Giraffe Design Build __________________________________________________________________________________________
living wings nestled into gentle knolls and connected by light-filled corridors that span a central courtyard. Floor-to-ceiling windows draw nature into the home, while thoughtful landscaping echoes a creek bed flowing through the open atrium, connecting the building with its surroundings at every turn.
“ The Bridge House was built for clients who were moving to Ann Arbor. They reached out to us from Oklahoma in December 2023, and we had six months to design the project because they needed to move in at the beginning of August 2025. We started the design in January 2024 and broke ground in June, finishing the house by the end of July 2025,” Martin details.“ About six months into the renovation, however, we were past the framing stage and moving into the mechanicals when the clients reached out to us and said,‘ Hey guys, we don’ t have time to furnish this house- can you do it for us?’. So, we took that on as well. We selected all the furniture, artwork, paint colors, window treatments, bed linens, and silverware.
“ Interestingly, when the clients first contacted us, they had just finished building a house in Oklahoma less than six months earlier. They initially said,‘ We want the same house in Michigan’, and they sent us the floor plan. The floor plan was essentially a huge rectangle. The public living spaces were in the center of the rectangle, surrounded by bedrooms, an office, and a gym. The problem was that you couldn’ t really experience much of the surrounding nature. They were building on a lovely, wooded lot, but you might never have known it if we’ d simply built their original design. We ended up taking their floor plan and carving out the middle, essentially removing the center to create a courtyard. That allowed us to create four wings to the house, with each wing no more than about 22 feet wide; as a result, you’ re never more than 11 feet from glass and the outside.
“ The house was bright and airy. When the clients drove up from Oklahoma to take possession of the house, one of the designers said,‘ Martin, would you like to hand the keys over to the client?’; I replied,‘ I’ m not sure I’ ll let go of the keys!’”
Lasting impact
Nearly three decades on, Giraffe’ s philosophy continues to demonstrate how considered design and genuine collaboration can create spaces with lasting impact. As the business looks ahead, its ambitions may be measured, but its commitment is unwavering: to keep refining its craft, growing thoughtfully, and, above all, doing more of what it loves.
“ Our plan is to continue further integrating and refining our process. We’ re interested in slow, steady growth and in reaching our target market, which is design-aware clients in the area. We just completed a lovely ADU project on a much smaller scale. The client had built a garage in their backyard with an unfinished space above it and a rough staircase, so the project was about finishing that space, and it came out so well. It speaks to the power of good design and good collaboration with a client,” Martin reveals.
“ Honestly, we just hope to do more of what we love. The only slightly entrepreneurial adjunct or auxiliary path we’ ve often talked about would be building a small subdivision of four or five homes. It would be a speculative venture, but it would also give Giraffe an opportunity to put its design stamp on a community through a small series of homes,” he says, concluding our conversation.
“ As the owner, I’ m fortunate to have the team that we have. A lot of people my age are contemplating retirement, but I’ m very happy working at Giraffe Design Build and couldn’ t imagine anything different. It’ s a really rewarding experience.” ■
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