Lynne Konstantin I Design Writer
Beth Singer I Photographer

he clean, sweeping lines and rich, warm woods that are iconic in centuries-old Asian
architecture and design often exude an inherent contemporary aesthetic — even Frank
Lloyd Wright, the father of the modern, indigenous Prairie style of architecture, was
heavily influenced by Chinese and Japanese culture and design.
So when Kaling and Peter Chang came to Louis DesRosiers, founder and president of
DesRosiers Architects in Bloomfield Hills, and Susan
Winton-Feinberg, owner of Walter Herz Interiors, also
in Bloomfield Hills, to create a home on Orchard Lake
inspired by their homeland of Taiwan, the team came
up with a glorious design that seamlessly transitions
elements of Asian design, past and present, with an
utterly fresh and contemporary perspective.
The majestically imposing bones are softened to
create a warm and livable home, where the couple can
entertain in glamorous yet practical fashion, and their
children and grandchildren can visit comfortably for
extended periods. The home, wired for music and
entertainment throughout, includes a basement with a
full kitchen, activity room, a home theater and wiring
for karaoke.
The couple loved DesRosiers' trademark horizontal
lines and design concepts from the start. But when flipping through his portfolios, there was
one designer whose work, no matter the style, was always a favorite. "Whenever I asked Lou
who did this house or that house, it was always Susan:' says Kaling Chang.
The couple had the foresight to bring Winton-Feinberg on board in the beginning so that the
home's concept was a complete collaboration, resulting in a fluid design from outside in. "I love
the way she puts things together; says Chang. "She got to know me so that she could under-
stand my perspective, even when I couldn't express it:'
Chang, who has amassed an enormous collection of artisan glasswork from around the
world, particularly Taiwan and China, depended on Winton-Feinberg to work the home around
the collections, without them seeming obvious but highlighting each piece to its fullest.
"And now:' she says, "I appreciate every single detail in the hous'

JAMES HAEFNER

A majestic design
on Orchard Lake
softens with the
family who brings
it to life.

"Our homes are all about views
— outside looking in and inside
looking out," says architect Louis

DesRosiers. "The use of cherry
wood on the interior makes the
house striking from the outside,
but still warm and cozy on the
inside. A glassed-
in pool and patio
overlooks the home's

lakefront property.
Three-inch horizontal
bands of protruding
maintenance-free
Indiana limestone
on exterior columns
are highlighted by
custom-designed
lighting from below.

"Horizontal lines are used
extensively in Asian architecture
and design," says DesRosiers.
"Here, we carried the lines from the
wood inside to the stone outside in
the same horizontal pattern."

❑

Do you have a home you'd like to share with the community? Contact Lynne Konstantin at lkonstantin@thejewishnews.com .

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