Askov Finlayson has been celebrated for its modern take on Minnesota heritage, from its product assortment to its interior design. Now, thanks to a new collaboration with designer wallpaper line Hygge & West, fans of the North Loop store can bring Askov Finlayson style into their own living space.
The line is part of the wallpaper brand’s new Boutique Collection, a series of collaborations with retailers it considers “kindred spirits,” says Aimee Lagos, one-half of the Hygge & West brand who calls Minnesota home. (Her business partner, Christiana Coop, is based out of San Francisco.) The first launched last year in partnership with San Francisco boutique, Eden & Eden.
For their first collaboration with a Twin Cities boutique, Lagos says Askov Finlayson was at the top of their list. “We really love and respect what they’re doing,” she says. “We wanted it to have a Minneapolis energy to it, and who better to bring that than Askov?”
Askov Finlayson co-owner Eric Dayton was involved every step of the way, says Lagos, from the initial inspiration to picking the color options. Dayton’s no stranger to wallpaper—an important design element of both the Dayton-owned Bachelor Farmer restaurant and Marvel Bar. “As a guy, wallpaper isn’t something that is as easy to relate to or feel a connection to,” says Dayton, referring to the flowery, feminine styles inherent in most wallpapers. “So we were trying to think of something that spoke a guy’s language, but not so hyper-masculine that a wife or girlfriend wouldn’t like it, too.”
The first design, the pattern of a stack of firewood when viewed from the side, was the first the pair landed on. It will be available in three color options—black with gold print, white with an embossed taupe print, dark gray with a light gray print, and white with blue-green—the color of Askov Finlayson’s cabinets—“Very sophisticated but masculine color combinations,” says Lagos.
If the first design represents warmth, the second is the flip side of that coin—an abstract design of snowfall. It was inspired by Dayton’s childhood memory of driving through a snowstorm. “I remember sitting in the car and watching these big, fat snowflakes, and the way the head beams picked them up,” he says. The design will be available in three color ways, one of which will be installed in the AF bathroom, Dayton tells me.
The wallpaper line will be available to view and order in-store beginning Friday, February 26, at Askov Finlayson (204 N. First St., Minneapolis), as well as for sale online at both askovfinlayson.com and hyggeandwest.com. View the full collection below: 
By Jahna Peloquin
All images Courtesy Hygge & West
