Hello Castle Friends!

Let’s give a warm welcome as Hannah sits down with our April Featured Designer of the Month: Amy Hinck!

Amy Hinck has been around construction her entire life. She spent many summers pouring concrete and working on other masonry jobs with her dad in northern Minnesota. She moved to Minneapolis to pursue her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Architecture. She wanted to help bridge the communication gap between trades and designers. Amy began working as a drafter immediately after graduating in 2005, and soon became a designer and project manager. During her six plus years in the remodeling industry, she has achieved certification as an Associate Kitchen and Bath Designer through the NKBA, as well as a LEED Green Associate through the USGBC. Amy is very organized and pays close attention to the details. Her favorite parts about the job are coming up with new layouts or making a big impact through small changes. She loves knowing that her work can greatly improve the daily lives of her clients and helping projects run smoothly. She makes a conscious effort to keep learning and strives to balance aesthetics, function, cost, and sustainability while designing. In her free time she remodels her home with her husband, plays on various community-ed. sports teams, spends time with family, attempts a new activity or to better her cooking skills with friends- commonly wine induced, and watches sitcoms. In the fall months Amy can found wearing blaze orange.

Amy, why don’t you tell me a little bit more about yourself, and how you got to where you are today.

A: I grew up loving to draw, and found that I was better suited for realistic renderings and pencil drawings. I also found I was pretty skilled at drafting and had good spatial skills. Growing up working alongside my Pa, who is a mason (brick, stone, block, concrete), also had a lot to do with it. I learned so much working as a masonry laborer in the summers. My family built a new house when I was 12, and I was involved in virtually every aspect, and loved every minute of it (both picking things out and helping with the construction). From there I decided to pursue both Business and Architecture in college, and found that I liked Architecture better. I obtained my bachelor’s degree, and started working in a residential remodeling firm right out of school. I love working for a design/build firm as an interior designer because I not only get to create things that bring joy to people every day, I also continually work on making things easier on the construction trades.  I really like solving problems and making things better for people- that’s why I became a designer. It feels really good knowing people get happy when they walk into their new rooms.

I believe there must be some sort of universal love for architecture; it’s a major a factor when people purchase their homes – even if they do not realize it. Do you have a favorite building, or buildings architecturally speaking?

A: My favorite, most memorable building has to be the Alhambra in Spain. I was so amazed by the dual interior/exterior spaces, mosaic ceilings, and courtyards. No matter what city I go to, I am truly in awe of the handcrafting that went into the architecture. I also love unique bridges, stairs, and doors. I marvel at the structural ingenuity of them. In an era of immediate gratification, I love looking at buildings and structures that have stood the test of time and took so long to create.