Stepping into jewelry designer Stephanie Lake’s Minnetonka home feels a bit like entering the sugar plum-adorned dreamworld of Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker.” Every inch is laden with holiday splendor, from the ornate, red-and-gold poinsettia garlands that line her living room walls to the glittering Nutcracker dolls that guard her kitchen island. For refreshments, shoppers were offered crystal glasses of sparkling lemonade with a dose of edible pink glitter. Needless to say—Lake has a knack for making things sparkle.
Photo by Hannah Swenson
We were gathered at Lake’s home that Sunday for a unique private shopping event hosted in collaboration with Rosella Vintage, “Everything Heirloom: A Holiday Treasure Trove,” sponsored by Haskell’s and Cultivated CBD. Stocked with racks of Rosella’s eclectic holiday partywear and Lake’s one-of-a-kind jewelry comprised of globally sourced antique materials, the event encouraged patrons to shop sustainably this Holiday season by reinforcing the inherent magic of heirloom objects.
“Every item here has a past life and a story to tell,” Lake shares with me as I scan countless shelves of her self-designed necklaces, each littered with whimsy and guided by an ardent “more is more” philosophy. “I think it’s important to create a sense of reverence for used objects. Heirlooms can serve as a means of connection for us in our material world.”
Photo by Hannah Swenson
There are few people who hold this “heirloom ethos” quite so dearly as Lake herself, who has an extensive background in fashion history and material curation. The jewelry designer is one of just five scholars in the world to earn a Ph.D. in Decorative Arts, Design History, and Material Culture, and her eventual research position at New York-based auction house Sotheby’s led her to a life-changing friendship with American fashion designer Bonnie Cashin. Upon Cashin’s death in 2000, Lake unexpectedly became the sole heir to the designer’s entire personal design archive, spanning nearly seven decades of fashion. Much of this archive is now housed within the deceptively unassuming brick facade of her family’s suburban residence.
Cashin’s influence and enduring legacy was apparent as I walked through the treasure-ridden floors of Lake’s home, especially at Sunday’s private shopping event, which doubled as a fundraiser for the Goldstein Museum of Design’s new renovation initiative. Located on the second level of McNeal Hall at University of Minnesota’s St. Paul campus, the museum bears an intimate connection to Cashin’s work and legacy, founded in 1976 with a revelatory opening event styled and attended by Cashin herself. Lake, who curated a special Bonnie Cashin exhibit for the museum’s 25th anniversary, was eager to help the institution with the planned renovation of its Goldstein Gallery, to be unveiled in 2026.
provided by the Bonnie Cashin Archive
“As a time capsule and the public face of a design world treasure trove, furthering the [Goldstein’s] initiative reflects our shared pursuit of beauty with purpose,” shares Lake, who was joined at her home Sunday by Goldstein Museum of Design’s director Aidan O’Connor.
Warmed by an open fire, intentional conversation, and the heartfelt exchange of decades-old heirlooms, Lake’s home served as a time capsule of its own that evening, transporting shoppers back to a distant time where “splendor, delight, and connection” were essential components of fashion consumerism.
“Hosting a private, residential event helps us return to a sense of gathering, and the delight we can find in community, rather than feeling frenzied and anonymous in the world. It’s an ethos—taking a stand and saying, ‘these are the things we hold dear,’” says Lake.
Photo by Hannah Swenson
To find your own treasured heirlooms this holiday season, you can shop online or book an appointment with Stephanie Lake Design, or browse Rosella vintage’s holiday selections at Olio Vintage. Lake’s biography on Bonnie Cashin, “Bonnie Cashin: Chic is Where You Find It,” is available on Amazon.
