The vibrant art and shopping scene of Birmingham, Michigan, located 30 minutes north of Detroit, attracts locals and travelers alike. To welcome that clientele, hotel owner and local entrepreneur Mark Mitchell collaborated with Aparium Hotel Group to open Daxton Hotel. The property incorporates art, dining, and retail; its 151 guestrooms have two custom artworks each, and the hotel showcases more than 400 pieces from 160 artists representing nearly 40 countries, including paintings, photography, and sculptures. The focus on art extends to Daxton’s on-property restaurant Madam, which has seasonal menus inspired by California cooking, seats up to 80 guests, and features a custom chandelier and oversized windows. Madam features a painting series, a three-toned wooden floor, and a geodesic dome over the bar and lounge. The geode structure is part of what Aparium Hotel Group Partner Michael Kitchen describes as “elements of whimsy, surprise, and curiosity that captivate and delight guests at every turn.”
1Giant Geode
“The geode was always part of the conceptual design,” says Kitchen. “Our designer, Simeone Deary, really embraced the idea of avant-garde luxury. As a result, there were no bounds to where we could take this design.” The structure itself is a mostly steel frame crafted locally by IMBranded.
2Sophisticated Materials
Daxton Hotel fits into the community with its upscale “dining, impressive collection of art on display, and regularly recurring, engaging programming,” Kitchen says. He adds, “Despite the shock and awe moments of Daxton, the property is very much grounded in rich, timeless materials,” like the bar top.
3Chartreuse Seating
Like most else in Daxton Hotel, the seating and furniture was chosen to align with the entire property, tying the design together. “We complement the geode structure with Chartreuse furniture, adding another layer of timelessness to the mix of awe-inspiring design elements,” Kitchen says.
4Complementary Shapes
While the property is meant to stand timeless and classic, there are a variety of contrasts that bring the hotel into the modern space. One such collocation is that of the triangular structures on the dome-shaped geode; Kitchen says, “There is much juxtaposition in classic architecture with interesting features and shapes, as is the case with the bar.”
