For the Most Exciting Design Scene No One’s Talking About, Head to Detroit

The only UNESCO City of Design in the U.S. is experiencing a cultural renaissance that you need to see for yourself.

Once an urban epicenter thanks to the automotive boom, Detroit, Michigan, has no doubt suffered from deindustrialization, its population plummeting from a peak of 1.86 million in 1950 to just over 673,000 in 2017. The aftermath has been well documented—urban decay, a crumbling social infrastructure, rampant unemployment—but in recent years, another narrative has emerged, and grown steadily louder: one of experimentation and revitalization.

For Detroit Design Month 2019, design studio Form&Seek curated an exhibition of works by local designers entitled Substance, so named for its focus on material exploration. Above, Aaron Blendowski’s aptly named Popsicle Stick Chair celebrates the durability of cypress wood. Co-curator Sophie Yan’s own Knottoman was created by hand-knotting vegetable-tanned leather on a steel grid cube. The mirror is by ThingThing, a studio that specializes in hand-sorting and manipulating recycled plastic.

Courtesy of Design Core Detroit and Form&Seek

As is often the case, young creatives are leading the charge. Artists, designers, and the like have been slowly transforming and reclaiming deserted neighborhoods, an effort that earned Motor City a new moniker as a UNESCO City of Design in 2015. To date, it’s the only city in the United States to have that designation.

Located in a newly awakened downtown, Détroit Is The New Black (DITNB) is a brand, retail shop, event space, and art gallery that celebrates the city’s creative output. All of the store’s display furniture was made by local design studio Donut Shop. "DITNB started with the intention of creating a space for diversity in a changing city landscape," says founder Roslyn Karamoko. "I was inspired by the artists and creative talent fueling the culture of the city and wanted to create a brand to promote that energy. I felt passionate about bridging the history of the city with the evolving narrative of renaissance."

Photo by 3 Lyons Creative and courtesy of Design Core Detroit

Pewabic is a National Historic Landmark pottery studio co-founded in 1903 by ceramic artist Mary Chase Perry Stratton, who would go on to influence ceramics programs at the College of Creative Studies, Wayne State University, the University of Michigan, and Cranbrook Academy of Art. Today, the studio also offers courses for the public and an upstairs exhibition space. There you’ll find Get it while you can by Jessika Edgar, a piece that incorporates ceramic, acrylic pearls, and faux fur.

Courtesy of Design Core Detroit

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