Dispatch

Johnsons go nautical

Nisswa firm's interior decorating work now goes on cabin cruisers

NISSWA - Even for a business with 47 years of experience there can be firsts. And a blending of talents from two long-standing businesses - a design company in Nisswa and a household business name in Little Falls - created what may be an unexpected connection. Together,the fruits of their labor are plying the waters of the world.

Ann and Doug Johnson, owners of Johnson's Personality Plus Interiors in Nisswa, are better known for their decorating work in commercial and residential settings. They've even decorated a mobile home. But Ann Johnson said being commissioned by Larson Boats in Little Falls to work on the Cabrio line of cabin cruisers was a first.

A Larson Boats' Cabrio cabin cruiser at home on the water. The color schemes designed by Johnson's Personality Plus Interiors in Nisswa were used for the interiors and exteriors of the Cabrio line.

In January, the Johnsons were commissioned to design and specify the color scheme and materials for interiors and exteriors of cabin cruisers. The 2008 boat models were revealed this summer at boat shows and are in showrooms at the national and international level.

Jeff Kruschek, Larson Boats vice president and general manager, said the boat manufacturer didn't want to be just another company doing monochromatic interiors. So they sough the advice of people who design homes on a daily basis.

When it comes to boats that can range in price from $50,000 to $350,000 the details are part of the overall package. And Kruschek said those boat customers are likely to have homes with granite countertops and wood floors. Those same pulled-together interiors were what customers expected in their boats.

"We gave them our line of boats and said, 'You tell us what people want,'" Kruschek said. "They were able to help us and point us in the right direction."

Counter tops to shower curtains. Floors to cockpit upholstery. Bunk materials to throw pillows. Johnson's Personality Plus Interiors created design boards with fabric choices and color combinations for all those options down to specific detail ideas like pillow piping that resembled a twisted rope.

"She has an eye for that kind of detail," Kruschek said of Johnson.

Color schemes and design specifications for interiors and exteriors of Larson Boats' Cabrio line came from Johnson's Personality Plus Interiors of Nisswa. The new designs went into the 2008 Cabrio models. Larson Boats, which provided the Cabrio images, said they wanted to make a change from monochromatic interiors and the result has been well received by retail customers.

It wasn't a complete departure from Larson Boat's traditional look. But Kruschek said there was a different aspect. The Johnson's suggested a multi-color look that created an overall theme rather than a monochromatic background that had boat buyers adding their own color through accessories.

And the effort appears to be paying off with customers as Larson Boats reports good feedback from retail customers. Kruschek said even with challenging market conditions, Larson Boat's is doing well. He noted the color scheme and design work has to have broad appeal.

"I believe we'll be using their services again this coming year," he said.

Kruschek said he didn't want to be stereotypical, but one shade of beige is much that same as another to him. He said Ann Johnson offered a nautical approach with blue and white that included different shades of leathers and vinyls with gold or yellow hues to go with it. The contrasting shades pulled the entire look together. A second design used beige, brown and cream. Cherry wood cabinets were switched to alder and African limba. And flooring was changed from cherry to teak and holly.

After 47 years in business Ann and Doug Johnson, Johnson's Personality Plus Interiors in Nisswa, had a first when they were commissioned by Larson Boats of Little Falls to design and specify the color scheme for a line of cabin cruisers.

The connection between the two companies started after the Johnsons worked on the home of Larson Boat Works' president Allen Kuebelbeck and his wife Mary.

"He liked what we did in his home," Johnson said. And that led to a call to the company board room.

The Johnsons won best room design at the Minneapolis Fall Home and Garden Show in 2002. The business, with expanded showroom at the Nisswa studio, is primarily residential. In the Twin Cities, they've worked in restaurants, government offices, office buildings and nursing homes. Clients have included area resorts and builders. They are currently working on a project to refurbish the Nisswa American Legion Club.

Ann Johnson said 90 percent of their business comes from referrals. In fact they've been at it so long they have worked up updating homes they originally decorated years ago. Johnson said her passion is for original design - like the glass table in her showroom that is supported by a metal design of oak branches that is secured in a rock base.

As Midwest-based boat manufacturers, Kruschek said some may think their boats don't go much farther than Iowa, but the company ships boats worldwide.

"So our boats not only have to appeal to boaters on Gull Lake or the Crosslake chain or down in Minnetonka," said Kruschek. "They have to appeal to our Florida customers. We sell a lot of boats in Australia and they have to appeal to European markets. It has to be an interior that appeals to the world."

RENEE RICHARDSON may be reached at renee.richardson@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5852.

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