Custom Home Architect Birmingham MI
Categories & Awards:
-Apartment/Loft/Condo: 1st Place
-Custom Cabinet Installation: 2nd Place
-Bath (up to 150 sq. ft.): 3rd Place
Completed in 2022, this Birmingham penthouse condo was designed for a client who wanted a modern home but was coming from a traditional suburb home. The task was to create a comfortable modern feel and still traditional. The condo came with modern glass curtain walls overlooking an exterior balcony and distant views of Downtown Detroit. We put all the primary spaces along that view. The unit has a formal Dining Room with openings through a custom veneered cabinet divider to keep its openness. This room divider extends throughout the unit as an organizational theme. The Living Room, Daily Kitchen, Family sitting area are open to each other. These spaces see through the sealed glass doors into the Den, which is completed with hidden liquor storage, built-in humidor, separate ventilation system, and fully functioning fireplace made possible because of roof access. Throughout, there are several barrel-vaulted ceiling areas that add a traditional feel while concealing ventilation, lighting, and other functional requirements. We designed the stoned pattern in the Foyer to create a sense of entry and elegance into an open plan space that continues with custom cut granite floors. In addition to the formal areas of the home there is a guest bedroom and Prep Kitchen which can serve as an area for caterers or be opened to the Daily Kitchen with operable panels so that it is part of the daily activity area. Space was a significant premium here so overlapping uses and efficiency of the layout were very important.
Interior Use of Stone
This Foyer is part of a luxury penthouse condominium. We were tasked to create the sense of a luxurious entry in a very small space. The floor detail was part of the strategy to accomplish the impact the owner was looking for, as the immediate impression off a more public corridor. The floor is made up of two separate natural stones, all custom cut out of slab materials. Black Absolute Granite extends throughout the spaces with Taj Mahal Quartzite as the bordering material and the center stone. These stones slabs are separated by a thin strip of bronze that matches the other metal detailing in the residence. All the veining in the stone was carefully matched on site and the whole assembly ground and polished in place. Beyond the foyer the entire Condo floor stones were custom cut from Black Absolute granite slabs sized to fit seamlessly into the remaining spaces. The Master Bath floors, and shower walls are all book matched with mitered corners for pilasters and benches. The stone is highlighted next to gold leaf tile and indirect light to show off the beauty of the natural material. The fireplace in the family Room is designed to match the natural Indiana limestone from the exterior of the building. The stonework is designed to work as the interior fireplace facing and provide the effect of the fireplace built into the exterior for the balcony as well.
Custom Cabinet Installation
This luxury Birmingham condominium was designed to have a discrete Kitchen and a Prep Kitchen that could be used separately from the formal area of the home. The two are linked with a large set of movable panels.The formal side has custom veneered millwork, metal inlays and handcrafted metal hardware. The back wall is an extension of a room divider that continues across the entire living area. All the necessary elements of a full Kitchen are present while giving the impression of a bar area. With the movable panels open,the kitchen doubles in size with conventional components available for catering or the owner’s grandchildren to learn family heritage recipes (including the cookies)! The Prep Kitchen’s gold tone cabinets are beautifully highlighted with the operable panels open and neatly concealed when a mess is not yet cleaned. Primary Closets are detailed in custom veneers with quarter sawn and burled grain patterns; each carefully planned to accommodate his and her unique requirements. Full length tri-fold mirrors cleverly conceal additional storage are available to both spaces. Their bath vanities were designed to be mirror images of each other at opposite ends of a barrel-vaulted ceiling but have a his and hers functionality to them. The Den cabinetry serves to hide the multiple functions with a concealed humidor, built-in liquor storage, TV space and hidden ventilation components. These cabinets are designed to integrate with the custom veneers of the main room which are visible through the sealed glassdoors.
Custom Bathroom
Situated five stories up in the penthouse, this Condominium project’s Primary Suite was designed to have the same level of detail in design and materials that the rest of the luxury unit provides. Floor to ceiling windows, custom drapery with blackout shades and luxurious finishes greet you upon entrance into the Suite. Closets adjacent to the Bath and Bed are a detailed in custom veneers with quarter sawn and burled grain patterns; each carefully planned to accommodate his and her unique requirements. Full length tri-fold mirrors cleverly conceal additional storage. Lighting was carefully designed to highlight storage areas without overdoing the light levels in any one area. The Bath has sequenced stone slabs, grain matched from one stone to the next to create a seamless look on both the floors and shower walls. Vaulted ceilings create a unique, soft ceiling that conceals lighting and ventilation requirements. There is a drying room immediately outside the shower. The vaulted ceiling in the shower is gold leaf tile, carefully installed on the curved surface. The back wall is lit from above to highlight the decorative gold leaf glass panel and floating stone bench.A carefully placed make-up counter is adjacent to the curtain wall glass to provide natural daylight while limiting privacy concerns with how it is oriented to the glass.This suite integrates all the refined finishes of the rest of the unit in one intimate space.
Library/Study
This Den is on the corner of a luxury condominium building with floor to ceiling glass and a balcony surrounding two sides, five stories in the air! It has a commanding view down Old Woodward Avenue. The desire was to have a space that could be used as a Den, but it also had to provide concealed ventilation for cigar smoke that could not escape into the remainder of the unit. A separate air handling system was used and is concealed into the decorative millwork at the ceiling. A negative pressure system allowed the space to function as desired. The wood detailing is all custom veneer work carefully sourced from sustainable sources around the world. Panels are designed to operate, to conceal a built-in custom humidor and bar supplies on both ends of the room. The fireplace is a masonry fireplace vented through the roof of this penthouse location. The entry doors are cold formed steel and glass set into a milled limestone panel which is the backdrop for art on the Living Room wall. The glassdoors not only create a barrier during cigar use but also allow for borrowed daylight and view for the Living Room beyond.Concealed blinds allow for privacy when needed and aid insun control. The space is intended for multiple uses from casual TV watching to entertaining with multiple people at a game table.
Custom Closet
This Condominium project’s Primary Suite was designed to have the same level of detail in design and materials that the rest of the luxury unit provides. Floor to ceiling windows, custom drapery with blackout shades and luxurious finishes greet you upon entrance into the Bedroom. Closets are detailed in custom veneers with quarter sawn and burled grain patterns; each carefully planned to accommodate his and her unique requirements. Full length tri-fold mirrors cleverly conceal additional storage. Valet rods conceal into the custom cabinetry and an upholstered panel in her closet add unique touches to the detail. Lighting was carefully designed to highlight storage areas without overdoing the light levels in any one area while still providing specific light for clothing and accessory locations. His and Her closets are separate but adjacent to each other as part of an open plan. The space between leads to the Bath and Bedroom and is detailed in separate wood veneers of similar detailing but different species to create a definition between the spaces.
