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Hugo couple featured in Better Homes and Gardens
  
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by Debra Neutkens
Staff Writer
HUGO — In October 2008, the home of Rachel and Josh Berger was invaded by photographers, stylists and assistants from one of the largest consumer magazines in the country.
A year later, the outcome of that three-day experience can be seen in Better Homes and Gardens, a publication that sells more than seven million issues a month.
Called “Coming of Age,” the six-page article in the November issue describes the Berger’s home as providing “old-school charm with spread-out space” for the family of five.
The Bergers moved to Hugo from a Falcon Heights bungalow six years ago when they built a four-bedroom Dutch Colonial a block from ValJean Park in Victor Gardens. They were a growing family, tired of the traffic, Josh said, and they loved the things builder Senn & Youngdahl did at a development called Liberty on the Lake in Stillwater. “We heard there was a similar development in Victor Gardens so we picked out a lot and to Hugo we went.”
Rachel admitted she didn’t expect to land in a city where the downtown boasts Custom Hogs and guns and ammo. “It’s not exactly the demographic of people who live in my neighborhood,” she said.
Initially, building a new home in Hugo was a daunting thought for Rachel, who loves the character of older homes.
The Stillwater developer had created a neighborhood much like her beloved first-tier suburb, with streetlamps, sidewalks and front porches. “That’s the connectivity to city that I wanted,” she said. “They created a feel that was not a typical suburban neighborhood. And it tied into our business.”
That business is something the husband and wife duo run out of their home called Daub & Bauble, a company launched in 2007 that specializes in design-savvy luxury products for home and body.
Hand wash, hand lotion, surface cleaner and dish detergent come in four scents: Tarocco Orange & Clove, Mission Fig & Thyme, Sorrento Lemon & Ginger and Arriba Cacao & Spice. Ingredients are plant-derived and include aloe vera, shea butter, grape seed and avocado oil and vitamin E. And each product carries an award-winning wallpaper pattern that coordinates with varied interior design trends.
Josh describes the line as “countertop decorative.” If you look closely on page 42 of the magazine article, for example, their lime green products are sitting on the sink in the master bath.
Daub & Bauble had appeared in Better Homes and Gardens as a new product feature in 2008 and the Bergers’ publicist pulled together a pitch to connect the business concept with their house. Within a week, the Des Moines-based magazine scheduled a photo shoot.
According to Josh, the family-friendly magazine (founded in 1922) was attracted to the design nature of their line and its tie-in to lifestyle and home decor. “They focus on comfortable interiors that are current, but not too trendy, not too esoteric. It’s a hip magazine still,” he noted.
The two longtime entrepreneurs (both have run separate small businesses) call themselves “design geeks” who believe any accoutrement should be both functional and attractive.
Their style, Josh said, has evolved over the years from Pottery Barn to a more transitional mix of contemporary and traditional elements. “It’s fun. Our house has good bones to do that.”
Open space and natural lighting are apparent in the Berger’s home, which also features built-in shelving, vintage wainscoting and a stone fireplace. The floor plan separates the living room and dining room and a great room shares the kitchen and breakfast area in one large space. Both cooking enthusiasts, a spacious island in the kitchen proves handy for the couple’s many dinner parties.
With three children: Ian, 7, Tryg, 3, and Rhys, 4 months, the Bergers utilize every inch of their 4,500 square feet. They did all the interior decorating, using design magazines for ideas. For the photo shoot, a stylist would add and subtract for just the right look, Josh said. Some “organic elements” were left with them after the magazine crew departed and they received discount deals with retailers through the publication.
Both Josh, 39, and Rachel, 35, got a kick out of City Hall recognizing their magazine appearance on the City Council agenda Nov. 16. The council formally thanked the Bergers for not only marketing their home and business, but the city of Hugo.
Rachel also happens to be vice chairwoman of the Parks, Recreation and Open Space Commission and calls the people at City Hall “like a small family.” Serving on the parks commission, she said, is her way to give back to community. “I want to be a voice for new Hugo. It will be my legacy to our children and grandchildren to have great parks here.”
A year later, the outcome of that three-day experience can be seen in Better Homes and Gardens, a publication that sells more than seven million issues a month.
Called “Coming of Age,” the six-page article in the November issue describes the Berger’s home as providing “old-school charm with spread-out space” for the family of five.
The Bergers moved to Hugo from a Falcon Heights bungalow six years ago when they built a four-bedroom Dutch Colonial a block from ValJean Park in Victor Gardens. They were a growing family, tired of the traffic, Josh said, and they loved the things builder Senn & Youngdahl did at a development called Liberty on the Lake in Stillwater. “We heard there was a similar development in Victor Gardens so we picked out a lot and to Hugo we went.”
Rachel admitted she didn’t expect to land in a city where the downtown boasts Custom Hogs and guns and ammo. “It’s not exactly the demographic of people who live in my neighborhood,” she said.
Initially, building a new home in Hugo was a daunting thought for Rachel, who loves the character of older homes.
The Stillwater developer had created a neighborhood much like her beloved first-tier suburb, with streetlamps, sidewalks and front porches. “That’s the connectivity to city that I wanted,” she said. “They created a feel that was not a typical suburban neighborhood. And it tied into our business.”
That business is something the husband and wife duo run out of their home called Daub & Bauble, a company launched in 2007 that specializes in design-savvy luxury products for home and body.
Hand wash, hand lotion, surface cleaner and dish detergent come in four scents: Tarocco Orange & Clove, Mission Fig & Thyme, Sorrento Lemon & Ginger and Arriba Cacao & Spice. Ingredients are plant-derived and include aloe vera, shea butter, grape seed and avocado oil and vitamin E. And each product carries an award-winning wallpaper pattern that coordinates with varied interior design trends.
Josh describes the line as “countertop decorative.” If you look closely on page 42 of the magazine article, for example, their lime green products are sitting on the sink in the master bath.
Daub & Bauble had appeared in Better Homes and Gardens as a new product feature in 2008 and the Bergers’ publicist pulled together a pitch to connect the business concept with their house. Within a week, the Des Moines-based magazine scheduled a photo shoot.
According to Josh, the family-friendly magazine (founded in 1922) was attracted to the design nature of their line and its tie-in to lifestyle and home decor. “They focus on comfortable interiors that are current, but not too trendy, not too esoteric. It’s a hip magazine still,” he noted.
The two longtime entrepreneurs (both have run separate small businesses) call themselves “design geeks” who believe any accoutrement should be both functional and attractive.
Their style, Josh said, has evolved over the years from Pottery Barn to a more transitional mix of contemporary and traditional elements. “It’s fun. Our house has good bones to do that.”
Open space and natural lighting are apparent in the Berger’s home, which also features built-in shelving, vintage wainscoting and a stone fireplace. The floor plan separates the living room and dining room and a great room shares the kitchen and breakfast area in one large space. Both cooking enthusiasts, a spacious island in the kitchen proves handy for the couple’s many dinner parties.
With three children: Ian, 7, Tryg, 3, and Rhys, 4 months, the Bergers utilize every inch of their 4,500 square feet. They did all the interior decorating, using design magazines for ideas. For the photo shoot, a stylist would add and subtract for just the right look, Josh said. Some “organic elements” were left with them after the magazine crew departed and they received discount deals with retailers through the publication.
Both Josh, 39, and Rachel, 35, got a kick out of City Hall recognizing their magazine appearance on the City Council agenda Nov. 16. The council formally thanked the Bergers for not only marketing their home and business, but the city of Hugo.
Rachel also happens to be vice chairwoman of the Parks, Recreation and Open Space Commission and calls the people at City Hall “like a small family.” Serving on the parks commission, she said, is her way to give back to community. “I want to be a voice for new Hugo. It will be my legacy to our children and grandchildren to have great parks here.”
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