Minnesota Maker: Talin Spring sees beauty far and wide

Designer Talin Spring loves to be surrounded by beautiful objects.

"I'm not for the minimalist way of life," laughs the Minneapolis-based accessories designer. Her studio in the North Loop, Spring Finn & Co., brims with painted tea pots, decorative pom-poms, delicate leather slippers, handmade necklaces and vintage Uzbek bowls.

But these items aren't just for decoration or gathering dust on a long-forgotten shelf. They serve as inspiration for Spring's own work, which includes everything from architectural leather bags to elegant bracelets.

"I can't just draw in Illustrator," says Spring, who grew up in a house where everything was sewn, knit or embroidered by hand. "I can't create in a sterile world."

Luckily for us, Spring not only makes and sells her own wares in her new, brightly lit studio. She also displays and sells the goods she's curated from around the world. The studio doesn't have retail hours, but she is often there during the day working if curious customers swing by. She'll also be hosting pop-ups throughout the city this fall.

Born in Istanbul and a longtime resident of France, Spring wound up in Minnesota the way most international folks do: her spouse got a job here.

At first, she didn't want to move — she, her husband, and their two daughters had already moved a lot — but she's come to love Minnesota, especially the people and supportive arts community. "In Minnesota, people are willing to give you a chance," she says. "The support you find here would never happen in Paris."

Spring collaborated on the redesign of new Cafe Alma and Hotel Alma, adding her sensibility to the menu, the hotel brochure, and the textiles in the rooms. Her college-age daughters — one in graduate school for design, one who travels a lot for her studies, allowing her to scan far-flung places for more beautiful objects — have joined the business. "We work well together."

A design polymath (after a 12-year career as an investment banker), Spring draws inspiration from nature, museums, music, other artisans and books; she's an ardent fan of the county library system. ("I'm always happy to pay the late fees," she quips) — and it's hard to predict exactly what she'll design next, whether bags or jewelry or textiles. Concludes Spring: "I just love so many things."

— Laine Bergeson