Winter 2007
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The Reason for the Season
My brother’s never met a debate he couldn’t exasperate. With a unique combination of absurdity and manufactured outrage, he quickly goes from zero-to-ridiculous, obscuring the point, and leaving his opponents with something closer to a punch line than a defensible position. One minute you’re having what seems like a reasonable conversation; the next you’re passionately […]
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Five questions with … Lisa Rennell
During the chaos of holiday shopping, it’s good to have a go-to gift shop when collecting odds-and-ends for family and friends. Grosse Pointe’s Rennell & Co. is just that shop. Recently, we asked owner Lisa Rennell for her tips and trends for the season. As far as trends go, what are you seeing? Metallic anything. […]
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Rococo
Rococo was an answer to the oppressively formal baroque style. Much like French ruler Louis XIV — whose reign is synonymous with it — the baroque aesthetic was austere and rigid. But with newfound freedoms under adolescent king Louis XV, French tastes turned to a modern, lighter, and more flamboyant style. The term rococo is […]
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Richardsonian Romanesque
In The 1870s, architect Henry Hobson Richardson developed his own take on the Romanesque architecture that had been a popular choice for public and commercial buildings earlier in the century. Though Richardson built few homes in the style before his premature death in 1886, posthumous interest in his work led to a revival of the […]
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Handmade Detroit
If crafting is your poison, then check out handmadedetroit.com — a virtual hub for Detroit’s handcrafting set. The folks at Handmade Detroit are responsible for the Detroit Urban Craft Fair, Sunday Crafternoons, and the Handmade Detroit Holiday Market. They work mighty hard to corral all sorts of creative do-it-yourselfers and bring their quality, made-with-love goods […]
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A Midwinter Night’s Gleam
WINTER — if you believe the ancient Greeks — came about when Demeter was mourning the abduction of her beloved daughter Persephone. To protest, Persephone’s mythic momma refused to nourish the earth until her daughter was returned from the underworld.
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The Old and the Beautiful
Whether it’s a rustic kitchen table, an Art Deco candelabrum, or a pile of vintage books, metro Detroit is chock-full of places to go when you’re in the mood for something that can’t be found anywhere else. Here’s a start. 1. If you’re looking for something elegant and affordable, be sure to stop by the […]
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It’s Frying Time Again
Sufganiyot (jelly doughnuts): ¼ cup lukewarm milk*, 2 tablespoons dry yeast, 3½ tablespoons sugar, 2½ cups flour, 2 egg yolks lightly beaten, pinch of salt, pinch of cinnamon, 1½ tablespoons butter* softened, raspberry or strawberry preserves…
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Saline
Head west on Michigan Avenue until you reach Saline and you’ll be greeted by the key-lime colored clapboard of the Davenport House, otherwise known as Curtiss Mansion. Built in 1875 for $8,500, the home belonged to William H. Davenport — one of the city’s leading merchants during the days when Saline’s location on the road […]
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Sale of the Mid Century
Before money, people bartered. Shoppers could swap three chickens for a rug, two goats for a llama, and so forth. It was something like a Mesopotamian version of Let’s Make a Deal. Once money entered the marketplace, people turned to the art of price negotiation — or haggling. But, sadly, neither is welcome at the […]
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Artful Living
Gary Wasserman wears many hats. He’s produced circuses and parades, been involved in theater, art, and competitive horse-carriage driving, runs a highly specialized steel business with offices in Paris and Düsseldorf, and has even played an albino Amish man in a friend’s film. Today, however, the hat he wears is simple and red. “If it’s […]
