Issue link: http://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/582088
October 8 • 2015 45 continued on page 46 A Peaceful, Laid-back sophistication and family-friendly comfort unite with exquisite style. T he owners of this Bloomfield Hills home knew exactly what they wanted. They just didn't know what it was. After childhoods spent summering Up North, lazing on the white-sand beaches of Lake Michigan and on the wraparound porches of Bay Harbor bungalows, the memories, right down to the architecture, and the traditions — still continued with their own kids — are imprinted on their souls. But when architect Jason Krieger, part- ner at Krieger Klatt Architects in Royal Oak, asked the wife what she wanted for her new home, she stared at him. He told her to drive around town and snap pictures of what she liked. When she showed them to him, he laughed, telling her every house she sent him is the same. "I had no idea," the homeowner says. "Sometimes I didn't even know why I liked the houses I chose. They just evoked a feeling." That feeling, one of easy, laid-back sophistication, flows throughout the home's interior, as well. Working with builders Bobby Semaan and Joey Jonna of Jonna Luxury Homes in Birmingham, who introduced the couple to Krieger and interior designer Sharon Kory, owner of Sharon Kory Interiors in Birmingham, the homeowner credits the team with helping them maintain their cool — emotionally and aesthetically. "Bobby had a holistic approach that we really loved," the homeowner says. "So we knew we could trust anyone he recom- mended. "I really loved working with Sharon. She's a good listener — I would tell her what I liked, and she helped make it suit- able for our house. I didn't want 7,000 choices. She honed the options down to a few, and we went with it. Plus, I really loved her energy. She felt so commit- ted to making our house something we would really love." Which they do. Kory helped the fam- ily create a relaxed yet modern oasis of beige, cream and gray tones, with tex- ture and geometry adding elements of warmth and interest. "We are casual people," says the home- owner. "We didn't want it to feel overly formal or stuffy. I wanted my kids to be able to run around. "We really love it. We are proud of it. It feels good. And above all else, we love the love that's in it." * arts & life a t h o m e Easy Feeling Lynne Konstantin | Arts & Life Editor Beth Singer | Photographer After sketches for a custom kitchen table were near complete, the homeowner found this one (surrounded by leather- and-chrome Nuevo armchairs), at OneKingsLane.com. "It was almost exactly what we had designed, but much less expensive," she says. "I think it's a perfect fit." Contemporary-lined white lacquer cabinets are topped with Caeserstone counters, which waterfalls down the sides for a continuous look, a technique echoed in the resilient and stain-resistant Corteccia quartz-topped island. Stainless- trimmed upper cabinets are fitted with etched glass; the backsplash of oversized and wave-patterned white porcelain tiles surround the entire counter seamlessly, while soffets, painted identically to the cabinets, follow the same line.