Detroit Design Awards: Lucky Number 13

Jun 12, 2024 | Detroit, Gratitude Attitude

As interior design strategists, we get to do what we’re most passionate about. Our work connects us with some of the coolest clients imaginable. We’re located in the greatest city in the world. Our team is bigger and better than ever. Every single day gives us a new reason to feel lucky…and we just got 13 more at the Detroit Design Awards!

We’ve had the privilege of being honored at the Detroit Design Awards since 2018, but the seven projects honored across 13 categories this year feel more aligned with our growth and who we are as a firm than ever before. Our team has been recognized for our work on entire homes and commercial spaces, all the way down to details like use of color and materiality. We always tell our clients, “Be brave enough to be boldly YOU,” and these projects couldn’t be more distinct and reflective of each client’s unique personality.

For us, the 21st annual Detroit Design Awards tells a story of transformation and new beginnings…which, ironically, is what 13 symbolizes in numerology! Discover the story for yourself below.

Commercial Success

Our biggest commercial project in 2023 – Build Institute – was honored in both the Office category and Use of Color in a Commercial Space. Gradually expanding our commercial portfolio over the years has connected (or in Build’s case, reconnected) us with clients who are doing so much for the local community. As a graduate of Build Institute’s entrepreneur courses, receiving these honors was an exceptionally full circle moment for Concetti CEO & Principal Designer Rachel Nelson.

Down to the Details

There’s a reason we weave finding, demonstrating, and solidifying specific pieces into our process. Filling your space with beautiful pieces that hold personal meaning is how your space becomes YOU. Our dedication to finding the right furniture, fabrics, colors, and materials brought home four awards across three projects!

Dapper in Detroit won first place in the Interior Use of Tile category.
Wooded Whimsy was recognized in both the Flooring / Rugs and Use of Fabrics and Upholstery categories.
Rachel Nelson’s console in Call It a Fungalow – Lounge received a Repurposed Furniture award.

📷 (Left) Dapper in Detroit
📷 (Center) Wooded Whimsy
📷 (Right) Call It a Fungalow – Lounge

Room Reno

Although no two room transformations in our firm’s history look the same, they all have one thing in common: An elegant mix of function and aesthetic. Check out the following projects and the rooms that were awarded this year.

Between the custom cabinetry, recessed lighting, and other thoughtful details, Naturally Newtral took home a Kitchen award.
The Hype on Stripes nursery is out of this world, which is why it received a Children’s Room / Play Space award.
Wooded Whimsy is a real-life fairy tale. See why it received a Small Space Remodel award.
Meanwhile, the Traditional Master Suite in Sweet as Can Be in Beverly brings our clients down to earth for some serious unwinding.

📷 Naturally NEWtral

📷 (Left) Hype on Stripes
📷 (Center) Wooded Whimsy
📷 (Right) Sweet as Can Be in Beverly

Apartment/Loft/Condo

We’ve been fortunate to receive a Detroit Design Award in the Apartment/Loft/Condo category for several years now. We fully attribute this year’s honor to our client’s unique, eclectic style and their laid-back attitudes that completely empowered us to do our thing.

Located in Detroit’s Rivertown, the Hype on Stripes condo transformation took a grey, divided space into an open, modern, edgy haven brimming with personality and TONS of black and white stripes and pops of bold, beautiful colors!

📷 Hype on Stripes

Contemporary Cool

The thing about creating spaces that become YOU is that we extract your most authentic needs, preferences, and tastes. From the minimalists and maximalists to the timeless and modern, identifying your own personal style is part of what we do.

However, our Naturally Newtral clients knew their style LONG before they connected with us. As interior design enthusiasts, they knew how they wanted their dream home to look, feel, and function – they just needed a partner to bring it to life. The result is a highly personalized new construction home that’s as equally chic, minimalist, and soothing as it is technologically savvy and seamless…which is why it received a Contemporary Interior Design and a Contemporary Master Suite award.

📷 Naturally NEWtral

Between 13 awards, the diversity within those award-winning projects, our continued growth, and the very nature of what we do, our future looks full of transformation and new beginnings…and we couldn’t be more ready!

Are you interested in working with our award-winning team?

LET’S CONNECT!

What does “dopamine décor” mean to you?

Rachel: It’s the pieces that make you happy when you see them. An instant smile or giggle. For me, it’s unexpected whimsy and humor. In my house, I’ve got a brass fox head wearing sunglasses and a monkey-head planter with a gold tooth. They never get old. It’s about surrounding yourself shamelessly with things that make you happy. I can’t wait to bring pieces like this into my new home, Divinely Detroit, the historic church located in Indian Village.

How did you land on the name Moxie?

Rachel: At Concetti, our brand persona is “genuine moxie” which means kind, calm, loving, but bold in who you are. We’re always building our clients up to take that bold, courageous step. Moxie is the bold part. The “I don’t need permission” part. When you choose dopamine décor, you’re choosing to surround yourself with pieces others might not understand, but you love.

Who is Moxie for?

Rachel: It’s for anyone who’s been told they’re too much, too loud, too bold. It’s for the person who wants that little empowering piece in their day whether that’s a trucker hat, a beautiful candle, or funky lamp. It’s for people who want to surround themselves with pieces lovingly crafted and curated to give you a little dose of empowerment.

How do you stay creatively energized when building something from scratch?

Rachel: I’ve never subscribed to the idea that your life should follow a certain timeline. Since I was 16, I knew I wanted to be an interior designer. That’s 23 years of being dedicated to one decision, and it still feels good and in alignment.
When I create something new, it’s like a spark goes off. I listen to that inner knowing. I tell my team, “One step in front of the other.” It might be clumsy, but you’ve got to start moving.

What design rule do you love to break?

Rachel: Any of them. If I want to turn my dining room into a recording studio or a kids’ playroom, then I will, and you should feel empowered to, as well. The only rules worth following are the ones that make you feel good in your own space.

What advice would you give to creatives who feel “too much” for the design world?

Rachel: There’s no such thing. What you’ve been told is “too much” is your superpower. That’s what makes you different and magnetic. Stand in your power. Make decisions from alignment, not shame or guilt. Be unapologetically you because that’s when you really shine.

Favorite dopamine décor brands or artists?

Rachel: Regina Andrew (Detroit-based and stunning), Seletti (monkeys holding lightbulbs, peacock lamps), Noir (the hand chair!), Bold Monkey, Zoe Bios (customizable art), and Eric & Eloise (quirky brass animal heads). I make them weird with purple lights in my basement because it makes me laugh every time.

What do you hope people feel when they bring home a Moxie piece?

Rachel: I want them to feel excited and happy. I want unboxing to be an experience that exceeds expectations whether it’s something you wear and feel empowered in or something in your home or business that gives you that hit of joy every time you pass it.

What does success look like for Moxie?

Rachel: Moxie is more than numbers, it’s a movement. It’s about inclusivity, empowerment, and telling people they’re perfect exactly as they are.

One mindset shift that changed everything for you as a founder?

Rachel: Realizing that everything I need is already within me. I can surround myself with mentors and partners, but at the end of the day, I’m the only one living my truth.

Advice for creatives carving their own path?

Rachel: Persistence wins. Your journey is your own. Do the things that light you up and keep going. Pause to reflect on what’s working, what’s draining you, and what you can add back in to make you excited again. There’s no one else like you so own it.

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