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Scene In Detroit: Honor And Folly Is A Cottage In the City

By Amelia Kanan, CBS Detroit Blogger

There's a new home in town where everyone is welcome to escape to and even call their own. Honor and Folly is a renovated two-bedroom apartment inn that sits above Detroit's beloved Slow's BarBQ on Michigan Avenue. The interior is so perfectly splashed with modern, traditional, Scandinavian and Americana designs that the urban apartment can easily charm you into feeling as if you're visiting a friend's cottage.

Not just a home away from home for out-of-town Detroit visitors, Honor and Folly also functions as a place to take cooking lessons, host a party and, if that wasn't enough, it is also a store. Most of the items you find within the space are for sale: aprons, wool blankets, art, cutting boards, etc., all created by designers with talent, meaning and thought.

The inn's personal charm is due to owner and operator Meghan McEwen, who upon meeting makes you want to sit, drink coffee and chat about kids, design and food.

McEwen's allure doesn't just come from being a down-to-earth wife and mother of two young boys but also her work as a writer (former editor in chief of CS Interiors, her work has also been published in The New York Times, Martha Stewart Living and others), her own travels, and her expertise in finding some of the most interesting places to stay in all corners of the world.

I first became familiar with McEwen over a year ago, well before Honor and Folly, when I was still on the other side of the country. One day while planning a "fantasy" trip to Croatia, a blog came up in one of my Google searches called Designtripper.com. This venturing travel/design blog hinders off the beaten paths of the U.S. and abroad, posting of quaint inns, homes, B&B's, ice cream shops and all those mom and pop owned places that allow you to truly experience a destination. Little did I know this was McEwen's blog (almost two years old) which works as a travel guide, inspirational whisper to try something new, motivational nudge to purchase that plane ticket and for exploring the try nooks and crannies of the world.

It was through all of her explorations and discoveries for Designtripper that McEwen herself became inspired to open her own B&B. It also helped that her husband and brother-in-law (owner of Slow's) were pretty much responsible for turning around this historic Detroit city block through huge clean-up jobs, gutting and renovating. One of those units, where McEwen and her husband had actually lived long before, would become what it is today Honor and Folly.

And just as charming and warm as McEwen and as multifaceted as her Designtripper.com, Honor and Folly follows the same suits. Once I put two and two together, I e-mailed McEwen about my interest in writing about Honor and Folly and she kindly invited me to sit in on a class to observe and photograph.

Obviously, I jumped at the opportunity but I wasn't sure exactly what to expect and embarrassingly enough, I'll admit that I had some presumptions about what the experience might entail. However, as I ascended to the top of the wood and mirror stairs and arrived in this spacious kitchen and living area that modestly boasts stained glass windows, hardwood floors, exposed brick and a kitchen made for cooking. I was smitten and ready for anything.

My most positive take-away was the versatility of the class that was comprised of men, woman, younger, older, singles and couples. Detroiters and suburbanites alike all gathered together with their glasses of wine and beer, chatting, joking about their kitchen skills, volunteering to use the immersion blender and using a slicing tool called a mandolin. Classes, affordably priced, vary in themes from knife skills to gnocchi and sometimes even have special guest appearances by local favorite chefs.

Yes, it's honorable, but foolish Honor & Folly is not. Naturally, people might question the relevancy of the inn and wonder if it's too unorthodox a concept for Detroit or the prices seem too high, but my response is this: Honor and Folly has been booked every weekend since its opening in December and the classes have all been big hits. Visit honorandfolly.com for details on classes, hosting parties, booking reservations or to shop around.

Also, whether you're planing a trip or not, I highly suggest you check out designtripper.com, there are midwest gems, road trip ideas and international inspiration which can benefit everyone.

Amelia Kanan is freelance writer/photographer and a returning native of Detroit. A graduate of Columbia College in Chicago, she wrote for an Emmy nominated sketch comedy show and pursued her passion for documentary filmmaking in Los Angeles. An incomplete list of her loves: books, human rights, improv, the smell of new shoes, talking to strangers, libraries, France, yoga, furniture, music, sociology and pushing the limits.

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