As the former creative director of Detroit-based watch and lifestyle brand Shinola, Daniel Caudill has long championed local, made-in-Michigan production. Now, he is bringing that very same design philosophy upstate with the Dexter Hotel, a newly opened 29-room hospitality property situated in Elk Rapids, Michigan. Positioned along the scenic waterfront of Grand Traverse Bay, the hotel represents a deliberate celebration of regional craftsmanship, architectural heritage, and the vibrant creative culture that flourishes across the state well beyond the borders of Motor City.
Located a three-and-a-half-hour drive north of Detroit, the Dexter Hotel is the latest venture from Caudill’s Kinship Hospitality, a firm he co-founded with Kamron Bije-Apple in collaboration with Shore North Development. From the structural furniture filling each guest room to the bespoke lighting fixtures overhead, nearly every element of the new getaway was created by Kinship Hospitality in direct partnership with an extensive network of makers, artisans, and manufacturers from the surrounding region.
Caudill notes that his deep personal connection to the area laid the groundwork for this hyperlocal approach. Having owned property in northern Michigan for approximately a decade, he views the region as an ideal convergence of natural beauty and creative enterprise. It offers incredible fresh water, abundant orchards, and local farms that inspire an amazing culinary scene, coupled with a thriving community of artists and craftspeople whose talents rival those found in major metropolitan design hubs.
When developing the Dexter Hotel, Caudill and his team applied a rigorous local sourcing mandate to every single decision, no matter how minute. Every potential addition to the property was evaluated through the core question of whether it could be made right there in Michigan. Drawing on relationships built over years of working within the state’s design community, Caudill reached out to friends, collaborators, and local artisans. Taking the extra time required to source items locally—even down to the bathroom soap dishes—ultimately yielded a collection of distinctive, highly bespoke designs that give the property its unique character.
The hotel’s waterfront setting on Grand Traverse Bay establishes a serene tone from the moment guests arrive, and that natural aesthetic continues seamlessly into the guest rooms. Inside, visitors are greeted by a handsome lineup of custom white oak furniture that pays homage to Michigan’s rich historical legacy as a foundational hub for mid-century modern furniture production. All of the property’s couches, chairs, beds, and nightstands were conceptualized by Caudill and manufactured by Wolf Studio, based in Grand Rapids.
Michigan has played a monumental role in American furniture manufacturing over the past century, and Wolf Studio continues that tradition by producing classically American designs crafted from solid wood with substantial proportions, completely avoiding veneers. Caudill worked closely with the studio to refine the scale and shape of each piece, focusing on subtle details such as the bend of an arm or the slope of a back to ensure the furniture offered genuine comfort. To complement the substantial woodwork, the design incorporates rich textural elements including velvet, leather, heavy cottons, and canvases, maximizing soft tactility throughout the spaces.
Further enhancing the hotel’s sense of regional history and relaxed, welcoming atmosphere is a carefully curated selection of vintage furnishings and decor sourced from Pernette’s, an antiques dealer based in nearby Northport, Michigan. Some of the vintage chairs possess an easy familiarity, reminiscent of heirloom pieces found in a relative’s home, contributing to a laid-back hangout vibe where every visitor feels instantly at ease. For Caudill, one of the highest compliments is hearing guests express a desire to move in or treat the property as their own home, signaling that the space successfully fosters genuine comfort and belonging.
In the lobby, the linear patterning of the handcrafted front reception desk—also fabricated by Wolf Studio—stands as a striking showcase of contemporary American woodworking. Wolf Studio is similarly responsible for the custom bar in the on-site Noble Lounge. This dining destination extends the hotel’s deeply localized focus directly to its culinary offerings, featuring artisanal cheeses sourced from nearby towns such as Suttons Bay and Northport.
The celebration of Michigan’s manufacturing and artistic talent extends across the entire property. Custom flush-mount ceiling lights, designed by Caudill, were produced by Britten Inc., a manufacturer based in Traverse City. Meanwhile, ceramic trays, vases, and various tabletop accessories were fabricated by ClaySpace, another local Traverse City business. Caudill emphasizes that the close collaboration process enabled by local production was an extraordinary luxury, allowing his team to visit studios directly to inspect glazes, adjust light temperatures, and refine products iteratively until achieving absolute perfection.
Even the property’s typography and signage bear the distinct fingerprints of regional artisans. Bear Sign Company in Traverse City produced the interior wayfinding elements and the main exterior signage, while Motown Hand Painting out of Detroit contributed additional hand-painted lettering throughout the building. The hotel’s art collection is equally rooted in the state, featuring works curated by Detroit’s Library Street Collective, original canvases by Michigan artists Pier Wright and Jesse Hickman, and even an anonymous landscape painting that Caudill discovered at a local thrift store.
Recognizing that guests may not immediately absorb every nuance of the property’s intricate backstories, Caudill is currently developing a zine to document the origins and narratives behind the designs. Yet he remains confident that visitors will intuitively notice the difference. Even without knowing the full provenance, guests will readily recognize that the lighting, pottery, and lamps depart from mass-produced hotel standards, offering a specificity that imbues the Dexter Hotel with its memorable atmosphere.
Looking ahead, Caudill plans to open an on-site gift shop that will make a selection of the guest rooms’ distinctive designs available for purchase, including the much-coveted soap dishes that have occasionally gone missing after guest stays. Given how thoroughly the Dexter Hotel captures and reflects the spirit of its surroundings, it comes as little surprise that visitors frequently depart wishing to take a tangible piece of Michigan home with them.
