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ike a magnificent diamond ring
on a delicate hand, this white
contemporary home sits upon a
long man-made lake. Lake Sher-
wood, near Milford, boasts this
jewel designed by Don Paul
Young, AIA, of Young & Young Architects in
Bloomfield Hills and Edward Born of Edward
R Born and Associates in Birmingham.
In this still-rustic setting, the white painted
cement plaster exterior rises from natural
woods, harmonious landscaping, the lake, and
it is a seamless fit.
Round columns of formed fiberglass an-
chor the house on the exterior and run
through the house, Both the exterior and the
interior are laid out on a horizontal module
that Young conceived to allow the two spaces
to harmoniously coexist
"You are sheltered, but you are never sep-
arated from what's outside," he says. "There
are no apertures. You're just part of the earth."
Upon reaching the front door, you imme-
diately become aware you are entering a one-
of-a-kind environment and not a cookie-cutter
contemporary. The front door, an etched glass
creation of a tropical banana leaf by Tim
Gillingham of Gill Plus in Royal Oak, sets the
motif for the house. The foyer floor, which
runs through the living part of the home, is
comprised of 44-inch squares of white Car-
rara marble, which the owners went to Italy

to pick out personally. Across from the door
stands a reproduction of a French deco black
lacquer stand set with vases and candlesticks,
accented by a goatskin mirror above and a ze-
bra rug beneath. In a foyer nook stands an old
Hong Kong chest from the wife's mother,
topped by an old Oriental urn discovered in
Florence Ziegfield's New York apartment.
A guest bedroom and bath are adjacent
to the foyer, with two beds in soft, muted
shades of seafoam, mauves and peaches
against off-white. A two-tone inlaid wood night-
stand balances the beds, and the gray and
seafoam tile bath completes the suite.
A quick three steps down from the foyer
brings the visitor to the living room and din-
ing room. On either side, you are flanked by
floor-to-ceiling windows. The entire rear of the
house, facing the lake, is glass, with corner-
butt glazed windows providing a seamless
view. The black grand piano in the far window
of the room was the impetus for the room's
design. "Don designed the room to accom-
modate it," says the owner.
Cantilevered etched glass with the leaf de-
sign, lit from behind, runs throughout the ceil-
ing, creating an ephemeral framework to the
living space. Two large, 66-inch round glass
dining room tables set on Karl Springer lac-
quered goatskin bases are echoed from above
with circular etched glass. Each table ac-
commodates six chrome Brueton chairs with

Architect Don Paul Young and interior designer
Ed Born combine harmoniously a contemporary
home in a rustic setting.

BY LISA IIRODY

PHOTOGRAPHED BY GLENN TRIEST

STYLE • SPRING 1993.29