Minnesotan To Meet: Kim Senn Of Senn & Sons

EDINA, Minn. (WCCO) -- Time is of the essence for Kim Senn, a mother of two young boys.

Her sons inspired a whole line of nursery décor, and that's what makes her a Minnesotan to Meet.

For Senn, you could say her kids really sparked her new career.

"I try to do bright colors, and I feel like that works for pretty much everyone," Senn said.

She started out in advertising in Minnesota, then moved to New York, London and San Francisco.

"So much of what I learned working in advertising, I'm able to apply to my business now," Senn said.

Pregnant with her first child, Senn decided she wanted to do some of the nursery decorating herself. That's when her business idea really popped, thanks to social media like Pinterest.

"I started by making one (triptych) for my son's nursery," Senn said. "I posted it on Facebook and people were in love with it."

Triptych's are her specialty.

"It started because I didn't know if Hugo was a boy or a girl when I was pregnant," Senn said. "We didn't find out until he was born. So when I was designing the nursery, I like color but it had to be neutral."

She painted animals as well as dump trucks and fire trucks.

"From there it blossomed, people were sharing it with their friends. So, I started taking on commissions to doing more original art for other people," Senn said.

As her business began to grow, so did her family.

After baby number two, she and her husband decided it was time to make their way back to the Midwest.

"Family, 100 percent family. There's a lot of things to love about Northern California, but it's a long flight from Minnesota and Wisconsin," Senn said.

The move back to the Midwest also gave her more time to focus on her business.

Senn's work caught the attention of not only the Wall Street Journal but Martha Stewart.

"There was a panel of 16 judges plus Martha Stewart, choosing what she thought were great American companies that were changing how things were done or doing really interesting design," Senn said. "Being a part of that group of finalists was absolutely amazing."

Senn said she really tries to keep everything local as much as possible, that includes the printing for her bright growth charts and grocery lists.

Senn's latest creation is the alphabet. Although she hasn't quite completed all 26 of the bright lettered animals, she is working on it.

"My son's name is Hugo. I want the H to look amazing on its own," Senn said. "It's just a work in progress."

She even has a line of products at Target.

According to Senn, last year her line of academic or school year calendars was picked up by the Minnesota-based retailer.

Senn will have another set of calendars at Target for the 2016-17 academic year.