LOCATION: Bloomfield Hills, MI
YEAR: 1994
Gunnar Birkirts designed this house, situated on a peninsula on Lower Long Lake, in 1965. McIntosh Poris Architects was retained to restore the interior architectural details, select furnishing and integrate the Shapiro’s collection of Lalique glass, perhaps the most significant in the world, into the interior architecture of the residence. Careful consideration to the original architectural integrity of the house was made throughout the planning stages of the project. The greatest challenge from the beginning of the project was how to incorporate such vivid objects into architecture that was both tranquil and livable, without creating an environment that was overwhelming.
The display areas were confined to three discreet areas of the house and were designed to integrate the glass collection into framed views, which could be modified as the collection changed. The entrance hall and dining room received the main focus of the collection, with objects placed on individual cantilevered glass shelves, each having its own light source.
The materials, furnishings and lighting were selected to enhance the relationship of the glass collection and the unique spatial configurations originally designed into the house, highlighting the sense of transparency inherent in the glass walls and water views.
