LIFESTYLES
Designs On
New Frequencies Assemble Sound’s innovative headquarters guides artists from reflection to creation TEXT BY ANNA SWARTZ | PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHRISTIAN NAJJAR
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n late 2025, Assemble Sound announced plans to open its new headquarters in Little Village, a cultural arts hub on Detroit’s east side. Seth and Jillian Anderson, who founded the music company in 2015, said it would be occupying 4,000 square feet in the mixed-use LANTERN building. Assemble Sound includes an Atlantic Records-affiliated record label, music licensing and supervision, and 2,000 square feet of recording space for artist development. The Andersons worked collaboratively as the architectural and interior designers for their space, creating an atmosphere of “space age meets brutalism meets minimalism” with crisp, bold lines. They enlisted Commerce Township-based CIR Group to serve as the general contractor, and Lansing’s Glenn Brown Productions was brought in as the project’s
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DETROIT DESIGN | FALL 2026
studio and acoustic consultant. Ken Caption, of Drayton Plains-based Solar2Studios, was responsible for studio fabrications. The couple say they thrifted almost all the furnishings and note that a custom table by Simon Anton of Thing Thing, placed in a coworking space, intentionally serves as a focal point. The recycled-plastic tabletop, with a Golden Gem Ficus tree growing through its center, separates into five pieces for co-working. Three different zones intentionally move from cold (“the whitest of white paint” and cement floors) to warm (red oak floors, with warmer wall tones and lighting) to warmest (natural light and no traditional fixtures). “We used the color progression to create three distinct environments, each supporting a different purpose. The coolest zone is our flexible event space for listening sessions,
screenings, galleries, and private gatherings. It’s designed to feel engaging and energetic, rather than overly comfortable,” Seth explains. “The middle zone houses our offices. The goal was to strike a balance between comfort and productivity. It needed to be warm enough for a full work day, yet focused enough to encourage getting things done. The warmest zone contains our studios. Inspired by the feeling of a spa, it’s designed to be the most comfortable environment in the building — a place where artists can settle in, stay for hours, and fully immerse themselves in the creative process.” Although the boldly colored staircase by architectural firm OMA was in place before Assemble Sound took over the space, it complements their clean aesthetic while functioning as a piece of art, Jillian says. Adds Anthony Curis, developer of the LANTERN building: “The color of the stairwell is a reminder of the building’s history as the former Bluebird Baking Co, transforming the memory of the space into a contemporary symbol of renewal.” The transition from the offices to the studio spaces offers a literal and figurative moment of reflection. Upon opening the arched door, artists