BY LISA BRODY

PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANGIE BAAN

arbara Alpert has a child's touch.
Mackenzie-Childs, that is.
Seven years ago, the Farmington
Hills resident fell passionately in
love with a chair. It was no ordinary chair, but
a pastel hand-painted chair with a fish ladder-
back and a needlepoint seat by the unique
design team of Mackenzie-Childs. For those
not as impassioned as Barbara, designers
Victoria and Richard Mackenzie-Childs hand
paint and creatively mix unique designs in
furniture, glassware, Majolica and other gift-
ware, at a custom price. "I saw this chair at
Neiman Marcus, and I wanted six for my din-
ing room," says Barbara. "They were $1,700.
Each."
"I told her 'not in this lifetime,' " interjects
her husband Michael.
But Barbara was bitten by the bug. "I was
obsessed!" she laughs. She decided instead
that she would purchase a large ottoman by
them; when it didn't fit in her bedroom, she
bought a small one. Hooked, she began col-
lecting glass and metal serving pieces, vases,
frames, door handles, tassels and placemats by
the design duo. A love affair was born.
When Barbara first discovered Mackenzie-
Childs designs, her home was contemporary.
Today, it is traditional, and the colors, florals
and roosters of Mackenzie-Childs designs
inspire each room. Her powder room is devot-
ed to the designs, with a curio cabinet, soaps,
boxes, glass vases and even a Mackenzie-

Childs glass bowl which holds fingertip towels.
Her first big Mackenzie-Childs item was a
pretty writing desk, a birthday gift from dear
friends. "I had it in my bedroom with the lit-
tle ottoman underneath. I would look at it
every night. It was my favorite thing in the
whole world," she says. Today, it sits in her
living room with a miniature tea set atop it, as
well as a picture frame. A large Mackenzie-
Childs floor lamp stands nearby.
In the Alperts' foyer sits a Mackenzie-
Childs visiting bench in soft pastels. It was a
birthday gift from Michael to Barbara, but it
almost wasn't. "It was $4,000 when we first
saw it, which is a lot, so we didn't buy it,"
Barbara explains. "Then it went up to $8,000.
It was a different design, and this one was dis-
continued. We called up the manager at the
New York store," who knew the couple from
their purchases. She told them that if she
could find the original one, they could have it
at the original $4,000 price. It suddenly
seemed like a good deal.
Barbara does not think she will ever tire of
her extensive collection. To ensure that, she
frequently rearranges where things go. "Every
piece in this house has been moved around
the house," she says. "It's fun to look at."
She does think she's through acquiring
more Mackenzie-Childs items. "Every time I
buy something, I say it's the last one!" she
laughs.
Of course, there's always the next one.

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