Text: R. Collins For many, the west Michigan region has become known for its craft beer retailers, music venues, and art festivals; and while it can often leave some other industries overlooked, there is an award-winning, high-end appliance and electronics retailer making a name for itself—and for the area. Bekins, the Grand Haven-based certified member of the Custom Electronics Design…
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Treasuring Rosewood
By: R. Collins When time takes its toll on natural landscapes and their existing ecosystems, there are innovative techniques available with the ability to slow the process using materials that blend into the background. For the Park District of Highland Park in Chicago, there was a vision to save a landscape in such danger of being lost: Rosewood Beach.…
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Considering the sun
By R. Collins moss Design takes a holistic approach to its diverse projects and its design studio. Some designers pursue the art of design to follow in the footsteps of those who have come before them. Others enter the industry so they can do things their own way, which is the case for Matt Nardella, AIA, LEED-AP, of moss Design…
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Guarding an icon
Text: R. Collins When vacationing on the sunny shores of Lake Michigan, visitors can sometimes forget how essential historic buildings are to the makeup of northern Michigan, such as the Point Betsie Lighthouse. Resting on a dune-laden stretch of Lake Michigan’s shoreline, the classic figurehead is located just south of the Manitou Passage. To those wearily navigating the waters of…
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Undisguised beauty
A volunteer-led initiative to restore an iconic theatre is a labor of love. By R. Collins Vaudeville-style in Detroit is hard to imagine if not witnessed first-hand. Vaudeville was the birth of a brand new strain of theatre life as well as an era that sparked many notable and often tumultuous careers. Judy Garland took to the stage with the…
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American hardwood
Text: R. Collins At the custom wood working studio known as Cento Anni, design, engineering, and manufacturing principles work in unison to create an efficient work process delivering elegant custom designed products. The studio often works with reclaimed hardwood items to make new products, which is mirrored in the studio itself. The Holland, Michigan facility had originally been uninhabited for…
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Custom-built sound
Text: R. Collins Photography: David DeHaan/Furry Mic Media Grand Rapids, Michigan can be a relatively quiet city. Usually, it is equal parts work, play, and windy weather; but on the morning of Saturday, May 20 the uncharacteristic chorus of gusty engine growls introduced Grand Rapids to a unique collection of high-end, performance, and exotic cars fit for Las Vegas. Outside the…
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Decoration and in Memoriam: Volume 1, Issue 3
Design Corner Marsh grass | Urban-Diversions Design Spotlight Singularly dynamic | performance and style in boat building (featured on cover) A sensory feast | Bourbons 72 delivers an experience as lavish as its menu Design execution, redefined | the museum of curious angles and contemporary art Form Light and transparency | the artful interventions of an Indianapolis federal…
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Sustainable preservation
When walking up the path of the historic mansion at the Felt Estate Historic Home & Gardens, one can almost hear the 1920s roaring back to life thanks to a community-driven sustainable preservation and restoration initiative that began more than 15 years ago. The mansion, which was completed in 1928 on more than 750 acres of land near the Saugatuck…
