OK, so I’m just pretending Jonathan Adler and I are BFFs, because I love how he embraces color and makes it chic and sophisticated. I love color—a room of beige and ivory and ecru just doesn’t do it for me. And I was tired of feeling like the weird one out because I painted my loft magenta. Then I was introduced to Adler’s work. Adler understands my total desire for color and exuberant surroundings. (I know this because I pore over his books all the time….and I actually bought one of his dog scarves for my Murray boy.) So when I heard through the grapevine a few months ago that he might be opening a store in Minneapolis, I almost didn’t want to hope for it because my heart would break if it didn’t work out. Last summer, I’d been in Philadelphia visiting a dear friend and went into his store . . . and was pretty sure that’s what heaven looks like. The store is fun, funny, bright, optimistic—the home décor answer to an anti-depressant—and above all, filled to the gills with midcentury-inspired style. I’m not exaggerating—it makes my heart race.
Adler has been super busy launching his store, so we just did five quick-fire questions to give you an idea of what you can expect. And heeeere they are:
What’s your favorite color? Can you pick one? Do you rotate obsessions with colors like I do?
This is like Sophie’s Choice for me. I love so many colors but, if I must decide, I suppose I’d say orange. It’s the color of sunshine.
What home décor ideas/trends/color combinations are you currently obsessed with?
The trend buzzword for the last few years, “Eclectic,” doesn’t adequately describe the chaos in the design world today. We live in an era where squillions of trends and ideas exist simultaneously—retro, Hollywood Regency, fluorescents, Heritage, Steampunk, Minimalism, Maximalism—and come together in improbable ways. I think that our eyes are trained to handle jarring juxtapositions and jagged stimuli, so I suppose that I would call the design trend du jour “Mayhem.” And, as a long-standing Maximalist and maker of Mayhem, I couldn’t be happier!
What’s one easy way to freshen up a home for spring/summer?
Clean!!!!! And re-arrange your bookshelves. Bookshelves end up being dumping grounds for books and stuff and they could always use a spring sprucing! Paint the back of your bookshelves or wallpaper them, hang some pictures, attach a clip-on library lamp, and sprinkle in some nifty tchotchkes.
I was in your Philadelphia store this summer—heaven! Can Jonathan Adler fans expect the same merchandise in Minneapolis that they may have seen in other boutiques nationwide?
Thank you! All of our stores carry the full breadth of our collections, but each store has its own curated selection of art, books, and unexpected bits.
What drew you to Minneapolis and the Uptown location?
Minneapolis has a groovy, young design scene, which I dig. And I worship at the temple of Prince so I’m hoping he’ll stop in. As for Uptown, it just felt right—I’m excited to join other design shops and I’m excited to zip in to the Walker Art Center when I get a break (if my boss will let me!).
April 19 is the opening party—and Adler will be there. So will I! 1439 W. Lake St., Mpls., 612-353-5311
