We were both honored and absolutely thrilled to be invited to participate in the Junior League of Detroit and ASPIRE DESIGN AND HOME’s Fisher Mansion Showhouse in the Fall of 2018. The iconic home, situated in the historic Boston Edison District of Detroit, was recently purchased by actor and author Hill Harper who is committed to restoring and reimagining this incredible home from top to bottom, and allowed designers from across the country to put their spin on many of the home’s rooms. But long before Mr. Harper owned the home, the Fisher family, owners of the Fisher Body Company, the world’s largest manufacturer of car bodies, dreamed up this magnificent 16,000 square food home in 1924 with the help of architect George Mason. Charles and Sarah Fisher resided in the home for almost fifty years. [ see below for more information about the home and CLOTH & KIND's inspiration for their space. ]

Having the distinct privilege of being the first design team hand-selected to participate in this project, we were able to choose whichever space we wanted to design! The breakfast room immediately caught our eye. With its original Chinese inspired lattice work and detailed chinoiserie paintings - covered in layers and layers of paint, but that were being restored to their original beauty as part of the showhouse project - our imaginations began running wild and we knew it was the space for us. Drawing inspiration from the The Royal Botanical Kew Gardens outside of London, our Secret Garden Room was inspired by the beauty and majesty of the Victorian glass greenhouse, coupled with our love of mixing old world antiques and vintage finds with modern art and lush textiles.

From there, our jumping off point was the latest wallcovering work of art from Fromental, Braque, with its statement ficus leaves set atop large scale cubism-inspired collage on hand-made tea paper. The result is a completely unique and truly bespoke piece of art made just for these walls. We worked our Fromental partners on the exact placement of each and every branch in their Braque pattern, which was inspired by the French painter and collagist, Georges Braque. It was such a creative and inspiring process from start to finish and has truly allowed our Secret Garden vision for this room blossom.

We paired the luxe Fromental paper with gorgeous textiles by Carolina Irving and Tyler Graphic, all of which are available to-the-trade in our new Showroom and Shop located in Ann Arbor, MI and online. Tipping our hats to the original oriental miniature paintings found in the latticework outlining the room and barrel ceiling with a custom Pagoda Style lantern by vanCollier and a gorgeous antique Indian Lahore rug. Signature to our CLOTH & KIND aesthetic, an abundance of totally unique antiques and vintage finds were layered throughout the space, giving it a true sense of history and heart, story and substance.

Perhaps the most rewarding part about any showhouse is the charitable component. This was the Junior League of Detroit’s 22nd Designers’ Showhouse and this biannual project of theirs is the single largest fundraiser for the JLD. Since 1976, the showhouse has raised over $4.5 million to support their many community programs, including grants, college scholarships, and recent initiatives such as Project EAT that connects Education, Access and Tools to promote healthy eating, as well as partnerships with Cass Community Social Services, Forgotten Harvest and the Empowerment Plan.

OUR PARTNERS // Sincere thanks to each of our invaluable partners, vendors, suppliers and work rooms that made our space possible. Listed here in no particular order: Fromental, Carolina Irving, Tyler Graphic, Galerie Shabab, vanCollier, Gillian Bryce Fine Art, Sunkoo Yuh, Nancy Green Ceramics, Blayne McCauley, Maciel Custom Painting, Benjamin Moore, Thomas Brothers Wallpaper Installation, Brian Wilbur, David Cross Furniture, LouLou Designs, Schumacher, Americas Electric, Visual Comfort, CLOTH & KIND Showroom, CLOTH & KIND Shop. We adore y’all and couldn’t do it without you!

CHECK OUT MORE FROM THIS PROJECT ON INSTAGRAM

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDIT // Martin Vecchio