Textile designer Amy Butler is known for her bright pops of color and bold prints. She makes her home with her husband in Granville, Ohio, and Apartment Therapy has the grand tour of their impeccably decorated abode. Amy calls her style “modern, natural, folk and artistic,” and you can see all of that in play on the tour. We love the bold graphic touches balanced with neutral furniture and dark wood.
Source: Apartment Therapy
“Less vacancy, more art” continues to ring true in Detroit. An empty Midtown building is soon to be HopCat, a pub with over 130 beers on tap. It’s going to be just as beautiful outside as in — the developers have recruited local artists to paint the building with wild and vibrant murals. Motor City Muckraker shared this preview of the space and the murals in progress. When finished, HopCat will be the perfect place to raise a toast to art.
Source: Motor City Muckraker
St. Louis-based fashion line Fauxgerty is taking vegan leather mainstream. The alternative material is fashionable, durable and almost indistinguishable from actual leather. Fauxgerty will launch their line of vegan leather jackets this Friday. Available in a range of classic and playful colors, the jackets are coming just in time for falling temperatures.
Source: ALIVE Magazine
This modern home in Northern Wisconsin was built with winter in mind — the outdoor courtyard features an entire storage wall for stacked firewood. The 8,000-square-foot structure is clad with copper and warm wood, materials which are both featured in the courtyard as well. Nestled in a birch forest, the home was designed by Vincent James Associates Architects of Minneapolis.
Source: Gardenista
Chicago’s historic Pullman neighborhood, on the city’s southeast side, is soon to be a national park. The neighborhood was built in the 1880s by railroad tycoon George Pullman; it was the first model industrial town in the country. While most people think of wide open natural spaces when they think of national parks, parks like Pullman can bring attention to important historical developments, like the birth of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, the first black union, which formed in the neighborhood. The Park Services estimates that the number of visitors to Pullman will increase from 30,000 to more than 300,000 annually.
Source: Grist
The Northern Grade markets in Chicago and Minneapolis have come and gone, but you can still get a piece of the action with their market t-shirts. Featuring the artwork of Minneapolis’ favorite son, Charles Schulz, this Snoopy shirt is ready for adventure.
Source: Northern Grade
What’s it like to live in a house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright? We imagine the pressure to do the space justice with your decor is quite high. Cleveland natives Dan and Dianne Chrzanowski live in Wright’s John J. Dobkins House, which they spent 15 years restoring. See how they’ve incorporated vintage pieces and personal touches with a full tour on Houzz.
Source: Houzz
Hugh, the stunning home goods and accessories store in Detroit, currently has these vintage gems for sale: original LaGardo Tackett cups in eye-catching orange. Tackett was a prolific mid-century dinnerware designer, drawing inspiration from his travels in Japan. His designed pieces that could be used both at the dinner table and around the house as accessories. These cups definitely fit the bill!
Source: Hugh
For those who have forgotten what spring looks like, the murals in Detroit are here to remind you. The Red Hook coffee shop shared this photo of two Detroiters enjoying the larger-than-life flowers while braving a little early snow.
Source: The Red Hook
Alchemy is the perfect name for this Minneapolis architecture firm — they can take older homes and turn them into gold. This house, known as “The Folded House” for its origami-like roof and awning, started as a 1950s ranch-house. After an energy efficient renovation by Alchemy, the house is now a stunning blend of modern design and zen-like touches. Tour the grounds and the interior on Alchemy’s site.
Source: Alchemy
The Lost Girls, a roving vintage boutique in Chicago, has finally settled down. Well, kind of. Their signature ’76 Dodge RV will still roam the city and serve as a pop-up shop, but they have opened a mini-boutique in the newly expanded Modern Co-operative in Pilsen. The official grand opening is Saturday, but they shared this sneak peek of the space.
Source: Lost Girls
Stillwater, Minnesota has a little piece of architectural history with the Lovness estate, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. There are actually two Wright-designed homes on the property: a two-bedroom house and a small cottage. The homes were completed in 1957 and include all Wright-designed furniture and light fixtures, which have been included with each sale of the property. It’s one of the only Wright homes to still have all the original decor intact. To take a 360 degree tour of the homes interiors, visit Historic Homes of Minnesota.
Source: Historic Homes of Minnesota
The St. Louis Contemporary Art Museum’s fundraiser, Art:314, features stunning art for sale from St. Louis artists. City In A Jar arranged a tour of Joan Hall’s studio space and a sneak peek at the work she’s donated to Art:314. Hall’s work is heavily influenced by the sea and her love of sailing; tour the studio and her work to see how she’s brought the ocean to the Midwest.
Source: City In A Jar
The Copper Hen Cakery & Kitchen, which opened its doors on Eat Street in Minneapolis just this year, has wrapped all the fall flavors into one. They shared this snapshot of their latest mouthwatering entree, cider braised pork with a sweet potato soufflé and apple bacon chutney. According to the Copper Hen, “It tastes like fall, Thanksgiving and Christmas all in one bite!“
Source: The Copper Hen
The Chicago restaurant Grace has earned the coveted three-star rating from the 2015 Michelin Guide. The culinary news broke Tuesday, and Windy City foodies can rejoice: the city is now home to two restaurants with Michelin’s highest ranking. Grace joins Alinea, which earned three-stars for its fifth year in a row.
Source: Chicago Magazine
Brit + Co, the high-styled online hub for DIY projects and design advice, turned their eye on Minnesota with their new Ultimate Guide to the Makers of Minneapolis. They cover everything, from savory waffles at Birchwood Cafe to the community art events at Light Grey Art Lab (pictured). If you’re wondering where to eat, where to drink, where to shop, and where to make art in Minneapolis, Brit + Co’s list is a perfect place to start.
Source: Brit + Co
Made Here, which transforms vacant and unused space in downtown Minneapolis into gallery opportunities, shared this picture of an installation in process. Artist Emily Lynch Victory works on lighting up 930 Hennepin with her new work. We can’t wait to see the finished product. Take a walk down Hennepin to see Victory’s and other artists’ impact on the area.
Source: Made Here
At long last the doughnut whisperers behind Vincent Van Doughnut are opening up a brick-and-motor store. No longer will you have to hunt down their food van, lovingly named Clyde, to get a taste of their delicious wares (though we do love the chase). Their storefront will be in the Clayton neighborhood and owner Vincent Marsden expects to open in the next two or three months. Until then, you can track down Clyde and those delicious doughnuts on Twitter.
Source: Riverfront Times
The wooded prairie of North Dakota is an essential design element for this Fargo home, designed by Stahl Architects and Land Elements. The low profile home stands out with its sharp lines and contrasting materials, but is enveloped by native plants. Fargo’s fluctuating temperatures—extreme cold in the winters and sweltering days in the summer—can easily destroy a garden, so native plants are a smart and eco-friendly solution.
Source: Garden Design
Anyone looking to break out from your usual stores and find a handcrafted one-of-a-kind gift, you’re in luck: the Midwest is home to some of the best craft fairs in the world. Buzzfeed recently compiled their favorite 35 fairs, and seven of them fall squarely in the Midwest. Pictured is the Detroit Urban Craft Fair, which takes place December 6 and 7. Also on the list are Chicago’s Renegade Craft Fair, Des Moines’ Vintage & Made Fair, Kansas City’s Strawberry Swing Indie Craft Fair, Madison’s Ritz Crafters, Fargo’s Unglued Craft Fest and the Twin Cities’ Craftstravaganza and Craft’za.
Source: Buzzfeed
The “arctic bomb” that swept through the upper Midwest left the season’s first snow. Minnesota broke out the snow shovels this morning, and The Foundry Home Goods shared our favorite picture of the shoveling action. The Foundry owners write: “My shoveling companion. Looks like I’m the muscle and she’s the beauty in this duo.”
Source: The Foundry Home Goods
The Eastern Market has a new high style tenant: Savvy Gents. The brainchild of Randal Jacobs and Miles Brown, the men’s boutique promises to offer one-of-a-kind fashion with plenty of surprises. Randal Jacobs, who studied fashion in Atlanta and London, explained his style to The Detroit News: “To explain my style in one phrase, I’m a dandy grandmother,” he said. “There’s always something fluffy and airy in what I wear but always something straightforward and basic at the bottom.”
Source: The Detroit News
All aboard the Benson Ford. This ship, first launched on the Great Lakes in 1924, carried raw materials for the Ford Motor Company until it was decommissioned in 1981. It then found an unlikely new life on land as a house. Beached on the shores of the island of Put-In-Bay, Ohio, the Benson Ford now boasts five bedrooms, five full baths, a reading room, a galley and of course spectacular views of the water from the pilot house. See the interior at the house’s own website: Ship On The Bay.
Source: Ship On The Bay
Something new is rolling out of Detroit, and it’s not a car: it’s the Slow Roll movement, a community bike ride that just made it’s debut in Chicago. Slow Roll kicked off in Detroit in 2010 and now cyclists in Chicago can get in on the weekly rides that wind all over the city, exploring neighborhoods and landmarks. To get details on the next ride, check out Slow Roll Chicago.
Source: StreetsBlog
The Minneapolis College of Art and Design’s annual Art Sale is almost upon us and they’re rolling out previews of the over 6,000 artworks for sale. Get all the details and even more sneak peeks at the artwork here: 2014 Art Sale Preview. We compiled tips last year about how to navigate the sale: 11 Ways To Score Big At The MCAD Art Sale.
Source: MCAD