βEvery day is a discovery,β Isabelle Weiss says of her home in the Method Development lofts at the Detroit Design District. βAnd I work an oatmeal bowl away from where I live. Indeed, the 33-year-old occupies a loft located just an elevator ride above her business, .
Located at the border between the cityβs North End and Milwaukee Junction, the three-story building β formerly the Maurice Fox Ford sales and service station β features retail space on the first floor and 18 industrial-style lofts on the second and third floors.
Weissβ gallery (previously known as Next:Space) supports Detroit artists and designers who create functional art objects. The gallery is on the first floor of the building and neighbors a clothing store, design firm, and comic book shop.
βI like the industrial atmosphere here,β Weiss says. βItβs close to everything, but off the beaten path.β
Here, we take a peek at her gallery (which was once a mechanic shop) and tour her loft, where every item has a story behind it.
New dimension
An impressive tower sculpture (between the windows in the photo above) by Korean American artist Mary Kim, who graduated from in Bloomfield Hills, impresses.
βItβs my favorite color: red, Weiss says. βAnd [Kim has] created a sculpture using several pieces of wood in various shades of red that are all the same size.β
Marketplace musings
Vintage lamps and a chair (where Weiss is seated in the photo above) are from in Detroit.
βI learned so much from Marketplace owner Marvin Nash about midcentury design,β Weiss says.
Also in this space are a painting, two monoprints by artist , a thread necklace by Detroit artist , and triangular mirrors from Ferndale design studio
Ocean turbulence
Works by , a designer, self-taught engineer, and Cranbrook Academy ofΜύArt alum, also adorn the apartment. βI have the first lamp he ever made [called a Jellyfish Lamp] (in front of the bookcase in the photo above) and have been representing his work since he was just starting at Cranbrook.β
She also owns a planter, βM4_6β (under the plant in the photo above), andΜύa vessel from Normanβs Turbulence series that she keeps on a shelf in her living room.
Please be seated
The LT chair (grey chair under the window in the photo above), made of aluminum and bent steel, is βsuper sculptural,β Weiss says. It was designed by Colin Tury of , a design studio located in Modern Developmentβs building.
Textile style
Several pieces adorn the apartment. They include a mix of woven textiles, found materials, and more. βI have a collection of her pillows (on the green chair in the photo above) and cushions made from a wide range of materials, including recycled plastic bags, foam pellets, [and] reclaimed textiles,β Weiss says. She also has a Schubatis wall tapestry in her bedroom.
The office
![](https://cdn.hourdetroit.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2023/01/IMWEISS-1-scaled.jpg)
Weissβ office (above) is within the gallery and is not separated by walls. Her desk sits in front ofΜύan old brick wall, on which she βleft the old graffiti and a million layers of paint,β she says. βI chose to keep the industrial bones and even color-matched the paint to drywall. Itβs an environment that speaks to our art objects that are born from this great industrial context of Detroit; we shouldnβt hide that.β
It grows on you
![](https://cdn.hourdetroit.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2023/01/IMWEISS-5-scaled.jpg)
A vessel (on the gray shelves in the photo above), made by metalsmith and student Cassidy Kaufman, started as a flat sheet of metal that was then hammered into a form. βIt has a very unusual patina, made with Miracle-Gro,β Weiss says.
Wall art
The painting above the bed in the photo above is by Detroit artist .
Underfoot
The polished concrete flooring is original.
Rooms with a view
Through her apartmentβs living room window is βthe money view,β Weiss says. Looking west on East Grand Boulevard, she can see Chroma, the Fisher Building, and βsome amazing sunsets.β
This story is from the January 2023Μύissue of ΒιΆΉ·¬ΊΕ Detroit magazine. Read more in our digital edition. And click hereΜύto see more metro Detroit interiors.Μύ
| Μύ |
|