Some projects arrive at the intersection of life and work, where design becomes both refuge and expression. Color Me Scandi began as a collaboration with a Minneapolis family whose home celebrates art, architecture, and the everyday. They wanted a space that felt personal and alive, grounded in Scandinavian simplicity yet alive with color and emotion. A space that would balance the timeless with the unexpected.

For Emily, this project unfolded during a season of contrast. The home was transitioning from design and construction into full bloom with color and light. And it’s family was in the full spring and summer of life. All the while Emily was navigating her mother’s third recurrence of breast cancer. The process became an act of strength and continuity: a way to hold beauty and grief in the same breath, to build something lasting while life itself felt impermanent. From this contradiction came a joyful celebration of space and family life.

Each room was designed as a composition; layering colors, textures and emotion. The kitchen’s sunny yellow island offers a joyful counterpoint to its elegant and stoic wood cabinetry.

The butler’s pantry shifts tone moodier and yet playful, with a custom mixed‑finish Fireclay tile floor pattern adding depth and character.

The mudroom and entry were designed for durability and grace, supporting the family’s daily rhythms. The playful wall paper juxtaposed with elegant tiled floors, form following function.

For Emily the colors in this project became an expression of resilience. For her clients, an expression of themselves, their family and their daily life. The layered hues carry emotion without overpowering the architecture or the clients’ art collection. Soft neutrals and warm woods create balance, giving vibrant tones room to breathe and evolve. Over nine months, the design matured, with each detail considered, each space shaped to feel lived‑in and deeply personal.

As the project reached its conclusion the satisfaction of a job well done was tempered by the passing of Emily’s mother – Paulette. During her illness this project had become a refuge. Being able to create something beautiful, full of life and color had been a sanctuary to which Emily could retreat. Supported by her amazing team and inspired by her client’s vision, the joy of seeing this work brought to life was set in relief by the grief of an insurmountable loss.

The finished home reflects what both Emily and the clients had hoped for: a warm, creative environment that honors art, family, and the stories that make a house feel like home. It stands as a quiet testament to strength and to the idea that beauty, even in its boldest form, can be an anchor in uncertain times.