Last week was exciting for One Line Design Studio and me (Karrie) personally, having attended the Urban Land Institute (“ULI”) Spring Summit downtown Detroit, diving head first into the Detroit development market. Words like, “restoration”, “transformation”, “historic preservation”, and “getting it right” on the minds of development professionals in the city.

When we launched our firm, there were a million reasons we landed in Detroit and Miami. We were both born in the great state of Michigan, (a bit of One Line trivia for you). There is a sensibility to being from this state, a warmth and work ethic that resonates no matter where you are in this great country and around the globe.

“That’s a status symbol to say you’re from Detroit. It implies something. You come from a place where all of this great music and these great cars, and all of these great, cool things (are from). I’d love to be able to say that I came from Detroit. That would be like the coolest thing I could ever say.” – Anthony Bourdain

The Spirit of Detroit statue, a city monument by Marshall Fredericks and located at the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center on Woodward Avenue in Detroit, Michigan

Susan and I both love the juxtaposition of Miami and Detroit. Miami is fashionable, sexy and at the cutting edge of hospitality and travel. New and modern, Miami attracts travelers from around the world with its diversity and unique culture. Detroit is about restoration, ingenuity and taking the industrial “Renaissance City” and finding ways to maintain the great architecture that exists. Kahn, Saarinen, Knoll, Yamasaki, van der Rohe, Wright and Burnham are just a few of the greats, with their thumbprint on the blueprints of the city.

We ourselves embody this comparison, with a passion for all aspects of great design. Our love of fashion and found objects are at the core of the firm vision, from our initial concept inspiration to the finishing touches that make every project. As a firm, we are thrilled to be here, excited to get started, and most importantly to be a part of the resurgence of Detroit.

There is so much more to Detroit, ready to be explored and developed….yet, there is development and there is transformation. How is Detroit doing it different? Next week we will share our thoughts on this great transformation.