John & Christine Gachot

John and Chrisitne Gachot cofounders of Gachot Studios. Photo: David Urbanke, Courtesy of Gachot

Sought after for their holistic approach to creating timeless and sophisticated spaces, Gachot Studios cofounders John and Christine Gachot recently unveiled the first-ever Shinola Hotel in Detroit, a 129-room property comprising a trio of historic downtown buildings. Beautiful but timeworn, the existing architecture “was not so much a challenge but a gift,” says Christine. “We weren’t just building a hotel; we were making a community.”

An even larger community awaits on the Caribbean island of Barbuda, where the couple have been tapped to collaborate on a 600-acre beachfront residential complex. In March, the Gachots launched a line of hardware with Waterworks inspired by two unlikely historic figures: Aesthetic movement pioneer Christopher Dresser and prolific industrial designer Dieter Rams. “These two men lived a century apart but had the same drive,” explains John. “That was the energy I was trying to channel.”

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The living room at the Shinola Hotel. Photo: Nicole Franzen, Courtesy of Gachot

The new Glossier flagship store was designed by Gachot Studios and P.R.O. Architecture with the idea that it would be an immersive community space where customers could connect with each other. Photo: Courtesy of Glossier, Inc

Eaton DC Hotel in Washington, DC.  Photo: Courtesy of Gachot

Bocce USQ in Union Square. Photo: Courtesy of Gachot

Pink-tinged plaster and a red quartz floor line the stairwell. Photo: Jason Schmidt

A version of this article first appeared in print in our 2020 Spring Issue under the headline Creative Minds. Subscribe to the magazine.