Apartments

Pros at Home: Andy Sourdif’s Contemporary Comforts

This month, instead of asking area professionals to show us their latest projects, instead we asked them to show us their own homes. These industry superstars spend their work-week making clients’ homes and other spaces beautiful, but we wanted to turn the spotlight around and shine a light on their own homes.

From interior decorators to builders to contractors, join us as we tour the homes of those who are behind many of our area’s greatest designs.

Photos by Hillary Ehlen

Andy Sourdif, Manager at McNeal & Friends
McNeal & Friends: 3265 45th St S #128, Fargo | facebook.com/mcnealfriends

McNeal & Friends’ manager, Andy Sourdif, lives just far away enough from the hustle of downtown Fargo, but just close enough to please his love of city-life. By day, he manages high-end home destination McNeal & Friends, where he is surrounded by upscale design services and exclusive furniture lines. When he is off the clock, he enjoys returning to his downtown flat where he surrounds himself with treasures from the store alongside found objects that tell his stories.

About Andy + McNeal & Friends 

After living in larger cities for 10 years, Andy Sourdif returned to the Fargo-area two years ago to be near family. Sourdif went to school for fashion design, and with years of experience in the fields of apparel and design, style runs in his blood. 

Sourdif enjoys working at McNeal & Friends and gets inspiration from his coworkers’ own tastes and ways of piecing things together. Something he admires is their design studio’s ability to create unique spaces for all styles and tastes. With options to special order or custom design pieces of furniture or decor, possibilities are seemingly endless. 

“Our interior designers are so multifaceted. We have designers that trend towards traditional, and we have some that are a little more contemporary and some that are a little bit more California-chic,” said Sourdif. “We really do have a well-rounded design team that can help anyone create the home of their dreams.” 

Love at First Sight 

When Sourdif returned to the Fargo-area after being away for 10 years, he wanted to maintain a feeling of city-living that he was accustomed to. In his home search, he knew he wanted to live near Island Park. In a wave of luck and perfect timing, he came across what would become his Fargo abode. He found the posting for his current 8th Street home the day it was posted online and immediately reached out. He was told there were already many other people interested in the space and to come to look at it soon if he was serious about it. Upon hearing this, Sourdif came to visit the apartment with a check in hand and claimed the flat as his own. 

Old-School Charm 

Besides its ideal location, the old-school charm of the space is what enchanted Sourdif. The dark hardwood floor contrasts with the neutral cabinets with the kitchen, making for a rich, blank canvas for Sourdif to work from. “I’m so particular with all the things that are around me, so I needed something neutral. I was able to create whatever I wanted in this space,” he said. 

Although the square footage is small, the large windows and exposed brick walls make the space feel larger. Sourdif takes advantage of the large windows and often keeps them open, allowing breezes to dance through the airy linen curtains. “It’s old. It’s not perfect. It’s dusty a lot of the time, thanks to having my windows open often. But you learn to live with it and it’s part of living in an older building,” Sourdif shared. 

In The Kitchen  

As with any space, what makes this space so special are the details. Throughout the spaces of his home—and especially in the kitchen—Sourdif enjoys decorating with found items. “My mom discovered this little antique store in Dilworth called Vintage Rose Antiques. It seems like every time I go there, I find something that I really love,” he said. An oversized wooden spoon hung near the stove and a tawny ceramic bowl displayed on the wall near the entryway are just a few of the antique treasures he has thoughtfully scattered around the space.

Beyond decorative antique pieces, he ensures many of his objects are practical. “It has to be utilized, but I wanted it to be beautiful, too,” he said regarding the bowls and containers on his countertop. 

A dark wood table from Four Hands and two Ward dining chairs by Gabby, all from McNeal & Friends, tie the kitchen area together. Sourdif said, “I love the lines of these chairs, it brought in the contemporary with the more organic, natural feels.” 

Living with Found Objects 

“I think the living room is my favorite space in the whole place. There’s a lot of special pieces here,” said Sourdif. 

A metal etagere bookcase commands much of the northern wall. Atop its open glass shelves are artfully placed goods, from art books like “Cézanne’s Objects” by Joel Meyerowitz and “The Intangible” by Kerry Joyce to glossy ceramic jugs found at Fargo antique stores. 

“I think that working in the type of place that I do, where I’m very busy all the time, I need to come home to a place that makes me feel comfortable.”

Across the room on the south side is a down-filled custom sofa from Lee Industries. Reflecting on his own style, Sourdif said, “I was always more contemporary in my younger years, and I think, as I’ve grown older, I’ve really been drawn to more of an organic-meets-contemporary feel. I would have never gotten a skirted sofa before, but I love the way that it looks now. It’s more of a traditional style usually, but the lines of the sofa are a little bit more contemporary.” The Lee sofa is slip-covered, allowing the opportunity for change, as Sourdif’s tastes might further shift. 

Belgian linen Libeco pillows and handmade golden mohair throw pillows perfectly complete the seating space. Visual Comfort table lamps on either side table add a warm glow, complementing the gold-tone of these throw pillows.  

Minimalist Gallery  

On each of the walls framing the living room are minimalist pieces of art. While all uniquely different, each eggshell and black piece compliments the others and completes the space. 

Above the television and within the space between the metal shelving is a 1960’s print. He came across this piece at market in Atlanta, where McNeal & Friends brought back many similar pieces from that same gallery. 

Above the couch is a piece from a McNeal & Friends favorite artist, Susan Hable. Appropriately, the piece is titled “artifacts.” Andy shared, “I thought it was nice to put this piece on the other side of the room where all my own artifacts are.” 

An Understated Bedroom 

Sourdif wanted his bedroom to be understated and uncomplicated. “This room is probably the most simple of all the rooms. This is where I sleep, so I didn’t want a lot of noise happening,” he shared.

An antique grain scoop serves in place of a headboard above his linen-dressed bed. Cinderblocks were turned into bedside tables, echoing the texture of the exposed brick wall and adding an industrial tone.

Through Sourdif’s mixture of new and old, polished and rough,  he’s created the perfect space to relax and be comfortable.

 

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