Advertisement

Tree trimmer

Home-grown lawyer-turned-ornament-designer David Strand puts a whimsical spin on holiday decor.

December 14, 2007 at 4:30PM
Ornament designer David Strand held his best selling Santa ornament, "Carousel Santa". The inspiration for the carousel horses was Cafesjian's Carousel, he said.
Ornament designer David Strand held his best selling Santa ornament, "Carousel Santa". The inspiration for the carousel horses was Cafesjian's Carousel, he said. (Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Once upon a time, there was a Minneapolis lawyer who dreamed of doing something more creative. So he moved to New York, took a sales job with ornament designer Christopher Radko, started designing baubles himself, then launched his own line (www. davidstranddesigns.com) last year.

Strand's glass ornaments, sold locally at Ampersand and the General Store of Minnetonka, range from traditional yuletide themes (Santas and snowmen), to fairy tales, to the offbeat (a collection inspired by the Village People of '70s disco fame). "When I presented those sketches to the workshop in Italy, they said, 'Are you serious? Will anyone buy those?'" Strand recalled. "But they do very well."

Q You've said you started designing Christmas ornaments because you couldn't find the ones you wanted. What were you looking for?

A My own aesthetic: traditional, elegant yet clean and crisp. Not severe -- I try to retain some whimsy -- but I like a simpler look. I don't like a tree dripping with ornaments.

Q In your "It Takes a Village" collection, you've got the cop, the Indian, the construction worker and the cowboy -- but why no biker or soldier?

A I thought the whole assortment would be too out there, especially the biker. But retailers and collectors asked where they were. So next year I'm adding them.

Q What inspired "Lobster Roll" with Santa bearing lobsters?

A There's a lobster shack on Long Island called the Lobster Roll. I've always thought it was an interesting name, and I wanted a deep-sea Santa. I think of Santa as more of a concept, of joy and happiness in unexpected places.

Advertisement
Advertisement

Q Have you ever been surprised by what sells?

A Baroque Reflection, a German-made ornament in black with gold and silver. I didn't know what people would think of a black ornament. But it sold out, and I had to reorder.

Q What's on your drawing board right now?

A My windmill Santa. He's holding a smaller version of my windmill ornament, and the fans will rotate.

Q Is there an ornament you'd love to create but haven't yet been able to pull off?

A Yes. I've presented it twice to the workshop and they say it's not do-able. You know those vintage wind-up toys, like a duck on a tricycle with a propeller on its head? I want to do a series of animals on trikes with propellers on their heads. It's complicated because it would have to be part molded and part free-blown, or you couldn't have movement of the propeller.

Advertisement

Q What are your favorite memories of Christmas?

A The family being together. I came from a large family, with seven siblings, and that was the time we were all together.

Q What's the biggest difference between Christmas in Minnesota and Christmas in New York?

A Christmas in Minnesota is more home-based, with relatives and friends. In New York, most people go somewhere else for Christmas, so I think of places and spectacular sights, like the giant illuminated snowflake over the intersection of 57th and 5th, or the tree at Rockefeller Center.

Q How do you decorate your own place for Christmas?

A I have a tree -- just one. I always get a blue spruce. I like the color and fragrance, and they tend to have big gaps, so big ornaments fit. I also have a table of papier-mâché containers, plus some poinsettias and amaryllis.

Advertisement
Advertisement

Q Describe your perfect Christmas today.

A My parents would still be alive. Two of my siblings died this year, and they would be here, too. ... I always like going down to the Nicollet Mall, and the Christmas show at Dayton's, now Macy's. And the foods I grew up with. I'm half Norwegian, and you just can't find Norwegian baked goods, like rosettes and krumkake, in New York.

Kim Palmer • 612-673-4784

Strand's "Puss In Boots" was inspired by a favorite childhood character.
Strand's "Puss In Boots" was inspired by a favorite childhood character. (Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
Advertisement
about the writer

about the writer

Kim Palmer

Reporter, Editor

Kim Palmer is editor/reporter for the Homes section of the Star Tribune. Previous coverage areas include city government, real estate and arts and entertainment 

See Moreicon

More from Minnesota Star Tribune

See More
In this photo taken Monday, March 6, 2017, in San Francisco, released confidential files by The University of California of a sexual misconduct case, like this one against UC Santa Cruz Latin Studies professor Hector Perla is shown. Perla was accused of raping a student during a wine-tasting outing in June 2015. Some of the files are so heavily redacted that on many pages no words are visible. Perla is one of 113 UC employees found to have violated the system's sexual misconduct policies in rece

We respect the desire of some tipsters to remain anonymous, and have put in place ways to contact reporters and editors to ensure the communication will be private and secure.

card image
Advertisement
Advertisement

To leave a comment, .

Advertisement