JULIA MOSS OF JULIA MOSS DESIGNS
ARTFUL LIVING: NORTH NOTEABLES
By Katie Dohman
Nine years ago, Julia Moss started reinventing vintage silver classics. It began with a silver tray she inherited from her grandmother that she refinished to better fit her aesthetic. Like many entrepreneurs, her personal project bloomed into a business, dubbed The Next Generation of Silver. Moss would take silver pieces that people inherited or thrifted but didn’t know how to use then strip, coat and bake them, often in wild colors. In short, she was breathing new life into classics that were otherwise sitting in a box hidden away in a closet. When she began styling them at pop-ups, trunk shows and art fairs, shoppers inevitably wanted to purchase her accessories, too.
In 2015, the next natural step was to open Julia Moss Designs, a brick-and-mortar store in Minneapolis (and online). She outgrew that space in 2019 and moved to Wayzata, where she hosts The Next Generation of Silver as well as high-end home decor, gifts and a wedding registry program. When it comes to registries, she helps customers get outfitted for modern life.
“People have their own style, and we encourage them to register for things that build their homes,” she says. Sure, she still suggests couples look toward the future and select some standards — 12-place dining settings, anyone? — but she also encourages them to list coffee table books or other offbeat, unorthodox options. She comes by this philosophy honestly, having herself opted to spend a little leftover wedding money on a Chanel mini flap bag rather than the stereotypical kitchen stand mixer.
That same edited but irreverent philosophy goes for customers who may be outfitting a second home, are downsizing yet still have grand interiors visions or just need a refresh. “Customers come in and tell me, ‘I need this happy, colorful feeling,’” Moss explains. “It’s such an honor when people say that because this is my happy place — but I created it for you to enjoy, too.”
Photography by Spacecrafting