A human-centered approach to high-end design

Lori Kaye Lodes

Contributor

July 7, 2025

WAUSAU – Owner and Principal Designer Mindy Hoppe said Design Theory 19 was established to create customized, carefully curated and designed environments for clients.

Though today and every day, the full-service interior design firm is doing just that for clientele in Central Wisconsin and beyond, Hoppe said it’s an evolution from the business’s origins as a retail design store that started under another name.

When she assumed ownership of the company in 2019, Hoppe said she had a vision for what it could be – recognizing the opportunity to shine in a market that isn’t Minneapolis or Chicago, but still appreciates great design.

“I knew when I purchased the business that I wanted to take a fun, unique and refreshing approach to [the interior design services] we’re providing Central Wisconsin,” she said. “While we’re not a metropolis, there are so many great businesses locally, and I knew we could create a small, Midwestern version of one.”

Minimalist beginnings

Hoppe said she chose the name Design Theory 19 as a nod to the “gray area” that encompasses both interior design and architecture.

“The principle behind design theory focuses on the fundamentals of interior design and architecture,” she said. “We understand architecture and engineering even though we don’t perform those services ourselves.”

The 19 in the business’s name, Hoppe said, is a reference both to 2019 – the year she bought the business – as well as the early 1900s when interior design was first established as a profession.

“The industry is actually quite young, and we consider ourselves designers because we do more than decorate – we look at the health, safety and welfare of the community we serve,” she said.

‘Phenomenal’ growth in 2025

With that focus at the forefront, Hoppe said Design Theory 19 has blossomed into all she knew it could be, working on small and large design projects throughout Central Wisconsin and even into the Milwaukee market.

Hoppe said the business’s growth allowed her to bring on an interior designer a few years ago, and very recently, two junior designers who are recent graduates of the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point’s interior architecture program. 

“Initially, I was hiring for one position, but I really liked them both and decided to [bring both onto the team],” she said. “We have enough work – we’re having a phenomenal year. God puts things in your path for a reason.”

Hoppe said she describes the year 2025 as phenomenal because the business is financially sound, the opportunities keep coming and Design Theory 19 is booking large-scale projects into 2026.

All of Design Theory 19’s work, she said, begins with the mindset of putting people first, building relationships rooted in collaboration and communication that get to the heart of what clients want from their aesthetic.

Hoppe said this applies across the board, from residential to commercial clients, new construction to remodels, and even senior living.

She said she loves it all, but as a small business, admits she has a particular passion for boutique new businesses, not altogether too different from her own.

“We love collaborating with new business owners to talk about their dreams and vision for their space,” she said. “It’s our job to take that and ‘blow it up,’ making it amazing for them, providing ideas they didn’t even consider possible.”

Aesthetically pleasing home sweet homes

Hoppe said the firm’s personalized approach to consultations is the same regardless of the potential project size.

“We have two-hour consultations upfront, and you get to meet us and let us into your home [or business] so we can get to know each other,” she said. “We may go into contracts after, but we always make sure clients are comfortable. I’m an open book, so if a client has questions, they can ask me, and if I don’t know the answer, I’ll find it. It’s like being that best friend you bounce ideas off of because they trust you.”

As the relationship deepens – as Hoppe said it often does with Design Theory 19 clientele – one project can easily grow into another.

What may start with a kitchen remodel, she said, can evolve into remodeling a bathroom or creating an en suite for Grandma. 

“That’s why it’s always about the long-term relationship for us,” she said. 

Hearing what clients say, and what they don’t say but show her, Hoppe said, is part of what guides her design.

“You have to be a very good listener and be willing to ask why,” she said. “If a client doesn’t like something, you have to ask why. It’s good to be inquisitive, and I often like to do that ‘off the books’ by going to lunch with a client. It’s about creating conversations that are more casual and include stories about their family and how they like to entertain their five cousins and their families.”

Whether the consultation with a client creates work today or simply creates a connection, Hoppe said she considers it time well spent.

“Someone may not be able to afford our services early in their career, but as they grow, we want to grow with them,” she said. “We want to walk with them from their first house all the way through to being empty nesters and [designing] that home up north as their final retreat.”

Hoppe said she believes the team she has curated is instrumental to the firm’s continued success, appreciating their kindness, genuine interest in clients, listening skills and openness. 

Along the way, she said she and her team get to know a lot about the clientele’s preferences, tastes and behaviors and how they see and perceive visual information.

The result, Hoppe said, is that the team gets to know their clients and their homes in great detail. 

“I know where the scissors are in people’s homes because I know where they put things,” she said.

Instead of simply presenting a design as a “take it or leave it” situation, Hoppe said Design Theory 19 prefers to show the design, speak to the details, explain the how and why of them and gauge the client’s receptivity to the design.

“There is a lot of education throughout the process, a lot of talking about the details and why we chose them,” she said.

Hoppe said the experience is all-encompassing, including a comprehensive plan from the floor plans to the renderings to product specifications – such as lighting, cabinetry, counters and even the final furniture pieces.

In some cases, Hoppe said Design Theory 19 works with partners to craft custom pieces for just the right aesthetic and fit.

“We curate it all so clients can visualize what could be even before we start,” she said. “We aim to provide a stress-free, hands-free [versus hands-on] experience.”

Though the team likes to take a big-city approach to interior design, Hoppe said they also recognize that budget is often top of mind.

As such, she said they’re more than happy to value engineer aspects of designs to make things happen in a way that aligns with their clients’ bottom lines. 

“We talk about money a lot, in a good way, to know ROI,” she said. “Knowing if this is a house they’ll be in for five years or long term matters.”

Hoppe said it helps that the team is well-connected through the American Society of Interior Designers and long-standing relationships she has cultivated and maintained.

She said she credits resources through that membership, relationships with sources on the West Coast, friends and former classmates who are lighting designers, for example, with allowing her to secure just the right items for a design, at just the right cost.

“I can curate things I need through a contact and make a project very special as a result,” she said. “The extent of our resources don’t just live in Wausau.”

Aesthetics lead commercial projects, too

Hoppe said Design Theory 19’s people-first focus applies to its approach to commercial work as well.

This year, the firm is working on some very large commercial projects, she said, including a significant manufacturing headquarters space.

Projects like these, Hoppe said, can take one to two years to complete and require significant resources.

But, she said the team is able to fit in smaller residential projects around these large-scale projects as well.

A few of the more significant business projects Design Theory 19 is currently celebrating, Hoppe said, include Station 1846 – a revitalized historic space transformed into an upscale co-working/cocktail venue in Walker’s Point (historic Milwaukee), and Infused – a vibrant, urban, mid-century modern event space in Wausau. 

Both properties, she said, have gotten their respective guests to sit up and take notice of the full sensory experiences these properties now provide – and in turn highlighting the Design Theory 19 brand.

“When a business invests in entertainment, hospitality or a boutique, they want to stand out in ways someone else is not,” she said. “So, we try to find ways to represent their brand in a unique way – it’s about the experience. It’s about walking in and [answering the question], ‘What does it feel like?’”

Hoppe said her expertise, experience and attunement were spot on for Station 1846, which was honored by Mayor Cavalier Johnson at the Mayor’s Design Awards in May with the Excellence in Design Award.

The awards, she said, are given to projects throughout the City of Milwaukee that elevate spaces and neighborhoods and, in turn, enhance communities. 

At Infused in Wausau, Hoppe said the sensory experience speaks volumes to guests, whether that includes the sheer drapery that automatically opens and closes, the lighting, the acoustics, the greenery wall or the mood of the space when sunset shines in.

“The biggest response Infused has received is, ‘We don’t see this level of interiors in Wausau,’” she said. 

In addition to being a small business, Hoppe said she is proud to serve small businesses – whether those are her neighbors on 3rd Street in downtown Wausau, or the businesses with which she partners.

She said those partnerships may take the form of working with a local furniture maker for a custom table or partnering with firms, such as Galbraith Carnahan Architects or Midwest Construction Group, with whom she worked in the Milwaukee market – adding that these relationships have dovetailed into future opportunities.

“They recommended me for another project in Milwaukee, because they like working with us, find value in what we offer and find it easy to work with us,” she said. “It’s about relationships, and if you have something good going, let’s keep it going.”

Hoppe said word of mouth has been the greatest tool for growing the business.

She said she has one long-term client who, when she discusses design with her husband and they reach an impasse, asks herself: “What would Mindy think/do?” 

“It’s a guessing game, and sometimes, I am the tiebreaker,” she said. “This client said it best when she said I just make it easy. We bring great design ideas to the table and listen to your feedback. We really listen to each [client’s] needs.”

For more on Design Theory 19, visit designtheory19.com.