Hello Everyone.
Long time, no newsletter.
We promise we haven’t disappeared. The last few months have been a blur here at Unfold. We’ve been wrapping up projects, welcoming new ones, celebrating two homes on the AIA Homes by Architects Tour, and building something entirely new for ourselves.
After five years of working remotely - meeting clients in living rooms, in the conference spaces of project partners, and over virtual calls - Unfold finally has a space to gather, create, and connect with the opening of our own storefront at 4252 Nicollet Ave, in the Kingfield neighborhood of Minneapolis.
Where we landed.
We began looking for an office in late 2023, initially thinking we’d find a move-in-ready spot - a place where we could bring in a few desks and chairs and get to work. But every space we toured just felt off: too corporate, too sterile, too far from the kind of energy that fuels our work.
It became clear that what we were looking for wasn’t going to be found in a turn-key suite downtown. We wanted to be part of a neighborhood. In a space that felt like us: approachable, creative, and embedded in the rhythm of a residential community.
Then we found it: a very raw space tucked inside a building whose exterior had recently been renovated, at 43rd and Nicollet in Minneapolis’s Kingfield neighborhood. It had good bones: tall ceilings, generous daylight, and a bit of patina we thought we could work with.
Set within one of those small, walkable commercial pockets that are peppered throughout Minneapolis residential communities, the space was surrounded by some great neighbors such as The Lowbrow, Silverbird Coffee, Bûcheron, and Sebastian Joe’s.
It felt like a community we wanted to be part of.
The other side of the table.
From January through September, the space transformed from a dusty, unfinished box into what is now a functioning studio. We approached it the same way we would a client project, by starting with how it should function, not just how it should look. We wanted warmth and light. We wanted flexibility. We wanted a space that could evolve alongside our work.
As with every Unfold project, collaboration was key. We teamed up with many of the same partners who help bring our residential projects to life: Marvin, Scherer Bros., True Fit Carpentry, Hennepin Made, Rovan Furniture, Kimberly Petters Art, Arbor Wood, Intectural, Concrete Science, Modern Designs Cabinetry, TruStile Doors, and Ferguson Plumbing, to name a few.
Each played a role in shaping the character of the studio. From custom lighting to millwork, cabinetry, and furniture, every detail carries the fingerprint of the craftspeople across the Twin Cities we’re lucky to work alongside.
Moving In and Moving Forward
We officially moved in this September, unpacking between meetings and finding our rhythm as we went. A few details are still coming together, but it already feels like home.
Almost immediately, collaboration shifted. Conversations that once lived in email now happen across the table. Clients stop in to review drawings or see materials in real light, and builders drop by to talk through details.
The studio isn’t large, but it’s open, flexible, and full of daylight - a space that allows us to better serve our clients: more collaboration, more connection, and more opportunities for design to happen in real time.
If you’re near 43rd and Nicollet, stop in and say hello.