arts & life
at home
Modern
Love
Our annual sneak peek at a fabulous home
in the Temple Israel House Tour: This year,
understated with shimmering hints of glam.
Lynne Konstantin | Arts & Life Editor
Brett Mountain | Photographer
details
Tour this Franklin home, along with five others
in Bloomfield Hills and Birmingham featured
in the 23rd annual Temple Israel House Tour,
10 a.m.-4 p.m. Wednesday, June 1.
$25 in advance; $30 on the day of the tour.
(248) 661-5700; temple-israel.org/sisterhood.
Visit plac3d.com/JN_516 to explore a
3-dimensional virtual tour of this home, as
photographed by Brett Mountain.
A
bout 10 years ago, Richard Ross designed a home for a client, a single
dad. Together, they gave the older Franklin ranch a head-to-toe reno-
vation and design; eight years later, the same client called Ross to say
he wanted to tear the whole thing down and start from the beginning.
Ross, owner of Richard Ross Designs in Royal Oak, called in architect
Glenda Meads in Birmingham to help create a clean-lined, two-level modern
home, with an open floor plan and soaring ceilings.
The owner lived there a year. During that time, he met someone; with the
functional needs of his home changing, he put it up for sale.
An enormous coup for Michele Arkin and fiance Brian Elias, who snatched
up the home, along with much of its furnishings, as soon as they saw it.
The couple, with two teenage kids, two dogs and a crested gecko between
them, immediately called Ross.
“It was so beautiful, every inch of it,” Arkin says. “It was like nothing we’d
ever seen.”
A longtime fan of Ross’ work, Arkin, who had considered calling him for her
previous home, tapped Ross to complete the new home for her. “I loved how it
looked; it just wasn’t finished,” she says. “Plus, it had been intended for a father
and son, and I wanted to add some feminine details.”
What might seem a daunting challenge — starting a home for one client and
finishing it for another with completely different needs — Ross took in stride.
“I began with a vision of how to lay out the house, so it was really a matter
of selecting different fabrics and furniture pieces to make it happen,” he says.
“Michele wanted it to have some glamour, but my idea of glamourous is a little
subdued, which she liked. I like to design spaces that anyone can walk into and
understand and feel comfortable. I pride myself on my designs being comfort-
able and inviting, no matter what your style or taste is.”
Which was perfect for Arkin.
“I like nice things and I like quality, but I also live in yoga pants,” she says of
her understated aesthetic. “But I’m also a neat freak and a perfectionist, so I
like everything having a place.”
Most of all, though, she wanted comfort, for herself and her family. “It’s got
a very warm feeling about it. I wanted my home to be a haven from the every-
day,” Arkin says. “I wanted it to feel like a vacation — and it does.”
Glistening yet
understated, the family
room is lush with
textures and plenty of
seating, making it an
inviting area for kids
to watch TV and for
family gatherings. A
split-face limestone
fireplace provides an
airy partition between
here and the dining
room; the bench
in front, offering a
glimpse of Hollywood
glam, is covered in
a short-cut faux fur.
Four cube ottomans,
upholstered in a
fabric that looks like
snakeskin, roll out from
under the polished
stainless-steel table
(Richard’s design) for
extra seating. Crushed
quartzite flakes fleck
a Phillip Jeffries wall
covering inside the
coved ceiling.
*
continued on page 44
May 19 • 2016
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