Great community spaces do not happen by accident.
communities
Libraries. Municipal buildings. Cultural centers. Historic civic buildings. Faith communities and vacant school districts repurposing their spaces for new generations. These projects carry more weight than most because they belong to everyone, they serve people across every stage of life, and they have to keep working for decades. Getting them right requires a partner who understands both the design and the human complexity underneath it.
Every community project starts with a budget question. Our project estimator helps you develop a realistic design fee range to bring to your board, your funders, or your planning process before work begins.
We bring interior design, historic preservation, and design strategy together with a process built for civic and institutional projects. That means stakeholder engagement from the start, a concept rooted in community identity rather than trend, and change leadership that helps your organization navigate the transition from what was to what will be.
We also know how to work within the funding structures, grant requirements, and public accountability that shape community projects. We have been in these rooms. We know how to move them forward.
What We Bring to Your Project
We partner with libraries, nonprofits, civic organizations, faith communities, and local governments across Michigan. We are particularly well-suited to projects that involve historic buildings, community engagement requirements, or complex stakeholder environments.
Who We Work With
Services for communities
First Look
A focused 90-minute call to explore your ideas, priorities, and possibilities.
Investment: $350
Paid Design Consultation
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You have an idea about a specific project, but you are stuck and want to brainstorm with a pro
You want to discuss your project in depth ahead of committing to a design package to ensure we are the right fit
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90 minute video call via Google Meet.
We can discuss things like ideas for a specific space, virtual walk through and brainstorm of your space, advice on selections you've already made but aren't quite sure about
Follow up summary and notes from the call
Onsite Insight
One intensive day: site visit and strategic follow-up slide deck, offering high-impact guidance in a compact format or as an initial starting point.
Investment: Starting at $2500
Full Day Design Workshop
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You are looking for expert design or preservation insights into your project
You need some initial design collateral to show funders, community members, or others what could be
You are a small business owner, and a full-design project is out of reach during your startup period, but you still want to ensure a great guest experience
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Client Questionnaire
30 minute Project Planning Call ahead of the dedicated day
Up to 6 hours of on location design and preservation support
Subject to travel time and expense outside Metro Detroit
A follow-up document with high-level strategic insights, project ideation, and visual support
Foundation
The groundwork: visioning, inspiration, and initial finish direction.
Investment: Varies depending on scope, starting at $2000
Concept & Finishes Package
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You need to clarify the project goals and establish direction, but want to execute on your own
You have more time than money and can take it from here
Will source all your own products - you just want high-level direction and ideas
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Client Questionnaire
30 minute Project Planning Call
Deliverable: Concept Design Package
Mood Board
Color & Material Direction
Storytelling Narrative
Does not include any plans, site visits, or field verifications
Framework
A tailored design plan with thoughtful materiality and intention. Design package with drawings and selections for those who want to manage their own sourcing, procurement and construction.
Investment: varies depending on scope, typical range between $15,000 - $100,000+
Design Package
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You have more time than money and can manage the execution of the project yourself
Will be happy to standard products and don't expect any custom, to-the-trade, or bespoke design features
Do not need full interior drawing set or support during construction
Will source all selected products yourself or with your contractor
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Client Questionnaire
30 minute Project Planning Call
Deliverables: Full design development package, including Concept Design Package, Design Development level Drawings, and schedules of product selections
up to 2 site visits, including field verifications
Collective Co-Design
Our most immersive and comprehensive offering . Full-circle, strategic design, complete sourcing of all components (procurement optional add-on), along with project and change leadership throughout construction.
Investment varies depending on scope, typical range between $25,000 - $250,000+
Full-Service Interior Design
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You want an expert to guide you through the entire process - we will handle everything
You are short on time, but have the budget to support full-service professional design support
-are ready to make your space one to rememberYou want custom, bespoke, or to-the-trade design features for a unique design tailored to your specific project needs
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Client Questionnaire
60 minute Project Planning Call
Ongoing support calls, email communication, site visits, project meetings, and design workshops throughout the project
Beyond the traditional design and project management approach, our Collective Co-Design process is holistic. It expands to include in-depth, evidence-based research to ground our projects, change management processes and support to extend beyond the traditional budget/ schedule/ quality to include how the project will impact the people involved, rich-narrative to express each unique project within the culture, community, and context in which it exists, and ongoing empowerment through education and guidance throughout the process.
Deliverables: Full design development package, including Concept Design Package, Comprehensive Drawings, Specifications, Schedules and coordination for all furniture, fixtures, equipment, finishes, hardware, lighting, art, cabinetry, millwork, and accessories
Construction administration support for the duration of construction and installation
HISTORIC PRESERVATION
Your building's history is not a constraint — in the right hands, it is a financial tool. As qualified architectural historians and interior designers, we build preservation compliance into the design process from the start, making your project eligible for federal and state rehabilitation tax credits rather than retrofitting compliance after decisions have already been made. That distinction protects your credit eligibility, reduces costly revisions, and keeps your project on schedule.
Investment varies depending on scope, typical range between $15,000 - $50,000+
Technical Services
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You own or are acquiring a building that is listed on, or may be eligible for, the National Register of Historic Places or a local historic district
You want to access federal and/or state Historic Tax Credits and need someone to manage the documentation and compliance process
You are working with an architect and need a preservation specialist embedded in the design team from the beginning, not brought in at the end to review
You have been told your building is historic but are not sure what that means for your project or your financing
You want to understand your options before you commit to a rehabilitation approach
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Preliminary historic significance assessment to determine eligibility and credit potential
National Register of Historic Places nomination or local historic district application, as applicable
Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 Historic Tax Credit application preparation and submission
Coordination with the State Historic Preservation Office throughout the review process
Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation compliance review integrated into design development
Design guidance to maintain standards compliance through material selections, detailing, and scope decisions
Response to SHPO comments and revision of submittals as needed
Construction phase documentation and site observation to support Part 3 certification
Construction administration billed time and material
add-on services
Your space is the physical expression of your brand and both need to tell the same story. We develop a comprehensive brand guide that aligns your visual identity with your built environment, including signage systems and environmental graphics. The result is a space where everything you see, from the sign on the door to the finish on the wall, feels like it belongs together.
Brand Strategy
Your furniture decisions involve more than picking pieces. We manage the bid and specification process, coordinate with your dealer, review submittals for accuracy, and walk the space after installation to make sure everything arrived and was installed as specified. You stay informed without getting buried in the details.
Furniture Administration
Renovation changes more than the walls. It changes how your team works, how your clients experience you, and how your organization understands itself. We build change leadership into projects where the human transition matters as much as the physical one, facilitating stakeholder engagement, communicating the process to the people it affects, and helping your organization move from what was to what will be with clarity and intention.
Change Leadership
featured Projects
bLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP PUBLIC LIBRARY
Renovation of a beloved community treasure
municipal building and police department
New city services and police department for one of the fastest growing communities in Texas
the legacy group of benton harbor
Analysis of historic church adaptive use into community center and workforce training facility
Not sure how to bring your community along?
The hardest part of a community project is rarely the design.
It is getting everyone aligned around a shared vision before a single decision gets made.
Our free guide walks you through the co-design process: how to structure stakeholder engagement, who to include and when, and how to move a room full of competing priorities toward something everyone can stand behind.
Let's talk about what your community deserves.
Fill out our project inquiry form to get started