Impeccable Simplicity

Brick Colonial on Lake St. Clair gets a new look and is entertainment-friendly

INTERIOR DESIGN:

MIcHAEL cOYNE DESIGN, bIRMINGHAM

LANDScAPING:

MOSHER DESIGN cO., ROYAL OAk; bAckER

LANDScAPING, ROSEVILLE

TEXT:

GIuSEPPA NADROWSkI

PHOTOGRAPHY: JEFF GARLAND

“The best three gifts you can give to a house are a reflective personality, serenity in disposition, and attention to details,” designer Michael Coyne says of a recent Lake St. Clair project in Grosse Pointe Farms. Coyne, who owns Birminghambased Michael Coyne Design, was brought on for a complete interior renovation. The goal was to create a space that was “low-maintenance, not pretentious, and, most importantly, entertainment-friendly,” he says.

In the kitchen, a monochromatic black-and-white palette highlights a curated mix of metals, fabrics, and finishes. “I believe mixing wood species and metal finishes makes for a much prettier project with longer appeal,” Coyne says. The cabinets, designed by Coyne and custom-built by Dan Connell of Pointe Kitchen and Bath in Grosse Pointe Woods, feature unlacquered brass hardware. Antique brass accents the black leather chairs that surround the oversized island, while a rose gold faucet and hammered nickel sink play effortlessly with the marble counters, chrome, and polished brass found on the range, and the black iron details on the sconces and chandelier.

In the living room, an oversized striped sofa and two patterned custom ottomans seem to float above the sisal diamond grid white carpet from Chris Smith’s Carpet Design Group in Troy. The living room transitions effortlessly into the dining space and adjoining family room. A Sarreid Limited Jupe dining table expands to seat eight, courtesy of hidden leaves. In the family room, the sofa’s wood frame acts “like eyeliner,” Coyne says. “It really makes the silhouette stand out.”

The library wows with high-gloss black custom cabinetry and alligator-embossed leather insert panels. A retro-inspired desk and sleek brass bar tower from P.F. Galleries in Troy add a Mid-century nod to the space. In the stairwell, a circa-1940s motor yacht graphic takes the helm. “I found it at market,” Coyne says, “and we all fell in love with it.”

Studious Approach

For the family room and much of the first floor, a color study helped the couple select a black-and-white theme. “They’re on the water, and that was their color,” says designer Michael Coyne.

In the entry, an architectural metal Arteriors table complements the Deco-inspired design of the sculptural striped cube. Above, a painting featuring white birch hangs boldly. The piece, among the only brightly colored additions to the new space, was a gift from the wife to the husband, an avid outdoorsman.

The first-floor powder room is a glamorous departure from the sleek color scheme. It comes to life courtesy of York’s hand-painted cork wallpaper, which “has a bit of a tribal feel,” Coyne says. Cut-crystal sconces from Visual Comfort mimic the pattern found in the wallcovering.

The renovation increased the four-bedroom, fivebath house by 2,000 square feet. “We also added a master bath, a mudroom, a powder room, and a four-car garage,” Coyne says. “We made sure everything was impeccable and simple. We want people to see the place as one beautiful, completed thought.”

Mix Master

Clockwise from left: Designer Michael Coyne likes to mix metal with wood, as seen in the kitchen. The library impresses with highgloss black cabinetry. The powder room vanity stands out thanks to a beautiful wallpaper backdrop — a York hand-painted pattern that “has a bit of a tribal feel,” Coyne says.