Designer Magic

The Minnesota Chapter of the American Society of Interior Designers represents more than 500 local interior designers. Each year, Twin Cities ASID designers submit their best work to be judged by a chapter from another state. This year designers from Colorado selected Minnesota winners. In addition, the local chapter selected a 2005 Designer of Distinction and an Emerging Talent. Winners were recognized at an awards gala held at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts on November 8. We're pleased to showcase their work.

The Village at St. Anthony Falls Model

First Place: Model home/Showcase Home Room Linda Engler, Allied Member ASID Becky Kohout, Allied Member ASID Engler Skogmo Interior Design Edina, 952-746-2007

To set this Minneapolis condo building apart from the competition and help potential buyers visualize life in the large, open-volume urban box, the developer and sales team wanted an upper-bracket interior with distinctive design elements.

The first thing interior designers Linda Engler and Becky Kohout did was incorporate more of the downtown skyline into the great room of the model unit. By placing three large floor mirrors at an angle in front of the balcony, the skyline becomes an interior backdrop; custom sheer drapery softens the views of the neighboring building. To help potential buyers envision dinner by candlelight and city lights, a midcentury chrome and glass dining table flanked by dark wood-frame chairs was placed at the edge of the great room near the interior wall.

The interior furniture is structural and clean-lined, perching confidently on the rich-hued, thick wool area rug that offers visual, tactile, and acoustical softening. The designers kept the color palette warm and approachable throughout the space, using ochre, blue green, and truffle, boldly punctuated by Chinese red. To add interest, colors are spelled out in a diverse selection of materials—the tête-à-tête chaise is upholstered in mohair and topped with pillows in silk and flat-weave cotton; a heavy, blackened-steel side table balances the hand- painted parchment wall covering on the fireplace façade; leather counter stools belly up to a zebrawood cocktail table.

Northern Minnesota Cottage

First Place: Residential—Best in Show First Place: Design for Residential New Construction, Addition or Remodeling David Heide, Allied Member ASID, AIA Associate Mark Nelson, Allied Member ASID, AIA David Heide Design Studio Mpls., 612-337-5060

This Arts and Crafts–style lakefront home with timber forming both the structural and stylistic framework is well suited to its northwoods environs. In keeping with the cottage’s function as a place for socializing and relaxing, while furthering the Arts and Crafts aesthetic, the design team of David Heide and Mark Nelson used subdued colors, natural materials, and carefully crafted details.

The vertical-grain fir cabinetry with iridescent glass inlays, complementary wainscoting, millwork, and rails rounds out the warm-wood theme. The designers added a fieldstone hearth and stone floors to contrast with the rich glow of the woodwork. In the kitchen, a hammered copper hood offers a handmade touch, while modern appliances are camouflaged  behind the cabinetry. Modern necessities are also cleverly hidden in the living room, where a leaf-print textile frieze conceals a sound system and gives another nod to the cottage’s pastoral settings.

Heide and Nelson served as the interior designer and architect, respectively, custom-designing many of the elements as well as conceiving the open floor plan. The result is a house that is rich in character and reflective of its nature-rich surrounding, with abundant lake views and open spaces for informal gatherings.

Flathead Lake Retreat

First Place: Historic Preservation Bruce Kading, ASID, CID BesonKading Interior Design Group Mpls., 612-338-8187

When two empty nesters wanted to return to their roots and provide a legacy for their children, they decided to redevelop a fourteen-acre site on Montana’s Flathead Lake. Interior designer Bruce Kading’s goal was to restore and remodel a dilapidated log cabin perched on the site—and to make it handicap accessible.

The home was built by a local craftsman in 1936, and Kading wanted to maintain its integrity and charm while providing a backdrop for the homeowners’ collection of Western art. The design incorporated the homeowners’ fascination with Adirondack camps by including a guesthouse, cabana, boat-house, pavilion, and chapel.

To carry out the theme, Kading incorporated cowboy-inspired furnishings that resemble popular 1930s-era Molesworth–style décor. Close attention to the historical charms and old bones of the home, as well as an understanding of the new homeowners’ needs and expectations resulted in a space that is appropriate and authentic, with an undertone of humor certain to be enjoyed for generations to come.

Asian Bath

First Place: Residential Bathroom Brandi Hagen, Allied Member ASID Eminent Interior Design Mpls., 612-767-1242

Brandi Hagen faced two challenges in the redesign of this large master bath. The first concerned architectural layout, the second was to accommodate the varying aesthetic tastes of the homeowners. The interior designer  answered both challenges stunningly, with a Asian–inspired space outfitted with modern appliances.

To begin, Hagen created a layout that would offer more privacy and address the challenges of marrying wood and water. She created a shower area flanked in Golden Siena Patika marble and added a Shinto chest to provide both beauty and storage. The larger area, with a floor sheathed in exotic Brazilian walnut, houses a deep bath and dual vanities. To keep the bath private from the lavatories and to again reference the Asian theme, the designer inserted a large horizontal screen made of Lumicor and botanical beach grass in a soft matte finish. The rectangular shape of the screen is repeated in a picture window, which allows the bather to look out onto a private atrium.

The mahogany cabinetry is stained dark to complement the Brazilian walnut flooring and the Shinto cabinetry, while the hardware varies from modern satin nickel to antique-style Asian bronze. The warm tones of the marble are accented by countertops in polished Pistachio onyx and an intricately carved, antique Chinese bench on which a favorite piece of sculpture is displayed.  The close attention to symmetry is also found in the framework of the Golden Sienna Patika marble tub.

Modern Suburban Living Room

First Place: Design Is In The Details (tie) David Heide, Allied Member ASID, AIA Associate Mark Nelson, Allied Member ASID, AIA David Heide Design Studio Mpls., 612-337-5060

Thoughtful renovation transformed a mundane suburban living room into an eye-catching, modern space. Clean lines, contrasting materials rendered complementary, and clever functionality fulfilled the homeowners’ needs for a room fit for entertaining, not just entertainment.

Although the room had a fireplace, it had been relegated to a corner and rendered unsightly by a haphazardly placed stone surround. Central placement and sleek maple cabinetry housing an entertainment system unified and streamlined the fireplace. Custom-designed by interior designers David Heide and Mark Nelson, the cabinets conceal a plasma TV, stereo system, and other types of media, ensuring that the hearth is the central focal point of the room.

The glass mantel is gently illuminated from behind by fiber optics, while the iridescent tiles made of recycled glass create an array of reflective properties. The renovation is equal in aesthetic appeal and function, transforming the room into a dynamic, modern space.

Lion Mountain Residence—Powder Room

First Place: Design Is In The Details (tie) Jennifer Sheffert, Allied Member ASID Karen Soojian, ASID Karlene Hunter Baum, Allied Member ASID The Design Studio of Gabberts Edina, 952-927-1515

Fine details bring life to this remote 10,200-square-foot mountain retreat on Montana's Whitefish Lake. The design team was asked to create a powder room that would be a composite of materials found in the home, yet uniquely reflective of nature's elements and textures.

To start, black granite from the region was used in the vanity and flooring. To provide drama and to mimic a stone jutting out from the surrounding mountainside, a cantilevered vanity was thrust out from the wall. The vanity was then intersected with a frosted-glass privacy wall atop a pyramid mahogany platform that was positioned between the toilet and sink.

Copper was reintroduced in a jewel piece that echoed the sparkling sun motif embedded within the floor's slate tiling. Hand-blown, frosted-glass sconces adorn each side of the Berman Rosetti mirror, below which a cracked-glass vessel sink filled by a simple faucet is reminiscent of a cascading waterfall. To finish, Menage parchment wallpaper was hand painted with a copper, black, and brown wash to marry the details together.

Distinctive Living

Designer of Distinction: Sandra Mangel, ASID, CID

Sandra Mangel has been a vibrant member of the Minnesota Chapter of American Society of Interior Designers, since 1978. The well-known designer has worked her magic on charming city Cape Cods as well as the high-profile homes of such local notables as Pat Miles and Paul and Kathy Magers.

Mangel has a skillful eye and her work is not only polished and well appointed, but she has the ability to create spaces that are comfortable and livable. From elaborate rooms to those that blend the new with vintage, Mangel has a good grasp on balancing the masculine and feminine.

As an active member of ASID, Mangel has chaired and cochaired numerous volunteer committees and held board positions, including president. She is well respected among her peers for her leadership skills, willingness to help get the job done, as well as her beautiful work as an interior designer.

Mangel’s projects have appeared in both local and national publications and have won two previous ASID design awards. Mangel’s home appeared in Mpls.St.Paul Magazine in March 2005.

Emerging Design

Emerging Talent: Kathleen Henderson, Allied Member, ASID

Each year a designer with more than five years experience, but less than ten, is selected as a talent to watch. This year, Kathleen Henderson was selected not only for her early success as a designer, but also for her commitment to her field as a member of the local chapter of the American Society of Interior Designers.

Henderson is motivated to create spaces for her clients that enhance life and spirit through timeless, responsible design. Her work to date includes downtown lofts and remodels, including exterior work to help clients improve the curb appeal of their homes.

Her nominator, a long-standing ASID member and leader, was quick to recognize Henderson’s extensive volunteer work for ASID at the same time that she’s been establishing her design business. Henderson has recently accepted a board position with the Minnesota chapter.