Renovation of Novi Steel Distibutor's Headquarters Featured in Magazine

—Submitted by Davis & Davis Interior Design

Lee Steel Corporation’s new Novi headquarters is Davis & Davis Interior Design’s latest project, and the feature story in the latest issue of the statewide construction publication CAM Magazine. Tasked with transforming a former print shop into a functional showplace for the flat-rolled carbon steel distributor, Davis & Davis Interior Design proved everything is material.

Wrapped in the luster of stainless steel and punctuated with lime green, and custom linen accents, the 10,000 square foot building breathes corporate identity. The materials are the very same Lee Steel employs to distribute products for the automotive, appliance, furniture, construction and defense industries, among others. Steel, which has plants in Grand Rapids and Detroit, is the star, prominently featured in the angled lobby walls, columns, doors and trim.

“It’s exactly what we envisioned,” said Zachary Taylor, president of Lee Steel, in a press release. “We asked for a contemporary corporate interior with an uncommon level of quality; an office without a trace of wood; and a signature building unmistakably stamped as the corporate offices of a flat-roll carbon steel distributor.”

Plymouth-based D.J. Maltese led the construction effort, carefully selecting a team of trade contractors known for impeccable craftsmanship. The design is perfectly harmonious with the philosophy at Davis & Davis Interior Design, said Michelle Davis, principal and design director, in a press release.

“We believe that design is not arbitrary, but linked to a designer’s ability to interpret or translate the client’s identity into physical space,” Davis said. “The stainless steel elements—particularly the procession of stainless steel columns and cantilevered beams in the main entrance—help convey Lee Steel’s precision engineering using metal.”

Davis & Davis Interior Design was hired in summer 2010 and produced a series of 3D photorealistic renderings to help the client best visualize their concepts.  The project was completed in August 2011.