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(re)

A Bloomfield Hills couple takes

downsizing to a higher level.

Lynne Konstantin I Arts & Life Editor
Beth Singer I Photographer

W

hen a retired Jewish couple was
ready to downsize from their
large family home, the first thing
they did was tap Toby Sneider Pollak.
The interior designer and owner of Sneider
Custom Interiors in West Bloomfield had
done large-scale renovations for friends of the
homeowners, and they liked what they saw. So
when they found a 1980s contemporary condo
in Bloomfield Hills with all the amenities they
desired — great location, first-floor master
suite and plenty of room for visiting children
and grandchildren — they asked Pollak to
come for a visit before buying.
"It hadn't been updated since it was built,
so they wanted to see what kind of potential I
thought it had: Pollak says. It turns out, there
was a lot. "My goal for the whole home was to
take it from the '80s into the present by mix-
ing elements — contemporary, traditional,
plus some texture to add warmth:'
One of Pollak's biggest goals for the couple
was creating enough storage space to stow
items coming from their much-larger family
home. "We changed footprints, redesigned
and moved out walls," says Pollak. "I think we
did a great job achieving that.
"This is the kind of challenge I love: says
the 40-year design veteran. "I don't specialize
in one thing, so it's a challenge to do some-
thing different for each client, and to make it
their home:'

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REFRESH on page 52

"As soon as I saw this high ceiling I knew I wanted to clad it in walnut panels," says Pollak of the
contemporary-styled 20-feet-long and 18-feet-high sloped ceilings. "In addition to setting a warm tone
in the entrance, they give the expanse a focal point." They also inspired wide-plank walnut flooring
throughout the condo. The hallway precisely suited a 9-foot-long painting, dappled in brilliant jolts of
color, from the couple's previous home. The glazed and distressed console table, designed by Pollak to
fit the length of the painting, is finished with bronze nailheads along the top. To the right, a family-
heirloom painting hanging in the stairwell appears to be hovering over the dining-room buffet.

JPI

April 9 • 2015

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