thanks for the view mr. mies....I went to a book launch party at my friendsBrian and Elizabeth'sstore in the ACE Hotel the other nightfor this amazing new book:"thanks for the view mr. mies:lafayette park, detroit"Which is edited by Danielle Aubert, Lana Cavar and Natasha Chandani.Metropolis Books is the publisher.The book covers life and living in the Mies van de Rohe buildingshead to tail.They do not leave anything out,and that is part of the joy of this book.Once you have it in your hands you will know what I mean.One of my favorite sections is where Corine Vermeulen photographed the living roomsof the different units of the townhouse section of the development.Here are my favorites:KEIRAWe didn't want to necessarily go back to doing the original, because it would have been too historically complicated since it was in pretty bad shape. So we just sort of did, "What would Mies do in 2007?"WESLEYThey want to live here because it's prestigious to say, "I live in the Mies van der Rohe." But I was just looking for a place where I didn't have to shovel snow. That's it.SYLVIAI think the prior owners were depressed – the walls were a dark wood paneling. This is a wide open, beautiful space. Why would you want to close yourself in? We painted everything in bright colors and I mirrored one wall to reflect the light.ROBIf I could make any changes to the structures, I would make them 2 feet wider. Just so the kitchen could be a real-sized kitchen and not be so claustrophobic.BILLI've lived in Frank Lloyd Wright, and I've lived in Mies, and I guess there's one more, that's Le Corbusier, and he didn't do anything in this area. So I'm trying to make the most of it.TONYI've always liked a lot of the '50s architecture that people now think is pretty ugly.It appeals to me – I've always been a very rectangular guy.MARSHADetroiters are people who grow up in older brick homes – we don't grow up intenements or apartment buildings. This was viewed as a little off the wall. Who would live in a little box unit if you could live in a four-bedroom brick colonial?KANJI AND SHANTAWe like contemporary design and this sort of falls into that. The utilization of space here is like 100%.MELISSA AND NOAHI think my favorite architectural part of the house is the staircase. It's what Mies spent 40 years trying to perfect in all of his buildings, and I think he did it better in Lafayette Park than in Berlin, Chicago – better than anywhere else.BEVERLY AND RICHARDIt was really just a box when we moved in. The previous owner had the original white flooring and had the walls stark white except for one, which was slate gray. Can you imagine? CATHERINE, KAREN, SHARON AND JEROME Your wals are glass, you can't hide anything. you can pull your blinds, but most people live with their blinds open. I think that the idea was to experiment with community living, and for the most part it's worked. PAULINE AND JOEWe had once thought about living in a commune, when we were younger and more energetic, but it never worked out. This is sort of an in-between. JONATHAN AND DANIELLEWe've been here since September and we still don't have blinds. The TV is right there. We were walking by one evening in the park and our light was on, and we were like, "Whoa, you can really see everything!" CHRISTIAN AND MICHELEA lot of people have this perception of Detroit as being dark and gloomy. But you live here and it's so bright and beautiful that you have a totally different view of the city. JUDY, COURTHOUSE RESIDENTWhere you choose to live and where you choose to work sometimes is not the same city. I have been on the road for almost 30 years. On Monday I jump on a plane to Chicago, then every Friday I come back here. Chicago's a great city, but my roots have always been in Detroit. These aren't available for about a week or so,so please order your copy now fromProject No. 8!MoreHEREtoo.
I went to a book launch party at my friendsBrian and Elizabeth'sstore in the ACE Hotel the other nightfor this amazing new book:"thanks for the view mr. mies:lafayette park, detroit"Which is edited by Danielle Aubert, Lana Cavar and Natasha Chandani.Metropolis Books is the publisher.The book covers life and living in the Mies van de Rohe buildingshead to tail.They do not leave anything out,and that is part of the joy of this book.Once you have it in your hands you will know what I mean.One of my favorite sections is where Corine Vermeulen photographed the living roomsof the different units of the townhouse section of the development.Here are my favorites:
KEIRAWe didn't want to necessarily go back to doing the original, because it would have been too historically complicated since it was in pretty bad shape. So we just sort of did, "What would Mies do in 2007?"
WESLEYThey want to live here because it's prestigious to say, "I live in the Mies van der Rohe." But I was just looking for a place where I didn't have to shovel snow. That's it.
SYLVIAI think the prior owners were depressed – the walls were a dark wood paneling. This is a wide open, beautiful space. Why would you want to close yourself in? We painted everything in bright colors and I mirrored one wall to reflect the light.
ROBIf I could make any changes to the structures, I would make them 2 feet wider. Just so the kitchen could be a real-sized kitchen and not be so claustrophobic.
BILLI've lived in Frank Lloyd Wright, and I've lived in Mies, and I guess there's one more, that's Le Corbusier, and he didn't do anything in this area. So I'm trying to make the most of it.
TONYI've always liked a lot of the '50s architecture that people now think is pretty ugly.It appeals to me – I've always been a very rectangular guy.
MARSHADetroiters are people who grow up in older brick homes – we don't grow up intenements or apartment buildings. This was viewed as a little off the wall. Who would live in a little box unit if you could live in a four-bedroom brick colonial?
KANJI AND SHANTAWe like contemporary design and this sort of falls into that. The utilization of space here is like 100%.
MELISSA AND NOAHI think my favorite architectural part of the house is the staircase. It's what Mies spent 40 years trying to perfect in all of his buildings, and I think he did it better in Lafayette Park than in Berlin, Chicago – better than anywhere else.
BEVERLY AND RICHARDIt was really just a box when we moved in. The previous owner had the original white flooring and had the walls stark white except for one, which was slate gray. Can you imagine? 
CATHERINE, KAREN, SHARON AND JEROME Your wals are glass, you can't hide anything. you can pull your blinds, but most people live with their blinds open. I think that the idea was to experiment with community living, and for the most part it's worked. 
PAULINE AND JOEWe had once thought about living in a commune, when we were younger and more energetic, but it never worked out. This is sort of an in-between. 
JONATHAN AND DANIELLEWe've been here since September and we still don't have blinds. The TV is right there. We were walking by one evening in the park and our light was on, and we were like, "Whoa, you can really see everything!" 
CHRISTIAN AND MICHELEA lot of people have this perception of Detroit as being dark and gloomy. But you live here and it's so bright and beautiful that you have a totally different view of the city. 
JUDY, COURTHOUSE RESIDENTWhere you choose to live and where you choose to work sometimes is not the same city. I have been on the road for almost 30 years. On Monday I jump on a plane to Chicago, then every Friday I come back here. Chicago's a great city, but my roots have always been in Detroit.