People

Ashley Barlow

Boredom is not an option for Ashley Barlow. The freelance artist splits her time as a graphic designer with Minneapolis-based creative agency KNOCK Inc., working primarily on the Target Home account, and as a featured artist at new Excelsior boutique The Golden Rule. “For me, variety is the spice of life,” Barlow says. “And the way I work, I can have so much of that.” Though the Hope College alum majored in religion, Barlow realized after just one art class, where her instructor encouraged her to be playful, that a creative career was more her speed. She began mixing materials, layering tissue paper, vintage ephemera, and small cutouts on canvases decorated with acrylic and watercolor paints, resulting in collage creations that caught the eye of several friends. “That encouragement snowballed, and once I had enough personal validation to feel I could do something bigger, I did.” She began touring the art show circuit and went back to school to earn a post-baccalaureate certificate in graphic design from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. “That was when I started to make a career out of my creative expression.” She connected with Erin Kate Duininck, owner of The Golden Rule, who gave Barlow a home for her eclectic mix of prints, watercolors, canvases, and posters. She also works as a buyer for Duininck, and manages the social media and graphic design for the store. “It’s a place where I can use my jack-of-all-trades persona,” she says. As if this wasn’t enough, Barlow is already ramping up her to-do list for winter, which includes pattern designs for a capsule collection at Target and readying her work for the next wave of art shows. “What I find energizing is even if you have that down time, you can imagine what you do next.” ashleymary.com

Photo by Eliesa Johnson

Seeing Ceramic

Three local artisans bring quiet elegance to the kitchen with clean lines of handcrafted pottery.

Laura Vest Klein
“I like to consider the less obvious objects in our lives and figure out how to make them out of clay.” lauravestklein.com

Brielle Macbeth
“My work creates a seamless relationship between an admirably simple form and the backdrop of everyday experience.” dustandform.com

Joanna Buyert
“I make bowls to be your favorite bowl because it fits the curve of your palm like no other.” fringeandfettle.com

Victory Vintage

Nearly every piece of merchandise in the recently reopened Victory has a story. And new owners Susan Blankenship and Lisa Balke are happy to share the tales with anyone who happens upon their Linden Hills storefront. “People like the stories,” says Balke, especially if it involves knocking over other bargain hunters to get it. And, according to Blankenship, that happens more than you’d think. The duo culls their assortment of vintage from flea markets, estate sales, and their eight years as vintage dealers at Hunt & Gather. “If we wouldn’t put it out in our house, we won’t put it in our store,” Balke says. But the beauty of this stuffed-to-the-brim boutique is that there’s plenty of new mixed in with the old. “We’re looking for pieces that add a little personality,” Balke says. Though the inventory changes on a daily basis, passersby will find an eclectic mix of home and gift items—including ornate gold mirrors, silver and gold flatware, and estate and locally made jewelry—resulting in a collection that has become a must-stop for home aficionados and interior designers. “No project is complete without a find or two from Victory,” says interior designer Brooke Voss. “Our pieces are the icing on the cake,” Balke adds. 3505 W. 44th St., Mpls., 612-926-8200, shopvictory.com

Photo by Eliesa Johnson

Richard Rehl

At first glance, it seems Richard Rehl is a savvy businessman with a knack for filling his Aubry Angelo showroom with swoon-worthy rugs and carpets. But upon closer inspection, you’ll notice Rehl’s desk, tucked behind stacks of Tibetan and Turkish weaves, is covered with hand-drawn renderings of custom rugs he creates by commission. This seems to reveal the true reason for his success: He’s an artist. Rehl got his start in the rug industry nearly 35 years ago by putting his years of fine arts schooling (at the University of Hawaii and the University of Minnesota) to use by painting a custom pattern for interior designer Talla Skogmo. “I just sort of fell into it,” he says. But now, as Aubry Angelo is approaching its 20th year as an International Market Square icon, it’s evident that he knows what he’s doing. “I love finding unique things that aren’t mass produced,” he says. “And I’m not afraid to buy something that’s out there.” With regular trips to Istanbul, Germany, New York, and Los Angeles, Rehl has cultivated an almost cult-like following in Minneapolis. “He’s always one step ahead of me with the most discerning eye,” says interior designer Alicia Stevens. “My loyalty to him is like that of a clan.” IMS, Ste. 427, Mpls., 612-288-0898, aubryangelo.com

Photo by Caitlin Abrams

Pro tip: Editing
“Smart spatial design is essential to well-being. I believe that the first step in designing good space is really about editing back to the essential elements and purpose of a room. Great ideas need curation. Comfort, utility, and personality in a space are essential, whether the space is residential or commercial.”
—Siri Knutson, Siri Knutson Design Studio

Studio K & Co.

There are no secrets when you work with Kirsten Hollister and Katy Wardwell, founders of new design firm Studio K & Co. And that’s just how they like it. The entrepreneurs, who met as designers with HISTORIC studio, decided to join design forces when they saw a need in the market to make luxury design more accessible, a philosophy Hollister attributes to her years as a product developer for the Threshold brand with Target. The duo launched their company as a new way for homeowners to work with designers. “There’s this archaic philosophy that you shouldn’t share resources or information,” Hollister says. “It’s the way of the past, and Katy and I are trying to bring design into the future.” Hollister and Wardwell help their clients find custom and commercial pieces that round out their spaces, and they thrive on discovering accents by independent artists to help bring homes to life. “We are about getting to the root of the homeowner,” Wardwell says. “We want to create an environment where the homeowner says, ‘I love where I live.’” studiokandco.com

Martha O’Hara Interiors

She may run a hugely successful interior design business, but when it came time to decorate her own home, Martha O’Hara, founder of Martha O’Hara Interiors, had no part in the planning of this living room in her 1920s Lake Harriet abode. “I walked in and saw this room as a finished product,” she says matter-of-factly. O’Hara gave her designers carte blanch, trusting them to know her well enough to create a room that reflects her personality. It’s a philosophy that is akin to how the design firm has related with its clients for the past 25 years. O’Hara launched her namesake company in 1990, a year after moving to the Twin Cities with her husband and two children. She had no interior design background or education—just a master’s in business administration and a passion for creating beautiful spaces to live in. Building a business through repeat customers and word-of-mouth referrals, she now works with a team of 18 designers on hundreds of projects at a time out of her Minneapolis headquarters. “We try very hard not to have a signature style. We want to listen and be able to pull great design around what the client wants,” she says. “But if you ask me what my favorite personal style is, I like fresh colors and a mix of everything from traditional to modern.” 9950 Wayzata Blvd., Mpls., 952-908-3150, oharainteriors.com

Erin Francois

On a recent visit to Erin Francois’s home, she held up a shiny piece of wallcovering and said, “Isn’t this cool? I have no idea what I’m going to do with it yet, but I just had to have it!” You can hear the passion and excitement in her voice, and it’s easy to understand why she began her DIY blog Francois et Moi three years ago. Newly married and in need of a creative outlet, Francois initially blogged about newlywed adventures. “Over time, it seemed like my readers were more interested in seeing what I was making, so it shifted focus to DIY and design,” she says. Since then, her hand-stamped pillows, lattice shelves, and desktop organizers have not only exploded all over the Tangletown duplex she shares with husband Ken and cat Gideon, but also onto the radar of local designers and in national media as a source of inspiration. She’s recently been featured and tapped for collaborations by House Beautiful, Elle Décor, Good Housekeeping, and Good Morning America. And she’s just getting started—this fall, Francois will leave her position as showroom manager at Blended Blue to freelance full-time. “I love this city. I think there’s a very Midwestern, hardworking mentality. People are all about making something of themselves.” francoisetmoi.com

Stacy Sullivan Staging

It’s a seller’s market out there. But if you’re thinking of listing your home, chances are you’ll need to make a few tweaks to get it camera-ready. Realtor Stacy Sullivan is known for her savvy staging that prompts homes to fly off the market. This recent Tudor she staged near Lake Nokomis sold with five offers in one day. stacysullivanhome.com

Pro tip: buying art
“Art shouldn’t be an afterthought; it’s equally as important as a great sofa piled high with fabulous pillows. Veronique Wantz Gallery has the most exquisite collection with price points for all collectors.”
—Brooke Voss, Brooke Voss Design

Veronique Wantz Gallery, 125 N. 1st St., Mpls., 612-254-2838, veroniquewantz.com

Shane Coen

When landscape architect Shane Coen begins a new project, he’s inspired by the context of his surroundings, which is how the Minneapolis Central Library became encircled with birch trees. “The concept was to represent both northern Minnesota and the urban side of Minneapolis,” says Coen, who moved to Minnesota more than two decades ago after college graduation to pursue a business opportunity with the son of famed designer Bill Stumpf. “It’s one of my favorite Minneapolis projects,” Coen says of the library. He also has a hand in the upcoming Nicollet Mall redesign, but his work goes beyond state borders. In fact, his firm, Coen + Partners, was recently awarded the Smithsonian’s 2015 Cooper Hewitt National Design Award in landscape architecture for a body of work that spans nearly 25 years and multiple continents. They are the first Minnesota firm to receive the award. “In the design world in the United States, it’s the highest award,” he says. “We see it as a huge honor, but also as an invitation to promote innovation and thinking at a really high level.” 400 1st Ave. N., Ste. 210, Mpls., 612-341-8070, coenpartners.com

Photo by Caitlin Abrams

Concrete Pig

“Life steers you in weird directions,” says Concrete Pig founder Keith Wyman. That couldn’t be more true for Wyman, a technical sales representative who doubles as a modern furniture designer. Though the Wisconsin native originally intended to pursue a degree in architecture at the University of Minnesota, when he transferred to the University of Wisconsin at Madison, his path shifted to being an econ major, “so I could graduate on time,” he says. “Before I knew it, I had a finance job, but I found myself sketching in my spare time.” The itch to build got the best of him when he was renovating his Golden Valley home, and he became obsessed with the idea of a floating concrete sink, so he made one. And then he made a coffee table. “And then I made 20,” he says. Wyman’s pieces, which are primarily made from concrete, raw steel, and wood, were quickly accepted at Forage Modern Workshop, and have since appeared at boutiques across the Twin Cities, and in Los Angeles and Dallas. As demand for his unique aesthetic continues to grow, Wyman makes working two jobs look easy, despite pulling several all-nighters in his Northeast Minneapolis studio. “When you work for 12 or 14 hours and it feels like three, I kind of love that feeling,” he says. “I can absolutely get lost in what I’m doing." concretepig.com

Photo by Eliesa Johnson