Home + Design

Right Plant, Right Place

Less lawn, more life: Erica Zador helps backyards do more than look good Article by Marshall Zweig | Photography by Amy Gillespie The wind is a character in Erica Zador’s story. Not metaphorically. Literally. The kind of wind that rips across the Great Plains with enough force to rearrange your mood—and, if you’re unlucky, your car. In Erica’s Kansas childhood, growing up 27 miles from the nearest town, tumbleweeds weren't charming symbols of the Old West. They were the wind’s weapons...

Arts + Culture

Home Ground

Dustin Walker's century of Royal Oak roots keeps homebuying human Article by Marshall Zweig | Photography by Amy Gillespie Dustin Walker describes Royal Oak streets the way most people talk about their living room.  It makes sense: his family has been inhabiting them for over a century. "My great-grandparents moved here in the 1920s," Dustin explains. "Since then, we've just kept moving up Campbell Road. My great-grandmother lived at 11 and Campbell. My dad grew up at 12 and Campbell. I grew...

Home + Design

Building From Why

This former GM engineer builds renovations around what matters most to you Article by Marshall Zweig | Photography by Amy Gillespie Vince Rende didn't leave General Motors because he hated engineering. In fact, he still loves the attention to detail and problem solving that it takes to be a good engineer.  He just sensed there was a better path for him—one that brings him closer not just to the work, but to the people he serves. For years, he guided multi-million-dollar automotive projects...

Home + Design

How A Home Should Feel

Kristen Roessel designs for how life feels—and creates rooms that people never want to leave Article by Marshall Zweig | Photography by Amy Gillespie Kristen Roessel doesn’t remember a single moment when interior design “clicked.”  There was just a room. Her room. She was a kid, newly moved to Michigan and newly given her very own bedroom. Her mom told all the kids they could do whatever they wanted with their spaces. One sister felt overwhelmed. Her brother didn’t care.  Kristen lit up. ...