Detroit Design Guide by Kyle Hoff of Floyd
Floyd founders Alex O’Dell and Kyle Hoff have come a long way since their first Kickstarter campaign in 2014. They’ve perfected their best-selling bed frame and have gone on to release the brand’s second product, a birch-and-steel table. Floyd counts Airbnb co-founder Joe Gebbia among its investors, and recently joined Endeavor‘s global entrepreneurship network. Though their top markets are in some of the country’s densest metropolises, like New York and San Francisco, they operate out of Detroit’s Corktown neighborhood, with most manufacturing taking place in the region. Running a lean, hyperlocal operation allows them to prioritize quality, one of their main selling points. Here, Hoff shares his favorite architecture, art, and cuisine in the Motor City.
Just east of downtown sits an amazing mix of modern multifamily homes in a lush park. It’s the largest collection of Mies van der Rohe’s residential buildings. It’s also where I live.
Adjacent to Lafayette Park lies a former railroad track turned walking path that connects the Detroit River with the historic Eastern Market.
At this education community 20 minutes north of the city, you can poke around and see the Eames’ studio in a Saarinen-designed building. It also houses one of my favorite buildings in the area, the Williams Natatorium by Tod Williams and Billie Tsien.
4. McGregor Memorial Conference Center at Wayne State
This is a spot I frequently run by on Wayne State’s campus in Detroit. One of Minoru Yamasaki’s several projects in Detroit.
5. Takoi
One of my favorite dinner spots has great space and innovative Thai cuisine. Located blocks from the garage in Corktown where we started Floyd.
True North is a development of newly constructed huts in Detroit. Designed by LA-based architect Edwin Chan, the units have the structural base of the original Quonset hut design, but have incorporated some architectural elements to elevate them for modern living. You can stay here and experience a Floyd bed.
Albert Kahn designed a conservatory on Belle Isle, one of my favorite spots to spend time in the summer. I like to visit, bring a picnic basket, and go for a swim.
The Detroit Institute of Arts, specifically Diego Rivera’s Detroit Industry murals, is a great place to reflect on the labor that once drove the city.
