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room's transformation before getting
started. "Overall, I wanted it to be mod-
ern and comfortable," says Taylor. "I
also said they couldn't paint the plaster
moldings, which are already losing their
definition because they're covered in so
many coats of paint." If he could take
off all of the layers of paint on the walls,
he jokes, the apartment would double
in size.
Pedrosi says Sam and his sense of
humor made the project fun. "He was
very cool, very low-key," she remem-
bers. "He wanted his place to be simple,
nothing too gooey. We all appreciated
the ornate architecture of the historic
building but we wanted to bring in
modern design. He wanted something
semi-masculine, a welcoming environ-
ment where he could kick back and
relax, read the newspaper or study."
The budget was "definitely a chal-
lenge, but also part of the fun," says
Pedrosi. The design team of Petrosi,
Taylor, Sherry and assorted friends
pitched in with painting and carpentry
to help the project stay on track and
under budget. "There were no magic
elves who came in and did the dirty
work," says Pedrosi. "We did it all."
The intense, three-day taping
schedule last February included film-
ing Taylor's "before" apartment and a
series of on- and off-camera days dur-
ing the transformation. While Sam was
involved in some of the projects, others
were "on-camera surprises" designed to
gauge his reaction.
Highlights of the redo include the
soft, gray-green palette, comfortable,
oversized furniture and a clean-lined,
uncluttered sensibility. Pedrosi worked
some low-cost magic by designing cus-
tom radiator covers and a small televi-
sion cabinet that her carpenter built
from low-cost plywood. Fronted with

perforated metal, both deliver form and
function, she says.
The room's focal point, however, is
the artwork over the sofa. The show
mandates that each makeover must
include items with personal meaning
to the homeowner. Taylor, a practicing
Reform Jew, like his mother, has been
entrusted lArith photos and manumission
papers (documents granting a slave his
freedom) that had been handed down
through his father's family. Pedrosi
scanned the 1858 document that once
belonged to Taylor's great-great aunt
in Missouri and incorporated it with
black-and-white family photos into an
eye-catching, thought-provoking piece.
"We wanted to think of a creative
way to do this heirloom justice," says
Pedrosi. "We wanted it and the pho-
tographs to have a museum-like feel,
and finally decided to mount them on a
board between protective Plexiglas. The
dark wood base echoes the rest of the
room.
The piece took up a chunk of their
budget – approximately $200 – but was
worth it, she says. "We don't get to work
with these types of items every day," she
says. "Every time I look at it I get the
chills."
The whirlwind taping was a bit
stressful, but seeing son and mother's
reaction after the makeover made it
worthwhile, Pedrosi says. "It's very
rewarding. My eyes always well up
when the homeowner walks in for the
first time and I see their expression."
Sam says he'd do it all over again
– even while in medical school. His
stylish apartment is now the perfect set-
ting for his new life in the Motor City.
"I love cities and their urban pulse,"
he says. "I get all that and more living
right here. The makeover just makes it
even better." Li

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Three Metro Detroit locations, including Sam Taylor's, will be featured on
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JNPLATINUM • AUGUST 2006 •

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