arts & life

at home

•

Colorfully complex,

the well-thought

pieces of this

Birmingham puzzle

unite gorgeously.

Lynne Konstantin
Arts & Life Editor

Brett Mountain

Photographer

- lien Lesser Siegel had been trying to convince her husband,
Les, to leave their Bloomfield Village home, where they had
raised three now-grown boys, to downtown Birmingham for

years.
"We lived there when we were first married; Siegel says. "I love that
it's a walkable community, and that there's access to so much. I've always
said that I would go back eventually7
Eventually finally came when she happened upon her longtime friend
Craig Steinhaus at a local Starbucks.
Steinhaus, an interior designer who studied architecture and owner
of Steinhaus & Associates in Birmingham, told her of a project he was
just beginning work on. They went back to his office, he showed her the
blueprints — and she was convinced.
"In the 30 years we've been friends, rd never seen his work; Siegel
says. "Craig thinks it's hilarious that I hired him just like that7
She sent a text to her husband, who was boarding a plane to San
Francisco, saying "I'm going to see this house. What if I love it?" And
Les, finally ready, wrote back, "I totally trust you7
"I bought a house in an hour and half; Siegel says. "I had complete
faith in Craig7
At the time, that was all she had. The project, a series of semi-
detached luxury condominiums minutes from downtown Birmingham,
had been started years ago. When the economy took a hit, the project
stalled. "When I bought the property," Steinhaus says, "I got an enclosed

shell. I was starting with an empty page, plus a promise to those whose
units had already been built that there would be cohesion. I rearranged
the layouts, modernized them — and have ended up designing the inte-
riors of most of them, too.
"It's been a dream for me, really; Steinhaus says. "I got to be devel-
oper, architectural designer, interior designer. And working with Ellen
has been one of the most fun things I've ever done7
Siegel agrees. With her own background in design and purchasing,
plus three homes' worth of collecting decorative arts and furnishings,
she knew what she wanted in this home — induding ways to integrate
the pieces she had, many vintage, into a fresh, modernized environ-
ment "From the start, Craig and I were on the same page. He under-
stood exactly what I wanted. We would sit down for two hours, laugh
constantly, and suddenly wed have rooms worked out. I loved it:'

❑

Dr. Les and Ellen Lesser Siegel will kick off the 28th-annual Birmingham House

Tour by hosting the Benefactor Dinner 6:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 18, at their

home. $150 per person includes a strolling dinner and cocktails and benefits

the Birmingham Community House's programs and services. Then, from

9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 24, tour seven spectacular homes on the

Birmingham House Tour (the Siegel home is not included). $40/advance; $45/

day of tour; $55/tour and buffet lunch in advance; $60/tour and lunch day of

tour. For details and tickets for both events: (248) 644-5832; tchserves.org .

DEVIOUS PAGE: In the family room, a Quatrine sofa covered in washable blue velvet sits atop a vibrant, rosy rug that was central to the home's design theme. "This rug,
and all the colors coming off of it, was the catalyst for all the colors used throughout the home," Steinhaus says. Living in the oversized garden room of the family's previ-
ous home, "it was in remarkably good condition, considering it had been through three boys and all their friends," he adds. Steinhaus had a local artisan remove the entire
border, cut the rug down to the size they needed then resew the border back on.

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September 10* 2015