No Reservations Needed

Wallcoverings, fabrics, and fixtures add personality to a Birmingham newbuild that lives like a high-end hotel buILDER:

THOMAS SEbOLD & ASSOcIATES, bLOOMFIELD HILLS

INTERIOR DESIGN: JANE SPENcER

DESIGNS, bIRMINGHAM

TEXT: kHRISTI ZIMMETH

PHOTOGRAPHY:

MARTIN VEccHIO

A“beautiful retreat” is what this homeowner had in mind, designer Jane Spencer says, when she contacted her in the spring of 2020 after purchasing a newbuild in Birmingham. Inspired by relaxing stays in high-end hotels, the busy mom of three elementary-school-age children came to Spencer for help in creating a home that felt both functional and fashionable.

“I wanted the vibe to be similar to a luxury hotel — a space that’s open and airy yet modern, with a bit of edge and personality,” the homeowner shares. “I love a Four Seasons. They’re all very different in terms of how they’re decorated, yet all reflect the same feeling of luxury.”

The homeowner had collaborated successfully with Spencer on other residences, and she knew she could transform the 4,800-square-foot Contemporary Farmhouse into the warm and inviting space she envisioned.

Built by Thomas Sebold & Associates as a spec home, the residence featured an open floor plan with plenty of space, including five bedrooms and four full baths. “TSA did a beautiful job on the home itself. We wanted it to be functional for the family, yet stylish,” the designer explains of the project’s goals. “We wanted to add warmth and texture, and define the rooms.” Priorities included “tricking out the main floor to feel cohesive and layered, sleek yet inviting,” she says.

COME ON IN!

Spencer suggested defining spaces with wallcoverings — something the homeowner agreed to immediately. “I’m not one for clutter but because the spaces, especially on the first floor, all tie into each other, we had to use wallcoverings and texture to separate the rooms but also ensure that they would flow and feel connected,” she says.

They started with the first floor, including the two family rooms, kitchen, dining area, and the wife’s home office, and followed a monochromatic color scheme with a slightly different use of texture on the furniture and wall coverings in each space, to add definition.

“Large rugs in each room ground the seating areas and make them feel larger, while adding layers to really make the furniture pop,” Spencer says. The designer opted for wool in most spaces, she says, because of its softness, durability, and luxuriousness. “It just lasts longer,” she notes.

“The colors are muted and soft because we wanted to keep the focus on the beauty of the home and the large windows that produce amazing natural light all day,” the homeowner adds.

To achieve the look of a high-end hotel, Spencer added new light fixtures throughout, with luxurious elements such as acrylic, crystal, silk, and linen. She used velvet in the family room chairs and sunroom pillows, silk in the dining room’s mural-like wallcovering, and crystal in the family room lamp and powder room pendant. Spencer advises homeowners to go for the bold when decorating large spaces and working with open floor plans. “Don’t be afraid to pump up the scale of everything; there’s nothing worse than a huge family room with a small rug.”

Spencer loves how the project turned out and the homeowner does, too. She says she’s excited to start phase two of the project, which includes the second-floor bedrooms.