Our Team

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For Amy Jo, returning to the design industry felt like coming home — fitting, since wallpaper is in her blood. Growing up with a British mum, she spent years helping install it, and credits her mother with sparking her love of design: "She would rearrange rooms in our house, and I could feel the impact that would have." After receiving a certificate in interior design, Amy Jo spent nearly a decade with Holly Hunt at their Minneapolis showroom and later at their Chicago corporate office. She brings a passion for design and a sales philosophy rooted in customer service and relationships.

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Greg brings over two decades in photographic and fine art printing to his role with us, with a specialty in collaborations with portrait and wedding photographers. His Minnesota upbringing sparked a passion for photography that led him into professional print labs, where he spearheaded the transition from film to digital. Wide-format printing is familiar territory, but Greg finds mural work a new and exciting frontier: "It's incredible how much a room can be transformed by art — I'm especially drawn to how striking the metallic designs are." He lives in South Minneapolis with his wife and their two daughters — who camp in state parks in summer, cross-country ski in winter, and make frequent trips to Lake Superior. In his free time, Greg embraces quintessential "Minneapolis dad" activities like biking to breweries, record stores, and baseball games.

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Laura began her career in the A&D community at an art and framing gallery, where a fascination with how to grow the business drew her toward interior design — and eventually into some of the best showrooms in luxury furnishings. Over the last 20 years, she built a career cultivating relationships with architects and designers across the Holly Hunt and Donghia showrooms. Her depth of experience makes her a natural fit for our customers and showrooms. As she puts it, "Working with nice people who create beautiful art and get it out into the world for others to enjoy is the best." Outside of work, Laura gardens with native plants for the butterflies, helps her neighborhood restore its local pond, and loves museums, galleries, iced coffee, and dark chocolate.

Heather brings a thoughtful eye and an inventive spirit to Area. With a background in interior design and photo styling, she has a deep appreciation for how space, light, and imagery work together to tell a story. Here, she channels that curiosity and sharp design sensibility into guiding projects from concept to completion, making sure every detail feels intentional, inspired, and fun. Outside the studio, Heather is wandering thrift shops and antique stores in a very specific order — artwork first, lamps second, vases third — while keeping an eye out for fabric for all the projects she doesn't know how to sew…yet. A self-proclaimed lamp enthusiast, she believes there's no such thing as too many, a philosophy reflected in the 100+ lamps she may or may not currently have at home.

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Karin earned a BA in Art and Business — and chose perfectly, with a mind for business and hands and heart always busy with artistic projects. Across more than 30 years in store design and visual merchandising, she's dressed mannequins, Christmas trees, beds, and every inch of many 35,000-square-foot furniture showrooms. Now she's happily out of the "big box" world and focused on dressing walls. Away from work, Karin is a master at keeping all the plates spinning: she shares her Northeast Minneapolis home with her husband, two children, two Yorkies, and two cats — because everything is better in pairs. When she needs a breather she retreats to her backyard oasis with coffee, music, and dreams of future travels.. Hayatın tadını çıkar! Enjoy life!

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Jen started with us as our Librarian and after a short stint away returned as our Project Manager. She is on a mission to have everything as aesthetically pleasing as a perfectly shelved book. On being back, she says: "It's nice to be appreciated for the insight and skills I bring to the team. It's like coming home — it feels like family." What most people don't know is that Jen grew up in a musical household, playing piano and flute for eight years and picking up percussion along the way, which gave her wonderfully diverse taste in music. She's seen Howard Jones live more than any other artist, and still laments never catching the soulful magic of Amy Winehouse. In her spare time, Jen develops her own art through collage and fiber work — and we're certainly glad to have her sense of humor and playful spirit back in the building.

Jacob spent his 20s in the world of commercial photography, traversing the United States in a van with six different cameras. His favorite photo makers are Gregory Crewdson, Matthew Brandt, Donald Weber, and John Baldessari. Occasionally he says quotable things. He prefers speakers and records over headphones and MP3s, thinks often about climbing Kilimanjaro and exploring caves, prefers old buildings to new, and George Mulhauser to Charles Eames. He's told he can become a little obnoxious if he hasn't traveled in the last few months. He's grateful for spell check — and for a place here.

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Elizabeth found her home in the Twin Cities at the turn of the millennium, where she's built a life with her husband, two kids, a dog, and two cats — all of them strong personalities. It's a lively, often chaotic household that sparks thoughtful debate, offers unique perspectives, and overflows with humor. She earned a degree in Art from the University of Minnesota, but her endless curiosity keeps her education ongoing — a love of learning that's shaped her into a multifaceted artist, though her heart lies in oil painting portraits and landscapes. Elizabeth is also deeply committed to her local creative community: one of her proudest achievements is co-directing an annual art festival on the east side of St. Paul.

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Born and raised in the suburbs of the twin cities, Red is a now a die-hard city girl living in Minneapolis. As an artist, they are captivated by strong shapes, bright colors, and the art of letterforms. When not at work, they enjoy video games, sleeping in, indoor rock climbing, and exploring the hidden nooks and crannies of the city.

Matt brings both an artist's sensibility and a technician's precision to his role, transforming artists' work into wallcoverings suited to a wide variety of unique needs. Day to day, he safeguards the artistic and technical integrity of every project — with plenty of coffee, and the occasional assist from the office cat. He came to Area from a background in freelance design. What he enjoys most is watching a project evolve from original art all the way to production, collaborating with the team at every step. Outside of work, he's into word puzzles, photography, miniature model painting, and watching films.

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Lee brings a meticulous eye to our team, inspecting wallcoverings, packing orders, managing sample inventory, and partnering with the design team on problem-solving. He joined us after nearly two decades as a production operator and lead project coordinator in printing, logistics, and shipping. What he enjoys most is collaborating with creative people and seeing the one-of-a-kind work our artists bring to life. His creative roots trace back to Creative Arts High School in St. Paul and an AA in Liberal Arts. Outside of work, he's usually playing guitar, hiking, or out on the disc golf course with longtime friends.

Marko brings both sides of his brain to work — strategic thinking paired with creative intuition. For over a decade, he's worked with brands across healthcare, fintech, and beyond, helping them say what they mean and build their digital presence. Leading content marketing and editorial strategy, he shapes how the Area brand shows up across the website, in emails, and on social media — building our voice in the A&D community. Off the clock, you'll find him writing his newsletter on Substack, moving his body in ways that feel joyful, cooking nourishing meals, or spending time with his husband and dog.

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Diane came to Area with a multidimensional background: originally trained in fashion design, she ran her own photography business for 20 years while working in retail management, before becoming a graphic designer. Her journey at Area began as a graphic design internship that blossomed into a role as Operations Manager, and in May 2018 she was appointed President. Building on the forward-thinking culture, lighthearted atmosphere, and high standard of customer service, Diane is steering the company toward worldwide reach and an ever-expanding offering of cutting-edge materials for the architectural and design community. "I have obtained bliss," she says. "I'm so lucky to work for a really cool company that values art and the creative process." Outside of work, she's the mother of two young men who've inherited her adventurous spirit, and she documents her travels in a sketchbook that lets her slow down, absorb details, and see the world differently than through a camera lens. Between family, friends, volunteering, design, travel, and art of all mediums, she lives a very full life.

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From studying art and theater at the University of Buffalo to working as prop master at the famed Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, Jamie Reich has a long, illustrious history as an artistic innovator. As the owner and founder of Apropos Painting Studio and AREA Environments, he's spent decades building creative ventures from the ground up. Apropos has been in business for over 35 years, evolving into a booming art, fabrication, and print operation that employs a growing roster of artists and tradespeople — creating sets for numerous film projects and producing ongoing interior work for hundreds of retail stores worldwide.