Vol. 4, Issue 3
Summer 2023

This time of year, it’s easy to feel the squeeze of summer coming to a close and fall rushing in. Before you know it, the holidays will start piling on, and with them the urgency to finish what your more optimistic self started in the spring. But may we propose a conscientious shift. Hold off on the pumpkin spice a bit while summer lingers through September. Eat outside. Take a nod from our staff and spend the still-longish evenings on the lake or a soccer field or on the back roads astride a motorcycle. The palettes dotting the SYH studio will lean autumn soon enough, but for now we’ll keep out the pinks and corals and greens. Fall will come. But it’s not here yet. 

Recent Transformations: Some of 2023’s Best Befores-And-Afters

A new build - watching something grow up before your eyes, where there was nothing before - is incredibly fulfilling. But for design documentation, there is nothing more satisfying than a good renovation before and after. When you are in the weeds, it’s easy to forget where you started, so we love this kind of photographic evidence of the hard work and magic of what we do when we’re asked to rethink an existing space. We’ve made team walkthroughs standard at the end of our projects, so our whole team gets to experience finished spaces firsthand. We can’t take you along, but we thought we’d share some of our favorite pics for you to savor too. We are so grateful to our clients for entrusting us to envision and create homes for them, and to all of you for sharing our joy in these transformations. 

What We Are Digging: Natural Stone

Every time we go to the stone yard, we are stunned by nature's incredible color palette and limitless patterns. Natural stone is known for the statement it can make in a space, and we love that about it. It is functional art — a stunning display of nature’s marvelous possibilities. We are currently bookmarking these slabs for an integrated sink in an upcoming project.

Of course, natural stone doesn’t have to be loud: we are working on a house full of very quiet slabs of quartzite and marble at the moment, going for a natural and organic feel.

Natural stone slabs are completely unique - unlike quartz. [Quick Stone 101 lesson: quartz is a manufactured product, comprised of stone chips and dust mixed with resin, creating slabs that have predictable and repeatable patterns. Not to be confused with quartzite, a natural stone.] Natural stone is durable and water-resistant, so it is great for outdoor furniture, shower walls with minimal grout, and chef’s kitchens. Depending on the type, stone can be very low maintenance; just beware more porous stones like marble, limestone and soapstone, which absorb stains and react to acids. Stick to quartzites and granites for minimal care and vulnerability.

Here are some recent ways we've integrated natural stone into our projects.

Local Vendor Spotlight: Juniper Gallery

Juniper Gallery has moved from the square in Spencer to Kirkwood in Bloomington! Owned by artist Jaime Sweany, Juniper Gallery represents artists from across the globe, as well as right here at home, including two SYH favorites, Wyatt LeGrand and Ellen Starr Lyon, whose compelling figurative work is part of a collection we recently curated for a local midcentury gem of a project - that is soon to be published!

Project on the Horizon?

If you have a new build, renovation, and/or decorating project on the horizon, call us sooner than you think you need us! We want to work with you! Your designer should be your first call, and we do often have a waitlist.

How it works: Initial consultations happen within a few weeks of your call, during which Susan Y. meets with you to get to know you and see your space or property. She hears all your hopes and hang-ups, and offers off-the-cuff feedback and advice to help you determine next steps. If the next step for you is comprehensive design services, we pencil you in and launch your project as soon as your name rises to the top.