By: R.Collins As autumn continues to envelop Michigan landscapes, the time has come to prepare for the winter months and the blooms to come after the snow thaws. Sarah Sella, landscape designer at Alfresco Landscapes LLC in Grand Rapids, Michigan, said introducing seasonal plants to the garden in the fall when the rainfall is cool and steady and the hot…
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Traverse City Tuscan
Text: R. Collins For many, the home is a dwelling space, which enables those inside to be their truest selves every time they return—a permanent fixture accumulating important artifacts from everyday life, which in turn tell an individual’s story. This was true for a condominium unit project nestled along the scenic Boardman River in Traverse City, Michigan and its owners, who contracted local…
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Traverse City’s East end
Text: R.Collins During the last several years, downtown Traverse City has developed as both a local and tourist destination filled with an eclectic assortment of eateries, venues, shops, and bars, leaving areas like the city’s eastern side less noticed. More recently, the East side has grown into having a similar reputation for locally-renowned venues and businesses that showcase the best…
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Iconic silhouette
The air traffic control tower is an often-overlooked and underappreciated piece in the larger airport environment. While integral to aviation and airport operations, its primary role is an ancillary one where it functions—at optimal—with degree of separation amid terminal activity and direct traveler experience. Yet, the air traffic control tower is more than an aviation artifact. It stands as a…
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Q & A: On the map
By R. Collins Entrepreneur Kelechi Uchendu’s fashion career began with a dream. Now the founder and owner of Kay Kay’s World LLC, Uchendu manages a blog concerning fashion, beauty, and travel known as Kay Kay’s Way; and a clothing line known as Kay Kay’s Fashion that would eventually lead the brand to being featured in British Vogue and Tatler Magazine,…
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United Polaris
When United Airlines Inc. unveiled its United Polaris lounge at Chicago O’Hare International Airport in December 2016, it set a new precedent and expectation in pre-flight luxury and customer service for its international business class travelers. The lounge, which sets the stage for the on-board cabin experience, is an integral part of the airline’s reinvention of international premium travel and…
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RADA spotlight
Text: R.J. Weick The 18th annual Residential Architect Design Awards highlights two firms in the Great Lakes region. Residential design is a dynamic field that often stretches across multiple architectural typologies and can push the boundaries of what has been historically, or collectively, considered a home. While each firm’s process is nuanced and plays to the strengths of each creative…
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Outside the box
Text: R.J. Weick Box Studios, an architecture and interior design firm based in Chicago and Denver, recently completed a re-design of Fairlife LLC’s unique workplace environment in an effort to update the space to meet their client’s current operational needs. As a young company at the time of initial design, Fairlife LLC was interested in an innovative and well-designed solution…
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Versatile work
Text: R.Collins Manistee, Mich. is a quaint coastal community surrounded by Lake Michigan to the west and Manistee Lake to the east. Its stout north-east peninsula, which reaches gently into Manistee Lake, holds the heart of its downtown and locally-owned Construction Design Inc., or CDI. Located along River Street in Manistee, CDI’s commercial space has recently accommodated a new live-and-work…
