SINGLE LIFE

BACHELORETTE-BACHELOR
PADS

AMY J. MEHLER

Staff Writer

he likes pink flamin-
gos, black lacquer Ori-
ental tables, frilly caches
and big ruffly throw pillows
in shades of soft lavenders
and muted pinks.
She loves to come home
and stretch out on a sea of
pale ivory leather and seep
into a sunk-in bath with the
latest copy of Allure or

S

Cosmopolitan.

Nancy Friedman's got a
passion for the pretty and
romantic.
Any visitor to her West
Bloomfield condominium
can tell that from her collec-
tion of original Erte prints of
fat, blood-red, jewel-studded
hearts and glamorously
gowned ladies adorning her
walls.
And then there's Coco, Ms.
Friedman's floppy-eared dog
she named after Coco
Chanel, the French
designer. The two have been
together for the last few
years, ever since Ms. Fried-

man, a manager with
Ameritech Publishing, moved
in.
There are all kinds of
animals in Ms. Friedman's
house. Collecting animals,
whether whimsical or realis-
tic, is another of her pas-
sions.
A mobile of ceramic dogs
hangs above her creamy din-
ing room table. A lifesize
penguin greets guests at her
front door. But Ms. Fried-
man won't tell her guests
where the others are. That
would spoil the mystery. -
However, a careful sleuth
can ferret out other telling
decorating innovations.
Ms. Friedman also loves
mirrors . . . everywhere.
"I've never let being single
stop me from designing the
home of my dreams," she
said. "You have to live for
yourself and not put your life
on hold."

Detroit
singles
share their
decorating
secrets.

AMY J. MEHLER

Staff Writer

H

e likes what most
people call junk. Some
call it kitsch. But
whatever you call it, it's the
stuff one finds at estate and
garage sales.
If it's exotic and different
with a nautical or musical
twist, it's got Freddy
Sheyer's name on it.
He says there's a method
to his collector's madness.
He won't bring home just
anything. It's also got to
have a certain Latin Ameri-
can flavor. Mr. Sheyer, 61,
who works as a self-
described one-man musician,
has all kinds of sombreros,
castanets and pinatas tuck-
ed away in every corner of
his living room, along with
shakers, ropes of beads and
small portraits of beautiful
senoritas on the wall.
Mr. Sheyer has one warn-
ing to all incoming visitors:
don't try and water the

plants. They look real
enough, but the tall, human-
size leafy giants are actually
made of 100 percent plastic.
And thank goodness.
There's hardly any light
coming in Mr. Sheyer's
apartment. He likes to keep
his lamps stocked with red,
yellow and green lightbulbs.
"It's a little dark, but it's
much more romantic," Mr.
Sherver said.
Two of Mr. Sheyer's priz-
ed possessions are his guitar
and violin. He loves to sit
back on his easy chair,
(which he says actually pulls
out to a couch), and play.
He has a wide collection of
cassettes, which he stacks
against his big boom box.
They range from classical to
Jewish music. But he says he
can play anything, and often
does at various community
functions.
Mr. Sheyer won't take
any credit for his decorating
skills, however.
"I have many. girlfriends
that come over and arrange
everything for me." ❑

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

83

