As any auto enthusiast will tell you, a high-performance, luxury automobile is as much a work of art as it is a means of transportation. And like any esteemed work of art, those vehicles deserve an appropriate environment in which they can be cared for, protected, and displayed. Since 2003, Michael Rhodig, the founder of GarageMahals, has dedicated himself to that end, creating what he calls “luxury garage environments” that are tailored to each individual client’s interests. “We design custom, one-off individually tailored garages and entertainment spaces,” Rhodig says. “For each of our clients, everyone is different and it [the garage] is a reflection of their personalities.”
For example, one GarageMahals client in Chicago, Illinois has a love for gambling and all things Las Vegas, so Rhodig designed a Vegas-themed garage complete with a recreation of the city’s iconic sign. The garage included bold, solid colors and was made from materials with a natural luster, all of which paid homage to the shine and sparkle of the Vegas strip; but Rhodig made sure the space didn’t seem like a shallow imitation of the city. Rather than creating life-sized dioramas, Rhodig likes his garages to play off of a theme, but always in an elegant and sophisticated manner. “I never try to recreate something that already exists,” he says. “I borrow the essence of it.”
Take the 1,500-square-foot garage that Rhodig designed for a client in Paradise Valley, Ariz. The client’s past included time spent as a pilot in the air force, so Rhodig incorporated that love of aviation by building 13-foot-high silver motifs that borrowed lines and shapes from aircraft designs. However, Rhodig says that some people could see those pieces as references to vintage automobiles. “It’s like you’re reading clouds,” he says. “Some people see an aircraft wing; other people see the classic, old tail fins of the ‘50s and early ‘60s.”
An average GarageMahals design typically measures about 2,000 square feet, though Rhodig recently completed projects measuring 6,500 and 10,000 square feet in size. The cost for such a garage also fluctuates depending upon the complexity of the design and how ornate a client would like the finished space to be. For garages ranging from 2,500 to 3,000 square feet, Rhodig says a client should expect to spend between $150 and $250 (about €115 to €190) per square foot. Furthermore, he asserts that every garage is unique to the owner and unique amongst all the other garages that he already has designed. “Other than the raw materials, everything that we install is custom made,” Rhodig says. “I invent new materials and new ways of doing things almost every time we create a garage.”
Company: GarageMahals
Location: Scottsdale, Ariz., United States
Contact: www.garagemahals.com, +1 (602) 315-4473
