Should your home have a patron goddess? This dramatic Minneapolis apartment does

A new 42-storey building alongside the Mississippi River isn’t necessarily the place you’d expect to find a home designed in homage to the Celtic goddess Brigid. But for Minneapolis, Minnesota-based interior designer Victoria Sass, the mythological figure was the perfect encapsulation of her client.

'We always do a concept with every project – a little narrative and story – that helps us get focused,' Sass, founder of Propsect Refuge, a Twin Cities design studio and gallery, explains. 'And when we first met the client, she had such a powerful presence, like a goddess of war or something, and I really wanted to capture that.'

The apartment in question was located on the tenth floor of a residential tower in Minneapolis's historic Mill District, a redeveloped industrial neighborhood once considered the flour milling capital of the world. For her design, Sass homed in on Brigid's mythological attributes. 'Looking at this goddess’ areas of expertise, from blacksmithing and wisdom, to poetry and fire, we reinterpreted each one in a different space,' the designer says.

The storytelling starts as soon as you step inside. The foyer presents as a moody, dramatic space that 'really taps into the blacksmithing energy' with elements like a table with a cast-bronze base shaped like a tree trunk and dark cork wallpaper, 'which has an almost burned, iron-forged feeling to it,' the designer says. The client’s own artwork – a large-scale 1965 painting of a stove by Robert Meadows – further underscores the fiery theme.

Further inside, the open-concept kitchen and dining room serves as an airy contrast. 'We wanted the kitchen to feel more healing, peaceful and kind of quiet,' Sass says about the pale grey cabinetry and chosen accessories, which include custom pendant lights by Cym Warkov Ceramics and iron counters stools by Mexican studio Casamidy.

The 'voice' of the space, per Sass, comes from the dining area, which features a large oil painting of three men gathered around a table, with hints of green throughout, that was found by the client at an overseas auction. 'It’s those same green undertones that we wanted to bring into the furniture, like with the mid-century, green lacquered sideboard and the frames of Poltrona Frau chairs,' the designer explains.

Windows in the adjoining great room offer panoramic views of Minneapolis, from Gold Medal Park to the Guthrie Theater, and of the riverfront with its gloriously rehabilitated historic mills.

'The design for this space really started around the vintage Hermès leather and metal coffee table, which is a rather demure little piece,' says Sass. 'It had a masculine energy, so we had to bring in some colour around it, and the cobalt blue orb lamp by Victoria Morris was the chef’s kiss on the whole thing.'

Nearby, the formal sitting room evokes a sense of fire while avoiding the use of red – one of the client’s least favourite colours. 'Here we selected a lot of golden tones – sort of ember-like,' Sass says.

Further fueling the flames, she selected a vintage coffee table that was 'literally burned' and refinished, and gold-patterned window treatments. Look closely and you'll spy more mythological themes, like ironwork (in the form of a lounge chair by St. Paul, Minnesota furniture designer Jonathan Muecke and acid-wash brass knobs from Hepburn Hardware) as well as animals. 'One of Brigid’s areas was protection, and she watched over cattle – so that was a fun little [nod],' Sass shares about the vintage leather bull footstool by Dimitri Omersa.

For the primary bedroom, Sass created a more restful environment, one she describes as 'poetic.' Soft, feminine curves in a velvet Soho Home bed; an ivory-coloured rug; burl wood nightstands; and rich turmeric wall colour provide the homeowners with a haiku-worthy escape. In the infant son’s nursery, Sass tied the entire mythology concept together with a zodiac-themed wallpaper from Rebel Walls. 'Its honestly pretty great for a hardworking, down-to-earth room like this,' she says.

Finding the connection between myth and modern design was a welcome exploration for Sass who, admittedly, enjoys setting a stage for creative journeys with her clients. 'This project is about imagining what it would mean for a home to have a patron goddess – one who watches over, protects and brings vitality to its inhabitants,' she says. 'And Brigid’s influence felt like the perfect guide for this home’s design.'