In historic preservation, many designers and property developers continue to find inspiration from the era of prohibition and its accompanying one-of-a-kind design features. From the 1920s through the 1930s, nightlife moved underground, taking with it traditional conceptions of design and eye-catching media such as hand-painted advertisements that signified the establishment of the era’s signature art deco style, which continues to…
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Redefining space
In today’s world, technology has become as inherent as it is prolific in enhancing and executing tasks in both the personal and professional life. Residential hardware and office workplaces have become smart and intuitive, relieving subliminal burdens from homeowners and employees as they continue their daily routine. Software applications, processes, and entire industries push the boundaries of what is possible;…
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Experiential art
Profound similarities can be drawn between the assembly of flavor and sound, as can many practices within different art forms. Cooking itself can be considered a visual art, requiring the same steps from a chef as a musical orchestrator, sculptor, or other artistic disciplinarian who crafts by hand. It involves a purposeful layering of ingredients; an attention to which senses…
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Framework
As the connective tissue for the interior of a home and its outdoor surroundings, windows can play a key role in the function of dwelling space. Its contribution to the existing architectural style is equally as important in terms of its form. In Traverse City, Michigan, Old Mission Windows is a window and door distribution center offering a wide range…
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Art work
There is a romantic narrative about grand old estates. The dramatic, the eclectic, and the traditional frequently collide and coalesce into something seamless and comfortable as time passes. It often brings to mind palatial residences of both colonial and continental setting, where distinguished columns and lofted ceilings are tempered by coastal touches or lush greenery. Designed and built by Lowell…
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Sunspace sunrooms
There is comfort and versatility in the modern sunroom. It is purposeful in its ability to minimize sensory distance between users and the outdoors, and in sheltering those within from the elements of winter snow storms, spring rains, and late summer heat. It is also complementary, as its form and style often has to blend with existing residential or commercial…
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Garrick Landsberg, AIA, LEED AP
Garrick Landsberg, AIA, LEED AP, senior architect at Quinn Evans Architects in Detroit, Michigan, had a prolific and inspired, if not circuitous, path into the field of architecture and historic preservation. As a licensed architect, planner, and urban designer, Landsberg has an affinity for urban history and historic architecture—particularly that of Detroit, Michigan—and yet it was a passion courted slowly…
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Beautiful function
“We humans try to alienate beauty from function. We have evolved with beauty around us. Everything we look at is beautiful: a stone is beautiful, a mountain is beautiful, an autumn leaf falling is beautiful, and a flower is beautiful. The flower is the most functional element on the tree,” said Jeevak Badve, vice president and director of strategic growth…
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Beachfront remodel
For many residences dotting the Lake Michigan shoreline, the serene, timeless quality of life on the water permeates through its design elements. Views, coastal interiors, and durable materials often define the homes and cottages. When approaching the remodel of an approximately 6,000-square-foot lakefront home near Charlevoix, Michigan, the homeowners and custom home builder—Miller, Poineau & Naumes, or MPN—determined its façade…
