home >> at home

A family-friendly
Birmingham
home brims with
exquisitely subtle
details.

Lynne Konstantin I Design Writer
Beth Singer I Photographer

etails, details, details:' says
Pamela Singer Nodell, designer
and owner of Pamela Singer &
Associates in Orchard Lake. "Every sin-
gle aspect and nuance of this house is so
well thought-out" — which resulted in
a home that drips with elaborate design
elements yet appears to have a simple,
almost rustic, always seamless flow.
The home, originally purchased for
its rare combination of a large lot and
proximity to downtown Birmingham,
was gutted by the homeowners, a Jewish
family who tapped Ben Heller, residen-
tial designer and partner of Morgan-
Heller Associates in Pontiac, to bring
their family-friendly yet striking vision
to life.
"It's all about good design:' says
Heller. "When you're doing a renova-
tion, it's about making the space smart
while making it seem like it wasn't
renovated. We tried to create good flow
and a cohesive feeling throughout the
spaces so that each room doesn't feel like
a different house. We do that with the
details."

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Fine Points on page 48

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I lm

The kitchen's eating area is anchored by a window-length banquette, which Node!l covered in neutral stripes by Jane
Churchill, then had finished in a family-friendly matte lamination. "Adding the banquette allowed us to push the table up to
the wall and gave us a lot of extra space, plus storage," says Heller. "But it's also really comfortable. We wanted it to be the
favorite seat, not the one that no one wants to sit in." The surrounding chair backs are detailed with star-shaped cutouts. The
balanced design surrounding the windows pops with jewel-toned vintage seltzer bottles, which Nodell found in antique shops;
and the custom iron chandelier, with light-hearted floral appliques, offers the perfect union of sculpture and airiness.

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

46 June 12 • 2014