Facing page: Maple floors throughout
the home create a warm backdrop
for Phyllis Whitehead's eclectic col-
lections, vignettes and architectural
elements, including a pair of decora-
tive Doric columns in the foyer and a
10-foot Chinese screen she picked up
during her travels. A custom-crafted
stair railing by Royal Oak sculptor
Richard Gage is intertwined with
steel vines, representing Whitehead's
beloved Louisiana bayou.
Structural Doric columns bring
a bit of Whitehead whimsy
to the kitchen's Amish-style
cabinetry, which Whitehead
designed. The Golden Noir gran-
ite-topped island is warmed
by a pair of elegant Baccarat
crystal pendants. The janitor's
closet door, which leads to the
basement, was rescued from
Western Michigan University's
campus.
Originally the dining room, the bar contains four of the home's eight origi-
nal 19th-century wavy-glass windows (the other four are in the new dining
room). Leopard-print-covered stools line the glass-topped bar, where George
Whitehead likes to entertain. One of many iconic mid-20th-century prints in
the home by Italian-born French fashion illustrator Rene Gruau, a favorite of
Whitehead's who worked often for Christian Dior, Harper's Bazaar and Vogue,
hangs to the left of the bar. Double iron doors were salvaged from another
home's exterior and now conceal the wine cellar.
Above: A spectacular 1930s crystal chandelier, which has been wired with electrici-
ty, drips with Art Deco glamour while a framed blueprint of New York City's Chrysler
Building, a classic example of Art Deco architecture, hangs to the left. Two rescued
cornerstones were paired to form the base of the dining room table, which is topped
with burled maple and reined in by the simple elegance of Federal-style chairs.
Left: In the master bedroom, sloped ceilings are defined by black walls, which
accentuate the Asian influence. A triptych of hand-painted screens is inserted
inside the 7-foot-tall vintage Henredon headboard. A vintage sofa, not shown, made
an appearance in Sparkle, Whitney Houston's final film, which was shot in Detroit.
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