Kevin Harrison, owner of
Midland Furniture Garage, the recent addition to Midland’s Center City, has deep roots in design and culture. Having travelled across the world for both work and play, he has developed an eye for curating spaces, a love for helping others feel at home and has brought the two together through the business he has created on Ashman Circle. Harrison is the owner of Harrison Interiors and STUFF, both located in Clarkston, MI.
We got to chat with him about why he chose to expand in Midland, current trends to look out for and what makes a space feel welcoming.
Q: Why did you choose Midland for opening your third location?
A: Midland is such a little gem - it really is a great city! It has a vibrant art scene, an intelligent, travelled and cultured consumer base. We wanted to bring an urban feel to the city. Our first location and our warehouse is in Clarkston, just an hour and fifteen minutes south. So, geographically it made sense, and we found a great building on Ashman Circle in the old Firestone building. Those factors plus the great design-oriented consumer base made it a great opportunity.
Q: We are loving the building makeover! What was the vision for the space?
A: Thanks! The building really spoke to us. We weren’t initially looking for a garage, but instead for a building with light, square footage and enough interest to be the shell. When we saw the space through the oil and rubble, it’s such a great building. We stripped the unnecessary items out and added back selectively after that. We took down the ceiling, left the natural wood and didn’t cover anything. What you see now is the texture and there’s something that feels really good about that. I think we crave texture visually and appreciate it without even knowing. So when we thought up the space, we wanted to create something with aesthetic appeal and a space where people would want to spend their time.
Q: Where did you develop your passion for design?
A: It’s hard to pinpoint because there are a million aspects! I lived in Chicago for 15 years and worked for a office furniture manufacturer where I travelled quite a bit. I got to experience great cities like Atlanta, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Toronto, and appreciate their architecture, working with well-known architectural firms to develop showrooms.
It enlarged my perspective beyond what was immediately around me. Anytime you do that, you experience more, especially in urban centers.
Q: What’s one of the favorite trends you’ve worked with?
A: I would say seeing how our industry is moving toward contemporary. Clean lined. Fresh. Purity of shape and scale. We’re losing a lot of the “fru-fru”. We’re reflecting a much more “American” mid-century style, while keeping some of the best inspirations from Europe, Asia, and Africa.
A really modern space can be really boring and dry. I always help customers understand that we need to add architecture and interest to the room before the furniture really starts. We then bring in their personality. There are ways to work with a customer’s favorite styles while still making it right for today’s home.
Q: What’s your favorite design challenge to tackle?
A: There’s so much out there I like working with! It’s really fun bringing it all together. I jump all over the place. I love Timothy Oulton, who’s doing some work for Restoration Hardware. He’s very traditional, all black walls, Great Britain flags as coverings, drum tables. But I also love the minimalist, very white walls with one wood table.
For me personally, I love good design in a range of styles. The biggest hurdle for customers to overcome is they want to be challenged but then they’re afraid. They want to move out of their comfort zone with new furniture. So the fun part is bringing together what is new with what makes them feel at home.
Q: That’s great! What makes a home welcoming or creates that feeling of home?
A: That it’s a reflection of you! It shouldn’t be anything other than what you like. A space should be trendy, yes but it should also be more than that. A trendy space has a limited life. A good designer should be able to help you make the home the best of you. When I go to someone’s home I want to see what they like. I want to see their collections and something that makes the home about
them. I go In some homes and they’re so generic. How do you feel connected to that? You feel so much better after you go into someone’s home and you understand them. It all fits together.
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