Curated & Curious: A Look at Isabelle Weiss’ Industrial-Style Loft

Living with her collection of art and design objects reminds Isabelle Weiss of the joy and responsibility that drive her gallery.
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Isabelle Weiss sits in her living room, surrounded by her vast art collection. // Photograph by Joe Tiano

鈥淓very day is a discovery,鈥 Isabelle Weiss says of her home in the Method Development lofts at the Detroit Design District. 鈥淎nd 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 city鈥檚 North End and Milwaukee Junction, the three-story building 鈥 formerly the Maurice Fox Ford sales and service station 鈥 features retail space on the first floor and 18 industrial-style lofts on the second and third floors.

Weiss鈥 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.

鈥淚 like the industrial atmosphere here,鈥 Weiss says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 close to everything, but off the beaten path.鈥

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.

鈥淚t鈥檚 my favorite color: red, Weiss says. 鈥淎nd [Kim has] created a sculpture using several pieces of wood in various shades of red that are all the same size.鈥

Marketplace musings

Vintage lamps and a chair (where Weiss is seated in the photo above) are from in Detroit.

鈥淚 learned so much from Marketplace owner Marvin Nash about midcentury design,鈥 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 of听Art alum, also adorn the apartment. 鈥淚 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.鈥

She also owns a planter, 鈥淢4_6鈥 (under the plant in the photo above), and听a vessel from Norman鈥檚 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 鈥渟uper sculptural,鈥 Weiss says. It was designed by Colin Tury of , a design studio located in Modern Development鈥檚 building.

Textile style

Several pieces adorn the apartment. They include a mix of woven textiles, found materials, and more. 鈥淚 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,鈥 Weiss says. She also has a Schubatis wall tapestry in her bedroom.

The office

Isabelle Weiss鈥 office. // Photograph by Joe Tiano.

Weiss鈥 office (above) is within the gallery and is not separated by walls. Her desk sits in front of听an old brick wall, on which she 鈥渓eft the old graffiti and a million layers of paint,鈥 she says. 鈥淚 chose to keep the industrial bones and even color-matched the paint to drywall. It鈥檚 an environment that speaks to our art objects that are born from this great industrial context of Detroit; we shouldn鈥檛 hide that.鈥

It grows on you

Photograph by Joe Tiano

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. 鈥淚t has a very unusual patina, made with Miracle-Gro,鈥 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 apartment鈥檚 living room window is 鈥渢he money view,鈥 Weiss says. Looking west on East Grand Boulevard, she can see Chroma, the Fisher Building, and 鈥渟ome amazing sunsets.鈥


This story is from the January 2023听issue of 糖心vlog安卓版. Read more in our digital edition. And click here听to see more metro Detroit interiors.听