True to the nature of magazine world, Studio BStyle and I began thinking spring last fall. I had called Barbara about the Dohmicile, the house we had just purchased, and how she had to come out to see it, interiors and architecture lover that she is. B and I have always been creative kindred spirits—we joke that we understand each other’s crazy. So when she made it out, she saw past the mess to what WE saw when we bought the house: endless creative inspiration. A blank canvas that had been lovingly built upon a careful, visionary easel.
We were ready to paint. I thought perhaps she’d initially work with us on some interior planning, but I had skipped ahead. First came the lightning bolt of inspiration: A shoot with another fellow kindred spirit, photographer Joel Larson. He sees the beauty in demo and mess and undoneness as much as Barb and I do.
The day we shot at the Dohmicile, the snow began to fly. Barb’s crack team of assistants carefully hauled in, hung, and steamed armloads of the most delicate white and pastel garments.
One of my most favorite makeup artists in town, Andrea Holton, arrived as the snow started to look like it was being whipped in a blender, and she has had the first and only sighting (so far) of a fox in the backyard. And Ignite model Julianna Steege was the perfect pick to be our main character.
Being that the Dohmicile is nearly 100 years old, we barely had enough outlets to get everyone’s gear up and running. The lights had already been knocked out of our staging room, so Andrea, ever the pro, worked her magic in a very dim, but natural, half-light. So much for spring vibes!
The shoot was a breeze, because all hands on deck are industry pros. What a joy to honor the space that came before us with a beautiful fashion shoot and then to have it published in the Star Tribune magazine‘s spring issue is just beyond my wildest expectations.
I’ve only had time to watch a couple of Marie Kondo’s show on Netflix, but one thing I’ve picked up from her—something I try to remember often, as I am a sentimental collector nut—is that the thing is not the memory. It was easier to say goodbye to some of the historic finishes that unfortunately had to be tossed once it was documented in such a beautiful, loving, and enthusiastic way.
Et voilà! The final product. Even though I was there for the whole thing, it was still a thrill to see the printed result in my hot little hands.
Honestly, doesn’t Julianne reminds you of a perfect tulip blooming through the spring melt?