Paul Flessland, Max Kringen, Josh Humble, Eco Chic Boutique, Dimon Designs, Greenfield Cabinetry, Trever Hill Mitch Rapp
Design & Living is published 12 times a year by Spotlight Media LLC. Print quantity exceeds 22,000 per issue. Printed in the U.S.A.
Spotlightmedia ADVERTISING: 701-478-SPOT (7768)
info@spotlightmediafargo.com spotlightmediafargo.com
Design & Living does not necessarily endorse or agree with content of articles or advertising presented. Design & Living assumes no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts or photographs. Send change of address information and other correspondence to: Spotlight Media Inc. 502 1st Ave N. First Floor Fargo, ND 58102 or info@spotlightmediafargo.com
MEET THE TEAM MIKE
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MICHAEL
SODA
DANIELLE
TRACY
ERICA
JESSE
ANDREW
JOE
SARAH
PAUL
HEATHER
NATE
PAUL
RYAN
TANK
HAILEY
JENNY
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT SPOTLIGHT MEDIA, GO TO spotlightmediafargo.com
CONTRIBUTORS DESIGN&LIVING
MEET OUR CONTRIBUTORS At Design & Living, our goal is to create a publication that is just as much fun to read as it is to view. Here are the writers and contributors that so affably use their time and talents to tell a story and give our pages purpose.
TREVER
MARIA
KRIS
HAILEY
KARLA
Trever Hill has been the owner of Trever Hill Design, formerly known as Home Suite Couture, in Fargo since 2009. He was also the Specialty Shop Manager of Scheels Home & Hardware. Hill works on both residential and commercial projects around the FM and lakes areas. He has been a valuable contributor, showing cutting-edge home design and utilizing furniture and décor from local stores in staging homes, remodels, new builds and historic renovations. In 2014, Hill was nominated for the “Top 5 Best of the Red River Valley” poll by The Forum.
Contributor Maria Bosak is the owner and creator of Eco Chic Boutique, which has retail locations in Fargo and Bismarck. Bosak is the founder of Junk Market, a twice-a-year, two-day event featuring the best in repurposed furniture, vintage finds and unique handmade products in the Upper Midwest. She is highly sought-after for her expertise in painted furniture, vintage design and entrepreneurship. Bosak loves combing garage sales, auctions, estate sales and flea markets to find that unique piece that brings joy to your home without breaking the bank.
Kris Carlson has been an owner/ partner with designingwomen2 since 2008. Prior to creating designingwomen2, Carlson and Mary Lystad had been Aesthetic Interiors for 14 years. A later merge with Visual Coordinations, (Julie Erickson and Linda Birmingham) proved to be a great benefit for clients. designingwomen2 has had phenomenal success with five partners (Kari Rasmus joined DW2) bringing five distinct design styles together for clients. Carlson's personal design style is contemporary, an added bonus when going to market for DW2 to find the lasted trends in clean lines and sophisticated, contemporary design.
Hailey Colbrunn is an intern at Spotlight Media, the parent company of Design and Living, contributing to various projects among the company's publications. She will graduate this spring with a bachelor's degree in English and has had experience writing for The Spectrum at North Dakota State and has had art published with Northern Eclecta, NDSU's literary journal. Colbrunn looks forward to pursuing her MA in English and continuing to develop her writing.
Karla Krengel, a Minnesota native, is a third generation, industry entrepreneur at the helm of Krengel & Hood. She represents kitchen and bath luxury products, including Corsi, Greenfield and Siteline Cabinetry. She has written for Chicago Home & Garden, Chicago Agent Magazine, Mountain Living Magazine, the NKBA magazine and various local newspapers and online resources. Krengel has also been the face of kitchens. com, a speaker for the local and national NKBA chapter, a member of Jenn-Air’s Design Advisory Council, Powerhouse Smart Group and Whirlpool’s “think tanks”.
HILL
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BOSAK
CARLSON
COLBRUNN
KRENGEL
HBA EDITORIAL DESIGN&LIVING
Tom Spaeth is the HBA President and owns Accent Contracting with Mike Arnold. Their company provides designbuild remodeling services to the FM area. Spaeth has over 25 years of experience in the construction industry.
PARADE OF
The Home Builders Association of Fargo-Moorhead promotes an environment in which members and their businesses can prosper.
HOMES Upgraded magazine, mobile app, website
S
tep by step, the Home Builders Association of FM is implementing technology into our public events. It’s our goal to make it easier than ever for you to plan ahead and explore our parades and home and garden show with all of the amazing digital tools now at our fingertips.
SAVE THE DATES:
This year’s Spring Parade of Homes, April 28 through May 1 and May 5 through May 8, will feature an upgraded magazine with a pull-out map, plus a new mobile app and website. Mark your calendar now.
GET REGISTERED:
Parade attendees should register for their free general admission ticket or purchase their luxury featured
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By Tom Spaeth, HBA President, Accent Contracting
homes ticket at ParadeFM.com. You can also do this through the mobile app available soon through the App Store and Google Play. You can browse information on each home, search by price, location, number of bedrooms/baths, see the map and plan your route.
TOURING FOR FREE!
I can’t stress this enough: admission is still free to tour the majority of our homes (luxurious featured homes cost $5). Simply register to attend the event and print out your ticket with a QR code, or have it available on your mobile device when you enter the homes.
PARADE OF HOMES MAGAZINE:
Sometimes, nothing beats paging through a book or unfolding a map to do your research. Parade of Homes magazines detailing each home entry will be available at all Hornbacher’s stores April 25 through May 8. The
magazine is a full-color publication with a half page dedicated to each home entry. Homes are represented in full color with 3D renderings. The magazine includes a detailed pull-out map to each Parade entry, as well as a condensed listing of all homes entered in the event sorted by location, price and builder. We hope you enjoy these new features and have a great time touring homes to see everything that our industry has to offer. Come, see us at the parade. Tom Spaeth owns Accent Contracting with Mike Arnold. Their company provides design-build remodeling services to the FM area. Spaeth has over 25 years of experience in the construction industry.
TREVER HILL DESIGN&LIVING
FRIENDS TREVER HILL DESIGN
by design
By Trever Hill and Tracy Nicholson | Photos by J. Alan Paul Photography
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When you have a friend who happens to be a designer, there's bound to be some fringe benefits. Homeowners Karla and Jeff Johnson have been good friends with designer Trever Hill for ten years, then hired him back in 2009 for a basement re-design. Recently, over a casual dinner, the conversation turned to remodeling their kitchen and dining room, taking their once whimsical, traditional style to an ultra contemporary re-design.
DESIGN&LIVING TREVER HILL
HUMBLE BEGINNINGS
TREVER HILL
KARLA AND JEFF JOHNSON
"It's kind of funny how it all happened. One day, we were sitting around and they just decided they wanted to overhaul the kitchen. What made this project so different is that it started with little things in conversation such as, 'If you were getting new dining chairs for this table, what chairs would you do?' That was five months ago. Then during the Fall Parade of Homes, Karla and Jeff were walking through a home and took photos of a backsplash and countertop they were going to install. When I met them for dinner I explained that style to them and asked a few questions on the look they were trying to attain. "That evening Karla and I jumped in the car and headed to Carpet World where we found a different backsplash. I told her to go to Northern Home and gave her the name of a few colors of quartz that I thought would work perfectly. At that time, I also suggested doing a waterfall edge on the countertop. Their space is especially good for that design, due to the configuration and style of the space. From there we picked a paint color for the cabinets and in my spare time I found lighting for them," said Hill.
KITCHEN Starting with the countertops, Hill set out to replace their old beige countertops with new quartz in a sleek grey tone. Keeping with the sleek design, they chose a zeroedge under-mount sink with updated fixtures. After the waterfall edge countertop was installed, they moved their focus to the honey oak cabinetry. "Before there was just so much oak everywhere. We weren't really sure if we wanted to keep that wall of cabinetry when it was the honey oak, but once it was painted, we really liked it," said Karla Johnson. For the lighting design, Hill chose to play off of the espresso grey tone in the cabinetry, going with a twisted metal, orbital moon-type sphere in the middle of the kitchen. For added ambiance, they chose a sail, sconce light for over the sink and had new blinds custom designed for the kitchen window. On the backsplash tile, Hill opted for a mixed metal tile with a variance of nickel, stainless steel, bronze and black.
BEFORE
35
TREVER'S TAKE: A CASUAL START TO A CONTEMPORARY RE-DESIGN This has been one of my favorite projects lately. Just after talking with them, I knew what they wanted their outcome to be. Their style is actually pretty similar to mine, so for me it was like I was able to design my dream kitchen with them in mind. GET THE LOOK: Kitchen Quartz countertops - Northern Stone Tile backsplash - Carpet World Accessories above cabinetry - HomeGoods and McNeal & Friends
Fruitbowl - Aartisan Home Design Barstools - Wayfair Blinds - Lowes Cabinetry paint color - Fiery Earth, Sherwin Williams, Lowes
DESIGN&LIVING TREVER HILL
BEFORE
TREVER'S TAKE: KITCHEN "If you look at the before photos, you can see how the waterfall island really changes the appearance and adds depth. Pulling that countertop all the way down made that island look so much bigger and we didn't even make any real structural changes. Karla and Jeff discussed a countertop they had found on the Parade of Homes that had quite a bit of peppering in it. But to get the contemporary look, we really needed something with less flecks and more of a solid color to obtain a more polished, concrete appearance. "For the tile backsplash, we matched the grout color to the countertop so it looks as if the countertop flows right up into the tile. To get a more contemporary style, we did a vertical, tile backsplash extended up higher than normal, so it gives the space a more fluid look."
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TREVER HILL DESIGN&LIVING
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BEFORE
DESIGN&LIVING TREVER HILL
DINING ROOM Utilizing Karla's existing stone table that Hill had picked out years before, they played up the natural earth tones of the stone with complementing artwork and contrasting glass elements. Five months earlier, Hill had helped Karla pick out the four grey, leather chairs, keeping two larger, existing chairs in espresso brown as captain's chairs to emphasize the warm, earthy tones throughout the space. "What I told Trever is that I like modern, but I also really like warm," said Karla Johnson. To tie the rooms together, Hill then added a tiered, glass chandelier as well as a charcoal toned, wool rug mimicking the look of the grey linen in the island stools nearby.
TREVER'S TAKE: DINING ROOM "This stone table ended up being an inspiration for everything. If you look at the wall colors, it really pulls from the greys, the beiges and all those earth tones. It's very monochromatic, but with a lot of different tones going on. I love how the tiered, glass lights reflects the vertical flow of the kitchen. "While I was shopping for a different client, I happened to see the area rug in the dining space, so I sent them a quick photo and they went and picked it up. To finish up the space, I kept it minimal and brought in a few simple accessories and more contemporary counter stools."
GET THE LOOK: Dining Room Art piece - Britney Haaland Stone table top - Unclaimed Freight Grey leather dining chairs - Wayfair Espresso brown leather captain's chairs Unclaimed Freight Lighting - Wayfair Glass bowl- Global Views, McNeal & Friends Decorative glass/metal orbs - McNeal & Friends Rug - Furniture Mart
FROM THE HOMEOWNER "It was good working with Trever. It was really nice to have help with all of the decisions and if I thought we needed something up there or over there, boom, he was on it. He always had a good vision with how to do things, like the vertical versus horizontal tile and waterfall countertop. It was great seeing his vision and how he showed us how it was all doable. He also knew what we were willing to spend a little more on and what we weren't," said Karla Johnson.
For more information contact: Trever Hill Design 701-715-3077 trever@treverhilldesign.com treverhilldesign.com
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DIY
with
MARIA BOSAK
DESIGN&LIVING DIY
farmhouse THE
Part 5 THE YELLOW BATHROOM
PROJECT
Call it intuition, gut instinct or just a feeling – I believe good design comes with a bit of letting those forces speak and allowing them to mold your style and choices. Never was that more true than with our current room reveal: the yellow bathroom. BY MARIA BOSAK | PHOTOS BY MAX KRINGEN, J. ALAN PAUL PHOTOGRAPHY
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DIY DESIGN&LIVING
Before
The
YELLOW BATHROOM
After Yellow Bathroom Overhaul The original design of this room incorporated leaving the original yellow bathtub. It was in good condition and I felt bad throwing it out. But as the design process moved forward I just didn’t feel like it was a good look for this room. This is the main floor guest bathroom and will be seen by all who visit our home. I wanted something that really wows our guests and makes them smile when they walk in. Yes, it is a small room, and a bathroom none-the-less, but I still wanted to make a statement and create joy‌even if it was just a bathroom.
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DESIGN&LIVING DIY
Related by Design My gut instinct led me to start with an unusual floor tile that wouldn’t be something you would expect to see. Something that was just a bit unusual and maybe even a bit daring. I had a picture in my head but couldn’t seem to find what I was looking for at any of the local retailers. I tried explaining it to Tate and he couldn’t understand what I was seeing in my head and feeling in my gut. (This might explain every argument ever between man and woman.)
After much searching online, I came across exactly what I had envisioned. The funny thing is that a week after I ordered my tile, Joanna Gaines revealed the exact same thing in one of her homes on "Fixer Upper." It crossed my mind that the entire world might think I just simply copied Joanna’s design. But I’m going to accept the fact that it was a fun coincidence and embrace the fact that she sure does have good taste and maybe we were separated at birth... since we look so much alike.
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DIY DESIGN&LIVING
Joy in the Bathroom Long story short, the flooring set into motion a room that makes me smile every time I see it. I stuck with my gut feeling about pulling out the tub and the intuition about being bold with the floor. I feel this is exactly what should happen when designing and styling your home. Let your feelings guide you, don’t get caught up in what you should do or could do. Do what you feel you want to do. Your design intuition is stronger than you think, listen to it.
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Want to learn more about where to get this look and a complete list of contractors and suppliers? Visit me on the Eco Chic blog for an in-depth look at the “Yellow Bathroom.”
For more information contact: Eco Chic Boutique 4955 17th Ave. S, Fargo 701-356-6600 iloveecochic.com
Xo,
To stay in touch with Maria and see glimpses of what is happening at The Farmhouse, follow her on Instagram: @EcoChicBoutique
Maria
HOME DESIGN&LIVING
Cottage on the Preserve
W
With the Spring Parade of Homes right around the corner, we take you on a sneak peek tour through the newly finished home from Hanson Brothers Construction in Rivers Bend at the Preserve. Combining four generations of building expertise with gorgeous design and finishes by Monica Hart Interior Design, this modern cottage is on the market and ready for one lucky family to make it their home. BY Tracy Nicholson | PHOTOS BY Paul Flessland
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Mike Hanson
Monica Hart
DESIGN&LIVING HOME
Based on a previous model that sold before the parade started, Mike Hanson worked with Monica Hart to create a new model that elevated the best features of that plan, including unique window features and an open layout made for entertaining. This custom retreat features almost 4,000 square feet of finished space with five bedrooms, three and a half baths, vaulted ceilings, theater room and custom cabinetry designed by Beth Kemmer, CKD of Wood Specialists. Kitchen Utilizing the expertise of a certified kitchen designer, Hanson and Hart called on Beth Kemmer, CKD of Wood Specialists to help create the perfect kitchen design. Adding in classic, cottage style, Kemmer and Hart chose an alabaster white cabinetry with bead board inserts and gunmetal finish pulls, accenting the granite countertops, high-end appliances and under-mount sink. Focused on cottage charm, Hart found the perfect kitchen adornment, unique "birdcage" light fixtures from Valley Lights.
While most people would have neglected the outer side of the refrigerator, Kemmer chose to make it a fully functioning message center. Creating a truly unique side cabinet, Kemmer added in bottom drawer storage, display storage and upper cabinetry hiding a cork board for notes and a resting place for keys and other necessary items. Paint Color - Magnetic Grey, Sherwin Williams Island Pendants - Valley Lights Staging, finishes and decor - Monica Hart Interior Design
You won't see any unsightly outlets on this kitchen backsplash. For the classic, cottage style, Hart chose clean lines using a matte subway tile with outlets hidden above.
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HOME DESIGN&LIVING
Staging and decor - Monica Hart Interior Design
Fun Fact Mike Hanson has been in the building industry for 22 years, but Hanson Brothers Construction has worked in the FM area for more than 60 years, making them the oldest construction company in town. Hanson now carries on the family tradition of his great grandfather, his grandfather and his brother as well as his dad and uncle. The Build Process "All of their homes are custom. Hanson Brothers actually bids their own jobs; they don't throw out a square footage price with allowances within that price. I've seen in some cases where those bids allow for a granite countertop, but the cheapest granite you can find does not fit in that allowance. I love how they are so thorough with their bids and pricing," said Hart. "We really try to give people accurate pricing, not just what they want to hear," added Hanson.
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Dining Room "In the dining room, there's really a lot of room for a big table. Many people aren't doing formal dining rooms now. Some of the newer homes have too small of an eat-in area, but this one you could do a huge dining room table in. That's why we intentionally didn't do formal lights over it, so it would keep it open to whatever table size the owner wanted," said Monica Hart.
As a smart solution to accent the kitchen's built-in buffet, Hart designed a small band of window under the ceiling. "Through the NAHB, I went to something called the Design Institute where I went on a tour of homes in Seattle. In those homes, there were these windows between the cabinets, and I loved that. I thought it was a great way to bring in a little extra light, especially here in North Dakota," said Hart.
DESIGN&LIVING HOME
Staging, finishes and decor - Monica Hart Interior Design Fireplace Tile - Carpet World Rustic Laminate flooring - Carpet World
Pantry Hart had a counter space within the walk-in pantry built at a height for easy access, perfect for those who own various appliances that take up valuable counter space. This preserves counter space and hides messy appliances like coffeemakers and toasters.
Living Room: Main Level To carry the cottage feel through to the living room, Hart chose a mix of marble, glass and foiled, metallic tile for the fireplace surround, giving contrast to the custom wood mantel.
Paint Colors Getting the feel of color but the ease of a neutral, Hart's paint concept was to do something different, not sticking to the usual tans or plain greys. "I wanted to do a colored neutral, so when people come in here, they often wonder if it's blue or green or grey," said Hart.
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HOME DESIGN&LIVING
Staging and decor - Monica Hart Interior Design
Tile - Carpet World Granite - Granites Unlimited through Wood Specialists Cabinetry - Wood Specialists Finishes - Monica Hart Interior Design
Master Bath In the master bath, Hart chose a neutral-toned, warm blue to accent the glass, marble and metallic tiled walkin shower. Master Walk-In Closet "This is Hanson Brothers 'standard.' Most homes have the wire shelving, but this one is custom designed with quality shelving and shoe racks," said Hart. Nestled between the walk-in and the master bath, Hart and Hanson designed a small alcove perfect for a dresser or space to showcase accessories.
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The Design Process To give each home great design and function, Hart and Hanson created a partnership more than four years ago, combining Hart's Interior Design expertise and Hanson's vast building experience. "So many homeowners think it's going to be easy, but they don't realize the overwhelming number of decisions they'll have to make, so with each home built, they are guaranteed time with me to help with those finishes and selections. It's such a benefit to the homeowner," said Hart. "It makes the project go a lot smoother. That's one of the things that I try to focus on. Building a house can be stressful, but if you work with the right people like we do, it makes the process much easier for everybody," added Hanson. All in a Day's Work Just some of the decisions that Hart assisted with on this home were the space planning, base and trim detail, door styles, hardware, flooring, master shower design, cabinet details – including door style, crown, colors and hardware – all lighting selections, countertops, paint, theater room design – including barn doors leading into it – the step up, sconce placement, all staging, furnishing and accessorizing. With the slew of design decisions like this, it's understandable why a homebuilder might partner with an interior designer.
HOME DESIGN&LIVING
Back Entryway With garage access, this back entryway opens to a mudroom with custom storage, a pocket door entry for the powder room and nearby laundry easily accommodating a busy family. "This back entryway is perfect for a working family. I love how they do their plans because they really think about who's going to live here and how are they going to live the best in this space," said Hart.
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DESIGN&LIVING HOME
"IT'S A NICE COLLABORATION. WE ALWAYS ASK, 'WHO'S GOING TO LIVE THERE, WHO WILL THIS WORK FOR?' WITH US BOTH HAVING KIDS, WE ARE VERY MINDFUL OF HOW A FAMILY WORKS IN A HOME. WE WANT TO MAKE SURE ALL OF THOSE LITTLE DETAILS ARE THERE AND IT'S A VERY LIVABLE PLAN THEY CAN GROW INTO." Monica Hart, Interior Designer
Staging, finishes and decor - Monica Hart Interior Design Wall color - Cityscape, Sherwin Williams Cabinetry - Wood Specialists Granite - Granites Unlimited through Wood Specialists
Lower Level & Theater Room With plenty of room for entertaining, the lower level offers ample family living space opening to a wet bar and dining area. Creating a grand entrance to the theater room, Hanson Brothers fashioned sliding barn doors with the same interior doors used throughout the home, but installed on a track. "I wanted everything to feel the same; same doors, different way to close them." said Hart. Two additional bedrooms, a smaller storage room and a larger storage room with garage access complete this family home.
For listing information or to tour this home, contact: Hanson Bros. Construction Mike Hanson 701-235-7971 2402 12th St. N, Fargo hansonbrosinc.com For more information on the home's design and staging, contact: Monica Hart Interior Design 701-235-4929 3481 University Dr. S, #203, Fargo monicahartid.com
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ARTIST DESIGN&LIVING
ARTIST FEATURE
the layers OF INSPIRATION Cho.Be. Art and Design
C
ardboard, chicken wire and sand. Magical experiments ensue when the artist’s freedom extends beyond paint and brush. Life is not limited to one layer, so why should representations of life be any different? By Hailey Colbrunn Photography by Paul Flessland
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DESIGN&LIVING ARTIST
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DESIGN&LIVING ARTIST
Fargo native and local artist Chelsea Burns brings layers of visual enchantment to her eclectic art collection. She specializes in snarky greeting cards and giclée prints, which are fine art, museum quality digital prints. “They’re layered art prints that come from my paintings, photographs and graffiti. It’s all kind of layered into something and then I change it into a print so that it’s more accessible to people,” explained Burns. As a creator, Burns has been inspired by the works and lives of 20th-century impressionists such as Van Gogh, Chagall and Frieda Kahlo. She found a connection with artists who had odds against them and created works that were more about their stories and bringing those stories into their art. Throughout her childhood, Burns had been encouraged by her architect father and musician mother to pursue her creativity through art and music. She took classes after school and pursued musical performance in college. She recalls her moment of artistic clarity, however, being at a very young age. She was standing in front of a Seurat painting at the Art Institute of Chicago. The painting is a famous example of pointillism, a style that uses little dots of color to create a larger image. Close up, the eyes can only see the dots, but far away a large scale image is put together by the dots into a recognizable scene. “I just stared at it forever. My mom had to come back and get me,” said Burns. “I feel like in my head that’s the
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ARTIST DESIGN&LIVING
moment when I knew that I wanted to do something that would make people think the way I was thinking in my head then.” Burns started her own company in 2010 called Cho. Be. Art and Design. "I started my company because I had gotten sick and I had burnt out at my last job and realized that this was my passion and was going to do whatever I could to make it work," she said. Today, she has an exceptionally large and expansive online market in which she is able to both promote her individual work, as well as collaborate with companies on larger wholesale projects. “Social media has been my best friend in the last couple years,” said Burns, who utilizes Instagram, Facebook and Etsy. Burns has been contacted through Instagram by companies such as Wee Rascals, who she is currently working with on their hero-based tees for children. Her creative mind has been in the children's art market ever since she realized that the minimalist art pieces she wanted for her sons room were close to non-existent. So, she created her own. Burns and her husband are closely tied through music, she explained, which became the inspiration for their son's room. "We had always talked about songs we would listen to with him and lyrics that meant something to us for him. It all became these black and white lyrical pieces for him," she said. From there, the layers expounded. She created more pieces and incorporated poetic words and phrases from other sources. Burns's story is an example for all crafters alike, hesitant or otherwise. Art has no limits and the possibilities are as endless as you let them be. Burns show how to take what inspires you, experiment and create. "Don't be intimidated," said Burns. "Call one of us up and ask for help. We'll have a wine and art night together." 58
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FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Cho. Be. Art and Design facebook.com/cho.be.art.design etsy.com/shop/ChoBeArtandDesign 701-412-5214
THE PROJECT ISSUE DESIGN&LIVING
Furniture by Eco Chic Boutique
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DESIGN&LIVING THE PROJECT ISSUE
The
Project Issue G
o ahead, unleash that honey-do list. Spring is the time to plan your remodel project, repurpose that old dresser or get your hands dirty creating something extraordinary. To provide some added inspiration, we'll introduce you to six locals who are experts in all of the above. We let you in on their secrets to completing the perfect remodel, expert tips on their own DIY projects and the endless possibilities of creating with your own two hands. BY Tracy Nicholson | PHOTOS BY J. Alan Paul Photography, Paul Flessland
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REPURPOSE Eco Chic Boutique
Painting Life Pretty. merging as the queen of chalk paint, Maria Bosak has spent the last six years making a name for herself as a local boutique owner, event founder, refurbished furniture expert, teacher and DIY author. Bosak, along with her creative team at Eco Chic Boutique, is often found armed with a strong cup of coffee, paint-stained hands, a tenacious work ethic and the ability to make most anything beautiful again.
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By Tracy Nicholson Photos by J. Alan Paul Photography
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DESIGN&LIVING REPURPOSE
"When it comes to inspiration, we're living in a ship-lap world, that's for sure." Maria Bosak, Eco Chic Boutique
we've got the supplies and classes to do that. If you're someone that just really wants to come in and find pieces done and you love the old quality of furniture, we do both," said Bosak. TEACHING MOMENTS "Our blog, social media, online videos and classes I think is really what set us apart as the local experts and gives people a resource. We want people to understand that they can come to us with their questions, with their project, and we can walk them through it. It wasn't just to buy what we have, but we wanted to help them in their own homes. One of the things that we're very passionate about is working in your own space; making it a space that really fits you and speaks to you. If we're able to create before and after photos, if we're able to teach painting and sell the products, we're then able to put the tools in the customer's hands to really design their own home," said Bosak.
THE STORY OF ECO CHIC Less than a year after opening their doors in 2012, Bosak and her team started bringing in furniture. A year later, Junk Market started up and has since taken over the store. "Really, we saw such a need for people to repurpose and salvage. One of the key pieces that we were really attracted to was painting furniture to give it new life. As we started spray painting furniture, we found it to be messy and didn't really give us a good luck. We also didn't have a wall or ventilated place to continue on that winter. So, we went online and saw this beautiful furniture and they kept talking about chalk paint and we just researched it and found it. Nobody around here had it, but we started using it and loved it. We really wanted to bring it as an alternative to the market here in Fargo. We were just lucky enough to be the first here to stumble upon it," said Bosak. Somehow
between painting, teaching classes, running social media, a blog and planning multiple events throughout the year, last year, Bosak still managed to find time to open a second location in Bismarck, N.D., spreading her expertise statewide. THE GLORY OF CHALK PAINT For many, chalk paint has revolutionized their homes, businesses and hobbies. "The glory of chalk paint is that you don't have to strip, prime or sand. It will stick to any surface and gives a really elegant look. So for us, given that we had to figure out how to paint furniture right in our store, this was not messy and could really simplify the process. So, that's how we've kind of become known as the furniture-painting people. We kind of fit a couple of different aspects. So, if you're the thrift store shopper or the garage sale buyer and you like doing it yourself,
JUNK MARKET Each spring and fall, Bosak hosts what can simply be described as one epic junker's dream. "I think we've created a craze here in Fargo." Junk Market was something we created to give other people a venue to sell the stuff they were making and we didn't realize that we were kind of starting a craze in repurposing and painting furniture here in the area. "People always ask, 'Aren't you worried about the competition of other people doing it?' We say, 'No,'" said Bosak. "The more people doing it, the better. The more people talking about it, the better. We also love being a resource to help people sell their items." There is nothing trashy about these treasures. On May 20 and 21, Bosak introduces her fifth annual Junk Market to Fargo. With vendors working all year long, you can expect a colorful array of painted furniture as well as vintage, repurposed, salvaged and handmade items. Tickets can be purchased at the Scheels Arena Box Office or online at ILoveEcoChic.com. INSPIRED LIVING As self-proclaimed Joanna Gaines super-fan, Bosak has found inspiration in the world of chalk paint and popular shows like HGTV's "Fixer Upper." "When it comes to inspiration, we're living in a ship-lap world, that's for sure. There's no way to have this discussion without talking about Joanna Gaines and what she has
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Eco Chic's Tips For Perfect Chalk Painting with Head Painter , Michelle McCrea
After
1. Wipe off a piece of furniture and start painting. You don't need to be a pro to use chalk paint. 2. Once you have the paint down nice and smooth, you'll want to leave it. Don't go over the paint again until it's completely dry. Chalk paint dries super quick.
Before
4. Paint in thin coats – most colors take two coats. Whites and yellows usually take three to four coats. 5. Since it has no odor or VOC's, you can easily paint indoors, even in the winter months. 6. You can use chalk paint outside, just don't wax it, as it will melt in the sun. Instead, try a polyurethane or poly-acrylic it. We also have three different varieties of top coat sealers that we carry in the store.
After Before
brought to the design world. Of course we're inspired by Annie Sloan and the colors that she has put out there. I have recently stepped into the world of Instagram and it has become a place I spend way too much time. But, I do get completely inspired with the great visuals. Houzz is another great inspiration. It's what we use when we're designing our own home. I have a magazine addiction problem. I like so many of them, but Country Living probably speaks the most to me, just being a country girl. I grew up in Webster, S.D. on a farm raising beef cattle and grains. When I get into a modern home, while I can appreciate it, it isn't comforting to me. So, I am really comforted by nature. I like to bring pieces of nature in. Florals, plants, textures and woods always make me feel calm." HOMEGROWN STYLE Beyond the paint, Bosak is well known for her creative approach to home design. Getting asked to help others with their homes on a daily basis, she came to one
7. If using wax on an indoor piece, use it to seal your paint. The wax acts like a lotion for skin, you rub it in and the wax will get absorbed into the wood. Wax can give the paint a harder finish. 8. You don't usually need a primer for chalk paint. The only time I would use one is if there was something spilled on the wood previously. The wet paint can re-activate the stain to come up to the surface and can yellow your paint color. Then you would need to shellac that spot before you start painting.
simple, yet important conclusion. "People need to look at what really brings them joy and ask themselves, 'What do I like to look at and what do I feel good around and how am I going to use this space?' Don't worry about trends and what others are doing and just look at your house and show what really makes you happy. When guests walk in, they should feel like they are getting to see you. If it makes you happy, don't worry that the color might be too bright for someone else. I encourage people to find their own style and maybe take some tips from what you're seeing on TV, but evolve a room based on what speaks to your own soul," said Bosak. THE FARMHOUSE PROJECT Each month, Design & Living takes readers inside Bosak's farmhouse and renovation in the works. Wanting to find out how that feels to have so many people sharing in her journey, we asked her to give us a glimpse of what her and husband Tate love most about their publicized renovation. "It's exciting to share what we're doing in
DESIGN&LIVING REPURPOSE
"It really felt like the simple act of painting furniture could transform a room." Maria Bosak, Eco Chic Boutique
the hopes that we'll inspire someone else. It's also a little nerve-wracking because there are eyes on us and we wonder, 'Are we inspiring them? Are they learning anything?' Or do they look at it and go, 'Oh, that's kind of boring.' We just want to make sure that we stay true to designing what fits Tate and I, and not focus too much on what the outside world is going to think. At the same time, we surely want to help and inspire others to do the same thing in their home. We've loved the process of showing people these great before and afters and finding new ways to inspire them," said Bosak. EVENT EXTRAORDINAIRE With the Design Conference in April and Junk Market in May, Bosak fills up her calendar quickly. "Spring is crazy busy for us – we love it. We run like crazy to make all of our events happen, but we wouldn't have it any other way. It's what speaks to us as a company. We really love what we do. Design Conference was supposed to be a one-and-done event to bring Chip and Joanna
Gaines to town, but now we'll continue for our second year bringing The Scott Brothers from HGTV's 'Property Brothers,' so we'll keep doing this event as long as we can. Our purpose is really to inspire and bring joy to the people that come to these events. So, when they tell us their stories of how much fun they had and they were inspired, that's really what we love," said Bosak. ECO CHIC DESIGN CONFERENCE Last year, Bosak stunned our quiet prairie by bringing in Chip and Joanna Gaines of HGTV's "Fixer Upper" for her first ever Design Conference in Fargo. At this year's Eco Chic Design Conference, she once again steps up her game to bring Drew and Jonathan Scott of HGTV’s “The Property Brothers,” to headline the event. Also presenting will be Clint Harp of HGTV's Fixer Upper. Tickets can be purchased at the Scheels Arena Box Office for the April 23 event and online at ILoveEcoChic.com.
For more info contact: Eco Chic Boutique 701-356-6600 4955 17th Ave. S, Fargo iloveecochic.com
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REPURPOSE KC Clark of Crooked Halo Designs
Living the Junk Life. or this Moorhead family of five, junking is a way of life, a career and one big road trip. KC and JR Clark, along with their three kids, Hunter (12 – not shown), Gaven (4) and Grayden (2) have turned an antique hobby into an exciting junking adventure that leads them all over the country. Working shows, picking for new finds and sightseeing is all in a day's work for their family business Crooked Halo Designs.
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By Tracy Nicholson Photos by Paul Flessland
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DESIGN&LIVING REPURPOSE
To decorate a kitchen island, most turn to fancy vases and untouchable decor. KC Clark keeps it simple and functional with green mason jars filled with a few unusual items. Within each jar is just one of the many items the Clarks use to maintain their junking lifestyle. The Clarks found this antique work bench at a junk show in Tulsa, Oklahoma, then later transformed it into their rustic dining room table. What used to be considered an old stock tank on a farm, the Clarks stood on end to make this industrial bookshelf.
"When you repurpose stuff as a business, and we're a small family based business; it's every single day." KC Clark
JUNKING AT HOME Walking into the Clark home conveniently, just a couple of blocks from the Moorhead Antique Mall, it's apparent that this is not just a weekend hobby. Every interesting nook and cranny is decorated with history and projects in the making. "Six years ago is when we started Crooked Halo. A lot of what we make are the windows and then we accent with the stuff I like. So as you see around our house, a lot of the things have price tags on it. It's in here because I like it and we used it for a while and then it makes its full cycle back out. I am obsessed with flea markets and auction sales. JR told me when I first started collecting stuff that you have to do something with it. I don't think that's what he meant, starting a business," said KC Clark with a laugh.
ALL IN THE FAMILY Seeing this all-encompassing way of life, we had to ask how the kids felt about their family business. "I think it's a unique lifestyle for them. When we travel to shows, it's a long road trip. My little boys call it road-trippin'. They see the country and have an appreciation for all the things they get to see. When we get to the show, we set up and after that I work the show and JR takes the kids and they do something fun like the zoo or the park or waterparks. Whatever they feel like doing. So, it's really exciting for them to go. Now at the end of the month, we're going to Canton, Texas to go picking and see what kind of treasures we can find. They're ecstatic. They all have their own gloves, they can go into a barn too looking for things. We teach them business sense, they all have their own businesses. If they find something cool and we bring it home, they help clean it, but when we sell
it, they get the money for it. It teaches them from a young age. Grayden's only two and he also has his own gloves and he's right in there looking for things too. It's fun. That's what really makes it more exciting for us, because of family. We're definitely a family business." said Clark. FUNCTIONAL JUNKING "When we decorate, we decorate for function. When you repurpose stuff as a business, and we're a small family based business, it's every single day. No matter what you do, it's that. So if you want your house to look nice because customers are coming over, you have to blend it together. Having stuff that's available to use, but still looks cute is important. I really like anything wood and metal as you can see throughout the house. I also like things that are farm related, partly because I grew up on a sheep farm," said Clark.
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"I used to be one of those people that just went to the shows and thought, 'I'm not going to spend $48 dollars because I can make that.' And we all kind of joke and say, 'Yeah, but will you?'" KC Clark
PRICELESS HISTORY "I think part of it is that I hated history class. I can't remember dates to save my soul. But everything in here is history. But, it's fun history. It's not remembering dates, but it is having an appreciation for old and being able to make it into something new or display it in a way that's just different," said Clark. We asked Clark if there was anything among the price tags in her home that she just wouldn't sell. Naming just a handful of larger furniture pieces, her eye went to a weathered, green stool in the corner. "When I was little, this is the stool that my grandfather used to fix clocks. He's since passed away, so that's something I remember from being three years old. That was my seat as a little girl, helping him out," said Clark.
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4,000 FRAMES? One of KC's signature pieces is the window frame and slat design. She goes through 4,000 window frames a year making these. No, that is not a typo. Where does one get thousands of window frames? The Clarks gets them from virtually everywhere including construction sites, estate sales, neighbors, garage sales and cleanup week. "We've been doing it long enough now that people call us. I also have friends that know what we look for. There's kind of a whole junking circle. There's probably six or seven businesses that all work as a team. We find things and we help each other out. Everybody's gonna tell you about citywide clean-up week the first week of May. That's a junker's paradise. So we try to see what we can find to re-use," said Clark.
"I CAN MAKE THAT AT HOME..." "The one thing that we've noticed is that when people go to the shows and they see our stuff and they make comments like, 'Oh, that looks simple, I can do that at home.' I want them to realize that it's not necessarily that simple. There's a lot involved. For us to have a yard that looks like this and have a family and all of those things. It's not as easy. It's not a quick trip to the hardware store, buy the quick supplies and put it together. In the summer, I get up when it's light out and I am out here all day long. We have picnics outside with the kids and I'm here until dark every single day. If it's raining we put up a canopy over our work station and we continue to work because I have to build all of my inventory for the entire year in a short few months," said Clark.
"As far as repurposing goes, a lot of people think that to repurpose something you need to take a chair and paint it or you need to re-upholster something and that's not really how we look at things. We look at things more like, this was used as a work bench but now it can be used as a dining room table. Or this used to be in some guy's garage and now it's a very functioning entertainment center. As you can see, the whole thing is hand-made out of old ammo boxes," explained Clark. "If you look in our backyard, we don't have the Pinterest cute work station. This is the half of the yard that I work on, the other half is where the kids play. It gives me the opportunity to be a stay-at-home mom. So many moms don't get that opportunity." "I started doing the stars because with all the different colors, I thought they would fit in anybody's home. I really like fall tones, so you'll see a lot of bergundy shades. It' really the sheer laziness of not wanting to switch out pictures in frames. When your kids are growing up they change so fast. And so, to pop pictures on and off with the clips is easy."
"Now that we started picking up and doing 14 shows a year and traveling to Texas, Missouri and Oklahoma, that's a lot. I used to be one of those people that just went to the shows and thought, 'I'm not going to spend $48 dollars because I can make that.' And we all kind of joke and say, 'Yeah, but will you?' For one person to make one thing is going to cost a lot more, because we do such a mass quantity, we can keep our prices down. Nothing I make you can buy in a big box store. That's what's kind of fun about it," Clark explained. WANT TO FIND CROOKED HALO'S LATEST PROJECTS? The best way to find Clark's work is to head to their facebook page for a list of their shows throughout the state and country. For those who don't frequent the shows, Crooked Halo also has two booths located in the Moorhead Antique Mall. "We have one booth that
focuses on our colored wood signs and window frames. Then we have the other booth that has lots of things from history. It's open seven days a week and it's great because it's actually just down the street."
For more info contact: Crooked Halo Designs KC and JR Clark 218-850-9440 Crookedhalodesigns@hotmail.com mkt.com/crookedhalodesigns
THE WAREHOUSE
ARTHAUS RETROBELIA & FRAMING
REPURPOSE Store Directory
Burlap Rustic Chic boutique (New!) 3401 S University Drive Fargo facebook.com/burlaprusticchicboutique
Arthaus Retrobilia & Framing 21 8th St. S, Fargo facebook.com/arthausretro 701-478-8967
Eco Chic Boutique 4955 17th Ave. S, Fargo iloveecochic.com 701-356-6600
Junk Giant 303 Broadway Ste. B, Fargo etsy.com/shop/JunkGiantAntiques pinterest.com/junkgiant 509-990-9973
Dakota Boys & Girls Ranch Another Chance Thrift Store 1001 4th Ave. N., Fargo 701-280-2371 1601 32nd Ave. S., Fargo 701-297-4166 619 13 Ave. E, West Fargo 701-356-5152 1500 Center Ave. W./Hwy 10, Dilworth 218-233-1266 dakotaranch.org/thrift
Goodwill 1525 32nd Ave. S, Fargo 701-566-8511 4325 13th Ave. S, Ste 1, Fargo 701-373-8393 goodwill.org
The Arc Attic Treasures 3201 43rd St. S., Fargo 255 N. University Dr., Fargo arccassnd.com/thearcattictreasures. html 701-232-6641
Repeat Boutique 2551 45th St. S. Ste. 147, Fargo repeatboutiquefargo.com 701-364-3888
Mid Mod Madhaus 115 Roberts St, Fargo facebook.com/midmodmadhaus 701-306-4131
ReStore 210 N. 11th St, Moorhead lakeagassizhabitat.org/restore 218-284-5253
Moorhead Liquidation 2310 4th Ave. N, Moorhead facebook.com/moorheadliquidation 218-422-9040
Savers 1623 38th St. SW, Fargo savers.com 701-277-1447
Moorhead Thrift Shop 620 2nd Ave. S, Moorhead 701-356-5152
Second Time Around Thrift Store 2206 5th Ave. N, Moorhead heartland-industries.org/thrift-stores/ Moorhead 701-318-3358
Phat Kat: Antiques and Vintage Vinyl 1509 1st Ave. S, Fargo phatkatantiques.com 701-232-1935
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Reed and Taylor Antiques 806 Main Ave, Fargo reedandtaylorantiques.com 701-241-4520
Heirlooms 3120 25th St. S, Fargo hrrv.org/heirlooms 701-356-2670
New Life Center 1902 3rd Ave. N, Fargo fargonlc.org 701-235-4453
MID MOD MADHAUS
Urban Prairie Goods Occasional Sale (Formerly Redoux, Opening in June) 4600 25th St. N, Fargo instagram.com/urbanprairiegoods facebook.com/urbanprairiegoods 701-200-2131
Revolver 627 1st Ave. N., Fargo facebook.com/Revolver 701-235-2883
St. Francis Thrift Store 1425 1st Ave. S, Fargo 701-235-5944 The Warehouse 2720 15th St. S, Fargo facebook.com/pages/The-WarehouseAn-Occassional-Market 701-261-2317
By Hailey Colbrunn
REPURPOSE DESIGN&LIVING
REMODEL DESIGN&LIVING
REMODEL Tom Erickson of Delta Design
An Honest Living. efore Tom Erickson, owner of Delta Design, started construction in 1983, his ambitions were to become a teacher. After 33 years in the industry, Erickson might not have ended up standing in front of a classroom but he's certainly done well with the hands-on approach he takes with each of his remodeling projects. For some, when you love what you do, you just can't help but teach.
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By Tracy Nicholson Photos by J. Alan Paul Photography
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DESIGN&LIVING REMODEL
"A lot of people have told me I'm really honest, like overly honest." Tom Erickson, Delta Design
Before
One of the joys of being a remodeling contractor is having the skills and knowledge to take an outdated kitchen and transform it. For the home of Jodi and Gary Duncan, this meant replacing their honey oak cabinetry and old island with a sleek new look and wet bar.
After
Q
&A
Who do you typically work with and how is the process started? "Most the time it’s people that are 45 and older. I do charge for renderings or drawings. Once they have the drawing, then they go and pick everything out. A lot of the time, I'll go out there for the first consultation and it's free and I’ll say, 'What are you guys thinking?' And we’ll go through a list of things they want to do."
Is it helpful to bring ideas to a consultation? "Yes. It narrows the field of what they like. Sometimes I'll look at that and ask, what do you like about it? Do you like the whole concept? Then we’ll talk about it. A lot of fluff is really what it is, you don’t get a lot of bang for your buck. So we'll sit down, talk and at that meeting I'll tell them what I’m thinking and what it will probably cost them."
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With the old kitchen's closed off design, Erickson opened up the wall and put in an archway reconfiguring the existing space. He also added new windows, lighting, backsplash tile, granite countertops, flooring, new sheetrock throughout and dark stained cherry cabinetry. "So this one was pretty easy. I drew this from the start and we have hardly changed anything. They liked all the colors – they asked for a wall oven and a cook-top."
DESIGN&LIVING REMODEL
Before
After
What does a high-end kitchen remodel typically cost? "It will likely be around $75-80,000. That's high-end finishes like cherry cabinets, tile floor, tile backsplash, all kinds of recessed lights. New appliances and everything brand new. So I’ll actually give them a ballpark at that first meeting and they’ll say, 'Let's talk about it' and I’ll charge a $1,500 design fee. They’ll basically call me back and say, 'Yep, we want to take it to the next phase. We want to pay you to come up with the design and pick everything out,' because I won't give them a price unless I pick it all out. Because if I don't pick it out I don't know what they like. I do not do that anymore. If you want us to do the job, we refund the $1,500 design fee back, otherwise they can take everything we give them and get other prices if they want. Most of the time they don’t. If I had to guess, people are willing to pay for the design fee at least 90 percent of the time."
After Do you do allowances in your bids? "I used to give them allowances, so much for the floor, so much for the backsplash, tile and so much for the cabinets. All I'm doing is guessing. If I guess too low and we do the job and go pick out everything, at the end they might do a $1,500 change order or allowance changes at the end and they’ll panic and be like, ‘We didn't know that.' So I’d rather pick everything out, right down to the knobs, every single little detail and give them an exact price and say, 'Here ya go. Here’s everything that we picked, here’s everything that we designed, this is all yours.'"
Do you do the design side of your remodels? "Yes, because then you get to see the full circle, what they had, what we designed what we picked out and then the finished product." Any advice for someone looking for a good contractor? "Talk to other people, check their references, make an appointment and look at their work."
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Having digital renderings has made it so much easier. The owners came to me and said, 'We want to remodel our kitchen, we don’t like cooking in it, we don’t like the function.' They just didn't like that it was so outdated. Then we sat down and figured out what they liked and disliked, what their needs were and wants. I then came up with a rendering, and they looked at it and said, 'This is perfect, we love everything.'"
What is your style of remodeling? "I look at it as we can certainly give you all the fluff you want if you want to spend that kind of money. I’m more down to earth. Function versus value. A lot of people have told me I'm really honest, like overly honest. I tell them I wouldn’t do this because in my own home I wouldn’t do that, so why would I tell you to do that. I want you to be happy so you can tell all of your friends. Because money is not the golden ticket for me. It’s name recognition. I’ve talked myself and the company out of not doing something. I’ve gone to them and said, 'Absolutely not, I would not do that.'"
Should I remodel as an investment? "The kitchen, for example, is a very key component of the whole house, that’s where you meet and congregate at the end of the day, you have supper, you all talk. A lot of times, my projects end up being an addition to the kitchen. Typically, if people are going to put an addition on, they’re going to want to live there for awhile. You’re not going to want to put $75-80,000 into the kitchen and then turn around and sell your house in three to five years. Even with major remodeling like this, it's still not a great investment. If you want it be an investment, put your money in investment."
What made you choose to become a remodeling contractor versus a homebuilder? "It’s much more gratifying. I like to take something that works somewhat for them and make it a lot more functional. You can see what you took it from and see how much better it was than before. When we’ve designed it better than it was, a lot of people ask me why the homebuilder didn't think about that. I can’t quite answer that, maybe it was a tight budget, or maybe it was a spec home where you don’t get anything extra. My biggest enjoyment is when I see an email that says, ‘It’s changed the way we use our house’."
For more information contact: Delta Design 100 16th St N, Fargo 701.235.1212 deltadesign.biz
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REMODEL Tim Rosene of Studs to Rugs
Grateful Growth. f you've lived in Fargo long, it's likely you're familiar with a local contractor called Studs to Rugs. Clever name, but an even more interesting concept. Owner Tim Rosene has made a career of finishing basements on the thousands of new builds going up every year. With the demand for finishing and now remodeling, we sat down with Rosene to find out more on his current expansion to kitchens and baths and get some tips on how to avoid costly mistakes in your remodel.
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By Tracy Nicholson Photos by J. Alan Paul Photography
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DESIGN&LIVING REMODEL
Within their new 12,000-square-foot shop, Rosene plans to turn this space into his kitchen and bath showroom within the next six to eight months. "Soon, instead of just being the 'basement experts', we plan to be the 'basement and kitchen experts'," said Rosene. "So, in my team at Boeing, everything had a process, same here. You start at the front and you work the assembly line. So everything comes out of here and this is the final staging area. We also have all of the shelving, baseboards, casing all wrapped up and ready to go. These are all the pieces and products that are going to go out next week for a job, so we start one every week and we finish one every week," said Rosene.
EXPANDING SERVICES Moving from a small space in North Fargo a year and a half ago, Studs to Rugs flew south to spread their wings. The move to South Fargo meant expanding their services and adding a selection room with a kitchen and bath showroom in the works. "Our selection room is where clients come to choose their banisters, cabinet hardware, doors, millwork, concrete tops, so we now have everything located right at our shop. On top of that, we now have our own cabinet shop in this location as well," said Rosene. "Another part of our expansion is doing home theater systems, speakers, surround sound, big movie theaters, whatever the client wants. We also have all of the appliance selections in-house now. So, when somebody wants a kitchen or basement remodel and needs
to update their appliances, they don't need to go to another store. In eight years, it's really turned into a onestop shop," said Rosene. BUILDING A DREAM Before starting Studs to Rugs, Rosene honed his skills as an aircraft mechanic. "Back in 2008, when the housing market crashed, I had to finish off my basement because I was upside down on my house. The house was worth less than the mortgage payment was worth. So, I had to finish the basement so the house was worth more. Then some of my neighbors needed theirs done, so I helped them out. All of a sudden a new career was born. I had never ran a business before this, so I found myself in Barnes & Noble every night reading books on how to start your own business, and really it takes a lot of work," said Rosene.
NICHE DEMAND Finding a niche in the building industry proved to be a success. As Rosene explained, "There wasn't anyone in Fargo-Moorhead doing specifically basements at the time, and then once we started, the demand came when they saw the beautiful finished product. After that, people started saying, 'Well if you can do this in our basement, come and do our kitchen.' Now, about half of our work is kitchens and half is basements. I actually don't like to call them basements, I call them lower levels all the time. Now, there's about 17 team members that we have and they're all like family." BIG DREAMS "I had dreams of this coming, but I couldn't do it by myself. I will say we have the best team in FargoMoorhead hands-down. Because of them, that's allowed
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"One of the biggest misconceptions is that every contractor is the same and every contractor's out to get you.That's not the way it is. I don't come from a construction background, so I wasn't born with a lot of the bad habits. If we say that we're going to be there at eight,we're going to be there at eight." Tim Rosene, Studs to Rugs
the company to grow. Each one of them is like family to me. After eight years, I think we've made a pretty good name for ourselves," said Rosene. To remind him of his path and passion, right above Rosene's office door, you might notice this quote made famous by Walt Disney, "If you can dream it, you can do it. Always remember that this whole thing was started with a dream and a mouse.�
we design everything for them right there. Everything is custom, we don't pre-order anything. We have our own master electrician, we have our own master plumber, so we actually hold six licenses, a construction company in both Minnesota and North Dakota and we're electrical and plumbing contractors in both states as well," said Rosene.
GETTING STARTED! "Once we see clients, we talk numbers with them right off the bat. We don't hold back. We do all of their drawings and then we start giving them 3D drawings on everything, so they sit in our conference room and
REMODELING TIMELINE How long does it take to finish a basement? "We get the basements done in four weeks – five if they go into the home technology side of things and if they want granite and things like that. We mainly hold off and put these
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things into the fifth or sixth week just due to the dust on the job site," said Rosene. CUSTOM BUILDS Rosene now has an in-house cabinet shop, where they custom build cabinetry for lower levels, kitchens and baths. "We don't do any pre-fab cabinets, we don't order it up from anybody. Everything is custom built right here. We have all of the different wood species on-hand. All of our cabinets come standard with soft close drawer side, soft close hinges. It's not an extra charge for us, so everything is standardized," said Rosene.
Q
&A
What are the most popular wood selections right now? "Right now, it's a toss up between the white, painted or the real dark, stained alder. Kind of like a rich, chocolate brown is what we're seeing. We're not seeing a lot of the oak anymore, people are leaning toward the alders, poplars, maples; wood that's less grainy." What does the average basement finish cost? "For a standard finish in a newer home with bare concrete walls, with their flooring allowance and everything, it's right around $35 a square foot. Now, if they have things that are already done, it can reduce that cost. If we're looking at a home built in the '60s or '70s, the price will go up. A kitchen's average is right around $35 to $50. You can go up to $70 to $90 depending on your stone or appliances." What's included in your bid? "Since we have our own electrician, every kitchen that we do, we put in recessed can lights right away. All the electrical by code needs to be updated now, so we include that in our bid so that our homeowners aren't surprised. We've heard of a lot of other companies that will try to sell them the cabinetry for $20,000 then say, I need to go find this person, this person and this person. By the time they're done with it, they're in to it
at $45,000. If they would have come to me right off the bat, they would have known that the price was going to be $45,000. It's situations like these where the client starts to hate their contractor and they don't trust them. So, the first thing that we do is we talk to our clients about budgets, so we can make sure to work within their budget. " What do you think of the DIY crowd? "There's a lot of people trying to do it themselves. What I recommend to those, as we come in after the project's been started and they say we got a lot done, but truthfully for us, it was about a day and a half's worth of work. All the hard stuff's still left, putting up a few studs and everything is great, but it doesn't help them out much. When you don't have a solid design, you don't have great plans ready to go. What we're seeing is people starting to sub stuff out on themselves, but they're getting charged a lot more than what we would charge them to do as a whole." What are your best tips for remodeling? "For people that have never remodeled before, my first thing when I go and talk to them is to explain that it's not about money right now. What you're doing is interviewing contractors. You want to find a contractor that you like and trust. Once you meet that person, you start talking plans and budgets, but if you don't have a great relationship with your contractor you're going to end up on some show on HGTV where they show all the bad stuff and the contractors and the homeowners are going to battle. That's what we don't want to see happen. We trust our clients, they trust us and we work together."
DESIGN&LIVING REMODEL
How can homeowners find a trustworthy contractor? "Social media is great right now. What I tell people is that if they're looking to remodel, throw it out on Facebook. Ask if any of your friends and family have done work with Studs to Rugs or so and so. What did they like, what didn't they like? Then interview, interview, interview. Also, the Homebuilder's Association is great, Better Business Bureau, Angie's List, so there's all sorts of places you can gather information. Friends and family though are the best ones." What is the trickiest thing people try to do themselves that they shouldn't? "Hanging sheetrock. If they don't want to see cracks in the future, hanging sheetrock is tougher than it looks. A lot of people try it and they're not saving themselves any money. Some people will try to do their own electrical and won't get inspections done, which is always a nono. Get your permits, get your inspections done, that way you're covered through insurance and you know that it's done right. You don't want to put your family at risk just trying to save a dollar or two." What are the biggest misconceptions in your industry? "One of the biggest misconceptions is that every contractor is the same and every contractor's out to get you. That's not the way it is. I don't come from a
construction background, so I wasn't born with a lot of the bad habits. If we say that we're going to be there at eight, we're going to be there at eight. We hire guys that understand that change is good in the industry; that just because you're a plumber, doesn't mean that you have plumber's crack. You can be a really excellent plumber and take a lot of pride in your craftsmanship too. Everybody is responsible for the quality of work that they produce around here."
To view one of Studs to Rugs' latest kitchen and bath remodels we took a tour with Home Technology Customer Representative, Guy Roper. Remarkably fast, this kitchen and bath remodel was run simultaneously taking just six weeks to complete both. "Both projects were mostly done at four weeks with all cabinetry installed. We used the last couple of weeks to template the granite countertops, shower tile and get the glass door in," said Roper. "The homeowners moved here a couple of years ago and hated their kitchen. They entertain a lot, so we came in and put in a new sliding glass door with shutters on it. They needed to have a large, vented hood and a gas range because they love to cook. They were able to
hand select their granite countertops. What we do is we take our time when we select a stone. When it's ready to be cut, we bring them back over if they want to select a certain movement in the stone. We custom built all of their cabinets at the shop. They got new appliances and new flooring throughout. In the kitchen they had inexpensive laminate flooring, so they requested to upgrade this and redid whole floor," said Roper. "Upstairs, they didn't like their master bathroom either. We came in and closed off this area. We moved the doorway and took what was a single vanity, making it a double, matching the granite countertops that we had downstairs. We custom design all of our showers, so we designed this tile shower with granite shelving and added in a glass door. They were very specific as to how the stone and everything was to be laid out. Because none of the plumbing was there, the stool was on the other side, the vanity was on the other side, we tore out a wall to make it larger. We had to completely open up the floor, so we could actually get all the plumbing moved from one side to another," said Roper. For more information contact: Studs to Rugs 5289 51st Ave. S, Fargo, N.D. 701-730-0091 studstorugs.com
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By Hailey Colbrunn
JW KITCHENS
STUDS TO RUGS
DESIGN&LIVING REMODEL
REMODEL Contractor Directory
Accent Kitchen and Bath 3151 Main Ave, Fargo chooseaccent.com 701-293-6000
J-R Remodeling, Inc. 2111 Main Ave. E #8, West Fargo j-rremodeling.com 701-306-7241
Northern Valley Construction 566 42nd St. S #251, Fargo northernvalleyconstructioninc.com 701-799-0512
Remodeling Solutions - Mike Huber 2731 12th Ave. S. Ste. 400, Fargo homeremodelingsolutions.com 701-261-4305
Allied Build and Remodel, LLC 910 9th St. S, Fargo 701-371-2376
JW Kitchens 5675 26th Ave. SW #144, Fargo jwkitchens.com 701-388-9584
Nvision Building and Remodeling 6405 1st St. N, Moorhead nvisionremodeling.com/index.php 218-233-0999
Keith Francis and Sons Construction 1825 Main Ave, Fargo keithfrancisandsons.com 701-388-1568
Poss Custom Cabinets and Remodeling, Inc. 3211 Fiechtner Dr, Fargo posscabinets.com 701-478-7238
Paul Davis Restoration and Remodeling of the Red River Valley 355 7th St. NW, West Fargo the-red-river-valley.pauldavis.com 701-271-4770
Azure Construction Inc. 2045 52nd St. S, Fargo azureconstructioninc.com 701-893-8741 Custom Building and Remodeling Richard Holmes 1526 16 1/2 St. S, Fargo custombuildingfargo.com 701-261-7062 Delta Design and Construction- Tom Erickson 100 16th St. N, Fargo deltadesign.biz 701-235-1212 Encore Home Improvements 405 Main Ave. W. Ste. 4J, West Fargo encorehomeimprovement.com 701-281-4779 Fiske Construction 87 19th Ave. N, Fargo fiskeconstruction.com 701-238-7635 Innovative Basement Systems 1330 41st St. N, Fargo innovativebasementsystems.com 877-365-0097 Integrity Builders - Bruce Hingst 3302 23rd Ave. S, Fargo 701-306-4124
Kenowski Remodel and Tile 1518 8th St. N, Fargo kenowskiremodelandtile.com 701-353-9767 Klein's Carpentry, Inc. Fargo 4733 36th Ave. N, Reiles Acres, ND kleinscarpentry.com 701-793-8102 Larson Home Repair-Remodeling 1821 7th St. W, West Fargo 701-367-3362 Luxury Bath of Fargo 6020 53rd Ave. S, Fargo luxurybathfargo.com 701-356-5090 Mike Byrne Construction 3155 43rd St. S, Fargo 701-893-2623 Miller Services, Inc. - James M. 438 25th St. S, Fargo miller-services.com 701-235-1700
Revive Contracting, LLC 3408 Evergreen Rd. N, Fargo revivecontracting.net 701-361-2751
Price-Rite Home Improvements Inc. 2100 Main Ave. E. Ste. 5, West Fargo priceritehomeimprovementsinc.com 701-277-1692
Robert Jacobsen Construction 316 Highway 9 S, Gyndon rjconstructing.com 701-361-5548
Studs to Rugs - Tim Rosene 5289 51st Ave. S, Fargo studstorugs.com 701-730-0091
Showplace Kitchens of Fargo 2553 Kirsten Lane S, Fargo howplacekitchens.com 701-365-4455 or 866-988-4455
Luebke Homes 1641 12th Ave. S, Fargo 701-729-7007
SJS Carpentry 1031 9th St. W, West Fargo sjscarpentry.com 701-353-8733
Remodeling by Foss 1911 26th St. S, Moorhead remodelingbyfoss.com 218-236-9310
TR Remodeling and Construction 409 17th St. E, West Fargo 701-866-8198
Luxury Designs 4025 4th Ave. S. Ste. 1, Fargo luxurydesignsfm.com 701-478-2776
Valley Siding and Remodeling Inc. 614 4th Ave. E, West Fargo valleysidingfargo.com 701-281-7865
Rustic Design Remodeling and Repair westfargohomeadditions.com 701-297-2244 or 701-630-5655
Your Home Improvement Company 420 Center Ave. Ste. 3, Moorhead yourhomeimprovementco.com 218-233-1822
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HANDMADE Amber Parsons of Midwest Mud
Relating to Art. lanting her roots in the art community at a young age, Amber Parsons has honed her skills as a skateboard artist, tattoo artist and taxidermist. These days she focuses most of her handcrafted talent on ceramics and classes along with her Downtown Fargo studio, Midwest Mud.
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By Tracy Nicholson Photos by J. Alan Paul Photography
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"Handcrafted means that you’ve put a little extra love in something.I think when something's handcrafted, people appreciate it more and you have a little bit more intimacy with that piece." Amber Parsons, Midwest Mud
CONVERSATIONAL INSTALLATION Meeting at her first art installation, Habitat for Conversation at the Plains Art Museum, Parson's work speaks volumes about her past. Today it's not only ceramics, but her life that is on display. Each of the intricately designed plates is fastened to metal rods and held in place by authentic railroad ties. Leaves are plasma cut and fluttering above, clouds are derived from doilies. For Parsons, each plate is a literal interpretation of dinnerware and a symbolic interpretation of the conversations and stories that are made possible by the Midwest dining experience. Each plate tells a story of Parson's family and her grandparent's farm roots. GATHER 'ROUND "The idea of this installation art is that we all gather
around the dinner table to hang out with family and the way that our society is really into eating and our plates are a big part of that. It’s an experience, so I kind of wanted to take the dinner table and make it into a habitat basically. Because I had to relate art – art equals food. So I just took it a step further and got literal with it. So what we eat on is the artwork. And within the plates there’s a little scenery on each one to give it more of a feeling of a habitat. I stuck with things that were more foliage-like and local things like driving through the fields with my grandfather; it's memories like that. For the hanging clouds, I collected a lot of doilies from a lot of different people. I thought I had more doilies than I did so I had to improvise with paper doilies. But this 'Low Tech/High Joy', they're from the cities, it’s this group of women; they make pies from scratch and do a lot of low-tech, high-joy things and they donated most
of my doilies, which is kind of cool," said Parsons. SWEET INSPIRATIONS "On all of my bigger plates, I’ve been using a lot of techniques for cake decorating in my work. It’s just a direction I started going into. I actually started cakepiping on my mugs and everything to give it some detail, it captures all of the glaze. I screen print onto tissue paper, glaze and I transfer that onto my piece so that’s what these decorations are. My grandfather passed away while I was making this installation, I kind of look at my grandparents as that’s where I got my artistic ability and so I did some memorial things for them in my plates. Like the one where we’re driving through the fields, that’s something me and my grandfather used to do and then my other grandfather, he used to make these wooden deer. As far as the cake-piping goes,
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my grandmother won awards for her cake decorating, which is kind of something I feel like I’ve passed on through my work. All of this just leads to the fact that the dining table is like our family and that's what I'm using as my artwork," explained Parsons. GRANT TO CREATE Parsons installation has been up at the Plains Art Museum since October 2015 and is scheduled to come down in early August. After that, she will use the ceramics as her wedding decor for her August 27 nuptials. "This was my very first installation in the Plains Art Museum. It was the first grant I had ever written, which was a big step in my art career. I just looked for deadlines for grants to be written, then got started. You really have to have a clear vision for what you’re going to be doing. I already had the vision and
I knew what materials I needed. To get the grant, you need material breakdowns. People think as an artist you just do artwork but it's actually much more than that. You have to be good at creative writing, talking to people, promoting yourself and financial things. That’s something you don't really learn in school. You learn from doing. I just did Unglued, Beer and Bacon Fest – now I want to focus on things that I personally like making because there is a difference, you’re making because you want to sell things and then you’re making because you want to make and learn," said Parsons. GAME FOR ANYTHING To many, Parsons is a Jackie of all creative trades. Her skills range from intricate ceramics to elaborate feather headdresses and even skulls. "I was a skateboard artist in high school. I actually had rigged it so my last
DESIGN&LIVING HANDMADE
"I don't think artwork should have to be outside of people’s spending ability." Amber Parsons, Midwest Mud
semester of high school was almost all art classes except for government. And then after that I started working at a tattoo parlor and I was doing taxidermy for Thompson Taxidermy. I graduated from MSUM in 2009 with a degree in ceramics, and then I just don’t say no to anything. Usually I’m game for anything creative," said Parsons. THE ART OF HANDCRAFTING For someone whose life revolves around the interpretation of art, we wanted to know what it meant for her to focus so much energy on her craft. "To me, handcrafted means that you’ve put a little extra love in something. I think when something's handcrafted, people appreciate it more and you have a little bit more intimacy with that piece. It just has that special feeling. You feel a little bit of pride that you’re using something
handcrafted. And so when I make things, people will maybe ask me to make a replica of something but it never is the exactly the same. I just don’t hold myself to that standard because I like things being a little bit different. It’s just not the way I make things. But I’ll try to tie them together in a different way. I don’t expect that of anything that’s handcrafted. I guess that’s the whimsy of my work. For Unglued, I did 50 mugs and I used the same style but none of them look the same and I think that’s why people really like my work, because they are an original. You’re never going to find that exact same piece. Usually when people use my mugs, I ask them if they feel like they could be a boss holding their mug. 'Do you feel like you could boss people around with that mug? Then that’s the one you need,' said Parsons with a laugh.
NON-ANALYTICAL PROBLEM SOLVING To understand the creative mind behind Midwest Mud, we asked what drives her to keep creating. "I actually have shape dyslexia, like organizing things, like when I organize shapes and stuff, it gives me a good feeling inside. It actually makes me a really good problem solver because I don't look at anything analytically. I think, 'What pieces can I put together to create?' I just have things laying around and I think, 'Oh, these things look good together.' I never think about what the actual purpose is. It allows me to look beyond purpose. I really loves things that are a little dirty or gross, maybe not even gross but just unclean. I like things that are contrasting and that's generally what I put together. I can't stop making things, it's a compulsion. Sometimes, I’ll get up at five in the morning and I’ll go to my studio before the girls get up, just to get some studio time in
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before I go to work. I find a way to make studio time work for me," said Parsons. SUPPORTING THE HABIT "My mugs, no matter how much time I put into them I give a price point of $20 because $20 is something that is affordable for everybody. I don't think artwork should have to be outside of people’s spending ability. If I don't make it sellable or at a sellable price point, I'm just going to have hoards of things. I just want to be able to create more. So it's not a big deal to me if I make a lot of money off it, I just need to support my habit. Generally, my mugs sell really well because people can identify with mugs. I try to break down that barrier, 'It’s handmade and yes you can use it.' I put my stuff in the dishwasher. It's hearty, my two year-old uses it. It's something that's utilitarian." said Parsons.
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IN THE WORKS Although a busy mom of two and full time paramedical examiner, every inch of Parson's life revolves around creativity. These days Parsons sells her ceramics at Unglued and through her Etsy site primarily. She also teaches classes at the Plains Art Museum the second Thursday of every month and has taken over the artist in residence for Plants for Patients. She makes planters for the women at the Red River Women’s Clinic and will soon be teaching classes at the Make Room doing ringholders, spoon racks and other fun, kitschy pieces. This summer, she plans to be at the Red River Market selling her ceramic garden flowers. "There’s 17 Saturdays this summer and I think I'm going to bring my wheel out and throw and expose people to the process, which is something everybody is always interested in," said Parsons.
For more information, contact: Midwest Mud Amber Parsons 218.790.3130 For commissioned orders and custom art pieces email: MidwestMudnd@gmail.com Shop: Unglued - 408 Broadway N, Fargo Facebook - Search 'Midwestmud Etsy page - Etsy.com/shop/AmberNoelParsons Classes: Go to Midwest Mud's Facebook page for updates on future classes at the Make Room and Plains Art Museum in Downtown Fargo.
• Serene small town setting • Spacious 2/3 to 2 acres lots • Beautiful mature trees • Diversion protected • West Fargo School District • Buy now and pick your builder! • Outbuildings are allowed
1404 33rd Street South, Suite #C Fargo
Sheet 1 of 2 Project No. 8216-001
Phone: 701.237.5065
HoustonEngineering Inc.
BEING 5 FEET IN WIDTH AND ADJOINING LOT LINES, AND 10 FEET IN WIDTH AND ADJOINING RIGHT-OF-WAY LINES, UNLESS OTHERWISE INDICATED ON THE PLAT.
NEGATIVE ACCESS EASEMENT, AS NOTED ON THIS PLAT, IS AN EASEMENT DEDICATED AS PART OF THE RIGHT-OF-WAY DEDICATION WHICH EASEMENT DENIES DIRECT VEHICULAR ACCESS TO A STREET OR PUBLIC WAY FROM THE LOT OR LOTS ADJACENT TO SUCH STREET OR WAY. THE NEGATIVE ACCESS EASEMENT IS NOT A STRIP OF LAND OF ANY CERTAIN WIDTH, BUT IS A LINE COTERMINOUS WITH THE BOUNDARY OF THE ADJACENT LOT OR LOTS.
BEARINGS SHOWN ARE BASED ON FARGO GIS HORIZONTAL DATUM.
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701-306-0486
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HANDMADE DESIGN&LIVING
HANDMADE Josh Humble of Finnu Designs
Living the Wood Life. or Josh Humble, founder of Finnu designs, his search for a meaningful life has found him handcrafting beautiful, custom furniture for a cause. Although he has quickly become known for his mid-century modern pieces and uncompromising use of authentic, reclaimed wood, these days Humble has a higher calling.
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By Tracy Nicholson Photos by J. Alan Paul Photography
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Creative Meeting Spaces: Humble has created their own quant 'Finnu Shack' within their shop, a wood working shop with character. Humble displays a custom Finnu longboard made with wood from the Bison Sports Arena. "I thought it'd be fun together as a team to build each other one. They were a lot of fun to build and a lot of fun to play with," said Humble. As far as meeting clients go, there's an upstairs loft where they usually sit down with clients to plan their designs. Lately with projects on the rise, this space has now been taken over as storage. Just inside the entrance Humble displays old mid-century modern design and architecture magazines as his design inspiration.
HUMBLE BEGINNINGS Attending a global leadership summit, Humble realized his need to change his destiny and cut ties with his past career in photography, pushing him toward a career with a purpose. "I was in photography and I wanted to get out of the industry. It wasn't serving a purpose for me and it wasn't serving a purpose for my family either. My wife Kelly said, 'Well, it's about time that you did.'" TESTING HIS FAITH Starting Finnu Designs, like any business, has come with its fair share of challenges. Working out of his garage a year and a half ago, a series of crazy events would soon alter his path forever. Shortly after making the decision to open Finnu Designs, Josh and his wife Kelly endured a setback most could not begin to fathom. Just two weeks after the summit, a stranger drove through their
home totaling it. "Those were challenging times. We decided to rebuild the house ourselves. Then about five months into it, somebody lit our house on fire. And so, that was another set back," said Humble. RISING FROM THE ASHES When most would be defeated by the tragic turn of events, Humble and his family of four dug in and embraced it. "It's really given me grit. If I could take anything from this entire experience, it's the grit. The day of the fire, is the day that I realized that Finnu needed to happen and why it needed to happen. Finnu happened because I wanted to make a difference, first and foremost. The person that drove their car through my house; we decided that we would take her with us on a mission trip and give her the opportunity that we've been able to have. So, we went on the mission
trip, it was fantastic. She's an amazing person and she's done so well since then. Through our church we were able to raise money for her to go with us. We went to Jamaica and helped a place that's a home for disabled children. And, that in itself has so many life rewards. So, we knew that with Finnu, there needed to be something like that incorporated into the business," explained Humble. NEW PURPOSE, NEW PARTNERSHIPS Opening their doors in May 2015 next to ICSS Supply in Moorhead, Humble was able to combine ICSS's need for sustainability with Finnu's need for designing quality furniture for a higher cause. ICSS supplied the reclaimed and unique wood species, while Finnu handcrafted custom furniture, wall paneling and doors for homeowners and contractors. Wanting to make an
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"I've always been inspired through my grandfather who's from Sweden and so we really wanted to take on that Scandinavian heritage within our designs for Finnu." Josh Humble, Founder, Finnu Designs
impact with this collaboration, Humble then partnered with Unseen in Downtown Fargo, donating his skills to furnish their office space. Phase two is set to involve donating a portion of certain sales to the ministry's charities.
a gift from Unseen when we dropped off our first set of furniture. Our appreciation and feelings of gratitude at that moment we're very surreal. It was another reassuring feeling, why we do what we do. Not what we do so much as it is why," said Humble.
"I realized that No. 1, I wanted to make a difference. What were my resources, what was I good at and whatever it was we wanted it to be a difference-maker, so we launched Finnu with our purpose, mission, vision and basically the No. 1 thing was to make an impact, make a difference. We're very grateful; that's kind of a core value that we have too, gratitude. That's how it started and here we are today. Everything that has happened to us has been nothing but opportunities," said Humble.
As you can see, we have hammocks in here, and that's something that is time for reflection and needs to happen in our day to day, week to week. When things are crazy and busy, it's even more important we use those for time of reflection. Ultimately, that's going to make us more effective throughout the day, throughout the week. We're really focused on changing the industry as we know it. Going to college in the summers, I'd work construction and I hated the industry. I didn't enjoy it. So, this started happening and I knew that our culture had to be unique. It didn't have to be the standard industry with what we've been told and what we're used to. I really thrive when I'm around others that want to make a difference," explained Humble.
CULTIVATING A NEW CULTURE "Our culture is very important to us, we thrive in our uniqueness. The big "Take Heart" sign in our shop was
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Speaking with Humble, it's easy to hear the gratitude when he speaks of his team. "We've been really blessed with the people that we have. When we do Unseen projects, Kim Jacobson comes and volunteers. Sometimes from the goodness of her heart, she’ll come in when we are swamped. She loves Finnu and we are grateful" said Humble. Rounding out his daily crew is Hailey VonWald who does party planning and some back end work to keep them organized along with AJ Eckberg and Lincoln Regula. Although a young team, Regula is a talented engineer and Eckberg a graduate of Concordia with an expertise in top notch design concepts. THE BIGGER PICTURE "It doesn't really matter what Finnu does, as long as what we do is cool and the greater picture is making a difference and making an impact. AJ was talking about the possibility of being a professional rock climber.
DESIGN&LIVING HANDMADE
Josh and his wife Kelly Humble at "Mission Jamaica" in 2015 working at a children’s disabled orphanage. Their church, Hope South, facilitated the mission where they did everything from painting to carpentry and roofing.
Well, why can't he be that with Finnu. We'll make that environment for you and maybe we can come up with a charity or foundation that Finnu puts on where maybe you're helping kids and teaching them how to rock climb. It's going to a good cause, so the idea is that we invest in our people, it's never about me. Finnu is merely a tool or a platform to help find purpose, so if our people have purpose already, than this will be a place where it will be enhanced. If they don't have it, this will be a place where they can find it. Now that we have Finnu, we can all do missions together," said Humble. ON THE HORIZON Up until now, the bulk of Finnu's work has been furniture and barn style doors. "We're working on designs and kind of changing the way people think about barn style doors. So, we're excited for some of the
concepts that we've been coming up with and looking forward to producing those soon. We're working on a new business model right now, there will be some big changes coming, but we're gonna wait before we make the announcement on that." MARK YOUR CALENDARS! Unseen and Finnu will be holding a fundraising event at ecce art + yoga in Downtown Fargo on April 29th. Finnu will be raffling off a custom furniture piece, along with food, drink, and a silent auction with amazing art. Contact Melanie Iverson at Unseen at Melanie@ weareunseen.org or go to their website for ticket details. WHAT IS UNSEEN MINISTRIES? Based in Downtown Fargo, this organization helps nonprofits who are fighting human trafficking, caring for
orphans and ending cycles of poverty. Unseen raises the support they need to expand and accelerate their work through a national network of volunteers, interns, artists and countless partnerships.
For more info contact: Finnu Designs 1325 23rd St. S, Moorhead 218-779-0470 finnudesigns.com Unseen Ministries 125 8th St. N, Fargo 320-433-1125 info@weareunseen.org weareunseen.org
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By Hailey Colbrunn
HANDMADE DESIGN&LIVING
ECO CHIC BOUTIQUE
HANDMADE Store Directory
Burlap Rustic Chic boutique (New!) 3401 S University Dr, Fargo facebook.com/burlaprusticchicboutique
Zandbroz Variety 420 Broadway N, Fargo zandbroz.com 701-239-4729
Unglued 408 Broadway, Fargo ungluedmarket.com 701-205-1597
O'Day Cache 317 Broadway N, Fargo odaycache.bigcartel.com 701-293-2088
Aendee 5 8th St. S, Fargo aendee.com 701-261-8816
The Studio - The Green Room 11th 8th St. S, Fargo facebook.com/thestudio
C. Lizzy's 410 Broadway N, Fargo clizzys.com 701-235-4902
Michael Orchard Studio 910 Main Ave Ste 202, Fargo orchardstudio.net 701-235-4719
Eco Chic Boutique 4955 17th Ave. S, Fargo iloveecochic.com iloveecochic.com/blog 701-356-6600 Red Silo 12 Broadway N, Fargo theredsilo.com 701-429-7049 Plains Art Museum 704 1st Ave. N, Fargo plainsart.org 701-551-6100 Gallery 4 114 Broadway N, Fargo gallery4fargo.wix.com/gallery4 701-237-6867 The Uptown Gallery 74 Broadway N, Fargo theuptownartgallery.com 701-793-7201
UNGLUED
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Aendee 5 8th St. S, Fargo aendee.com 701-261-8816 8th Street Art Gallery 11 8th St. S, Fargo 8thstreetart.com 701-630-4432 Vintage Point Gift Shop 1450 25th St. S, Fargo facebook.com/vintagepointfargo 701-293-6336 Others 18 18th St. S, Fargo othersshop.com 701-478-8722 Prairie Petals 210 Broadway N. Ste. 104, Fargo prairiepetalsfm.com 701-364-0151
Underbrush Galley 1450 25th St. S. Ste. 142, Fargo underbrushgalleryfargo.com 701-237-6867
Tag 300 Broadway N, Fargo tagfargo.com or facebook.com/ TagStoreFargo 701-566-0554
Ecce Art Gallery 216 Broadway N, Fargo ecce216.com/gallery 701-298-3223
Baker Garden & Gift 2733 University Dr, Fargo bakernursery.com 701-237-6255
Modern Textiles 17 7th St. S. Ste. 202, Fargo moderntextiles.net 701-566-8749
Shotwell Floral 4000 40th St. S, Fargo shotwellflorist.com 701-356-9377
DESIGN&LIVING CABINETS
THE GREAT
CABINET DEBATE A fter attending a whirlwind of home shows from Minneapolis to Fargo to Woodbury, Minn. and finally St. Cloud, Minn., I was inspired to write on the topic of framed versus frameless cabinetry. After each home show and visiting with local designers, it's easy to see that in the cabinetry industry right now there is a bit of a transition taking place across our country and, in many markets, it has already taken place. That is the transition from using framed overlay cabinetry to “frameless� as the standard offering. What are the differences and what do they mean to you? By Karla Krengel Photos provided by Dimon Designs and Greenfield Cabinetry
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DESIGN&LIVING CABINETS
FRAMED VERSUS FRAMELESS CABINETRY
DEFINING
Framed Cabinetry In framed cabinetry a face frame sits on the front of the four walls of the cabinet. There are two types of framed cabinetry: overlay and inset.
Overlay: • Traditional Overlay: the door covers the cabinet opening, leaving an exposed frame. • Full Overlay: the door covers the full face of the cabinet leaving little reveal between the doors. This reveal will vary in width depending on cabinet brands.
Inset: • The cabinet’s door sits in the face frame. • Most commonly used in traditional design. • Typically more expensive. • Inset is normally available with two hinging options, a decorative finial hinge, which is visible from the exterior and hinging, which is hidden inside the cabinet (concealed hinge). • Inset cabinetry maintains the standard depths of the cabinet box without adding the thinking of the door but they also can take away from the interior dimension and storage.
Inset door with exterior hinges
Inset door with interior hinges
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FRAMED VERSUS FRAMELESS CABINETRY
DEFINING
Frameless Cabinetry Frameless cabinetry, now more commonly referred to as "full access,� offers greater accessibility for you into the cabinet by eliminating the face frame. The full access cabinet with doors and drawer fronts sized to cover most of the case. The doors and drawer fronts overlay directly onto the face of the frameless cabinet.
Full access cabinet
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Framed cabinet
Which is more popular, framed or full access? I know from working in the kitchen and bath industry and working with designers from, not only here in North Dakota and Minnesota, but from across the country, that full access cabinetry is the trend and is used more than half the time. Inset (a version of framed) cabinetry is used approximately 10 or 15 percent of the time with framed overlay cabinetry at about 25 percent of the time, and that percentage is quickly dropping. In my experience, however, installers not used to working with full access cabinetry tend to push back with their clients asking them to purchase framed cabinetry for what they believe will be a better installation. That is simply not the case. (Believe me, I’ve seen a lot of installed cabinetry as a kid who grew up in the kitchen and bath industry.) It is a bit different to install, but, as with anything, once you understand the how and why of it, it installs just as nicely. Advice from the Installer: One of the best installers I know, who is the guy often called in to fix jobs that have been installed incorrectly, shares with us his secret to installing full access cabinetry. “The secret is you have to shim the ‘bad spots,’ on the walls,” explained Ed Liceaga of Falcon Construction. “If you just start installing a full access cabinet, screw it into the wall without planning first, the doors won’t close correctly,” he noted. “I begin by looking at the job as a whole. I work around the kitchen, checking to see if the walls are plumb or if there is a bow in a wall. I find the high point using a laser level. I also check the ceiling to see if it is level – or if it is it bowing up and down; I am planning ahead for my crown. I have installed hundreds and hundreds of kitchens and understand this part of the installation can take half a day sometimes. When a full access kitchen cabinet is racked when it is installed, the doors will appear warped. You can tell they aren’t by removing them and placing them on a flat surface. They appear to be warped when the cabinets, which are square are installed on a wall with ‘bad spots’ and shims are not used,” Liceaga finishes.
CABINETS DESIGN&LIVING
FRAMELESS CABINETRY
What are the benefits of full access cabinetry in your home? • You receive roughly 8 percent more storage space in your cabinetry and especially in small kitchens – this 8 percent makes a big difference. • There is no lip. This means, for example, when you slide a dish out of your cabinet, you can slide it right out – you do not have to lift it up over a small lip (part of the face frame). • They are easier to access the interiors of and easier to clean. Crumbs do not get stuck behind the lip, as there isn’t one. • Normally, there is a faster delivery time for this type of cabinet. • They normally have a lower price point. This does not mean they are less in value. Frameless cabinetry does not have the cost of the wood for the face frame, nor the installation/building time of that face frame, so that savings is passed along to you. • The fully concealed, European hinges can have a 120-degree swing with 3/4-inch-thick doors (the standard cabinet door thickness). • Full access cabinetry is reflective of today’s leading style of transitional design.
No "lip" on the bottom of a full access wall cabinet
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You can take a drawer out of a framed cabinet and set it inside of a full access cabinet, meaning the full access drawer boxes are larger.
DESIGN&LIVING CABINETS
Altering the Norm:
I work with a designer who is about half an hour outside of a large Midwest metro and, until last year, only used framed overlay cabinetry and told me there was no way she, nor her marketplace, would ever accept full access cabinetry as the norm. When I asked her recently what changed her mind, she told me, “I attended a seminar recently with other very seasoned designers. The instructor asked for a show of hands of who was using framed overlay versus that of full access and I was in the minority using framed overlay. That surprised me. I had the opportunity to work with a good full access line and pitched it to a builder, who had before told me he didn’t want full access. I pitched it to him, he told me, 'Sure, everyone is using it, why not?’ You could’ve knocked me over with a feather,” she told me. There is more proof full access cabinetry has gained in popularity as cleaner lines in design are more often desired. Many cabinet companies, which have only offered framed cabinetry in the past, are now introducing full access options. Is there still a place for framed cabinetry?
Of course. In most traditional set homes, inset cabinets are still desired. Why? The inset cabinet can create a classic design that allows cabinets to be combined together as one large box to avoid the seams in between creating a more elegant appearance. This type of construction was once the norm for many cabinet makers. But like all things, this luxury comes with a higher price tag. One high-end designer I work with likes to mix framed inset cabinetry with full access cabinetry in her work, a signature of sort to her designs. While we normally think of framed inset as more traditional, it can be made to lean more transitional if a slab (flat panel) door is used. Which is right for you, framed or full access? It all depends on your style and your budget and making sure your designer and your installer are savvy to work with.
FOR MORE INFO, CONTACT: Karla Krengel Krengel & Hood Greenfield Cabinetry karla@krengel.com
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Environments
MATTER.
Why do living environments – whether home or work – matter so much to things like our comfort, happiness and ability to get things done? According to psychologist Camille Kulka from Stillwater, Minn., "I think of the Irish poet John O'Donoghue, who speaks eloquently about beauty. He talks about how beauty evokes the best from our soul. When we are around beauty or see beauty we are transformed, almost into another dimension that calls to our soul asking us to bring forth that which is beautiful and wholesome inside of us.”
Home: a place of residence or refuge or comfort. (Dictionary.com)
KAREN WALSKI
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BY KRIS CARLSON PHOTOS BY PAUL FLESSLAND
A
CCORDING TO KULKA, a design client of our firm, places of healing colors and attractiveness can nourish souls and inner voices. “It can add to a new voice that calls forth hope and lightness,” she says. “Environments are a reflection of what we call to be around us. It is an expression of what we hold dear. It is a creative spark that forms our individuality... it is life essence." Kulka is spot on in her expertise and on the importance of environments. Environments matter. "I was struggling to stay in my house due to life circumstances," commented Karen Walski as we were talking. "I had repainted, but was at a total standstill about the remaining question of how
I could I make this my own. I was driving by the designingwomen2 store and stopped in to see what they could do for me. Fast forward a few weeks and the team from DW2 arrived." Walski explains how the change in environment impacted her life. "It makes such a difference. The team from DW2 primarily used what I had purchased, but put it together with color that I was lacking and so desperately needed. They brought in bright colors with art, pillows and the area rug. The arrangement of furniture also made my space so much more inviting. My first words were, 'I feel like I've moved!' The change has given me a huge amount of peace and contentment."
“IT’S A NEW HOME, A NEW ENVIRONMENT, A NEW BEGINNING. SOMETIMES WHEN I SIT IN MY LIVING ROOM, I JUST SMILE. MOST IMPORTANTLY, THIS OLD HOUSE BECAME MY NEW PARADISE." Karen Walski
DESIGN DESIGN&LIVING
"WHEN YOU LIVE ALONE, YOU CHOOSE THINGS DIFFERENTLY. I LIKE THE SMALLER-SCALE SOFA COMPARED TO THE LARGE SECTIONAL THAT WAS IN HERE. THIS ROOM HAS BEEN A COZY DELIGHT FOR ME." Lila Rath
Environments matter. Lila Rath has come through more than her share of difficult life experiences, losing her son and then her husband within a painfully short time period. The team from designingwomen2 wanted to create a respite for Rath to feel comfortable and secure, a change in environment to help aid in the healing. Painting the room in soft blue hues brought serenity and calm. Soft blues are known to hush the mind and improve concentration. Rath has a flare for design and a certain amount of spunk. Along with the color choice, we wanted the room to speak to Rath's personality. The edgy contemporary sofa is stylishly sleek (much like Rath) and extremely comfortable. The metal art says 'Broadway' and notably resembles Fargo's Broadway. The colors add moxie and we chose pillows to follow through, adding more color spark. Lila is a long-time resident of Fargo and a great proponent of downtown, thus the art was the perfect match. "I get lots of comments on that picture! I just love it," Rath exclaimed.
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DESIGN&LIVING DESIGN
Environments Matter Designing a kitchen for a therapist requires a definite attention to all matters of spirit. "Remodeling my kitchen was a bit like jumping off the high dive,� says Kulka. “It took some courage and I wasn't sure how it would all come together. Of course, having the designingwomen2 team holding my hand made the leap far more comfortable." DW2 wanted to create a space that spoke to all of her passions. "Kitchens are the hearth and heart of a home. It is where I nourish others and let my creativity fly while cooking. I wanted the kitchen to reflect the joy of having people at my table and the peacefulness of living in the woods just outside of Stillwater, Minn. I wanted the spirituality of the stillness of nature and the stillness of our souls to come through. The environment DW2 created has grounding, where everyone can feel comfortable, and creative flair like the spice added to food," said Kulka. DW2 accomplished this feel with swirls of browns and golds in the counters set off by blocks of glass and stone on the walls. About the design choices, Kulka says, "Having the juxtaposition of shapes and styles opened up not only the room but the hearts of the people who visit. Open hearts shower the environment with gratitude. Gratitude is the opening for compassion and joy."
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DESIGN&LIVING DESIGN
Environments matter... designingwomen2 has long used the term ‘professional warmth.' We firmly believe all environments matter. All environments affect your mood, outlook and performance. With spending a third of your day at work, it only makes sense to have an environment that is inviting. We strive to create the feeling of warmth while respecting the need for professionalism within different industries. Charpentier Creative recently moved, and hired the team from DW2 to design their office. Owner Shannon Charpentier expressed the direction she was looking for.
SHANNON CHARPENTIER
“We spend a good portion of our waking hours at the office. How it looks matters to our health, emotions and productivity,” said Charpentier. “Open spaces, comfortable furniture, vibrant wall colors, artwork and natural light are critical to spur creativity and focus our attention. I was thrilled with the design DW2 came up with. I believe that aesthetics can impact the mood, morale and productivity of any company. designingwomen2 has an extremely talented team of experts that can positively impact your business. I highly recommend them.”
"WE ARE IN THE BUSINESS OF CREATIVITY. WE SOLVE PROBLEMS AND INSPIRE PEOPLE TO INTERACT WITH OUR CLIENTS’ BRANDS. THE ENVIRONMENT IN WHICH WE DO OUR JOB MUST BE EQUALLY INSPIRING TO US."
For more information contact: designingwomen² 3223 13th Ave. S, Fargo 701-476-0938 designingwomen2.com
Shannon Charpentier
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Lighting - Ferguson LHD 50 fireplace - Hebron Brick Masonry - Ottertail Stone and Stucco Custom stair railing- Straight Line Design Staging design - The Green Room
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DESIGN&LIVING HOME
Cheyenne Jundt
CROFTON COVES
Masterpiece A pril walks winter out the door and shines light on the exquisite features of home design. We welcome you to a sneak peek of Designer Homes' sleek yet warm addition to the Spring Parade of Homes. Their latest masterpiece is a stunning variation of the Grandview floorplan overlooking the pond in the Crofton Coves neighborhood in South Fargo. Design Coordinator Cheyenne Jundt has polished this 5,942-square-foot home with the finest attention to detail, light and soft touches. BY HAILEY COLBRUNN | PHOTOS BY J. ALAN PAUL PHOTOGRAPHY
Great Room At just over 19 feet, this spectacular fireplace sets the tone for a dignified great room and stunning entrance. Jundt chose a white, birchhoned stone to stack the fireplace, bringing the warmth of natural elements to the space.
Exterior Standing from Crofton Lane, the eye takes in modern classic garage doors with an artful play of geometric balance and a black-lined picture window. Illuminating the interior is just one example of the many design surprises found inside this five bedroom, five and a half bath home- a three-piece ceiling light fixture comprised of LED-lined, eccentric circles.
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Kitchen Designer Homes created a truly unique cabinet layout to complement the twotoned quartz countertop design found in the kitchen. The center island facing out to the main living space, has a raised level composed of the grey quartz behind the sink that both hides the dish area as well as levels the balance of the two-toned design. A rustic wood laminate adorns the floor throughout the kitchen and into the dining room, giving the space a reclaimed barn wood look that fits with the natural style Jundt wanted to achieve. "With other Grandviews, I felt that sometimes the woodwork got a little bit dark so I wanted to brighten things up. We added the white cabinetry but still wanted to do something different so we found the charcoal gloss," said Jundt. For a sleek finish above the white, Designer Homes showcased the charcoal toned cabinetry in Thermofoil gloss, making up the third facet of the cabinet's color trifecta.
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DESIGN&LIVING HOME
Staging design - The Green Room Plato Alder Coastal Grey cabinetry - Luxury Designs Plato Maple Diamond White cabinetry - Luxury Designs Wired Mercury Thermofoil gloss cabinetry - Luxury Designs Appliances, lighting and fixtures - Ferguson
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Staging design - The Green Room Carpet - Floor to Ceiling Carpet One
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DESIGN&LIVING HOME
Closets - Smart Spaces Closet Systems Tile and flooring - Floor to Ceiling Carpet One Faucets, tub, lighting and hardware - Ferguson Custom glass door - Frontier Glass and Mirror
Master Bedroom Following a hallway behind the fireplace, you will find the master bedroom tucked away from the main living space. The far wall includes a sliding glass door with a view of the room's own maintenance free deck. The deck is bordered with glass inserts which provide an unobstructed view of Crofton Coves signature pond and rolling landscape. The room is lightly aglow with rope lighting following the outline of the shiplap ceiling accent.
Master Bathroom Fit with the finest features, the master bathroom includes black, glass tile accents and linen-textured tile in a soft charcoal grey. All the features present a custom take on contemporary accents as Jundt has mixed chrome faucets and brush hardware throughout. A grandsized soaking tub rests along the linen tile next to a large enclosed shower built into the wall. Two under-mount sinks are separated by an abundance of cabinetry, providing ample storage and organization.
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Guest Bedroom and Bath The upstairs loft includes a den and two bedrooms, each with an adjoining full bathroom. Each bedroom suite includes a specially designed closet equipped with a laundry shoot that connects to the home's laundry room below. Both bathrooms mirror the style of the master bathroom with linentextured tile, glass accents and custom cabinetry.
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DESIGN&LIVING HOME
Theater system - Custom Cinema and Sound
Theater and Wet Bar Jundt has designed this lower level with custom finishes for entertaining at its finest. A relaxing space complete with a home theater system, full wet bar and custom wine cellar give this home the amenities designed to dazzle. Soon to be completed, the window wells will get a decorative stamped design and the theater will have warm shiplap and stone detailing surround. Wine Cellar Gorgeous charcoal light clusters illuminate the home's custom-designed wine cellar with crystal white, stacked stone and a custom glass enclosure.
Staging design - The Green Room Appliances - Ferguson Cabinetry - Luxury Designs Flooring - Floor to Ceiling Carpet One Metalwork - Straight Line Design Crystal White Alignstone - Hebron Custom glass door - Frontier Glass and Mirror Lighting - Ferguson
On the Market This home is currently on the market for $979,900. Upgrades from the standard are $118,500 and include the exterior decks, one off the dining room and the other connected to the master bedroom. It also includes the custom patio, additional square feet, outdoor fireplace, interior upgrades and audio visual equipment.
For more information or to tour this home contact: Designer Homes 4342 15th Ave. S, Fargo 701-492-5057 designerhomesfm.com RE/MAX Legacy Realty 342 15th Ave S, Fargo 701-492-5050 remax.com
To tour this home on the Spring Parade of Homes: Tour Dates: April 28 - May 1 and May 5 - 8 Tour Hours: Thursday and Friday 4 - 8 p.m., Saturday and Sunday noon - 5 p.m. Admission: General admission is free and luxurious featured homes are $5. Proceeds benefit Home Builders Care Charity.
THE ASPENS DESIGN&LIVING
Luxury Livability The Aspens at Timber Creek
L
ast May, we introduced you to a new concept in maintenancefree living with The Aspens at Timber Creek. If you loved the concept and renderings back then, you'll be thrilled to see the first townhome complete and ready to tour, just in time for the Spring Parade of Homes. For those that have never considered a townhome, this intelligently designed floor plan by Heritage Homes may have you rethinking everything. By Tracy Nicholson Photos by J. Alan Paul Photography, renderings and headshots courtesy of Heritage Homes
Tyrone Leslie President/Owner Heritage Homes
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Steve Larson Sales Manager Heritage Homes
Nicole Schaffer Project Coordinator Heritage Homes
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Leslie Wood Director of Marketing Heritage Homes
DESIGN&LIVING THE ASPENS
Location & Size Located in South Fargo near I-29 and 52nd Avenue, The Aspens resides in a private cul-de-sac in Timber Creek near some of the city's newest restaurants, stores and amenities. With some of its 26 homes already spoken for, Heritage Homes walks us through the first completed model home of this luxurious, townhome neighborhood. To understand the layout, six of the units have four homes while one unit will have just two, slightly more private. With each home having a spacious 2,000 square feet on the main level and an optional 1,300 square feet of flex space on the upper level, this is one plan you can grow into. Family Room: Main Level Only steps into the foyer, it doesn't take long to realize that this home does not feel anything like a townhome. "We really wanted to have the details, the jewelry of the home that people are looking for when they want to downsize but not get rid of the things that make them enjoy their home. It's primarily the size of this area with the kitchen, dining room, family room, where they entertain, they don't want to give that up," said Tyrone Leslie, President/Owner of Heritage Homes. A coffered ceiling is standard in The Aspens, but this model home features a stunning floating cloud design with wood accents. Indirect lighting and warm beauty-mark lights frame in the custom designed ceiling. Ten-foot ceilings extend to 11 feet in the coffered detailing and custom built-ins on the window create added comfort. "For this home's design, we wanted to show a lot of our high-end finishes and appeal more to the masses that come in and look at the model home. Next door we have a spec home that has a completely different personality to it all together," said Steve Larson, Sales Manager.
Staging and decor - Trever Hill Design Architecture and layout - Heritage Homes
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THE ASPENS DESIGN&LIVING
Curb Appeal Creating a luxurious, private neighborhood means sparing no expense when it comes to curb appeal. "We are spending approximately $300K at the Aspens on beautiful landscaping, which includes underground sprinklers, beautiful and colorful shrubs, trees, berms and landscape rock. We have a feature display in the center of the cul-de-sac which will display a cluster of Spruce and Aspen trees with up-lighting and a gorgeous engraved stone with the development name shining brightly," said Leslie. If that's not enough, homeowners enjoy private covered patios with stunning stone archways looking out to green space with pond views. "When we designed these, we wanted to make sure that homeowners had the livability that they were used to in larger homes. These don't feel like you're in a townhome. The way we designed these is so that when you come in, you're never looking right at your neighbor. When you come home, you can't see your neighbor and each one has a unique view. The way we staggered them, it gives you as much, if not more, privacy than a single family home," said Leslie. A New Concept in Townhomes For many, the word "townhome" can imply an unpleasant downsizing, often with a complete lack of privacy or character. For Heritage Homes, their goal was to create a neighborhood of maintenance-free townhomes that would have all the luxury of a family home with privacy and a stunning view. "A couple of years ago, a lot of our clientele was asking if we built something like this. And finally we said, 'We have to fill this niche'. Homeowners wanted something that's a great destination point, that's elegant, that they can be proud of pulling up in front of. But they also want the interiors to feel like the home they are currently living in. Usually when people think townhomes, they think linear, very boring, typical ceiling heights, not very exciting. Here, they walk in and see the beautiful high ceilings and the quality finishes with a really solid feel. When we started we really did the research to decide the design finishes that would fill that niche," said Leslie.
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LESLIE WOOD Heritage Homes
"These homes are not specifically for the 55+ community, right now it's a mix of both empty nesters and busy professionals with young children. It's really for people who want to enjoy their home and don't want to spend all their time working on their home."
Home to All Not designated to the 55+ community, The Aspens is becoming home to families of all ages as well as the retired. "This is definitely a more luxurious home for the busy professional. People want to come home to relax, and not have to come home and think about the yard work or the snow removal. If you just want to be able to come and go, work and do life, this is it. Townhomes are unique in our area. It's not a common thing, but people are searching for it. There are a lot of townhomes for rent, but this is something you can own that has the same square footage as many single-family homes do. This is sometimes that 'growing-in-place' home. You don't have to finish the second floor, you can have your master and guest room on the same level," explained Leslie Wood, Director of Marketing.
Kitchen An open concept at it's finest, this gourmet kitchen is just one of the jewels of the home. Making entertaining a breeze, Heritage included maple cabinetry, quartz countertops, undermount sink, high-end appliances and a walk-in pantry. "We wanted this home to be more transitional, so it has some traditional and modern flairs to it. For the layout, there's an entertaining area, there's flexible living areas, there's storage areas, so it still has all of the elements of Woman-Centric design," said Project Coordinator, Nicole Schaffer.
THE ASPENS DESIGN&LIVING
Office/Optional Bedroom On the main level, homeowners can use this space as an additional bedroom or office with walk-in-closet. Master Bedroom Ten-foot tray ceilings with gorgeous accent lighting create an ethereal master bedroom with a view. Just one of the entrances to the private patio, this master suite is a must see.
STEVE LARSON Heritage Homes
"The Aspens, like all of our builds is derived off of being WomanCentric; which is flow and function of the home along with livability."
Master Bath With spa-like details, Heritage has included heated, reclaimed wood style floor tile, floating cabinetry with toe-kick lights, sunken tub with energy efficient LED tape lighting and a walk-in tile shower with glass mosaic in this model home. "Typically in the shower we see the tile border go about half way or three quarters of the way up, but for this one, we wanted to do something a little different that accents the whole room. So as soon as you walk in, you see that the tile border follows the floor line all the way up," said Schaffer. Master Closet Just through the master bath awaits a spacious walk-in closet with convenient walk-through access to the laundry room near the garage entrance.
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rtistry A in concrete
•Decorative Concrete Patios, Pool Decks, Sidewalks and Driveways •Concrete Resurfacing and Decorative Overlays •New and Replacement Standard Concrete •Footings, Foundations and Structural Concrete •New Homes and Remodeling
AUFMAN INC
ONSTRUCTION
Since 1947 - Three generations of craftsmanship for residential and commercial concrete and carpentry
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DESIGN&LIVING THE ASPENS
Upstairs Guest Room Just off of the upstairs bonus space is another ample guest bedroom with full walk-in closet and full bathroom.
Owning The Aspens Homes in The Aspens start at $509,900. Landscaping, lawn and plants are part of the package with two other options available for upgrades. One is an outdoor seating area; the other is adding larger, more developed trees than what the standard package offers. The specials are under $15,000 per unit. Typically something of this size would be $50-$80,000, but since Heritage Homes did the entire infrastructure themselves, they were able to keep the costs down extending lower specials to their homeowners.
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THE ASPENS DESIGN&LIVING
For the model home, Heritage has included a wet bar and additional dining area for entertaining. Instead of a basement, the upper level offers a full storage room just off of the bonus room. A true flex space, this area is already being customized by other owners to include additional seating or workout rooms.
Upstairs Bonus Room "This is an awesome wall that ICSS did for us from reclaimed wood with bootlegger brick. Some people are using this room as a theater room like we did, while others are adding an additional bedroom," said Schaffer. Technology This home comes equipped with a six-zone music option program that can be used in any of the rooms. The TV is hooked up to surround sound. There's also an alarm system where owners can go online and control their radio from their phone, they can check or adjust their thermostat, see if their sump pump is working, and various other options. Use the pads on the wall to connect your mini iPad. Simply put your iPad on the launch port and it connects to the Sonos, a wireless WiFi home audio system. Bundling Packages and Association Fees To give each home its own personal flair, Heritage Homes offers bundle packages that allows the homeowner to tailor their own luxury options on the interior. For the exterior there is an association fee of $250 per month that includes the water for the irrigation system, the insurance on the building, plus maintenance like snow removal and lawn care. For information on construction and pre-sales, contact: Heritage Homes New Home Sales Specialists 701-281-7184 sales@heritagefargo.com heritagefargo.com
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DESIGN & LIVING | A P R I L 2 016
Staging and decor - Trever Hill Design Reclaimed wood accent wall - ICSS Supply