Vintage cado system shelves and cabinets line Hugh’s walls. Photo from Hugh
Style, design and panache: It isn’t what you’d expect from a guy who put in hours on Capitol Hill, wanted to go to medical school and worked in an IT department. But it’s exactly what you get from Joe Posch and his newest store in Detroit.
“Hugh is designed to feel like a very hip, early ’60s bachelor pad,” Posch said.
The retail storeowner graduated with a degree in secondary education, but providence found Posch in the form of Studio M, a former resale shop in Chicago’s Roscoe Village neighborhood that introduced him to world of design.
“It was literally just the most beautiful little store that you ever saw,” Posch said.
After visiting the Belmont Avenue shop, Posch felt inspired by well-designed, mid-century modern style. More than a decade later that interest manifested as Hugh, a vision that started as a pop-up store and transitioned into a brick-and-mortar Midtown location in 2012 after Posch won Hatch Detroit (a competition that awards $50,000 to one Detroit entrepreneur).
Posch bought Hugh’s Danish modern shelves from the Detroit Institute of Arts after its building was renovated.
Photo from Hugh
“A bachelor pad has always been about impressing, entertaining and being open. It’s about being stylish.”
-Joe Posch
Hugh
4240 Cass Ave.
Detroit, MI 48201
hugh@thankhugh.com
313-831-4844
Unlike Mezzanine, the former high-end furniture store Posch owned for nearly 10 years, the aesthetics of Hugh pay tribute to a contemporary take on the classic, mid-century modern bachelor pad. Danish modern shelves line the charcoal gray and billiard green walls (finds Posch snapped up from the Detroit Institute of Arts). The space feels open, almost gallery-like with rows of items sitting on shelves.
While Hugh’s point of view is masculine, that doesn’t mean Posch only caters to the 20-something males of Detroit.
“A bachelor pad has always been about impressing, entertaining and being open,” Posch said. “It’s about being stylish. You may not have all the money in the world, but it’s about having some good things and knowing how to use them.”
“It’s nice to have some options and to say you know something about why you have the cocktail shaker you have.”Joe Posch
So forget about man caves (shrines often dedicated to sports, recliners and escape). That’s not what Hugh about. Instead, the store is dedicated to exploration, design, function and detail.
Case in point: the six cocktail shakers Hugh sells. Any one will get the job done, but it’s the little details that make a difference. Are you more Parisian-style, Boston or traditional three-piece? Need something cheaper, or looking to splurge?
“Everybody likes something a little bit different,” Posch said. “It’s nice to have some options and to say you know something about why you have the cocktail shaker you have.”
Regardless of which you pick, it all comes back to good design at Hugh—the same consideration that drove traditional bachelor pad style, Posch said. What better way to impress the woman (or man) you bring home?
“We have a lot of the bar basics,” Posch said. “The things you need if you want to set up a bar at home.” Photo from Hugh