Within ten minutes of meeting Sharon, the owner of the Marston House from Monday’s post, I was standing in her cutting garden full of wild flowers spontaneously confessing my dream of opening a small bed and breakfast in Detroit.

She said she’s been reading about Detroit, and all the people who are rebuilding the city. She told me to do it. No, she insisted I do it. She told me that there are people who dream and people who do things, and it was that summer afternoon in Maine that I knew I would open Honor + Folly. I’ve been so inspired by all the people and places I’ve been writing about for the past year, I’ve decided to join ’em. I don’t have photos yet (besides the exterior shot above), and you’ll have to bear with me while I paint, stock, source, sand furniture, adorn walls, make beds, knit pillows and hang a shingle.

This doesn’t necessarily mean designtripper is changing. Traveling is eye-opening and thrilling, and I will always be drawn to the sense of adventure and discovery that comes with exploring a new place. But I also feel a strong pull to be more active and present in my own community, in my own neighborhood. Detroit, for all its problems, is hands-down the most creative, life-affirming city I’ve ever been to (if you don’t believe me, watch this). I’m proud to say that about the city I call home, and I am excited to share it–here and with travelers.

In the meantime, I’ll continue to post regularly about imaginative, thoughtfully designed vacation homes, b&bs, small-scale inns, and family-owned hotels that inspire a different, more intimate kind of travel experience than a big hotel can provide. And who knows, maybe it is possible to be a dreamer and a doer, both. Stay tuned for updates!