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neo Moves 2 Doors Down & Reveals Big Community Project

The lively design duo have some head-turning projects coming soon!

Springtime is always a refreshing time to look back on the year before and note all of the newness and growth, and for Fargo-Moorhead, we’ve seen a lot. I remember a time when Broadway Square didn’t exist, or when the RDO Tower hadn’t yet graced the Fargo skyline. Yet year after year, Fargo-Moorhead continues to grow into a cozy Midwestern metropolis, and new opportunities for unique, inspiring design bring a sort of call to action for so many architects and interior designers.

Michael Betlock and Haley Kaspari of neo interior design are a part of that group of creative masterminds, helping drive Fargo-Moorhead forward as a beautiful place to explore. In fact, their 2022 went so well, they moved two doors down into a (new) new office space, to provide the space for a larger color and sample library and better serve their growing clientele. I had the privilege of sitting down and learning more about some of the unique projects they’re working on, both here and abroad.

As a Moorhead resident myself, it’s been really exciting to hear about a lot of the new design and infrastructure coming to this charming little city. For anyone following along on the planned initiatives, Moorhead seeks to bring to the community. Maybe you’ve heard about the Community Center/Regional Library that the City of Moorhead is planning, or maybe you’re looking forward to the Downtown Moorhead initiative to get more young people out into the community and enjoy our unique culture. All I can say is living in Moorhead is about to get even better, no matter your age.

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Rendering of living and bedroom inside Moorhead’s new Sanders Flat…coming soon!

This is a different concept for eventide and we are excited to provide an option for seniors who want an upscale yet affordable home base while they go about their active lives.”

-Michael Betlock

The Sanders Flat Project, Moorhead, MN

Sanders Flats is an active adult 55+ community coming soon to Moorhead. The community will reside at 1601 S Eighth St, immediately south of Eventide’s Moorhead campus—and construction has already begun!

Sanders Flats offers an additional choice of an active adult 55+ community, so today’s seniors can enjoy a secure building with beautiful apartments and a competitive price point in a great location.

As Fargo-Moorhead continues to grow, neo works carefully to make sure the small-town home feel doesn’t get lost along the way. “We took care and paid attention to detail when selecting the finishes for these spaces,”

Betlock said. “Our biggest goal was to make sure the individual units felt like home to the residents and that we helped create environments that felt like they’d support the lifestyle and activities of the people who live there.”

While making each unit feel like home, neo also put their special flavor into the overall design, incorporating elements that are very “on-brand” for neo’s style. “We specifically loved the incorporation of the geometric wall covering at the entrance of each resident’s door,” Betlock said. “It was a fun way to break up the long corridors and add some visual interest.”

“As masters in commercial design, neo is at the forefront of upcoming and lasting design trends that will serve the community for years to come. They’ve always had a go-bold-or-go-home approach, so I always look forward to their insight.”

-Josiah

Let’s Talk Trends: 5 Things To Look Forward To

Here’s What’s In:

  • Color and bold large-scale patterns.
  • Eclectic and unexpected elements.
  • Mixed metals. Pairing golds, silvers and powder-coated metals is a great way to bring metallic sheens and textures to your space. You no longer have to worry about “matching” what is existing.
  • Utilizing common materials in unexpected ways.
  • Custom wall coverings and flooring. When a client hears “custom” they automatically assume “expensive.” The truth is many of neo’s manufacturers offer custom options with no minimum-order requirements which opens up a real opportunity for us to create something truly unique for their clients.

What’s out?

Following the pack. Creating spaces that suit the vision and the needs of each individual client is what neo feels is most important. What works for some, may not necessarily work for all!

Renderings from neo give a sneak peek into the community amenities Sander’s flats will provide, including a large community room, a wellness room and other common areas for lounging, socialization and fun.

To further help accentuate the homey feel, neo wanted to evoke moods of soft tones, reminiscent of nature and the Midwest while also feeling fresh and modern. Although they love every aspect of the design process, the areas they geeked out on the most were the resident common areas. “It allowed us to think about how this community might use these spaces and how we could best support those activities through intentional design and specification,” the design duo said. “We wanted this to feel like a welcoming and vibrant place to live.”

When completed, Sanders Flats will offer 46 apartments with a variety of one, two and three-bedroom layouts. Amenities will include a large community room, a wellness room, common areas and underground parking. The plan also includes a skyway, which will connect the building to The Linden, Eventide’s senior living apartment building to the north.


Q&A Catching Up with Michael & Haley

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How would you summarize your 2022?

2022 provided many learning opportunities for neo! Not only did we get into the groove of working as a team, but we also took on the task of gaining further knowledge of materials and products that we use in our designs on a daily basis. We took pride in learning from the pros on the installation of everything from flooring and wall covering to light fixtures and toilets (please, don’t call us to install your toilet).

What are you looking forward to most in 2023? Are there any current or ongoing projects right now that you can tease?

We are looking forward to growing our presence in the Fargo-Moorhead community as well as wrapping up a few of the larger projects we have been working on for the last several years. Aside from the single project in this article, we are also in the design development phase of a full-building remodel for a financial institution in Crookston, MN. We also have multiple projects on the horizon in partnership with various local property management groups.

What are you really digging right now that you hope to see implemented more into commercial design?

neo has always been a fan of mixing patterns, textures and shapes. Our opinion is that nothing is “off-limits.” We especially enjoy taking a look back at historical design periods and implementing many different ideas in one space. We would definitely support bringing that vintage oversized Victorian chandelier into your modern office lobby! Haley is partial to “oversized. moody botanicals” and I have always had an affinity for “men’s suiting patterns.” If you have the opportunity to visit the new neo studio, you will see how both of these elements can play together in one space.

The Fargo metro population has surpassed 250K; Fargo isn’t the little guy anymore… there’s a lot of regional influence and impact this city has…how is that playing a role in your work as commercial designers?

We believe the growth in Fargo lends itself to bigger and bolder design. We have a real opportunity to put ourselves out there in competition with some of the more established metro areas as a leader in forward-thinking design. We have been following many of the projects that are in the works in our area and are excited to see our community continue to grow.

The project is expected to be completed by early spring of 2024. For more information on Sanders Flats, visit eventide. org/eventide-moorhead/ sanders-flats-apartments or call 218-291-2200.

For more info about neo ids, visit neointeriordesignstudio. com or follow @neo_ids on Instagram to keep up with their latest projects.

Written by Josiah Kopp

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