Q&A With Roger and Sam
Where are your favorite places to shop—besides Pharmacie, of course?
We both love to mix in vintage with new. Hunt & Gather, MidModMen (for vintage glassware especially), and Bauer Brothers Salvage are favorites.
What advice do you have for decorating small spaces?
Edit, edit, edit. We keep decorative accessories in storage and rotate them. It keeps the apartment feeling fresh and new, but still clean and clutter-free.
What’s a perfect night out?
We’re both avid bikers. We love to get on the bikes and go out. Favorite spots to eat away from the ’hood: Bar La Grassa, Pat’s Tap, Anchor Fish & Chips, and Betty Danger’s. (Who doesn’t love a Ferris wheel?) We also love to hang in the neighborhood: Muddy Waters, Nightingale, and the Third Bird are go-to favorites.
Roger Barrett and Sam Beberg’s home décor and gift shop Pharmacie has been a hit since it opened, with its artful window dressing, hip collection of furniture and accents, and Uptown location. So it’s no surprise that the Minneapolis condo that the partners call home is deftly decorated, thoroughly curated, and totally livable.
It doesn’t look like Pharmacie, even though there’s clearly a shared aesthetic, a sort of modern eclecticism brimming with whimsy and engaging vignettes. “We didn’t want to be at the store all day and come home [to the store],” explains Beberg.
Above: Eclecticism rules in the dining room, along with LuLu, a familiar presence at the store.
A Swedish architect designed the top-floor unit with soaring ceilings in the dining room that create an airy feel in the small, but flexible, space. The pair laugh describing the shape their home was in before they began their makeover. “We ripped a lot of stuff up, and I always want to paint everything white,” Barrett says, the better to show off their collection of antlers arranged high on the dining room wall. They rotate their sizable collection of art and accessories, as Beberg is the consummate collector and Barrett is the determined streamliner.
In the summer, their Room & Board sofa faces a bookshelf lined with beautiful coffee-table books and the matchbook–sized balcony. Though tiny, the balcony becomes an alfresco extension of the living area. Furnished with Loll furniture, Flor tiles, and a virtual garden of potted succulents, it makes a delightful outdoor room. In the winter, they cozy-up the place by flipping the sofa to face the fireplace.
Above: A stenciled wall adds a custom touch in the TV nook. Additionally, the lime green in the side table energizes the neutral tones.
Barrett and Beberg converted the condo’s one-time casual dining area adjacent to the kitchen into a TV nook, stenciled the walls, added a comfy sofa in practical charcoal, and flourishes in vibrant orange and lime. It’s also the perfect place for dinner guests to lounge.
“We’re like the dads,” Barrett says, laughing. “People call us around 5 p.m., and ask ‘What are you doing?’” He affects exasperation: “‘Making a drink and cooking…OK, come on over.’”
Joking aside, they love to entertain. Often, their evenings are spent not out on the town, but hanging out on their balcony or inside their home. When you design a place you love and fill it full of your favorite things, why go anywhere else?
Above: One of a pair of Pierre Paulin chairs anchors a corner vignette.
Décor tips from Roger Barrett and Sam Beberg, founders of Pharmacie
In a small space:
- Use light colors on walls and for carpets. It will make the space feel more expansive.
- Hang mirrors. For example, we have a mirror that reflects onto the balcony doors so there’s an illusion of another window in the apartment.
When buying or displaying art:
- Buy what you like; don’t worry about collecting art as an investment.
- Buy smaller pieces and arrange them salon/gallery style. This is an easy, affordable way to have big impact. But be smart how they’ll look together—keep color and framing style in mind. This is not to say everything should be blue and in black frames, but be thoughtful about how pieces will play with one another. And don’t be afraid to move pieces around. Holes can be patched.
- Look for art (and frames) at estate sales and thrift stores. This is another great way to bump up your collection for not a lot of money.
By Katie Dohman
Photos by Erika Ludwig
