• Design Spotlight,  Featured,  Print Edition

    Catalyst for innovation

    In 1956, Arthur Kornberg, American biochemist, realized a pursuit in biochemistry that forever changed the landscape and nature of biology. Kornberg’s discovery of DNA polymerase I not only led to the 1959 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine—shared with Severo Ochoa for his discovery of RNA polymerase—but also served as a catalyst for a biotechnology revolution. Kornberg’s exploration in enzymes…

  • Creative Endeavors,  Featured,  Print Edition

    Choreographed by design

    From within the renovated walls of a landmark-designated site in the Traverse City State Hospital Historic District, a husband-and-wife-led team of kitchen designers, project managers, interior designers, and craftspeople are continuing a mission established long before relocating their design studio to the former Steward Residence on South Division in Traverse City, Michigan. Initially founded in 2003 as a cabinet supplier…

  • Featured,  Print Edition

    Great Lakes By Design: Raising the Bar

    CONTENTS DESIGN CORNER 17 Concrete Pig | a design-build furniture studio pushing the envelope of the expected through sculptural and often gravity-defying work in concrete and in wood 18 Encaustic | the investigative painter and sculptor who welcomes the unpredictable entropy of wax and mixed metals 19 Alt Pen | the minimalist ball point pen designed as a precision tool kit by a product design firm…

  • Creative Endeavors,  Featured

    Virginia Tile opens in Troy

    Since 1928, Virginia Tile Company has become a leading tile distributor in the Midwest, serving 14 states with its two distribution hubs in Livonia, Michigan, and Kansas City, Kansas and network of showrooms. Fulfilling the needs of residential and commercial building industry customers, the company is a provider of porcelain, ceramic, stone, glass, metal, and mosaic design solutions, with select…

  • Featured,  Form,  Print Edition

    Enriched space

    Communities are defined by a set of unspoken social and cultural norms, strengthened by shared beliefs and often united by similar factors such as inclusion, safety, education, engagement, and sustainability. While each is unique, there is a common potential and ability for fostering healthy, supportive environments for the people who make up that community. In Toronto, Ontario, ZAS Architects +…

  • Featured,  Form,  Print Edition

    Waterfront glassworks

    “To me, architectural design is the culmination of so many things—art, sculpture, engineering, mechanics, ecology—and the concept of taking a client’s dream, turning that into lines on paper, and then transforming it into a massive piece of engineered art that someone lives inside of for years is extremely gratifying,” said Kevin Akey, owner of AZD Associates Architects Inc. in Bloomfield…

  • Creative Endeavors,  Featured

    In conversation: Graham Stanton

    In an industry disrupted by the cancellation and rescheduling of events due to COVID-19, Chelsea Farrugia and Robin Wilson, co-founders and co-owners of Graham Stanton Co. in Detroit, Michigan, pushed forward with their new business venture, navigating the uncertainties that came with it. Graham Stanton, a woman-owned, event experience firm offering full-service event planning and floral design, was first established…

  • Creative Endeavors,  Featured

    Freshwater future

    As a collective of fresh water that houses more than 20 percent of North America’s freshwater volume, the Great Lakes hold a unique status among American waterways. They require special consideration and treatment, especially in the face of climate change’s adverse effects. While the Great Lakes have a long, natural history of water level fluctuation, recent levels signal a decidedly…

  • Featured,  Print Edition

    Great Lakes By Design: Bold Graphics

    CONTENTS DESIGN CORNER 17 100 Years | Joel Stone, author and curator emeritus at the Detroit Historical Society, leads readers through the history and story behind the organization 18 Blue Tulum | a Minneapolis-based contemporary painter creates dream-like renderings of places in her exhibition series “After the End” 19 The Loon and Boundary Waters | the studio and fine artist offering creative services and popular prints…