Up for the Challenge
At the start of 2024, I made a list. Not a "New Year's resolution" list, but a list of goals and accomplishments—a checklist I named "Dreams for 2024." Some of them were fun like "visit a new state," "photograph my first NASCAR race," and "release a song." Others were more aimed toward character development and health goals, like doing more Wim Hof meditative breathing and taking cold showers. Regardless of the goal itself, my
objective has been to continually challenge myself to become a better person, both for myself and those around me. I believe the stress of life has a weakened power if we train our minds to live in the moment, meditate on gratitude, and always be up for the challenge.
I'm not the only one who has been up for the challenge—this fall, we partnered with SCHEELS Home & Hardware for the 7th Annual Interior Design Challenge. Five teams
of students from NDSU's interior design program competed for Judge's Choice and People's Choice Awards—talk about being up for a challenge! I had the privilege of meeting, photographing, and interviewing the students as they were building out their assigned spaces at SCHEELS Home & Hardware, each team with its own theme. Two teams took home awards, which you see on the cover of this issue. I want to share more but I don't want to spoil it all here!
Grab your favorite warm, fall drink and enjoy this issue!
Josiah Kopp Editor
OCTOBER
2024
Volume 1 Issue 010
BY TRENDSETTERS
HOME by Trendsetters is published 12 times a year and is available at area businesses and online at trendsettersfargo.com
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Ask the Expert: Hormone Optimization
Hormone imbalances can lead to a host of symptoms that can disrupt daily life. That’s why the team at Everest Regenerative Medicine is dedicated to helping patients achieve optimal hormone levels through a number of personalized methods, including bioidentical hormone therapy. This therapy aims to restore balance and enhance well-being by addressing the root cause of many symptoms that can negatively affect quality of life, from fatigue and mood swings to sleep disturbances and weight gain.
Immune Therapy
Anyone who has lived in the Midwest knows when we say goodbye to summer months, we say hello to colder weather, and the illnesses that come with the territory. During winter months, it is crucial to stay proactive in maintaining your health and keeping your immune system strong. So, what steps should you be taking to optimize your health this time of year?
Trever Hausauer, FNP-C, IFMCP and Owner Valley Vital Medicine
"Prevention is key. Especially when we are talking about maintaining overall health throughout the fall, winter, and spring seasons—when kids are back in school," Trevor Hausauer, FNP-C, IMCP and Owner of Valley Vital Medicine said. "We have seen many illnesses already throughout the beginning of the school year and we are only a month in!"
A few recommendations to maintain your health in this season are as follows:
•Eat Healthy - "Reduce the amount of processed carbohydrates, which is the amount of sugar you are consuming."
•Sleep Well - "Research shows that the vast majority of individuals should get anywhere from seven to nine hours of sleep. Without adequate sleep, your immune system is going to go down."
•Exercise - "Exercise is helpful to optimize and improve the immune system. I recommend resistance training and high-intensity interval training versus completing an intense amount of cardio. I think we should incorporate some cardio, but I do not think it should be the main focus of what we do. Muscle mass is the key to longevity. The more muscle you have, the healthier you're going to be as you continue to age. They find that doing large amounts
PHOTO BY JOSIAH KOPP
With Valley Vital Medicine
of cardio, Ironmans, marathons, or any extreme excercise, can be hard on the cardiovascular system and potentially could put you at a higher risk for some chronic diseases and low testosterone due to the stress that you're putting on the body."
•Manage Stress - "Managing stress is really, really huge. If we're not managing stress, our immune system is unable to work effectively."
"Beyond those diet and lifestyle pieces, there are other tools we can use to improve our immune system," Hausauer said.
The Valley Vital Medicine Viral Illness Protocol
•Ganoderma - "Ganoderma is a medicinal mushroom which has a lot of benefits as far as promotion and optimization of the immune system. If you are feeling sick, you can take a couple of these every hour."
•Vitamin C - "Vitamin C is really, really crucial. There is no such thing as a toxic dose of Vitamin C. The Vitamin C supplement that I recommend to my clients is PUR-C, which is sodiumascorbate instead of ascorbic acid. Sodium ascorbate has a neutral pH whereas ascorbic acid is acidic, so it is much safer for your teeth. I have patients take a teaspoon at the first sign of symptoms and another teaspoon in an hour. Then, I have them take a teaspoon every two to three hours until they start feeling better. Once they start feeling better, I do not want them to stop supplementing right away. They should continue for another 48 to 72 hours after they have recovered. Otherwise, symptoms may return."
•Zinc - "Zinc is really important in immune function. It helps cellular function, division and breakdown of carbohydrates, and wound healing."
A Word on Vitamin C
•NutriDyn Immune Support and NutirDyn Immune Resilience - "These two supplements work really well synergistically. The immune support, which you can take one tablet of a couple of times a day when you are sick, is a product that has a lot of medicinal mushrooms in it. The immune resilience, which you take three of twice a day when you are sick, has all of the other nutrients in it like Vitamin C and Zinc—it's just a good nutrition cocktail."
Shop these NutriDyn products and more!
"When most people take an oral dose of Vitamin C, they're getting anywhere from 500 to 1000 milligrams of Vitamin C. That's better than not taking anything, but that isn't a large amount of Vitamin C. You can only take in as much Vitamin C as what your digestive system can absorb. So, the receptors in your gut can become saturated and this can cause you to have loose stools. That does not mean that you've had too much or enough Vitamin C."
•IV Therapy - "If we want to step things up in terms of being proactive, an IV once a month is what I would recommend. I especially recommend an IV before any vacation or circumstances which may be stressful on the immune system. In particular, I would recommend our Natural Defense IV, which contains 15 grams of Vitamin C. We can do 50 grams to 300 grams of Vitamin C with clients that are going though chronic illnesses, such as cancer. We can utilize our Fountain of Youth IV, which has the same amount of Vitamin C as the Natural Defense drip, but adds a powerful antioxidant callled Glutathione. Glutathione is great for liver function, and contains anti-aging benefits. We can add Zinc to any IV to help combat existing illnesses. To optimize results, clients will do an Ozone IV therapy first. Ozone helps to oxygenate the cells and it has antiviral, antibacterial, and anti-parasitic effects. If we stack IV Ozone and IV Nutrition, it is common for clients to get over their illnesses 48 hours later."
SCHEELS Home & Hardware partnered with HOME by Trendsetters to host the 7th Annual SCHEELS Design Challenge. NDSU Interior Design students had the opportunity to design and showcase their talents in under four hours, for a randomly assigned theme of either grandmillenial, classic contemporary, lake retreat, luxe lounge, or contemporary cowboy. After each team received their theme, they were allowed to order one statement chair and were given $500 to special order any decor items through SCHEELS Home & Hardware's amazing vendor partners.
Adding to the challenge this year was the option to use wallpaper. Students were able to select and order wallpaper, under one condition: they had to install it themselves! Using peel and stick wallpaper from York Wallcoverings truly transformed the spaces within the store to allow them to impact their designs in a dramatic way.
Judges arrived as the final floral touches were perfectly placed. All local designers, these judges bring a professional perspective to the designs, offering feedback and critiques to help the students advance in their interior design careers. Using a rubric, they judged on theme, design concept, design composition, display presentation & creativity, and marketability with a score out of 100 points possible.
Grandmillenial design can be referred to as “granny chic.” It is a style celebrating tradition, including pieces that have been handed down through generations, a mix of modern decor with bold patterns, textures, and colors. This theme really allows you to enjoy the heirloom pieces that you have while adding in your fun, unique personality.
“My favorite part of our design was the wallpaper. It was a great way for us to add a focal point pattern to our vignette.”
- Ella Gustafson
“If I could change one thing about our design, it would be the coffee table. I would select an heirloom piece that better reflected the uniqueness of granny-chic!”
- Mable Simpson
“I learned how to work in a team dynamic and allow each member of my team to have a voice. This benefitted us because we all had a say in the design, and we critiqued it until we were all happy with the final product.”
- Alexandra Tihanyi
Classic Contemporary style focuses on combining refined elegance, with timeless traditional pieces. It encourages a natural, minimal look, pairing with soothing colors like whites, greens, blues, rich browns, soft pinks, and metallic accents, giving a clean, beautiful space.
“The hardest part of the challenge was finding an art piece that didn’t take away from our wallpaper, but brought out our color palette and tied the space together.”
- Reilly Jorud
“The favorite part of our design is the floral wallpaper with the warm tones in the fabrics. The green chaise lounge is also such a fun element of the design!”
-Olivia Peterson
“I learned that highs and lows when designating is important and to notice the proportion of decor pieces to the space. I also enjoyed learning how to do wallpaper and I will be using that skill in the future.”
- Nyla Johnson
Lake Retreat theme captures the cozy, cabin vibes, incorporating elements from the trees and water that surrounds us. Natural wood and stone, accents like pinecones and birch trees, paired with a calming color palette of green and blue provide a space to simply relax in.
“My favorite part of our design was the console table and the decor on it. I thought all the decor was so perfect for our theme and it looked amazing.” -Madeline Nelsen
“The hardest part was finding the main pieces for our space. We went through 4 couches, 8 rugs, and 3 coffee tables before we found the perfect pieces.” -Kendra Ovsak
“My favorite part of our design was the wall art.” -Olivia Elfman
Luxe Lounge brings the feeling of a cigar lounge or bourbon room to your home. This theme exudes elegance by combining rich textures of velvet and leather, daring color palettes, precious metals, reflective surfaces, and pushes the boundaries by using extreme scale within a space. You will be transported to the Hollywood regency era through its sophistication and lavish elements.
“My favorite part of our design was the way that we used bold colors to create a unique design without being overwhelming.”
-Anna Robinette
“I think one of the biggest lessons this taught me was that not everything is going to go smoothly and how to work around sudden changes.”
-Erin Tschetter
“My favorite part of the design was the prints on the wall.”
-Emma Buysse
Contemporary Cowboy design is a unique combination of Midwestern and Southwestern aesthetics to produce a rustic, yet sophisticated look. Defining elements include distressed leather, rustic wood decor, cowhide, decorative accents made of metal, with a splash of rust, olive, or turquoise to move your eye around the space. It creates a warm place to relax after a hard day's work.
“My favorite part of our final design is the mix of textures that we included throughout the space. I thought it looked very balanced, and I love the color palette we settled on.”
- Brianna Bluiett
“I think the most valuable lesson that this challenge gave me was how to work as a team, all designing the same space. I had a great experience with my team in that we were all open to giving constructive feedback on what we did or didn’t like about our design and in the end, it helped us to create a wonderful space.”
-Maggie Opatril
“Contemporary cowboy is so different from anything I’ve ever done, so it was challenging to envision a space with that theme. I learned to not be afraid of combining patterns and colors that you wouldn’t really think would compliment each other.”
-Megan Fliehs
“Allowing students to order merchandise gives us a fresh perspective in our store. They ordered art pieces that were bold in color that we may have never thought about ordering, but we fell in love with once they arrived,” - Leah Martin, Interior Designer at the SCHEELS Design Studio.
Congratulations to all of the NDSU Interior Design students!
Judge's Choice Winner: Contemporary Cowboy
People's Choice Winner: Lake Retreat
Awards: Office Sign Company
Wallpaper: York Wallcoverings
Photos: Josiah Kopp & Ashley Wait
By Josiah Kopp
Lake Ida Home Remodel
by Christen Joy
by Jill Ockhardt Blaufuss
hen the homeowner of this Lake Ida home approached Christen Joy for a refresh, his top needs were to open up the space in the kitchen, better storage and shelving solutions, change the flow of the entryway, and brighten up the overall space. "The bachelor of this home had been living here for a few years already and wanted it to feel updated and work better for him day to day," Christen said. "He wanted to make changes but wasn't sure what direction to go in. He gave me the reins, said 'Do your thing,' and I came back with updated layouts and design options and we went from there."
Photos
Christen started with the kitchen, focusing on creating an open, functional space. The first step was removing the walls, including an awkward closet in the existing layout, and significantly opening up the kitchen. A large island was added, seating four to six people comfortably, which is ideal for the casual, on-the-go lifestyle often seen in lake homes. The island now serves as a central gathering point, much like a dining room.
Kitchen
To maximize storage, extensive cabinetry was installed throughout the kitchen, including a large bank of cabinets on the left side with convenient rollouts. There’s also a dedicated side closet with space for a Dyson vacuum. In addition to the cabinetry, all appliances were refreshed, with Christen helping, the client selected new ones. A downdraft was installed for the range, which is now positioned in the center of the kitchen. The overall goal was to enhance the kitchen’s functionality while giving it a modern, updated look.
Another key update was replacing the previous owner's peel-and-stick backsplash with a more durable, high-performance material. "The homeowner loves to use his [meat] smoker, so we wanted something that was high performance in keeping the area clean when using things like charcoal and brines while also not being high maintenance for him," Christen said. To address this, high-quality tile was used for the backsplash and extended to the breakfast nook for a cohesive look while improving the overall functionality of the kitchen space.
Dining & Breakfast Nook
In the breakfast nook, a custom table was created to match the kitchen cabinetry, using the same wood material and stain. This consistency helped tie the space together, with details like the pedestal, legs, and a glass top—all selected for durability and style. Additional storage was added beneath the nook in the form of drawers, offering a space for hosting supplies or holiday items, supplementing the already generous kitchen storage.
A bench with high-performance fabric was also installed, along with durable pillows, to accommodate the wear and tear from lake visitors, including wet clothing. The design incorporated polished nickel and Rattan finishes to evoke a lake-house vibe without being overly thematic, allowing the home to feel like a year-round residence.
Christen also selected all the furniture, including four swivel counter stools in scratch-resistant leather. To demonstrate the leather’s durability, a scratch test was performed for the client. There is also an option to add two more stools in the future if needed.
Powder Room
The powder room received a much-needed refresh, starting with new cabinetry to replace the outdated look. Along with new hardwood flooring throughout the home, custom millwork was installed, giving the space a polished update. To protect the wallpaper from day-to-day wear and tear, a higher backsplash was added behind the vanity. The room also features two mirrors, a solution to an odd, slanted wall, helping to make the space feel more connected. The walls are adorned with a textured wallpaper in a soft, handsome blue hue, adding visual movement and serving as a subtle nod to the lake environment.
Custom artwork by Kelly Thompson was commissioned for the project, including pieces like the lily pads, which subtly reference lake life without being overly literal. This art adds a personal and refined touch to the space.
Throughout the rest of the home, the hardwood floors and new millwork continue the refresh, with all baseboards, casings, and doors replaced by flat-profile millwork painted in Benjamin Moore’s creamy white shade. In a small side nook, two chairs and a unique side table were added. The table, with its natural, fluid shape, evokes the movement of cattails in the wind, subtly bringing the lake’s essence indoors.
Living Area
In the living area, a large L-shaped sectional was positioned to offer flexibility—facing both the TV and the scenic lake views. Two swivel chairs add further versatility, allowing guests to engage in conversation or enjoy the views. Custom tables were crafted to complement the space, including a substantial coffee table made from orange iron and topped with hand-selected maple, along with coordinating side tables.
A neutral area rug was selected to anchor the room without competing with the navy sofa, and accessories, including a woven tray and a shagreen box with functional coasters, were added to complete the look. Custom-commissioned artwork by Kelly Thompson, featuring the client’s lake view, was framed in black to tie in with the black wrought iron accents found in the coffee table and stairway.
New motorized window treatments were installed throughout the home, offering both luxury and convenience. These treatments can be controlled with the push of a button or set on a schedule, such as rising with the sunrise or lowering at sunset. The client has already expressed his satisfaction with this new feature, praising its ease of use and functionality.
Project Vendors & Contractors
Contractor: Garrett Ilg
Carpet World: Flooring & Tile
Wendt Custom
Cabinets: Cabinetry
Spaulding: Countertops
Recovery Room
Upholstery: Bench
Cushion
Rigels: Appliances
Kelly Thompson of
Grand Forks: Artwork
Gene Finneman & Team: Wallpaper installation
Evanson Electric: Electrician
Fergusons: Plumbing
Budget Blinds of DL: Window Treatments
Bennie & Co: Custom
Dining Room Table
Final Thoughts
from Christen Joy
"As a designer, your dream projects are when the clients trust you from start to finish. In this instance, I was blessed to take the reins and run with the project end to end with my client providing feedback at our design check points to make tweaks or approve selections—it allowed me as a designer to really roll up my sleeves creativity wise."
"From the smaller details of commissioning artwork painted from his view of the lake, wallpaper that echoed the colors of the water to the larger ‘messy’ details of literally moving walls and creating a space that not only would look and feel good but would be a wonderful experience day to day functionality wise. This type of process allows designers to show what the ‘trust in the process’ means—resulting in a cohesive home, a well designed layout, comfortable furniture, window treatments that go down with a click of a button to that perfect spot for all your delicious spices, rubs, and sauces for!"
“Every job I've ever had, whether it was in the military or law enforcement, broadcasting or sales, involves talking, talking, talking. And I find that there comes a point where you just can't get a feeling or an idea across verbally. With art you’re communicating to somebody on the most basic level.”
It seems difficult to imagine artist Mark Holter failing to express himself in words. Whether talking about his past, his art, his wife, or his adventures, he has the engaging demeanor and casual charm of a natural storyteller. Yet it can’t be denied that no matter what art style he uses, Mark’s work evokes an involuntary emotional response. And he has a lot of art styles to utilize.
“I don’t want to be Mark the abstract painter, or Mark the guy who does digital stuff. I want to be open to anything and everything and use the right medium for the job,” Mark said.
By Josiah Kopp
Kimberly Krueger Tehan
Continuing a family homebuilding legacy
Few people can say they were born-and-raised in their professional industry, yet one of those few is Kimberly Krueger Tehan. Kimberly was born in 1984, the same year her parents, Greg and Bonnie, founded Krueger Construction in Minot, ND. 40 years later, Kimberly helps lead the family business that turns concepts and dreams of homes into beautiful realities.
Early Life
Growing up, Kimberly and her siblings spent a lot of time around new build projects and in the family office. "Even as a child, I loved seeing a piece of land turn into a foundation, then a framed house and the finished project," she said. "Back then, there wasn’t a major focus on design or staging, but I’d dream up how I would decorate the homes my parents built and I’d go home and lay out massive Barbie 'dream homes' taking anything I could find to create furniture and unique spaces."
After five years of homebuilding in Minot, the Kruegers relocated to Fargo to expand their homebuilding operation. While Kimberly loved watching the process of home building and saw, firsthand, how hard her parents worked to make projects come together for other families, she didn’t necessarily intend to become the next generation of Krueger Construction. It wasn't until after college and exploring other early career opportunities that Kimberly was drawn back to Fargo to work for the family business.
Photos by Josiah Kopp
Project photos by Dan Francis and Jill Ockhardt Blaufuss
Kimberly graduated from UND in 2008 with a BA in communication and marketing. Outside the lecture halls, she was president of her sorority, Delta Gamma, a legislative ambassador for The American Cancer Society, Miss North Dakota USA in 2006, Chair of UND Relay for Life and worked for the UND Social Science Research Institute while in school. In the summers, Kimberly would head home and “intern” at Krueger Construction. "I still remember helping to create our first website and open house marketing flyers," she said.
Early Career
After graduating from UND, Kimberly headed to Manhattan to work for a boutique public relations firm whose clients were primarily high-design furnishings and interiors. "My appreciation for beautiful and functional design grew," she said. After a year in NYC, she moved back to Fargo, officially joining Krueger Construction full-time in 2010 and becoming a licensed Realtor.
Deep down, Kimberly believed being a homebuilder was always in her. "Design has always fueled and excited me, but it wasn’t until I was completely removed from my family's business, living and working in Manhattan, that I fully appreciated the opportunity there," she said.
14 years later (and celebrating 40 years of business in 2024), Kimberly helps lead the team at Krueger Construction through marketing, sales, and design— primarily leading the design team for Krueger's model homes, strategizing floorplans with her husband, Jimmy.
Kimberly's Resume at a Glance
•Miss North Dakota USA 2006
•Former Account Manager at BDE Public Relations Firm, Manhattan, NY
•United Way 35 under 35 (2011)
•Former BIA-RRV Board of Directors
•Mother to Tripten (7) & Tenlee (3)
Services & Advantages of Working with Krueger Construction
Kimberly and her team at Krueger Construction focus primarily on mid to high-end single-family homes across the Red River Valley. Krueger offers a completely turn-key experience by offering home site selection floorplan development with both an in-house architect and in-house dedicated designers.
At its core, Krueger Construction is a one-stop shop, full-service design and build team. With in-house architectural drafting, design, and real estate services, Kimberly and her team work hard to earn the honor of building homes for families that stand the test of time, both in design aesthetic and market value. "As we enter our fifth decade of building homes, we hope to continue to pioneer original design and fine-tune our processes further to serve our incredible homeowners," she said.
Kimberly describes her personal design style as transitional organic, which extends into a lot of her design work. "As a team, we want every single project we work on to have something special; to be unique from everything else. Our customers tell us they build with us because they get that feeling from walking through our models and meeting our team," she said. "Everybody on our team is down to earth and that is felt in our office, design studio, model homes, and every home we build."
Kimberly's Moodboard for 2025 Design Trends
"I’m currently designing our spring 2026 model homes—this mood board reflects those designs. Most of our customers come to us for down-to-earth, traditional, transitional, and organic design. Home is a feeling and the backdrop to life—our floorplans and finishes work well for modern families who want to walk in the door and immediately feel a moment of calm."
Featured Home Models & Floorplans
Commentary from Kimberly Krueger Tehan
Kimberly & Jimmy's Personal Home
"When Jimmy and I designed and built our home, we had very few disagreements, even though we are both highly opinionated! He perfected things spacially and let me run with the finish design. I pulled lots of what I love into our home: traditional, bright, airy, with spaces of moody in the bar, office and Triptens bedroom. One of my favorite features is our kids book nook in the bonus room—and I’m a big fan of a character window. Jimmy did have one request—a cozy family room. The stone pillars that encase the pony bar and reclaimed wood beams are his favorite and the wine cellar being my current favorite."
Ana Beth Model
"This model is arguably my favorite floorplan—what I love most is the traditional formal dining room and pass through to the kitchen, originally designed with holiday gatherings or dinner party hosting in mind. The finishes on this particular model are also some of my favorites, with barrel vaulted hallways, arched openings, custom-made arched pantry doors, ceiling beams, brick pillar accents, and more."
Andrew Model
"This is one of our main floor primary suite plans—we’ve built this plan as slab on grade, full two story, and modified it entirely to other versions. When designing this model, it was the first time we used the deep green cabinetry color and moodier, bolder, more masculine finishes. The primary suite soaker tub and stone wall are two major highlights."
James Model
"This floorplan is unique as it encompasses another formal dining space (similar to the Ana Beth) and tucks the office space off of the main entrance, best used for families who might require more privacy. The finishes in this model are traditional meets costal, using a light warm, gray painted cabinets with accents of reclaimed wood beams."
Jenna 2.0 Model
"The two-story fireplace and wall of windows are showstopping on the main floor and from the catwalk above. I also love the double doors into the main floor primary suite and the convenient pocket office with a desk built in. The finishes on this one are so fun with the sage green color cabinets combined with warm maplestained wood and the use of three different styles of wall paneling in the primary bedroom, loft, and powder bathroom."
Lila Model
"This model is one of our more modern designs with high-low contrast. Favorite finish features in this model include the living room feature wall, showcasing that you can finish out a living room without a fireplace if fireplaces aren’t your thing. I also love the ceiling detail to the living room space as well as the black and white combo in the primary bathroom."
Kimberly Model
"I’ve spent the better part of my career trying to design a hidden pantry into one of our model homes and how ironic that I finally got one in my namesake floorplan! My favorite design features include the 10-foot ceiling height via the tray that spans the living room and kitchen, stacked with perfectly spaced beams, the stone floor-to-ceiling fireplace, and the maple spice rack built-ins into the hood wall, the hidden pantry, and the built-ins to the mudroom and hall nook."
Tenlee Model
"The Tenlee is named after my 3-year-old daughter and, like her, is equal parts sweet and spicy. While the overall finished square footage is smaller, the finishes back a big design punch, including glass gridded office walls and French doors, the mudroom built-ins with cork and chalk board in-lays, warmer cabinetry, millwork colorways, quartz backsplash in the kitchen, and the loft wall paneling."
Tripten Model
"Another floorplan after my own heart, this Tripten model is named after my seven-year-old son. This plan literally has it all: bonus room, sun room, office, butler's pantry… I’d never have to leave the house! I adore the kitchen design in this model with reeded glass uppers, a dining hutch built in, the butlers pantry, quartz backsplash ledge and the stain and paint colors all combine to make a perfectly moody-meetstraditional vibe."
Kimberly's 3 Tips for
New Builds
1. Focus on good bones and floorplan flow to keep your home timeless.
2. If your budget allows, finish the basement right away. It’s more affordable and less of a headache.
3. Smooth textured walls allow you to make your home your own as you live there (paneling, wallpaper and lime paint all work much better on smooth texture).
with Kimberly Krueger Tehan
You’re a big fan of traveling—are you observing home designs during your travels and thinking of ways to incorporate what you see into your own builds?
100% yes! We draw inspiration from everywhere. We love to “realestalk” when we travel and often find ourselves at an open house or driving (sometimes boating) around interesting neighborhoods finding inspiration.
Speaking of traveling, what’s your favorite place you’ve been to recently and what’s on your bucket list?
With two young kids, our adventure travel is on pause and we are looking to find moments of relaxation when we are traveling. Our absolute favorite place to spend a week as a family is on Captiva Island, Anna Maria Island being a close second. My husband and I's favorite place to sneak away for a long weekend is Napa Valley.
Your favorite quote is Mother
Theresa’s “Do Good Anyway” poem—why do you believe 'kindness, expecting nothing in return' is the best philosophy for life?
What other quotes or authors inspire you?
My personal philosophy that applies to both work and life is to show up, do good work and good things fall into place. Another favorite quote is, “When given the choice to be right or be kind, choose to be kind.”
You love designing floorplans—What
has being
a
wife
and mother taught you about good home design?
Your home should evolve as your family evolves. That could mean an “office” starts as a playroom for children that later becomes a homework and
hang space and then a den when they are out of the home. We like to design into living spaces with beautiful storage solutions that might double as toy storage and display family treasures or art in open shelving. Having a family doesn’t mean the home has to be cluttered and chaotic or that children can’t live in and enjoy the space! We design so that life works, at any stage, in beautiful spaces!
What books
or podcasts do you enjoy to get recharged and inspired?
Early mornings are the only “me time” available in this season of life! I’m up at 5 a.m., music and diffuser on, coffee in hand, filling out the "5 Minute Gratitude Journal,"
then a prayer or meditation. I’m not a super outdoorsy person, but I find the biggest reset when I'm in nature—so I enjoy going on walks with my sister and our dog, Millie. It’s only taken me almost 40 years to figure out that nature is the best way to reset and recharge. The two podcasts I bounce back and forth to are SmartLess and the Rachel Hollis Podcast. “The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry” by John Mark Comer is an excellent book that I keep rereading!
What songs do you currently have on repeat?
“Too Sweet” by Hozier “High Steppin” by The Avett Brothers “Oceans” by Hillsong United
