Lynne Konstantin | Arts & Life Editor

W

hen Justin Friedman decided to build a home,
he didn’t have to look far to assemble his dream
team — he was one half of it.
Friedman, owner of design and build firm HM Homes
in Royal Oak, is part of a third generation in the business:
His father, Steve Friedman, is owner of Pinnacle Homes in
Bloomfield Hills, with whom the younger Friedman got his
start.
“I like architecture; I like details; I like things lining up
properly,” says Friedman, who launched HM four years ago.
“I love running the end product over to a client and seeing
them be so excited about it.”

Beth Singer | Photographer

For his own project, he first recruited Alexander V.
Bogaerts + Associates in Bloomfield Hills for architectural
plans. Then, with the help of Carrie Long, designer and
owner of Carrie Long Interiors in Royal Oak and Friedman’s
longtime go-to for clients, he customized those plans with
precision and passion.
“I wanted it to have a really timeless feel, a classic feel,”
Friedman says. “But with cool elements, like a New York
City loft. I think one of the things we do best is our simplistic
finishes — we try to use the best product, but minimally,
and with livability in mind. I think that’s where we really suc-
ceeded here.”

“He’s very involved, of course; but he loves when I bring
him cool, new ideas,” Long says. “Then together, we push
it as far as we can. Whenever he comes into my office with
something in his hand, I know we’re going to do some pretty
amazing work.
“I want people to live in the homes I design,” Long says. “I
want them to entertain. I really value space planning. If size
and scale are laid out well, it makes all the difference.”
Friedman, with his fiancee, entertains often, and comfort
was a priority to the couple. “I come home and I think, ‘this
is a really great house,’” Friedman says. “We can live our lives,
have friends over. And it’s a hell of a marketing tool.”

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February 11 • 2016

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