DECOR PATTERN PLAY ■ iii iii ■ iii Inspired by a painterly, vintage handbag fabric, an interior designer turns a contemporary home into a showplace that bridges the centuries. BY LINDA BACHRACK PHOTOGRAPHY BY BETH SINGER Ellen Blau poses beneath a Del Grasso painting. W hen Arts & Crafts decoration meets Victorian flourishes, the result is an intriguing marriage of botanical wallpaper and ornately bead- ed handbags. These complementary styles work together beautifully in the Bingham Farms home of Ellen and Marshall Blau. When they built the house 16 years ago, the Blaus preferred an ultra- contempo- rary decor. "Suddenly I was done with cold, uncomfortable, uninviting rooms," says Ellen, who is the director of devel- opment for the Center for Humanistic Studies in Farmington Hills. "I wanted my Harbor Springs lifestyle all year long; sort of a comfy, denim couch feel." The impetus for the Blaus' dramatic interior makeover was a colorful fabric printed with vintage handbags that designer Linda Powers found. It struck a chord with Ellen, who has been collect- ing extraordinary examples of vintage beaded, leather and petit-point bags since 1988. Known as the "bag lady," she has bags from both her grandmothers, as well as dozens she's found in Europe or on weekend jaunts around the state. She looks for the finest Venetian beads and defers to expert advice from Evelyn Haertig, a woman in her 80s who is "the expert on purses," according to Ellen. "Unless they're spectacular, I really don't buy anymore," she says. "Leathers have become my new passion, especially leather wallets from the Arts & Crafts movement." All of the bags are dis- played as art on specially made stands in the living and dining rooms. Ellen, who is on the board of directors of the National Headache Foundation and has a master's degree in clinical psy- chology, also collects antique footstools, which cluster in front of the fireplace (see cover photo). And Marshall, a resi- dential land developer, collects crystal decanters. The graceful bags, sculptural stools and elegant barware all command attention in the living areas of the home, giving each room a focal point. "Now we have a living room we can really use, with overstuffed chairs to curl up in," says Ellen. "We sit here and read by the fire all winter long." ❑ A hand-painted buffet divides the living and dining rooms, and complements the Guy Chaddock oak table, Italian leather chairs and French cane end chairs. The bronze and glass Ming pendant lamp illuminates examples of Ellen Blau's exquisite handbag collection. ■ Tea Bath, a color from Martha Stewart's paint collection, forms the perfect backdrop for the 1920s powder room sink, antique mirror and antique Chinese bamboo and lacquer shelf. ■ The kitchen ceiling is covered in a reproduction of William Morris's Fruit pattern wallpaper, circa 1864. Morris is considered the father of Arts & Crafts. A Pewabic-inspired ceramic tile hood and granite countertops add to the Arts & Crafts feel. French bistro chairs pull up to the large center island. 8 • \IARCII 2004 • PLATINUM DANIEL'S FLORIST PROVIDED ALL FLORAL ARRANGEMENTS. INTERIOR DESIGN BY LINDA POWERS.