23 michigandesign.com Interior designers are among the privileged few able to witness a project as it morphs from caterpillar to chrysalis to butterfly. In the case of Rachel Nelson and Lauren DeLaurentiis, principals of design firmRL Concetti, the spectacular threestory, 5,000-square-foot penthouse they designed in downtown Detroit’s restored Westin Book Cadillac couldn’t have had more unglamorous beginnings – or such stunning results. “It truly was a blank canvas.” “This space had been the mechanical tower, so it had never been a residence,” Nelson explains. “Someone had started to make it into a residence, but it was far from complete; it was just pure studded walls. The stairs weren’t finished. There was no HVAC, no plumbing, no electrical. It truly was a blank canvas.” In collaboration with Detroit-based Integrity Building Group, the project gained momentum, though it took about 18 months to complete. Originally erected as the Book-Cadillac Hotel, the building today is home to a hotel, condos, and the popular Roast and 24 Grille restaurants. It’s a thriving spot now, but the imposing structure on Washington Boulevard and Michigan Avenue was revived from near extinction after being shuttered in 1984. The kitchen’s most striking attribute is the impressive black marble island. The 12-foot slab had to be cut down the middle and transported up the freight elevator. Marble: Leonardo’s Marble & Granite, Suite 102-B. Chandelier: City Lights Detroit, Suite 98. TOP RIGHT | Breathtaking views of Detroit’s skyline can be enhanced with the assistance of a telescope on a stand in a corner of the great room. The abstract painting is by Jan Dorer. Sconces: City Lights Detroit, Suite 98.
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