The Little Things: A Design Tour of Karl’s, a New Detroit Diner With a Vintage Vision
The jukebox needed a tune-up, but the 45s inside were ready to go. Dolly Parton, obscure Fleetwood Mac, Kool & the Gang. Some things never get old. But some things need to get old—fast—and that’s the point of Karl’s, a Detroit diner inside The Siren hotel that steps back in time to somewhere between 1940 and 1970.
At Karl’s, chef Kate Williams pays tribute to her great-great-grandfather Anton Karl, who owned a German bakery on Kercheval Avenue just seven miles away. The bakery closed during the Depression (rumor has it because they gave away too much bread), but at Williams’s new diner, a neon “Karl’s” sign glows in the window as if it’s been there all along.
The design team at ASH NYC doubled down on Williams’s vintage vision with a mixture of old and new-but-looks-old decor: Formica tables, rattan lampshades, family photos, and that finicky old jukebox. We stopped by to see how every detail celebrates the history of the city and the people who lived there.
Photo by EE Berger1/9The Jukebox
It’s a beaut. A 1957 Wurlitzer—as in the music company responsible for the building The Siren occupies now: the circle of life!—was restored by Ann Arbor jukebox surgeon Bob Welke. Today it’s prone to breakdowns, but when it’s jiving, songs are free.
Photo by EE Berger2/9The Tile
ASH NYC sourced period tile from Minneapolis-based Clay Squared to Infinity. It’s the color of martini olives, which means you should probably order a martini. Subliminal messaging works!
Photo by EE Berger3/9The Placemats
Williams’s first job, at Guernsey Farms Dairy in Northville, MI, had “puke yellow placemats” with funeral home ads and connect-the-dots for kids. These mats are an ode to those. Race your family to see who can finish the Detroit trivia crossword puzzle first (whoever wins gets everyone’s milkshake cherries). The “ads”— fake taglines, real places—include the restaurant’s lawyers (“don’t wait, litigate!”), a local schvitz, and Williams’s favorite hair salon (Detroit Blows: “taking credit for good hair days since 2017”).
Photo by EE Berger4/9The Memorabilia
Before opening, Williams split her staff into teams and sent them on an antiques hunt. They came back with treasures worthy of any Michigan grandma’s basement: Red Wings posters from the ’90s, somebody’s old Pistons T-shirt, and a coveted 1984 Tigers World Series pennant.
Photo by EE Berger5/9The Cake Stands
Vintage and thrifted cake stands from the team treasure hunt now hold sky-high lemon meringue pie and pastry chef Jessica Chaney’s chocolate chip cookies.
Photo by EE Berger6/9The Dinnerware
Patty melts show up on sturdy custom Homer Laughlin plates made in West Virginia, framed by that iconic checkerboard in “Karl’s green”— a lighter-than-forest shade that wouldn’t be out of place on a vintage Chevy.
Photo by EE Berger7/9The Plastic Cups
The flatware is cheap metal, the water cups are green plastic Cambro—very authentic diner stuff. And yes, they have those annoying thin napkins in the metal holder at the center of every table. Too authentic!
Photo by EE Berger8/9The Fam
Relatives from all over the country sent in decades of family photos, the highlights of which are tucked into the beveled mirrors and tacked to a pegboard in Karl’s dining room among travel and cooking ephemera gathered by the ASH team. (My favorite, the pamphlet: BEANS BEANS BEANS!) Look for the Harmony Shavers, Williams’s great-grandfather’s barbershop quartet.
Photo by EE Berger9/9The Breakfast Rolls
Puffy German breakfast rolls, an homage to Williams’s German, pastry-loving grandma, are filled with Brie cheese and chives. They’re the size of grapefruit, and you want one.
