How did you become interested in the home design arena?
While I was pregnant with my first child, I was approached to help redesign the home of then-mayor of St. Paul, Norm Coleman, and his wife Laurie. Fortunately, the project went so well it blossomed into additional work in design. I followed with some classes at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, and found I had a knack for it. I believe I have an eye for beauty and balance, given my strong background in travel, dance and advertising.
What are your Northwoods clients looking for in their homes?
People want to have a more relaxed environment than where their main home might be, and it can have a rustic, warm [look]. I see rich fabrics (like leather, cowhide and wool), functional furniture that feels good and incredible rugs.
Kitchens have become a lot more fantastic than they used to be … now that families come to their [vacation] homes year- round. In the winter, they come up for cross-country skiing and snowmobiling, and in the summer for boating and waterskiing. So, these homes need to be able to take a beating. In areas where people are in and out quite a bit, flooring could be a great tile or rustic wood floor. And, these homes are always hosting extra people, so kitchens and dining rooms need to be able to accommodate that, too.
You’ve also noted that special pieces and collectibles are very important to Northwoods homeowners. How do you work those into the décor?
I tell homeowners to try to group items together or make collections, instead of displaying the pieces everywhere and having them take over the house. It makes more of a statement and gives [the items] more of a fresh approach.
Where are your go-tos for design inspiration?
Travel is huge for me because I love seeing how different areas of the country and world put things together. I encourage people to bring back things from their travels that we can incorporate [in their interiors].
There are some great sources online, but if I can purchase it locally, I try to, otherwise if it’s a national store, I buy it locally. Ferguson offers great lighting and plumbing fixtures. There are also some nice wood products in Rhinelander, like at Enterprise Wood Products, and I like Carpet City. Locally, Scottie’s Interiors does a great job, and I also pull from Roughing It In Style quite a bit. I love to travel, and New York City offers ABC Carpet & Home—it’s a fabulous store and inspiring. I like Rejuvenation and Restoration Hardware for national stores.
Online, I bounce around a lot. [I like] websites like Houzz and Pinterest for inspiration. The lighting at Lumens is great, and Grandin Road is nice too.
By Shayna Mace | Portrait and Photography by Shanna Wolf; photo location courtesy of Bob Weirauch; Manitowish image courtesy of travelwisconsin.com
For more on Lisa Africano and her design firm, LA Design North, click here.