16 Apr Design Spotlight

Interior designer Sharon Lohss, founder of Shelter Interiors in Bozeman, Montana, credits good genes for her deep-rooted creativity. “My mother could have been a landscape designer; she is so talented at transforming a space and has a major green thumb,” she says. “My dad was in the window business, a profession that blends creativity with technical skills; his floor plans were always around the house. My younger sister Sandra is a creative director; my older sister Susan is a muralist; and our great-great-great-uncle was the 18th-century Bavarian landscape painter, Johann Baptist Hofner.”

A patterned Waterworks tile backsplash is a striking focal point in the kitchen, and the brushed stainless steel pendant lights are from Circa Lighting. Ceilings throughout the main floor are clad in weathered reclaimed barn wood.

With so much inspiration imprinted in her DNA, it’s no surprise that Lohss chose art as her major when she enrolled at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina. Eventually, though, she switched her major. “I fell in love with interior design, which allowed me to combine my creative passion for art with a way to make a living,” she says.

The patio can be accessed from the bedroom suite or kitchen. Tree stumps serve as side tables and seating around the fire pit.

An internship during college led Lohss to work with a local designer whose niche was high-end residential projects in the mountain resorts of North Carolina. “When a project for that company brought me to Montana, I unexpectedly fell in love with the state and have been here for 25 years now,” she says. When Lohss arrived in Bozeman in the mid-1990s, mountain decor meant dark wood and moose motifs. “At that time, high-country style was very rustic with lots of rough-hewn logs, and browns, greens, and dark red tones,” Lohss says. “It’s been refreshing to see the aesthetic evolve to cleaner lines and a lighter palette of whites, grays, and lighter blonde — all colors that are found in natural surroundings.”

Interior designer Sharon Lohss,had a custom Minotti sofa designed with back-to-back seatingfor an open living area that faces stunning views. BrandnerDesign of Bozeman,Montana, crafted the walnut and leather console. The cascading pendant lights are by John Pomp, and the overhead lighting is by Roll & Hill.

Lohss launched Shelter Interiors in 2012, initially working from a renovated 1930s Craftsman bungalow. In the spring of 2020, she began looking for a larger space and found the perfect office in a charming older building in downtown Bozeman. Then COVID-19 arrived. Determined to forge ahead, the company moved that May with no problems. The light, bright second-floor space has large, sunny windows, plenty of room to work — and the added bonus of a coffee shop just down the stairs.

While the firm designs occasional commercial projects, such as spas and restaurants, most of their work is residential. “We delve deep into our clients’ priorities to deliver what they really want,” Lohss says. “Their spaces are customized to work fluidly with their lifestyles.”

A custom walnut console with a Lucite base showcases artwork at this home’s front entry. The sconces are from Apparatus, and the mirror is an antique.

Lohss says the best outcomes happen when her team is involved from the beginning of a project. “I enjoy working in tandem with the architect and builder, and in the early stages of planning the architectural details, like the windows, finishes, plumbing fixtures, and lighting,” she says. “We also do a lot of remodels. Removing and redoing is a much different way of designing than new construction.”

A glass railing maximizes the views on an open-air patio, and the custom concrete fire feature and ceiling-mounted heaters allow the space to be used year-round. The Cassoni sectional is covered in durable outdoor fabric.

Many of the firm’s residential projects are second homes. “Ninety-nine percent of the time, we work long distance,” Lohss says. “We’re very well-versed at putting together visual presentations and utilizing technology, like FaceTime and video conferencing, to view samples and make decisions.”

And Lohss’ staff has a wide range of skills. “Our associate designer, Melissa Robot, is efficient, conscientious, and really good at managing details,” Lohss says. “Kelsey Burgard, our design associate, has wonderful computer skills and is our CAD expert. And I’ve been doing this the longest, so my background is very diverse. We usually have an intern here from Montana State University as well.”

Soft hues and textures invite relaxation in a guest bedroom. The plush cashmere rug is by Shiir, and the elegant crystal chandelieris by Fine Art Lighting.

Client Barbara Kaufman has worked with Lohss on three different houses, and she describes the designer as well-connected, versatile, and flexible. “Sharon helped us with our homes in Montana and Illinois, as well as our New York City apartment,” Kaufman says. “She moved seamlessly between three styles in different parts of the country. Her design sense is very mature, and she has sources that allow her clients a lot of leeway in terms of creative design. Our apartment was a blank slate, and Sharon had a very good vision for it. Both my husband and I like to have input, and Sharon listened and delivered everything we wanted, top to bottom, from the floors to the windows. She’s also very good at hanging art, and innately knows where a piece will look best.”

Kaufman adds that although their Big Sky, Montana, home is built of logs, they weren’t interested in a rustic look. “We wanted a comfortable, welcoming home where people could come in wearing their snow boots or flip flops,” she says. “Our favorite space is the open living room that Sharon designed, which overlooks views of a beautiful meadow. We have a large, overstuffed sofa that our family loved for years, but it was so worn, it was beyond shabby-chic. We asked Sharon to recover it, with the caveat that it couldn’t lose one iota of its appealing comfort. She had it upholstered in soft fabric with muted colors, and everyone makes a beeline for that sofa the minute they walk in the room.”

Lohss launched Shelter Interiors in 2012.

Whether it’s her talent, experience, or good genes, Lohss brings a stylish and cultivated aesthetic to each home and space she designs.