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By David Kaufman
Photography courtesy of MGM Grand Detroit
When it opened this past October, the MGM Grand Detroit delivered not just a near billion-dollars worth of glitz to the Motor City, but an unlikely dose of international designer cool. Located in the rapidly reviving downtown district, the MGM was jointly designed by top global architecture talents, such as Tony Chi, Jeffrey Beers, and Superpotato.
Totaling 400 rooms, the 18-story new-build allowed each of its various talents to shine within an overall design direction helmed by local firms Hamilton Anderson Associates and SmithGroup. New York City-based Chi was responsible for a trio of outlets—the American-inspired Wolfgang Puck Grille, the Saltwater Restaurant by Michael Mina, and the Immerse Spa. Los Angeles-based Laurence Lee Associates and El Segundo, California-based SanDdesign partnered to design the hotel lobby and "living room," Int Ice lobby bar, the Grand Ballroom and meeting facilities, guestrooms and suites, and the ultra-exclusive concierge lounge. Tokyo hotshots Superpotato led the creation of Bourbon Steak (also by Mina), Palette Dining Studio, lounges Ignite (with its 14-foot frosted glass display that shifts from a massive wall of ice to a blazing inferno) and Agua (clad in blue), and the premier poker room. And New York City-based Beers handled the 10,000-square-foot casino's signature V lounge.
Upon entering the lobby and its living room guests get an immediate sense of opulence from 20-foot-tall ceilings, a handcrafted alabaster wall, wall-length fireplace, contemporary artwork from Michigan artist Herb Babcock, and lavish oversized ottomans. Upstairs, guestrooms feature a peek-a-boo panel of opaque tangerine glass separating the bedroom from the bathroom, while the 65 suites are outfitted with marble foyers and floor-to-ceiling wraparound windows. "We did not look at this project as making a statement and raising the bar for Detroit," says Larry Lee, principal of Laurence Lee Associates. "We looked at this as we do all of our projects—as a 5-Star quality hotel that could hold its own design-wise anywhere. It was very flattering to be put on the roster of all of the big names in design."
The Puck restaurant takes much of its inspiration from both Detroit's agrarian and automotive past, according to Chi. A red barn, for instance, marks the restaurant's entryway from the casino, leading to an abstract painting suggesting the "wide blue skies" of the historic Midwest. Stacks of chopped firewood and a rustic large wooden sculpture define the restaurant's entry from its hotel side. At Saltwater, which Chi says "aspires to the opulence of the lost city of Atlantis," an imaginary aesthetic is elegantly realized via a mosaic-tiled ceiling, booths surrounded by sheaths of sparkling glass, rich stone countertops, leather wall panels, and grand glass wine display cases. Meanwhile, over at the split-level 20,000-square-foot Immerse Spa and Salon, Chi has given this most urban of locations a decidedly tropical feel with Ipe wood decks capped by white circular lounges topped with billowing white fabric canopies.
For Beers' V lounge, a homecoming of sorts for the Detroit-born designer, he has imbued it with dramatic lighting and materials—using everything from wenge millwork and dark slate stone walls and floors to white quartz bar tops and cast resin "ice" counters illuminated by LED lighting. "Music and clubs are a major part of the Detroit nightlife scene and Detroit needed a high-end nightclub destination," says Beers of the lounge, which includes a 5,000-square-foot main space, 700-square-foot VIP area, and 500-square-foot bar. Aiming to give the space a more 5-Star feel, "red crocodile and white ostrich leather sofas emanate luxury and exclusivity," he adds.
For all of the myriad players involved, the MGM Grand Detroit was a chance for each to work together as well as shine brightly among a true roster of design stars. "There was a fostered sense of general appreciation," Chi says. "We wanted to show that good design and good products have a place in downtown Detroit. We wanted to play our part in the urban renewal of the city."
For more information on the MGM Grand Detroit, visit www.mgmgranddetroit.com.
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Motown Mixup
March 4, 2008By David Kaufman
Photography courtesy of MGM Grand Detroit
When it opened this past October, the MGM Grand Detroit delivered not just a near billion-dollars worth of glitz to the Motor City, but an unlikely dose of international designer cool. Located in the rapidly reviving downtown district, the MGM was jointly designed by top global architecture talents, such as Tony Chi, Jeffrey Beers, and Superpotato.Totaling 400 rooms, the 18-story new-build allowed each of its various talents to shine within an overall design direction helmed by local firms Hamilton Anderson Associates and SmithGroup. New York City-based Chi was responsible for a trio of outlets—the American-inspired Wolfgang Puck Grille, the Saltwater Restaurant by Michael Mina, and the Immerse Spa. Los Angeles-based Laurence Lee Associates and El Segundo, California-based SanDdesign partnered to design the hotel lobby and "living room," Int Ice lobby bar, the Grand Ballroom and meeting facilities, guestrooms and suites, and the ultra-exclusive concierge lounge. Tokyo hotshots Superpotato led the creation of Bourbon Steak (also by Mina), Palette Dining Studio, lounges Ignite (with its 14-foot frosted glass display that shifts from a massive wall of ice to a blazing inferno) and Agua (clad in blue), and the premier poker room. And New York City-based Beers handled the 10,000-square-foot casino's signature V lounge.
Upon entering the lobby and its living room guests get an immediate sense of opulence from 20-foot-tall ceilings, a handcrafted alabaster wall, wall-length fireplace, contemporary artwork from Michigan artist Herb Babcock, and lavish oversized ottomans. Upstairs, guestrooms feature a peek-a-boo panel of opaque tangerine glass separating the bedroom from the bathroom, while the 65 suites are outfitted with marble foyers and floor-to-ceiling wraparound windows. "We did not look at this project as making a statement and raising the bar for Detroit," says Larry Lee, principal of Laurence Lee Associates. "We looked at this as we do all of our projects—as a 5-Star quality hotel that could hold its own design-wise anywhere. It was very flattering to be put on the roster of all of the big names in design."
The Puck restaurant takes much of its inspiration from both Detroit's agrarian and automotive past, according to Chi. A red barn, for instance, marks the restaurant's entryway from the casino, leading to an abstract painting suggesting the "wide blue skies" of the historic Midwest. Stacks of chopped firewood and a rustic large wooden sculpture define the restaurant's entry from its hotel side. At Saltwater, which Chi says "aspires to the opulence of the lost city of Atlantis," an imaginary aesthetic is elegantly realized via a mosaic-tiled ceiling, booths surrounded by sheaths of sparkling glass, rich stone countertops, leather wall panels, and grand glass wine display cases. Meanwhile, over at the split-level 20,000-square-foot Immerse Spa and Salon, Chi has given this most urban of locations a decidedly tropical feel with Ipe wood decks capped by white circular lounges topped with billowing white fabric canopies. For Beers' V lounge, a homecoming of sorts for the Detroit-born designer, he has imbued it with dramatic lighting and materials—using everything from wenge millwork and dark slate stone walls and floors to white quartz bar tops and cast resin "ice" counters illuminated by LED lighting. "Music and clubs are a major part of the Detroit nightlife scene and Detroit needed a high-end nightclub destination," says Beers of the lounge, which includes a 5,000-square-foot main space, 700-square-foot VIP area, and 500-square-foot bar. Aiming to give the space a more 5-Star feel, "red crocodile and white ostrich leather sofas emanate luxury and exclusivity," he adds. For all of the myriad players involved, the MGM Grand Detroit was a chance for each to work together as well as shine brightly among a true roster of design stars. "There was a fostered sense of general appreciation," Chi says. "We wanted to show that good design and good products have a place in downtown Detroit. We wanted to play our part in the urban renewal of the city."For more information on the MGM Grand Detroit, visit www.mgmgranddetroit.com.
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