12 Apr Design Elements: Designer Highlight | Laura Fedro Interiors

Bozeman-based interior designer Laura Fedro, owner of Laura Fedro Interiors, has worked on commercial and residential projects in Southwest Montana for more than 20 years, watching trends and styles evolve from the rustic cabin look to mountain modern. But through it all, her interior design instincts and her approach to space has never wavered; instead of following trends, she aligns her designs with each client’s tastes which, she believes, are deep rooted.

Interior designer Laura Fedro combines timeless pieces with traditional and contemporary elements in this rustic home.

“Everyone reacts to their natural and created environments, and every ‘thing’ carries an association with it,” Fedro said. “How we perceive space or art or objects relates directly to where we grew up, how we grew up, what sorts of emotions were tied to those ‘things’ in our lives, whether we acknowledge them or not.”

Fedro’s grandfather was a corn and soybean farmer, and sticking with her forever is a positive association with John Deere green. “We all have associations with the objects and spaces around us, and I see it as part of my job as an interior designer to enhance my clients’ lives through tapping into those associations,” she said.

Fedro’s approach to commercial interiors — such as the Bozeman Public Library, which she designed in 2006 — is to create timeless spaces that will last. “We focus our energy on creating an interior that has a longevity of use, not only in practical terms but also choosing materials and elements that stylistically have a longer life to them.”

Fedro designed the interiors of the Bozeman Public Library in 2006.

On the residential end, she tends toward making use of those positive associations. “In my quest to create interior environments that fit the project or client, the basic building material choices and the interior elements within it determine not only what can be built/upholstered/crafted, but they also determine the character of that thing being made or built and the observer’s experience of it.”

The end result for Fedro’s clients is the creation of a space that feels like it’s their own. “When you walk into the space, it feels like your home and not something that’s just been decorated,” she said. “I just want that space to be reflective of the owner in whatever manner that means. Surround yourself with materials, colors, textures, objects, and art that makes you happy, comfortable, and relaxed, and your daily life will take on those same characteristics.”