Detroit’s Capitol Park neighborhood was once bustling with tobacco trade, but that was over a century ago. The Brown Brothers Cigars building on State Street has since sat empty for years, but is now bustling with life again thanks to artists Brian Barr and Lauren Rice. They’ve taken over the building and created a nonprofit space that will support Detroit’s artists and creative entrepreneurs. The space is now called Passenger, and has already hosted several events. The ultimate plan for the building includes a contemporary art gallery and space for an artist residency program.
Mid-century architecture Harry Weese is responsible for some of the most imaginative buildings in Chicago, though many people have never heard his name. We’re fascinated by some of the work he did outside the city, including this stunning structure suspended over Lake Michigan: Shadowcliff. Built as a “vacation office” for a corporate president, the dazzling glass box juts out from a sheer rock cliff in Ellison Bay, Wisconsin.
Eau Claire’s favorite son, Justin Vernon, will return to his hometown this July to put on a “a world class festival which will uniquely present and blend music, dance, art, cinema, and the culinary arts.” That’s per the permit application for the festival. Vernon, best known as the man behind Bon Iver, has long included Eau Claire in his musical success. More details about the festival are forthcoming.
The alumni of Detroit’s College for Creative Studies have made waves throughout the design world for decades. The school’s new partnership with Shinola will only increase the Motor City’s influence on fashion. Shinola and the College for Creative Studies will begin offering a bachelor of fine arts degree in fashion accessories design, beginning in the fall of 2015. Students will learn about fashion product development from beginning sketch to finished product. We look forward to seeing the fashionable results!
The Chicago chapter of the American Institute of Architects just unveiled their 2014 Design Excellence Awards, and the results will have you drooling over sleek buildings and stylish interiors for the rest of the day. We loved this award-winning privacy solution: Wheeler Kearns Architects designed a 5,000 pound pivoting door that conceals the residence’s garden. Check out the rest of the AIA Chicago award winners here.
This modern Minnesota cabin is anchored by two salvaged shipping containers, which are fast becoming a go-to material in sustainable architecture. The containers, which each cost only $800, hold a kitchen and sleeping quarters, while the loft area in the center offers a central gathering space with beautiful views of the woods.
Eat Street Social is reopening their tiki lounge — the Torpedo Room — for a limited time only. The room is bedecked with vintage furniture and a decidedly nautical feel thanks to the palm trees, fishing nets and the swordfish up on the wall. The master bartenders mixing drinks will change throughout the limited schedule, but Nick Kosevich kicked it off with seven custom cocktails. See the full menu at Eater Minneapolis.
Thrillist showers Wisconsin with love this week, listing the top nine reasons you should visit the state. (There’s way more than nine, for the record.) Our favorite destination on the list is the Driftless region, which will instantly quiet anyone who thinks the Midwest is nothing but flat plains. The rolling hills of the Driftless region shine in this photo via Flickr/Ken Fager.
Anthology Coffee wants to put Detroit on the caffeinated map. The independent coffee distributor sells fair trade and ethically sourced coffee beans to restaurants and businesses around the city and the country. Anthology recently garnered a $10,000 NEIdeas prize to help grow their business and expand to new markets. They currently operate out of the Ponyride collaborative workspace in the Corktown neighborhood, and we’re excited to see them grow.
Chicago’s iconic Marina City has inspired designers for decades. Built in 1964 by Bertrand Goldberg, the twin residential towers are some of the most photographed buildings in the city. (Can’t picture Marina City? They’re the Jetson-style rounded towers on the banks of the Chicago river.) But how do they look inside? Apartment Therapy goes inside the home of Julie Michiels and Iker Gil, two designers who live in the historic building. Their all-pink kitchen caught our eye first, but don’t miss the rest of tour.
Another historic home for a steal: this Mies van der Rohe townhouse just went on the market for $149,000. The three-bedroom home features striated cork flooring, floor-to-ceiling windows and geothermal heating and cooling. Built in in 1959 by the famed modernist, this Bauhaus gem could be your haus.
Food & Wine released their list of the best DIY kits and we’d like to order this Make Your Own Bitters kit from Easy & Oskey, stat. The Minnesota company provides everything you need to perfect your own custom cocktail flavors. A hint of habanero? A dash of a mystery spice? The kit comes with miniature bottles and custom labels so you can name your custom bitters creations. See the whole list of DIY kits here.
TimeOutChicago toured the city’s top cocktail bars to find the perfect fall concoction, and their list does not disappoint. Our favorite comes from Nico Osteria bartender Matty Eggleston. Eggleston’s dubbed his autumnal taste sensation the Bella Mella, meaning “beautiful apple” in Italian. We’ll be sipping this mix of apple brandy, vermouth, orange peel liqueur, apple cider and chocolate bitters long after the last leaves have fallen.
St. Louis is doing seafood right. The Peacemaker Lobster & Crab Co.’s menu of Acadian coastal favorites makes it hard to choose just one dish. Pictured is their namesake sandwich, the Peacemaker, a po’ boy with fried oysters and remoulade. Chef Kevin Nashan first earned culinary acclaim at St. Louis’ Sidney Street Cafe, and we’re loving his foray into seafood — don’t miss the oysters (fresh or fried!).
George Vidas’s art has a certain glow about it…a neon glow, to be exact. Vidas crafts neon signs as his job and as his art. His solo show at Thick Air Studios in Detroit opens tonight and features over 20 neon wall sculptures. For more details of the show, check out Thick Air Studios’ Tumblr.
Mill City Men, one of our favorite Twin Cities style blogs, strikes again with another stunning photo shoot around town. Photographers Erin Pederson and Roy Son caught up with the annual Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride and captured fashion moving at high speed. The ride, which raises funds for prostate cancer, encourages bikers to don their most dapper duds when they hit the street. In their words, “think monocles, jaunty trimmed moustaches, silk vests, crisp shirts and tailored suits.” To see the high styled gentlemen that hit the streets in Minneapolis, check out Mill City Men’s full spread.
You’re looking at a winner: this house on Lake Okoboji in Iowa is the winner of not one but two AIA Nebraska awards. The modern home won for its overall design and for the custom furniture in the master bedroom, which echos the ripples on the lake. Designed by Nebraska and San Francisco-based architects Min|Day, the home offers incredible views of both the water and the woods. Tour the inside and see the award-winning furniture at Apartment Therapy.
Chicago Ideas Week spread creativity across the city with workshops and seminars on just about everything you can imagine. Elise Bergman Designs shared this photo of their textile design class, hosted by Owen + Alchemy. Elise led the class herself and from the looks of it, it was a stylish success!
So nice we’re covering it twice: the Frank Lloyd Wright house in Wausau, Wisconsin is still on the market. A steal at $189,000, the historic home was built in 1940 on a quiet wooded lot in the central part of the state. With Wright’s signature Prairie School flat roof and window banks, the home is a piece of architectural history just waiting for a new owner. Tour the home with Coldwell Banker.
Is making conversation a lost art? Detroit innovator Shel Kimen doesn’t think so — people just might need a little push. Shel’s organization Collision Works turned a salvaged shipping container into a pop-up space for open conversations. The space is called First Container, and it’s now hosted over 150 hours of conversations between Detroit community members.
In this wooded Cincinnati getaway, John Senhauser Architects brings log cabin design into the modern age. The residence incorporates natural materials from top to bottom: natives grasses grow on the roof and the floors are milled from walnut trees cleared from the site during construction. To see a full tour of how rustic meets modern in this home, check out One Kind Design. Our favorite touch is the stand-alone studio right across the courtyard.
The Cranbrook Art Museum had a star-studded weekend, with international fashion icons stopping by for a tour. Hamish Bowles, international editor-at-large of Vogue, viewed the collection with jewelry designer Vicki Sarge and renowned British milliner Stephen Jones. Curator Laura Mott and Collections Fellow Shelley Selim gave them a personal tour of Cranbrook’s holdings. Fabulous!
The LynLake Brewery, which opened this month in a 100-year-old theater, is Minnesotan to the core. While many restaurants and bars are packing up their patios for the season, LynLake just opened theirs. The rooftop patio boasts incredible views of the Minneapolis skyline, complete with fire pits to keep you toasty into the night. We sampled the Ponyboy Gold and the Sideburns Milk Stout, but we’ll be back for the rest before the snow comes.
Bucketfeet is on a roll. The Chicago company that makes artist-designed canvas shoes is expanding in the West Loop. Their new headquarters is double the size of their current space, but they’re not stopping there — they’re opening more studios around the country that sell shoes and prints as well as host art events and artists-in-residence. Pictured are Bucketfeet co-founders Raaja Nemani, CEO, and Aaron Firestein, chief artist.
When biodynamic farmers Marcia and Steven began to plan their dream house, set on 81-acres in southwest Wisconsin, they knew they wanted to incorporate nature into the design. The fantastical result weaves whole, unmilled trees throughout the finished living spaces. Here, branches spread across the home’s main space and mezzanine. To take a full tour of the home, check out the feature on Mother Earth Living.
