See how easy it is to make craft part your living space at our home décor exhibition, “Make Room: Modern Design Meets Craft” at the St. Paul ACC show. With this year’s theme, “4 Elements,” interior designers create room vignettes inspired by select pieces of fine craft that express one of Mother Nature’s awe-inspiring elements – earth, air, fire, and water. Here’s a look at the stylish settings you’ll see on site. Mother Nature would be proud. 
 

AIR

Designer: Karen Soojian, ASID
Design firm: KSID Studio
Inspirations: Earlene McNeil Larson and Jennifer McCurdy
Design style: I develop individual design concepts for each of my clients. I often start with textiles, since they inspire my selection of colors and finishes. Currently, I am drawn to romantic, organic style, which I achieve by mixing natural forms, finishes, and materials with a touch of glamour.
Vision: Air is often seen as a pure substance. To reflect the purity of air, I employed a palette of crisp white with a touch of sky blue. The ancient universal symbol of air, the equilateral triangle, inspired the use of the triangular shapes in the vignette. The wheel-thrown porcelain vessel by Jennifer McCurdy is the perfect counterpoint to the angles in the space. I love how the curves of her piece capture how air moves through and around nature. The light, airy texture of Earlene McNeil Larson’s paper art enchants me. The piece echoes the freshness of the color scheme.

EARTH

Designer: Debra Herdman, Allied ASID
Design Firm: Debra Herdman Design
Inspirations: Matt Kelleher and Willie Willette
Design style: Function – of a room, a piece of furniture, or a decorative object – is important. I look for pieces that have multiple uses. A room that can be used for many activities, a bench that can work indoors or out, or a vase that can hold flowers or paint brushes are necessary elements of our daily lives, especially as we downsize and choose to live with less. I use natural elements as much as possible. I like to mix different styles and believe that useful handmade items are necessary to add depth and character to every home.
Vision: For me, earth conjures images of the natural world – sun, warm soil, spring growth, forests, animals, mountains, prairies. I envision an earthy interior as solid and substantial, but fresh and composed of colors found in nature. The inspired ways that artists and craftspeople manipulate natural elements into forms of beauty for our daily lives – here, a wood bench by Willie Willette and a ceramic piece by Matt Kelleher – allow an unlimited range of rich design opportunities. 

WATER

Designer: Lucy Penfield, Allied ASID
Design firm: Lucy Interior Design
Inspiration: Fred Kaemmer
Design style: Interior design is an invitation to experience the world from a bold, fresh perspective. Passionate about art, architecture, travel, and fashion, we use boundless creativity to think outside of the box and design exciting, inviting spaces layered with color, personality, and attitude.
Vision: After discovering the work of artist Fred Kaemmer, we were inspired to celebrate the mysterious beauty of ice. Using Fred’s incredible glass pieces, along with metallic finishes, elegant bare trees, and modular furniture, we created a captivating and tantalizing frozen world. More than a room, this space is an experience, an invitation to pause and inhale the crisp, cold, frozen state of water. 

FIRE

Designers: Jaque Bethke team, Allied ASID
Design firm: Jaque Bethke Pure Design
Inspirations: David Royce, Aaron Baigelman, and Josephine A. Geiger
Design style: Good design provides people a special sense of place, of self, and of the present. It should heighten one’s sense of humor, serenity, mystery, and comfort. Our experience in residential and commercial design, as well as engineering, allows us to bring a comprehensive approach to our clients’ unique design challenges.
Vision: This constantly moving and flowing source of energy consumes the imagination. As the hearth once long ago drew families together for stories, music, and heat, fire is still capable today of doing the same. A space designed with this tension between static luxury and dynamic involvement will delight guests. As fire illuminates this room with dramatic movement, color, and sculptural art, this energy is again invoked in modern times.