Nic Frost | Security Warehouse Lofts | Minneapolis

Over the past decade, the Minneapolis North Loop neighborhood has transitioned from a gritty, industrial warehouse area north of downtown to a trendy mix of retail, residential, restaurants and to top it off - Target Field - widely recognized as one of the top ballparks in Major League Baseball.

The purchase of a condominium in this gentrified neighborhood comes with its own kind of pressure to present a hip interior design that suits the start-up feel permeating the buildings in the seven-square-block district. Nic Frost, owner of Minneapolis-based Nic Frost Cabinetry, embraced that challenge when given free rein by a new owner of a condominium in the Security Warehouse Lofts on Washington Avenue.

Not only was the condominium’s kitchen completely remodeled, it was relocated. “It was sitting in a dark corner,” Frost explains. “Two walls were removed, it was expanded across the entire unit and now the kitchen sink sits under a big, beautiful window that overlooks downtown Minneapolis.”

The expansion included the addition of cabinets and a granite-topped island with a walnut veneer. The color palette centers on black, brown and the gray of the kitchen’s stainless steel appliances and door fronts. Frost used REHAU's matte surface for the kitchen’s 19 matte black cabinet doors, drawer fronts and side panels on the perimeter of the kitchen. RAUVISIO metal was used for four cabinet doors that have a brushed stainless steel finish.

RAUVISIO metal offers a true metal surface in both natural aluminum and brushed stainless steel finishes. The cabinet doors feature matching metal on all surfaces, giving it the appearance of a solid metal door. The metal surfaces are bonded to a particle board core using PUR glue.

Frost had used REHAU in previous projects. “I brought the REHAU products to the owner and said, ‘this is how we can achieve an ultra-matte surface that is durable and the best finish you can get,’” Frost says. He is also a big fan of REHAU LaserEdge™ seamless edgebanding technology.

“The REHAU laser edgebanding is the best you can get. With a matte surface, it’s certainly better than I can do on my own, and it’s actually pretty remarkable that they can edgeband metal. I had complete freedom to design the look and feel, and I knew REHAU’s products could help me achieve what I was after.”