• Design Spotlight,  Featured,  Print Edition

    Designed for flight

    In 1986, WACO Aircraft Corporation’s first WACO YMF Classic biplane rolled off the assembly line complete with two open cockpits, stacked wings, radial engine, and handcrafted design in faithful homage to a golden age of flight. Based on the design of the popular 1930s biplane and crafted using techniques from the 1920s and 1930s, WACO Aircraft Corporation’s WACO YMF Classic…

  • Featured,  Form,  Print Edition

    The Michael Jordan level

    Widely known for his gravity-defying leaps on the basketball court that earned the nickname “Air Jordan,” Michael Jordan is a businessman and former NBA player, with a basketball career and baseball days a legacy among sports fans—one that has extended into products and dining establishments celebrating Jordan’s accomplishments. The six-time NBA champion opened his first restaurant in 1993 through a…

  • Featured,  Relish

    Skyline coastal

    In an open-air ode to leisure dining as seen in seaside towns along the Iberian Coast, the makers of renowned Chicago destinations like The Violet Hour, Big Star, and The Publican, have launched a new rooftop bar concept offering sweeping views of the Chicago skyline, and a relaxed interpretation of the outdoor cervecerías signature to Spanish and Portuguese coasts. Bar…

  • Featured,  Form

    Design for Sale: Charlevoix Vineyard

    Just miles from the active downtown shopping and dining district in Charlevoix, Michigan, a charming two-bedroom, 1.5-bathroom vineyard property fitted with a turn-key winery operation rests on 13 rolling acres of beautiful Northern Michigan land. Established in 2007, the commercially licensed winery produces small batch wines from estate grown grapes and is certified with the Michigan Agricultural Environmental Assurance Program,…

  • Featured,  Relish,  Travel

    MDRD in cityscape

    The skyline in Grand Rapids, Michigan could be considered one of the most changed in the Midwest, with development projects and creative moments of design found around most corners of the downtown core, which spreads along western Michigan’s Grand River. It is a burgeoning travel destination with a bent for hospitality, with several recent hotel projects hosted in hospitality families…

  • Featured,  Form,  Print Edition

    Barbershop lounge

    “There is a lot of same-old-same-old in the world and differentiating yourself to really make sure you are answering questions for your guests or customers that aren’t even asked—that you have thought through it—design is everything about that,” said James Geier, founder and president of 555 International in Chicago. “Answer the questions before they are asked and when somebody walks…

  • Featured,  Travel

    Walloon Lake warmth

    The village of Walloon Lake, tucked near Lake Michigan’s Little Traverse Bay, has roots in northern Michigan’s tourism industry that date back to the late 1800s. It is still a getaway destination for those seeking a quaint and picturesque reprieve alongside multi-seasonal outdoor adventure and this is credited in part to the Hotel Walloon. The lakefront boutique hotel continues to…

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    Three Cats

    As Detroit becomes home to more creative dining concepts, a new upscale retail and dining destination in Clawson, Michigan is making eclectic small plates and a singular shopping experience accessible to the city’s northern metropolitan region.  Now known as Three Cats, the full-fledged restaurant and bar opened this fall in the repurposed historic Clawson Theatre and was established by longtime…

  • Relish

    Savoring season

    By R. Collins   For years Aerie Restaurant & Lounge in Acme, Michigan—Grand Traverse Resort and Spa’s award-winning in-house dining venue—has annually crafted two seasonal menus to showcase Michigan’s diverse harvests. This summer’s newest three-part menu featuring starter, lounge, and dinner menu sections, is delivering a new grouping of ingredients to the many national and international guests the resort draws…