Certified Rad: Mercury Mosaics + C2S (Part 2)
In part two of this project review, we sat down with the second half of the Mercury Mosaics project design duo: Morgan Molitor of Construction 2 Style. She and her husband, Jamie, and their team are taking on renovations and design-builds in Minnesota one gorgeous room at a time. We’ve partnered with them before, so it was a no-brainer to work with their awesome team again on this redesign.
Shelfology: Tell us about your background and your company; how did it come about?
My husband, Jamie, and I (Morgan) started construction2style back in 2012 as he had just bought his first renovation property and was flipping it. Jamie went to school for carpentry and his goal was to also be a Home Builder. Little did he know that he’d meet me and start a blog and do interior residential remodeling. I have a background in Marketing and Fashion Merchandising, however, my end goal was to also do the interior styling for home decor, big box retailers. It’s funny how life works! One thing led to another, and in 2015, we moved into a full-service design, build, and styling team. I jumped ship from my full-time corporate gig to join Jamie after our second son was born, and now, beyond our design and remodeling, we run a home lifestyle blog, have an online retail store, offer marketing courses and in-person workshops, head up a handful of other brands’ marketing initiatives, and run a nonprofit called resilience2reform.
Shelfology: What is your business philosophy?
As Mercedes Austin, founder of Mercury Mosaics, always has told me since we created our personal dream kitchen together, “Create a space you love and your life will launch off of it.” There’s not one client or team member that I don’t reinforce that to.
Shelfology: What are your goals and vision for your company?
From the day we started c2s (construction2style), our goal has always been to ensure lives thrive. Within our client's homes, we focus on the feeling we bring to life through our work within their walls, and sometimes it’s simply forming a deeper connection and providing good, positive energy within their home. For our team members, it’s ensuring that they are living their best life. We never want anyone on our team to feel the “Sunday blues,” and—as we tell our team—if at any point they are, let’s make a change.
Shelfology: How do you approach projects with customers?
We have a process in place! And we vet hard before we actually work with anyone. As we all want to live a happy life, we’re dating our clients just as much as they are us and we want it to be a good fit. Most inquire on our website, and if not, we direct them there as we have a deep questionnaire. Once we’ve explored that, we set up a design exploratory call with the c2s design team. If all the stars are aligned, we’ll cruise out to their home with the team and—once again—go through another interview, and finally, send a bid and kick off designs followed by construction. We work through an app called Materio that we love, and everything is very transparent—from selections, to change orders, and pricing. So, once we get to the design contract, the rest is smooth sailing! Unless, of course, we run into product delays.
But the biggest must for us is that with our clients and team, our personalities are in line. We have an internal list of a few “red flags,” and we’ve learned that no matter what, if any of those pop-up, we walk away. Respectfully.
Shelfology: What's your favorite type of project to take on? What type of design gets you excited?
Our favorite project to take on is one where the client is open to thinking outside of the box. We like to get to know our clients on a deeper level: what lights them up, places they like to travel to, people they surround themselves with, their hobbies, family lifestyle, social and political views, and more.
We like to say we have an eclectic design here at c2s! We don’t have “one” design style, instead, we design with intention in mind—for our client's needs, wants, and lifestyles. Because not every person fits into one box, we love a mixture of good people and to keep learning through what they bring to the table.
Shelfology: What current trends do you love?
Too many to count! I love how over the past few years, the world has evolved and more people are living life with intention and purpose. And that comes down to how they live in their home. Being home more, traveling less, working or schooling from home—they truly want a home that is designed and remodeled for them. Not just for resale, anymore.
I love everything within the space to tell a story. It might be a sentimental piece, an heirloom, the flooring or backsplash that came from their favorite place, a memento from a state they like to travel to, or supporting a brand that holds safe their morals, values, and ethics. It makes for an eclectic home! I’m all for this current trend and hope it never goes away.
Being minimal with clutter is another trend that I am seeing and loving! This goes back to living with intention and purpose. If something in your home isn’t serving you, time to ditch it, as it just adds more stress to your life. And I’m not talking about minimalism when it comes to finishing selections such as tile, cabinetry, and decor. That, on the other hand, I see going out.
The 70s vibe is back and I’m all about it! We’re seeing this from decor to tile to lighting.
Warmer tones. The subtle touches of wood, the neutral paint colors, to bedding and furniture. I think this comes into play with people being home more and they want to bring those warm and cozy vibes back in, and we’re here for it!
Shelfology: Which trends do you think are on the way out?
White-on-white kitchens. I don’t believe white kitchens will ever be out, but now homeowners are craving more and more color and warmer tones. They’re no longer afraid to get bold and add a splash of color here and there.
When I asked the team, they mentioned a few others: gray paint, gray flooring, farmhouse, basic subway tile layout, and shiplap walls.
Shelfology: Give us an overview of the Mercury Mosaics headquarters redesign—what were your goals for this project and your thought process behind the solution? How did you work together?
When Mercedes, the founder of Mercury Mosaics, and I started chatting about her dreams behind this space, the number one goal was to move her marketing team into their own space and away from production. They needed a quieter space to think more intentionally. The clear goal was to provide space for intention, clarity, and purpose.
We then started dreaming up ways to bring in the right people, brands, and products … to meet the needs of the team. Beyond the look, we were looking at something bigger! We wanted to partner with brands that are forward thinkers, risk takers, and are going places in the world, and align with all the things that both Mercury Mosaics and construction2style teams hold as values.
Shelfology: What were the challenges?
As everyone knows, lead times are the worst.
Shelfology: Favorite touches in the room?
There’s no way I can answer this question! Every selection we dreamed up and placed together in the Mercury Mosaics design studio was intentional. From the people behind the brands to the overall look and feel—from function to practicality to the overall design look.
We knew that Shelfology would be the perfect partner to create a space of true, elevated design. The Mercury Mosaics Design Studio is a space where creatives come together and think up beautiful designs, so we wanted to make sure that we included pieces that were forward-thinking, like Shelfology products.
Shelfology: What’s up next for Construction 2 Style?
What's next for c2s... We're working on our first custom new-build home that will be hitting the market early next year, a few large-scale residential additions, and just purchased our very own office/workspace which we'll be renovating soon!
Exciting times! Thanks, Morgan for sitting down to visit and chat about c2s. We like who you are and we love what you do! From our team to yours, construction2style, you are Certified Rad!
Jamie and Morgan Molitor
Construction2style is a love letter to the hard work and dedication of husband-wife team Jamie and Morgan Molitor. Their ever-expanding team and offerings are a testament to their ability to bring together all of the design details that make a house a home. From builds to remodels, and professional educational events to charitable works: they literally do it all and with flair.
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