Detroit

After getting divorced, selling her house, and moving across the country, Elle was pretty much starting from scratch when it came to furniture, decor, and her "whole outlook on life! So I leaned into everything that makes me happy and feels like me."

The couple behind Woodward Throwbacks focused on cosmetic projects like refinishing the original floors, fixing plaster walls, and modernizing the kitchen in their Corktown home.

Emily Gershen and Dion Harris have owned this Detroit house — built in 1928 and featuring intricate plasterwork and original stained glass windows — for a year and a half. They share their home with their young son, Milo, and another baby on the way! (Along with two fur babies, Goose and Birdie.)

Andrea is a DIYer and because of the need to maximize space, she created a Murphy bed, Murphy table, shoe chair with storage, TV console, and small shelf and stool in my bathroom, to name a few!

Hilary and Doug share a love of design, fashion, and art, and filled this large house in Detroit, built in the 1930s by George McKnight, with all three when they renovated it for themselves and their two kids, Haze and Sway.

Inspired by spaces within Europe like in France, Denmark, or Italy, Stephen and Christina's entire home has been gorgeously remodeled.

When Andy Grant first moved in to this house, every single surface in the home needed repainting... and she's been renovating it and adding her own personality through tons of DIY projects since.

When COVID hit and ruined Mike Han's restaurant dream before it could open, he pivoted from sushi to art, transforming his small apartment into an art gallery.

This 250-square-foot RV got an update for this family of seven!

Located in the suburb of Ferndale, this house is full of unique, colorful projects that add a ton of personality to a small space.

Justin modernized this 1920s house while preserving its classic beauty.

Isabelle Weiss is the founder of NEXT:SPACE, a contemporary art space in Detroit. Her small studio apartment is absolutely filled with great furniture and art.

Two of the four walls throughout the entire house are all glass.

The time spent in this minimal Michigan home-away-from-home no doubt feeds a couple's creative spirits.

Name: Jesse and Cali Green Location: New Center — Detroit, Michigan Size: 980 square feet Years lived in: Rented 1.5 years Jesse and Cali’s apartment building is inspiring, not only because they’ve created a beautiful modern and minimal home without splurging, but because of its deep history in Detroit. The building opened in 1926 as a home to graphic artists working in all of the nearby industries, General Motors in particular.

Name: Lori Location: Downtown — Detroit, Michigan Size: 1,195 square feet Years lived in: Rented 1.5 years Lori’s downtown Detroit apartment is a good example of a space that appreciates functionality and modernism, but still manages to be a warm, welcoming home. She used her move to this space as a fresh start, and prioritized incorporating local designers’ work into the mix. From art to custom-made furniture, Lori’s love and support of her city is on full display.

Name: Tracey Tilley Location: Metro Detroit, Michigan Size: 1,050 square feet Years lived in: 12 years, owned When Tracey is not working as a marketing project manager, she is obsessing over her house’s interior. She prefers furnishings that are old and built to last. She believes in supporting local artists. She really enjoys a good flea-market find. And she has been known to DIY a few things. Not surprisingly, her home in Michigan is a sophisticated mix.

Name: Patrick Thompson, his wife Courtney and their son Monty Location: Bloomfield Hills, Michigan Size: 2,400 square feet Years lived in: 2 years Patrick Thompson is an award winning interior designer residing in the suburbs of Detroit with his lovely wife, their energetic three-year-old son and their sweet dog. His design firm, Patrick Thompson Design, specializes in hospitality, commercial and retail spaces. Patrick grew up in a family that celebrated art.

Name: Rachael Barlock Location: Metro Detroit — Ferndale, Michigan Size: 1,000 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, renting There’s a duality to Rachael’s life: She’s a water engineer by day, but by night she runs a hand-lettering and paper goods business, Hazel + Dolly. She loves balancing the structured, math and science half of her life with the fun, creative half. And her home is a balanced mix, as well.

Name: Andrea Kerbuski and her dog James Location: Lansing, Michigan Size: 2,014 square feet Years lived in: 8 months, owned Andrea avoided home ownership for years, preferring the more flexible, mobile lifestyle of renting apartments. And, she always thought she’d wait until finding a life partner to buy a house. But after a brief stint in Chicago for work, she realized she loved her home state of Michigan and her community, and that she could absolutely buy a house on her own.

Name: Gretchen and Kevin Location: Detroit, Michigan Size: 2,200 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years, owned After spending four years in 800 square feet in New York City, Kevin and Gretchen were able to design their dream loft back in their home state of Michigan. They found a space in an old, industrial building in a mixed-use neighborhood that’s lively and vibrant.

Name: Lisa Palmer, husband Rob and son Quinn Location: Fenton, Michigan (a suburb of Detroit) Size: 5,300 square feet (including basement) Years lived in: 16 years, owned Lisa Palmer is a seeker of all things vintage, lover of nostalgia, and fan of making her home a place where anyone can walk in and feel loved by it. On the professional side, Lisa is a serial entrepreneur (16 years in) who has a knack for developing products and building lifestyle brands such as her most recent Lillybee.

Name: Courtney, Paul, and (daughter) Redding Location: Corktown — Detroit, Michigan Size: 2,000 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years, owned After living in Brooklyn for 10 years, Courtney and Paul relocated to Detroit in 2016 and took a chance on buying a house…without ever walking inside. The couple discovered the property through family: Paul’s cousin moved back to the Motor City a few years before them and found this duplex. Now they all currently live in it!

Name: Haley Lertola Location: True North — Detroit, Michigan Size: 1,100 square feet Years lived in: 1/2 year, renting Haley Lertola owns an event planning and design company, Detroit Cultivated, where she’s “committed to disrupting the Detroit event industry by creating inspired experiences that incorporate sustainable practices. One of the goals of each event is to transport guests to a truly original setting.

Name: Emily Berger-Crawford, husband Chris Crawford, daughter Edie, dog Lilly and cats Chester + Charlie Location: East English Village — Detroit, Michigan Size: 1,650 square feet Years Lived In: 2 years, owned Our house is well loved and full of character, a perfect home base for our family to relax and enjoy watching our 4-month-old daughter grow up. Although it’s a constant project (and sometimes headache), we feel like we lucked out in finding it with so many details in tact.

Name: Leo + Jordan Miller + Alexander Lynch Location: West Village — Detroit, Michigan Size: 550 square feet Years lived in: 8 months, renting Jordan is an Ohio native who moved to Detroit on a whim in the summer of 2016 because of her love for the state of Michigan, particularly its lakes. Al grew up in a small town in the Upper Peninsula called Norway.

Name: Wes Trammel, Ben Cooper, (Dog) Duffy Location: Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan Size: 1,870 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, owned An Alabama native and graphic designer, Wes relocated to Detroit three years ago with his fiancé, Ben. Having worked for 16 years as a graphic designer for a national home and lifestyle magazine, Wes has recently turned his attention to home renovation and interiors.

Name: Vicari Vollmar and Jordan Conley Location: Lansing, Michigan Size: 600 square feet Years lived in: 4 months, renting Vicari is a senior designer for a public policy firm with an affinity for fitness, bold color, and a good gin fizz. She firmly believes in carbohydrates, horoscopes, and the power of love. Jordan is a state contract monitor, CrossFit coach, and bookworm. He enjoys binge-watching a series on Netflix, comic books, and snuggling his calico, Harley.

Name: Matthew Milia and Anna Burch of Frontier Ruckus Location: Corktown; Detroit, Michiagn Size: 2-bedroom apartment Years lived in: 1 year; Rented Matthew keeps close watch over me while I photograph his apartment. He takes turns peering around corners and sliding out of view of the camera’s lens. He explains, “I like to do this thing where I make people uncomfortable, but also charm them at the same time.” I hesitate before responding.