Meet the Area Team

We are a small tight-knit crew of awesome individuals who like to create, give back, and have fun!

Amy Jo Fuller

Returning to design after a four-year hiatus in the bike industry felt like coming home to Amy Jo. She was especially thrilled to be joining the Area team, as wallpaper is in her blood: growing up with a British mum, Amy Jo helped her mother change and install new wallpaper many times. She gives her mother credit for sparking her interest in design: “She would rearrange rooms in our house – furniture and artwork – and I could feel the impact that would have.”

Originally educated in the field of higher education, Amy Jo pursued a certificate in interior design while working for an online university. From there she took a position at Holly Hunt in the textile department of its Minneapolis showroom. After several years, she moved to Chicago, home to Holly Hunt's corporate office. Overall, she spent nearly 10 years at the eponymous design house.

As part of Area, Amy Jo brings a passion for design and a sales philosophy focused on customer service and building relationships.

Favorite Designs: GF-2 Mile 23

Laura Knutson

Laura started her career in the A & D community by way of an art and framing gallery, she was particularly interested in how to build the gallery's business. The gallery fueled her interest in interior design and her eventual direction into some of the best showrooms of luxury furnishings. Laura created an amazing career by cultivating relationships with the Architects and Designers for both the Holly Hunt and Donghia showrooms where she worked, collectively, for the last 20 years.

Always curious about how things are made, she never passes up an opportunity for a factory tour or to flood a maker with questions.

"Working with nice people that create beautiful art and get it out into the world for others to enjoy, is the best."

Naturally curious with the creation process, Laura is happy to make her way to the manufacturing side of the industry here at Area Environments. With so much experience behind her belt, she is the perfect fit for our customers and showrooms.

Laura likes gardening with native plants for the butterflies, working with her neighborhood to restore their local pond, visiting museums and galleries, iced coffee, and dark chocolate.

Favorite Designs: Picking a favorite is like trying to pick a favorite chocolate truffle out of a lovely assortment. My favorite artist/work is the one I am working on in the moment to bring in the sale 😉

Abi Prado

Abi is originally from Detroit, Michigan, but grew up in Minnesota. She dreams of one day living in a warmer climate (preferably Mexico).

Having spent the last 10 years working in healthcare administration, Abi is new to the design field.

“I am so excited to be a part of the industry and to be surrounded by these beautiful pieces of art.”

When she’s not at work, Abi is probably planning a trip somewhere (she loves to travel), cooking (or scoping out new recipes), listening to music, salsa dancing with her husband or working on items for her Etsy shop

Favorite Designs: CG-3 Paris

Karin Anderson

Karin earned a BA degree in Art and Business and she chose perfectly. She has a mind for business, and her hands and heart are always busy with artistic projects. With over 30 years’ experience in Store Design and Visual Merchandising, she has dressed mannequins, Christmas trees, beds and every inch of many 35,000 square foot furniture showrooms. She’s excited to be out of the “big box” world and focused on dressing only walls. And herself, of course, as she has a closet to envy and a flair for fun, easy fashion.

Away from work, Karin keeps all the plates spinning. She shares her home in NE Minneapolis with two teens, 2 Yorkies, 2 cats, a snake and a hamster. She is constantly immersed in home improvement projects, inside and out. When she needs a break from the chaos, she escapes to her backyard oasis with a cup of coffee (or white wine) and some chill music. There, she sits poolside and dreams of the day her youngest will be old enough to drive, plans for a life with her fiancé, and mentally choses yarn combinations for her next knitted hat to post in her ETSY shop.

Favorite Design: Too early to tell but impressed with all the Artist designs that are available!

Jason Thomson, Print Technician

Jason Thomson

Jason is originally from Lake Bluff, Illinois, located in the north suburbs of Chicago. After completing his MFA at the University of North Texas in Metalsmithing and Jewelry, Jason explored the academia world in his early career and found himself as the Lead Digital Fabrication Technician at The Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah, Georgia.

Impressed (but not in a good way) with the size of the bugs and the heat of Savannah, he headed for the same thing (bugs and humidity) but on a much smaller scale, in the state of Minnesota.

When Jason is not printing Area’s big, beautiful murals, he can be found enjoying the outdoors or visiting one of Minneapolis’ great art studio/galleries. Jason is looking forward to building a community of fellow jewelry makers here in the twin cities

Jason loves: Horror Movies, Almond Croissants, Coffee, His Sound Machine, and Blue Spruce Trees

Not necessarily in that order.

Favorite Design: EB N° 653

Nico Sardina

Nico was born in Sand Diego, California and moved here to attend the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. He feels a solidarity around our bundled culture of cold here in Minnesota and stayed after earning his degree in 2D Animation in 2019.

Nico has shown work and held workshops at Fresh Eye Gallery, Franconia Sculpture Park, the Minneapolis Institute of Art, the Whittier Alliance, and the Goethe Institute.

Outside of his personal work, Nico is a member of The People’s Library Artist Collective, a group utilizing screenprinting as a means to fight systemic injustice. This includes screenprinting services for mutual aid, screenprint workshops, paid apprenticeships, and micro-grant distribution.

Outside of all the business, he watches a lot of horror movies, listens to Mariah Carey, and likes working with the massive, large-format printers at Area.

A common phrase Nico sometimes regrets?

“I have time for this.”

Nico Sardina, Print Technician

Mateo Mitchell, Design Manager

Mateo Mitchell

Mateo moved to Minneapolis to attend the Minneapolis College of Art and Design after High School. After taking a short break from school to freelance he finished his Graphic Design degree at Dunwoody College of Technology.

Mateo blends his graphic design skills with his love of the outdoors to create 'Up North', a zine that introduces readers (both beginners and experts) to the many outdoor activities that Minnesota and the surrounding area has to offer. When he isn't working on the next issue of Up North, he can be found mountain biking, camping, or kicking it in the hammock with a cold brewski.

He's excited by his work with Area Environments, blending everything he's learned from his work and discipline as a creative in the world of print and design.

Favorite Designs: LF-5 Cathedral Mountains

Ethan Owusu

Born and raised a Minnesota native, Ethan found his inspiration and passion for art and design in his hometown of the Twin Cities. Curious for the arts at a young age in St Paul, there was a strong realization he had to do something more creative with his life. This quickly progressed to a degree in graphic design and printmaking. Graduating from Minnesota State University, Mankato.

As a dedicated designer by trait, Ethan finds his passions in the arts and his draw to the design realm heavily linked through illustration. From tattoos and ink drawings, to freelance illustration and street art, this one likes to draw. During his free time if he’s not poking skin with needles or putting the pad to then pen, you can find Ethan cutting traffic on his bicycle or having debatably deep conversations with his beloved parrot, Gray.

Favorite Designs: NK Ferry Pier

Deb Rasinski, Area Public Director

Deb Rasinski

Deb has returned to Area to run our new Public E-commerce division, and we could not be happier. When asked what is her favorite part of being back, her response was “The people, for sure it is the people!”

Originally from Minnesota, Deb was most recently living in Seattle. She misses the sanctuary of the Seattle Arboretum but thinks the Como conservatory is good substitute in the dead of winter.

Don’t let Deb’s appearance fool you, a punk rocker at heart, this dog lover feels every bit as comfortable in the middle of a music venue as she does in a high end designer showroom!

Joe Krause, Designer

Joe Krause

Kehayr Brown-Ransaw, Designer

Kehayr Brown-Ransaw

Based in Minneapolis, Kehayr is an artist, curator, and educator from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He earned a BFA from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, where rekindled a deep love for fiber, textiles and Craft. Using an archive of family images, Kehayr creates intricate designs while maintaining the anonymity of his subjects. He was the recipient of a 2020-2021 Jerome Fellowship, an impressive program that supports artists early in their career for a full year of artistic exploration.

When not making art or curating, he is a voracious media consumer of all forms; books, film, television, celebrity gossip news. He is itching to spend more time traveling and visiting tiny little shops. “Life should be about leisure and luxury.”

What does Kehayr like best so far at Area? “I really like that everyone really cares about what they are doing and everyone is very helpful.”

Jennifer Norman, Resource Librarian

Jennifer Norman

Meet Jen, back for round two here at Area, our former librarian is reorganizing and on a mission to have everything as aesthetically pleasing as a perfectly shelved book. Jen mentions how nice it is to be back by saying, "It's nice to be appreciated for my insight and skills that I bring to the team. It is like coming back home, it feels like family."

Most people don't know that Jen grew up in a musical environment, playing piano and flute for 8 years and also learning percussion. Needless to say, she now has a very diverse musical listening palate. She admits that she has seen Howard Jones live more than any other musician and admits missing out on never seeing the soulful magic that was Amy Winehouse.

In Jen's spare time she has been developing her art with collage work and fiber art. We are certainly glad to have her sense of humor and playful demanor back in the building.

Favorite Design: GL-3 Fugue State

Diane Perry

Diane came to Area with an impressively multidimensional background: a talented photographer and graphic designer, she initially went to school for fashion design, then had her own photography business for 20 years while simultaneously working in retail management. What started as a graphic design intern position at Area blossomed into a bold and wonderful career as Operations Manager, and Diane was appointed President of Area in May 2018. Building on Area's forward-thinking culture, lighthearted atmosphere, and the high standard of customer service the company has become renowned for, Diane is planning for worldwide coverage of Area’s products. As Area continues to grow, she’s looking forward to expanding its offerings of new, cutting-edge materials for the architectural and design community.

“I have obtained bliss! I am so lucky to be able to work for a really cool company that values art and the creative process.”

Originally from Colorado, Diane moved to Minnesota in 2012 to attend the graphic design program at Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD). Charmed by the concept of Area, she jumped on board and set sail on what has become an incredible journey. Her life beyond work includes being the mother of two young men who have inherited her adventurous spirit. She frequently uses a sketchbook to document her journeys, which allows her to slow down, absorb details, and observe the world from a completely different point of view than behind a camera’s lens. Dedicating her time to family, friends, volunteering, design, travel, and art of all mediums, Diane enjoys a very full life.

Favorite Designs: This really is a very hard choice! I feel like I should say Michael Cina's Marble because it is in my house (obviously my favorite) but I think my favorite is Christian Gastaldi's In Babel or Matthew Kirk's Going Separate Ways or Miles Regis' We Rise by Lifting Others, or Doug Glovaski’s Tracks, or all of Lesley Frenz’s pieces… Hmmm, I do not think I can answer this question.

Jamie Reich

From studying both art and theater at the University of Buffalo to working as the prop master at the famed Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, Jamie Reich – the owner and founder of both Apropos Painting Studio, Area Environments, and 5th & Malcolm – has a long, illustrious history as an artistic innovator. Apropos Painting Studio has been in business for over 35 years and has evolved into a booming art, fabrication, and print business that employs a growing number of artists and tradespeople. Apropos has created sets for numerous film projects and produces ongoing interior projects for hundreds of retail stores worldwide.

Favorite Designs: I am unable to choose a favorite. That’s like asking who your favorite child is. I love all of our artists equally. They all add their own style to our fabulous collection and would be remiss to choose just one.