Crystorama 2023 - Flipbook - Page 23
“Styles and trends don’t matter. For me, creating a space that
feels good is about creativity, life, and imperfections.”
Mandi took on her biggest design
challenge when she and her
husband Court bought a 1928
commercial property called the
Santa Clara Merc, located in a
small town in Southern Utah. The
Merc, short for Mercantile, is one
of the most historically significant
buildings in Santa Clara. When the
Mormon pioneers settled in Santa
Clara, a few members started a
co-op in a small room in one of
their houses. The business grew,
and in 1928 a modern store was built.
In 2016 Mandi and Court started
building a new construction home,
but she explained something did
not feel right about the process.
She got a call to visit a
commercial property that had
the potential to be a storefront,
and when she walked into the
Merc, she fell in love and knew
this would be the home she
meant to build.
“I’ve always dreamed of doing
a commercial conversion,
but there aren’t any cool
warehouse-type buildings in
small-town southern Utah.
When I walked into the Merc,
it had the most incredible
energy and was a big blank
canvas my soul connected
with and recognized. My
design goal with this project
has always been to fill the space
with memories and pieces with
meaning,” says Mandi.
maple floors makes me happy
as it will show our proof of life,”
she says.
Mandi designs spaces based on
her feelings when you walk into
a room. Having an emotional
connection to the building,
she intentionally celebrated its
rich history and embraced the
impact of the Merc’s first 100
years of life. “Styles and trends
don’t matter. For me, creating a
space that feels good is about
creativity, life, and imperfections.
I love the idea of our family
adding to it. Choosing items like
our homemade tile or unfinished
Mandi loves houseplants and
has filled every room in the
Merc with them. It inspires her
every day to have good energy.
She is happiest when her two
daughters are laughing, her
husband and son are playing
catch, and she’s watering her
plants. When she is with her
family making memories, she
can take a step back and
realize all the hard work they
did to get the Merc renovated
was worth it.
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