Ivarson Interiors

Quote

"Real painters understand with a brush in their hand." - Berthe Morisot

Many people ask me how I got my start in the painting business, so I'll start from the beginning.

My story begins with my grandfather, Ivar. He came to America carrying his toolbox in one hand and a small bag of clothing in the other. My grandmother always giggled as she said, “he was such a cutie!” After traveling to Minnesota, he worked as a carpenter for his brother’s construction company. Have you been to the Riverview Theater? I grew up seeing movies there, not knowing that my grandfather helped build it! I never met my grandfather, but I did inherit his woodworking skills. I started refinishing furniture in high school, and then attended the two-year cabinetmaking program at Hennepin Technical College. I don’t like to brag, but I was one of the best in my class. I know my grandfather would be proud of me.

After completing the cabinet making program, I started my own business finishing furniture for a custom furniture shop. During that time, I was hired by the owner of the warehouse space where I rented to paint the offices and warehouses between renters. I quickly realized that estimating for a painting job was much easier that estimating furniture finishing! So I closed up my furniture shop and started painting for a painting company.

Unfortunately, my experience working for companies was not what I hoped for; one company raised the price based on the value of the home and the type of cars the homeowners drove, and the other painted the wrong colors on the walls, then blamed me for their mistakes.

After a lot of thought and encouragement from friends I started my own painting business; Ivarson Interiors! I decided that I would run my company with honesty; I would not inflate my prices because the homeowners drove BMW's nor would I exaggerate my skill to get the job.

Sunday, January 26, 2014

Lisa's House

Lisa has the most beautiful tapestry from India hanging in her entry way and wanted the colors for her living room and dining room to bring out those colors.

Before

After

Jim and Kay's House

Jim and Kay were tired of the butter yellow in their living room, dining room and kitchen. They chose two shades of sage green to match the ceramic back splash in their kitchen.

before

and after

Julia's House

It was time to remove the wallpaper from Julia's bathrooms and add a fresh coat of paint

Spare bathroom before

and after

Master bath before

and after

Gary's House

At Gary's house I painted the master bed, the family room, kitchen and living room with 18 foot vaulted ceilings.

Master Bed before

and after

Family Room Before

and after

Living Room before

and after

Smoke Damage

This is what happens after 20 years of smoking indoors does to the walls of a home.

You can see the caramel colored staining to the wallpaper in the bathroom.

It's amazing what a fresh coat of paint can do!!

Mimi and Chritian's Staircase

Mimi and Christian recently married, and it was time to paint the house! This is part one of many projects I'll be working on in their home.

Beckie's Dining Room

March 2013
Beckie and her family went to visit Thomas Jefferson's house in Virginia and came home to paint their dining room Monticello yellow as seen in President Jefferson's dining room.