Journal
November
This time of year is naturally reflective. We give thanks freely and the cool outside air encourages us inward - to be with loved ones and to seek warmth. It’s these moments that we realize yet another year has passed, evident in the wear on our favorite sweaters being pulled out of the winter closet and the sounds of a hissing steam radiator. Its these moments where change is perceptible to our senses that truly mark time, not the ones on our clocks.
October
Prospect and refuge. Ever wonder where our name comes from? It is a concept rich with natural wonder and its motivation to our interior spaces. Through symbolic survival instinct and capacity to observe and engage we arrive at the concept of prospect and refuge. Below we play with the senses that make up prospect and refuge. This fall we are launching our new website and getting closer to completing our new location that imbues what it means for us to create.
September
As a New Year approaches, so too does the completion of our new studio home in Tangletown, South Minneapolis! Its never easy to close a chapter, but with that bittersweet emotion which sometimes accompanies change, its time to say ‘audieu’ to our first home in Northeast. We are so excited for more space to grow our team and the opportunity to feature furnishings, lighting, objects and art from some of our favorite makers — near and far — as well as a sprinkling of vintage rugs and antiques that are near and dear to our hearts. We are looking forward to crafting a one-of-a-kind experience for both our design clients and those of you looking for beautiful objects.
Follow us on Instagram for more updates in the coming weeks as well as announcements as we approach opening day and special events.
August
We all have a preference for a certain color. It may remind you of a memory or even a feeling. It is storied that Yves Klein was lying on his back at the Côte d'Azur while he was gifted the idea of painting cobalt blue. But what if you can't see? Can you feel color? A blind person once told me that her favorite color was green, because she liked the way it sounds. May we all enjoy the complexity and simplicity of color.
July
By the time it is July we have seen barren trees go from a pile of twigs to an abundant holder of leaves—transformation surrounds us. Transformation is a continual process that relies on one thing existing to aid another in its journey. In July, we examine the moment that nature and humans come face to face with on another to transform humble pieces of nature into objects of desire.
June
The Wu Xing, the 5 phases of life. A fivefold conceptual scheme to include the paradigm of the mutual generation of all our lives—Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water. How many materials can we say truly touch our lives? Our experience with the world is elemental so in June we explore the creation cycle element—Wood.
May
At Prospect Refuge Studio we gain a great deal of creative energy through exploration of analogous aesthetic fields. We imagine what we want to reconstitute and bring it into the present by way of collective inquiry and association. It sometimes starts with a type of music or maybe a place, a piece of furniture, or just a whim. Storytelling is our goal. The creation of a connection or a reference, that perfect moment, helps guide our design and bring it to holistic fruition. This spring we turned that process upon ourselves and embarked on the journey of developing a studio scent. This particular scent started with a single image...
April
Our senses are a catalyst for how we consume our life. And although five are talked about the most, the auxiliary senses define how we live. This month, as we embark on designs for an upcoming capsule furniture collection with GATHER Table Co. we explore the fringe senses and how we interact with design- and thus the world.
March
From Winter to Spring, and Summer to Fall these recurrent transitions complete one another. To see the sun set later is to know Spring and with each sunset we fall back later and later till she moves in a circle back home again. For March, Prospect Refuge examines cause and effects; The principle of causation through Ponti's "endless refractions".
February
Avoid ambivalence and surround yourself with the feeling of self assurance. These people and things have left impressions on us that endures the ephemera of everyday life. In the month of February dive with us, into the depths of reaction and define it through these illustrious examples. Read about Rothko's colors, Yayoi Kusama's strength in fragility, and other champions of influence.
January
In the darkest months of the year we reach for light, warmth, and refuge. Our winter time is inherently monastic and links us to the rhythm of the Earth's brevity. Follow us on our visual journey of collected ideals, creatures of the sea, and discover a poem from a 20th century Monk.