Client: The Saint Paul Bed and Breakfast
Location: St. Paul, MN, United States
Completion date: 2013
Project Team
Interior Designer
Karen Soojian
KSID Studio
Artist
Karen Soojan
KSID Studio, LLC
Overview
The design of the Grand Parlor and Powder Room is a celebration of the collaboration of decorative artists, fine artists, and craftsmen. The decorative finishes, stylistic elements we specified are present and modern but are reminiscent of their Victorian roots. The talents of the artists were orchestrated to create a luxurious, harmonious, environment for the homeowners and guests of The St. Paul Bed and Breakfast. The room was designed as part of the Minnesota Chapter of the ASID 2013 Showcase House. The works of a fine artist, decorative artist, and furniture artist were commissioned.
Goals
The Grand Parlor is part of a historic home built in 1882. It is an excellent example of the Queen Anne style of architecture. During this period the Arts and Crafts and Pre-Raphaelite movements were flourishing in England. The members of this movement were artists who rejected a mechanistic, industrial approach to art and decoration. Walter Crane, a member of the movement, may have produced some tiles in the historic home. We derived the spirit of the project from the ideals of the Arts and Crafts and Pre-Raphaelite movement by bringing in artists and craftsmen.
The expressive talent of the decorative paint artist is harnessed in a broad range of finishes on all of the walls and ceilings. We commissioned several fine art pieces including a decorative screen to camouflage an exposed pipe in the corner of the room. We commissioned a cubist painting for the vestibule area to help define and separate the space. We also collaborated with a furniture designer to create a handcrafted table.
Process
KSID Studio developed the overall concept for the space, but we worked closely with each artist to bring their talents into the spirit of the project. With each artist, we presented them with the goals of the product and worked through a broad range of possible solutions for the space. Throughout the collaboration process, KSID acted in the role of producer and director, while the artists provided the talent and passion necessary for the final production. The project was a fundraiser for the Minnesota ASID chapter, so the artists involved were generous with their time and talent.