LOCATION: Birmingham, MI
YEAR: 1998-2002
Ground up, three-level, 3,500-square-foot house with two porches (one screened-in) and private terrace. First floor: living room, kitchen, dining area, "keeping" room (sitting area near kitchen), powder room. Second floor: master bedroom, master bath, home office. Lower level: two guest bedrooms, guest bathroom, exercise room, lower outdoor terrace.
This very contemporary house is set within a traditional neighborhood from the 1920s. The initial concept was to build a loft as a single-family home. The result, an urban townhouse, is very open with minimal intervention in the space. Storage areas are either hidden or used as room dividers. As well, as an individual house, the clients get much more light than would normally be available in a multi-tenant loft building.
The steel-framed house has concrete floors with radiant heat (maple on the second floor), exposed metal deck, steel trusses, limestone fireplaces, soapstone counters, aluminum-framed commercial windows, and exterior of simulated stone blocks. Sea wall-usually used on piers - was used for retaining walls. The architects worked closely with the client to integrate all the materials, interior finishes, and furnishings.
Several levels are at play, with the master suite overlooking the living room, and a subterranean terrace, which the owner refers to as her “Soho terrace”. Although the house is on a corner lot, with expansive windows, it still affords the owner a sense of privacy.
2010 DETROIT HOME DESIGN AWARDS
2006 DETROIT HOME DESIGN AWARDS
2002 AIA MICHIGAN HONOR AWARD
2002 MASONRY INSTITUTE AWARD OF HONOR
2002 HOME BOOK DESIGN EXCELLENCE AWARDS & GOLD AWARDS
