Industrial decline has not been kind to Detroit, once a powerhouse of America’s economy. Mass layoffs and urban flight emptied swathes of the historic core, much of which crumbled for decades. Down but not out, Motor City’s renaissance has been under way for a while. The latest brick in that (rising) wall is the Detroit Foundation Hotel, a 100-room offering from the Aparium Hotel Group, which specialises in creating character-packed hotels in second-tier cities.
Occupying the neoclassical block that formerly housed the Fire Department, the makeover is a collaboration between the Simeone Deary Design Group and McIntosh Poris Associates and celebrates Detroit’s manufacturing past while casting a finely-crafted eye at its future. Decorated in an industrial-luxurious palette of chocolate browns, pastel metallics and wallpaper featuring photos of old Detroit, rooms conjure past into present, while down in the Apparatus Room, Michelin-starred Michigan native Thomas Lents showcases local flavour.
Add in the street-front Foundation Studio, a gallery dedicated to local art, which also decorates hotel walls, staff uniforms by the Detroit Denim Company, in-room tailoring courtesy of 1701 Bespoke and locally-made goods in the boutique and it’s clear that when it comes to buffing Detroit’s (rusted) star, this hotel has emerged swinging.
INFORMATION
ADDRESS
250 Larned Street
-
‘I’ve considered every single detail’: how Victoria Beckham designed the perfect make-up brush collectionVictoria Beckham speaks to Wallpaper* about the meticulous design process behind her debut collection of make-up brushes, which perfectly treads a line between form and function
-
Can Maserati modernise or is the sun setting on one of Italy’s most beloved automotive brands?Maserati’s GranTurismo Folgore is an epic electric grand tourer without equal. If only its traditionalist customers wanted it more
-
Viviane Sassen considers fine art, fashion photography and fragility in ItalyViviane Sassen’s exhibition, 'This Body Made of Stardus' at Collezione Maramotti, spans two decades off Sassen's career
-
Ghanaian cuisine has a story to tell at Washington, DC restaurant ElminaThe new restaurant is chef Eric Adjepong’s colourful ode to the recipes he grew up loving
-
Fancy a matcha-beer cocktail? Visit this dashing new LA restaurantCafé 2001 channels the spirit of an American diner with the flow of a European bistro and the artistry of Japanese cuisine
-
Visit this Michelin-star New York restaurant that doubles as an art galleryArtist Mr.StarCity is exhibiting his emotionally charged yet optimistic ‘Bloomers’ portrait series at Frevo, a Greenwich Village hidden haunt
-
With glowing honeycomb-shaped booths, this futuristic Japanese restaurant is ramen heavenAfter a successful U.S. expansion, Kyuramen touches down in Los Angeles.
-
Tour the best contemporary tea houses around the worldCelebrate the world’s most unique tea houses, from Melbourne to Stockholm, with a new book by Wallpaper’s Léa Teuscher
-
Seven things not to miss on your sunny escape to Palm SpringsIt’s a prime time for Angelenos, and others, to head out to Palm Springs; here’s where to have fun on your getaway
-
At Linden Los Angeles, classic New York comfort food gets its dueThe restaurant, inspired by a stretch of boulevard bridging Brooklyn and Queens, honors legacy, community and pleasure
-
This atmospheric New York restaurant was designed to be a ‘beautiful ruin’At Leon’s, classic Italian fare comes with a North African accent and with a side of family history
