Travel and Adventure might not be official process steps outlined as in our proposals, but they are so integral to how Shea creates that they hold a permanent spot in our core values. Our firm is guided by values of Creativity, Relationships, Entrepreneurship, Adventure, Teamwork and Excellence — C.R.E.A.T.E. — and travel is a highly-encouraged part of adventure.
Adventure: “We seek out impactful experiences to inspire our work and absorb what’s around, always looking forward to what’s next.” – Shea values
Shea considers travel and adventure to be fundamental tools in the business of design. We absorb all aspects and details of a new place, from the architecture and design to the forms, flora and landscapes of the natural environment. We experience new cultures, interactions and influences, and together, they spark creative ideas that we bring to our designs.
Here are some of the travels and adventures that inspired our team this past year:
Heather Sorensen, Director of Design
📍Duluth, MN and Turks & Caicos
Heather took a kid-free trip to Duluth with her husband and spent time walking along the water, visited her grandparents’ memorial bench and toured the Glensheen Mansion for the 2nd time in 25 years. The whole family spent quality time in Turks & Caicos snorkeling coral reefs, exploring a secluded Iguana Island and experiencing a new expansion of a resort and restaurants.
“I love innovation and design at the turn of 1900s. Details of hand carved millwork, handmade light fixtures, tapestries and rugs were so beautiful.”
Brooke Dungan, Designer
📍Dublin, Howth, & Enniskerry, Ireland and London, England
Brooke’s IRE and UK travel included exploring Dublin, a day trip to Howth (a coastal town northeast of Dublin), popping over to London to cheer on the Vikings as they won, and biking around the Powerscourt Estate in Enniskerry.
“The design always felt inspired by the surrounding land and atmosphere. Restaurants and shops in Howth felt more comfortable and slower, like they celebrated a quiet moment, while pubs in Dublin were tightly packed with a ton of loose furniture to be moved around for groups coming in to watch a match. The energy from the people who occupied the space drove the design and function.”
Julia Daniels, Designer
📍Glacier National Park in Montana, Eagle River/Upper Peninsula of Michigan and Lake Tahoe
In her travels, Julia has been trying to re-introduce herself with her Nikon D5600 and finding inspiration behind the lens.
“All three of these images, although in different locations, have some things in common. For all, I saw the picture in my head and wanted to do my best to make sure it was captured how I envisioned. I was captivated by how light, atmosphere, land, water all interacted with each other. In Glacier, it was the juxtaposition of sharp rock against the fog, with the sparkle of the headlights. In the UP, this was when the Canadian smoke lay between blue sky and a quiet lake. In Lake Tahoe, it was the stirred-up dirt from fellow hikers that highlighted the sun’s rays upon the hill.”
“Atmosphere, lighting, and capturing those little moments is so important when creating dynamic interiors, so I can’t wait to let these inspirations influence my future projects.”
Karina Nelson, Interiors Intern
📍Paris, Strasbourg & Giverny, France
Karina has had family living in Strasbourg for centuries and was able to see the city and visit the cathedral they’ve attended since the 1600s. As an art history buff, she also visited the Jardins de Claude Monet and completed her must-see artworks list at the Louvre after two separate visits, “and saw all the jewelry again (and for the last time probably) before the heist.”
“I was actually tasked with visiting some sites in Paris by David for a Shea project, which was SO COOL!! It felt so amazing to feel included in a design while abroad, and it helped me feel more connected with the spaces I was seeing in Paris and what we make here in the US!”
Jason Stiefel, Senior Architect
📍Sedona, Arizona
Jason and his family spent their spring break taking in the natural beauty of Sedona and hiking on the various trails.
Eden Boes, Architectural Designer
📍Seattle, Washington
Eden visited Seattle to catch up with some undergrad friends. They spent a day in the city to see the MoPop Museum, Amazon Spheres and Seattle Central Library, and they spent one day hiking a (small) mountain in Olympic National Park.
“We chose to visit MoPop by Frank Gehry and the Central Library by Rem Koolhaas after learning about the architecture in school.”
Nali Mullan, Marketing & Communications Manager
📍Rincón & San Juan, Puerto Rico
Nali honeymooned in Puerto Rico with her husband, and together they went snorkeling in Rincón and restaurant hopping in Viejo San Juan (favorites were Pio Pio for dinner and Café Caleta for an evening vermouth).
“I may not be a designer, but I have 100 more tile photos from San Juan on my phone if you want them.”
Augustin McLaughlin, Architect
📍Whistler, British Columbia
Augustin and his wife went backpacking through the wilderness area Garibaldi Park and ended up hiking to Panorama Ridge peak, overlooking a massive alpine lake and glacier. They also took a gondola ride up to the top of Whistler Blackcomb, the prominent Whistler ski resort that hosted the 2010 Winter Olympics.
“Like many western ski towns, one of the big draws and charms of Whistler is how pedestrian friendly the town center is. More than half the businesses and hotels and in the town center are connected to a pedestrian-only promenade that extends all through the town center. While the city does contain surface parking lots and parking garages, they’re visibly concealed from the major roads and the pedestrian promenade.”
“Despite traveling to Whistler in the offseason, many people enjoy spending time there in the summer, which I think is partly due to the charm of the town center. People enjoy pedestrian friendly, non-car focused urban landscapes.”
Anna Dresang, Architectural Designer
📍Amsterdam, Netherlands, and Ghent & Bruges, Belgium
Anna biked around Vondelpark in Amsterdam, “loved watching all the ducks and their babies going for a swim,” and took a boat tour around the canals. In Ghent, she visited the Gravensteen, a medieval castle, “with a moat and all!” and in Bruges, Anna was inspired by how well-preserved everything was as a walkable, medieval city full of historic architecture and lots of greenery.
“We happened upon a pop-up food festival in Ghent, it was inspiring to see the streets and squares transform into a series of outdoor restaurants. They even had a way to rent re-usable dishes for the day that you could take between the vendors.”
Carson Mennen, Architectural Designer
📍Iceland, Oslo and Copenhagen
Carson’s highlight from Iceland was renting a car and driving around the west coast of the island and seeing all of the landmarks and beautiful churches. In Oslo, it was doing a sauna right next to the opera house and jumping into the freezing fjord even though the locals told them they could get E.coli. His favorite highlight from Copenhagen was biking around the city and “surprisingly” the meatpacking district; “It had a very lively energy!”
“Even though we averaged 25,000 steps a day, I want to travel more around Europe and see every country! I am inspired to someday create more walkable urban environments in the united states. I believe it’s something we are heavily lacking.”
Breana Detzler, Senior Architect
📍Scotland
A few of Breana’s Scotland highlights included an elevated whisky tasting at Lagavulin, a distillery tour at Laphroaig where they still use a lot of traditional methods on the property to make the whisky, and a hike to a monument on Islay where shea and her husband experienced beautiful scenery and met some “fuzzy cow friends.”
“After touring several distilleries, you really appreciate the craft. Every little part of the process has an effect on the final outcome – not just how long you smoke the barley or age the whisky in various barrels, but also the neck angle and size of the copper still.”
“Nothing beats an old, classic whisky bar.”
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Travel and adventure inspire our work, and hopefully reading this inspires a bit of travel and adventure for you.
For further inspiration, follow Everyday Champagne for a chronicle of adventures by David Shea and Tanya Spaulding, owners of Shea. Or, for the extremely detailed, you could ask Breana for a full-fledged trip spreadsheet.
For an adventure closer to home for our fellow Minneapolitans, grab a table at Khâluna, Lat 14 or Gai Noi by our partner Chef Ann Ahmed. Or experience a little German flair at Aki’s Breadhaus or French influence at Chef Gavin Kaysen’s newly opened Bellecour.
Here’s to all the places 2026 will take us and the inspiration we’ll find. Bon voyage!
