Moss House: Where Imagination Runs Wild
Step Inside Minneapolis’ Most Instagrammable Art Experience
By Emma Geary | Photography by Eliesa Johnson
“How is this real?!” is a question visitors often ask themselves when stepping inside Moss House, Minneapolis’ newest immersive art pop-up, crafted by fabrication extraordinaire, Suzanne Casler. With a larger-than-life television, a floral swing, and dozens of moments that bend the ordinary, few places can surprise and delight like Moss House.
In the heart of Minneapolis’ North Loop, an ordinary 3,000-square-foot commercial space has been transformed into one of the city’s most colorful, Instagrammable experiences, created entirely by artist and designer Suzanne Casler and her team at Studios Moss. Moss House is a kaleidoscopic escape where visitors can not only view the art on display, but live inside it.
“I’ve been wanting to do something like this for a long time,” Casler says. “Most of our projects are event-based, so the public only sees them for a night or two, and then they disappear forever. is was a chance to create something more permanent, purely for fun, experimentation, and the opportunity to share my work with the larger community.”
The space, formerly known as Cafe Brenda, has sat empty for years until Erin Fitzgerald and her team at Willow Peak decided to take over the space. Fitzgerald has big plans for the building, but until then, she wanted to fill it with something engaging that brought more foot traffic back to downtown Minneapolis. “It would have been sitting empty otherwise,” Casler explains. “This gave us the freedom to dream.”
Drawing on her years of experience as a commercial interior designer, Suzanne began with a detailed blueprint. She mapped out a mix of installations that were reimaginings of past work and new projects she’d been longing to try, considering sightlines, foot traffic, and photo opportunities throughout. Once the groundwork was laid, she shared how, “The buildout process took on an organic flow from there. We wanted the entire space to feel like a cohesive environment, continuously flowing from one installation to the next,” she says. With photo opportunities at the forefront, the space is designed for guests to create their feed’s favorite picture, including thoughtful lighting, bright colors, and space to play with poses.
Many of the installations showcase Suzanne’s knack for elevating humble materials. An intricate string art piece commands one wall, while a cardboard “explosion” sculpture—built entirely by their team—is one of her personal favorites. Collaborator Kat Chelstrom, a longtime Studios Moss team member and muralist, helped bring the space to life with bold, hand-painted elements.
One highlight is a walk-in “giant TV,” inspired by a larger-than-life boombox they once created for an event. Another, a mushroom-filled mural, channels her love for surreal, nature-inspired imagery. “I wanted signature moments—I’m always drawn to things you can literally step into,” she says.
While each installation stands on its own, the magic of Moss House is how seamlessly the spaces blend. Painted floors, fluid transitions between rooms, and recurring color motifs create a sense of moving through a dreamscape.
For Casler, Moss House is more than an art exhibit; it’s an invitation to disappear into a new world altogether. “I want people to come and enjoy themselves, take a break from whatever’s going on in the world, and step into something playful and unexpected,” she says.
With its mix of whimsy, time-honed craftsmanship, and fearless experimentation, Moss House captures the essence of Studios Moss: originality, artistry, and a love for transformation. And for Minneapolis, it’s a bold new way to experience art: not just by looking at it, but by living inside it.
Emma Geary
Emma is Collective Magazine’s Editor-in-Chief and LAB’s Brand + Editorial Manager. She loves getting lost in a story and is sharing her own on her Substack, Hot Girl Walk. Find her staring at the sun on her daily lap around Lake of the Isles.
