The Redford Theatre was built across 1927 and 1928 by a local consortium out of Plymouth, for the Kunsky chain, and opened in January 1928 advertising itself as “Detroit’s most unique suburban theater”. The claim rested on the interior, which carried Japanese and Chinese motifs at a time when suburban cinemas were mostly plain boxes.
It worked because it was the exception
Distinctiveness is a strategy that only functions against a background of restraint. A single elaborate theater among plain ones is remarkable; a street of elaborate theatres is exhausting and none of them stands out.
The wardrobe version
A man whose clothes are all quiet can wear one distinctive thing and be noticed for it. A man whose clothes are all distinctive is not noticed for any of them, and generally reads as trying rather than as interesting.
Which points at the same conclusion
Build the base out of plain, well-fitted things, navy and charcoal, nothing announcing itself. Then a single departure lands. Nobody on our floor is on commission, so nobody has a reason to sell you the departure first.
Also for Redford: Built by a Consortium Out of Plymouth. More on style consulting, or plan your visit to our Oak Park showroom.
