Designer/homeowner relationships sometimes have unusual beginnings. That’s certainly true of the connection Mia Johnson recently had with a client and a project in Bloomfield Township. “She’s my gynecologist,” Johnson shares. “She delivered my 9-year-old daughter. She’s also a fierce advocate for women and a really good doctor who has had an incredible impact on our community, supporting and empowering women at every stage of life.”
When that doctor was redoing her offices, Johnson saw a 2021 Instagram post asking for design help and offered her services. “She told me she had the office covered but needed help with her home,” Johnson remembers. The designer says she jumped at the chance to help someone who has given so much.
Built in 2001, the 4,000-square-foot home has five bedrooms and 3.5 baths. While there was plenty of space, the house had a traditional feel that didn’t fit the homeowner’s lifestyle or aesthetic, Johnson says. “She has a fun and funky style, and wanted to bring her personality into the house. My goal was to make the family comfortable and to push her to express herself, design-wise.”
Johnson began working with the homeowner in 2021. She started with a guest room, a home office, and the doctor’s 10-year-old daughter’s room, which was transformed with a clean-lined canopy bed, pops of blue and pink, and a bird-covered wallpaper on the ceiling. A hanging chair in the corner is a perfect reading perch. Because the renovation was done as a Christmas present, Johnson put a big bow on the room for its holiday reveal. “She couldn’t believe it!” Johnson says of the daughter’s reaction.
The office includes a “very bold” wallpaper that features magnolia blooms — a nod to the homeowner’s dream of someday living in New Orleans, Johnson says. “We wanted to bring nature and an organic sensibility in, while referencing the city. I wanted to give her that dream location, but in Bloomfield Township.” Redoing those first rooms led to a decision to move on to the home’s other spaces: upgrading parts of the existing kitchen with upscale appliances and furnishings, taking on the two-story library, and fully redesigning the great room, dining room, and primary bedroom. “Eventually I touched every room in the house, except her son’s room,” Johnson says.
The use of blue throughout the home adds continuity, the designer says, noting that while the rooms are painted white, she brought in plenty of color through furnishings, rugs, and artwork. The great room, where the family (and their large Bernadoodle) like to hang out and watch television, features a dramatic, multi-hued contemporary rug from Afghanistan (“costly, but so worth it,” Johnson claims, explaining that she tries to include at least one thing that really stands out in each room); large and comfortable blue Kravet Jazz sofas, sourced from the Michigan Design Center; and oversized golden angel wings on a wall — a reference to the homeowner’s late husband. “We wanted something upscale, but still sink-into-able,” the designer says of her overall goals for the space.
In the dining room, there’s an unexpected show-stopper: a full-size aquarium, which replaced awkward built-ins on one wall. “My client said she always wanted an aquarium,” Johnson explains, “so we decided to go all-out.” The aquarium was among the home’s challenges, she adds, noting that she had to bring her own tradespeople in when the original builder balked at the idea. Other dining room features include a bold blue-and-white rug, a chunky wooden table, acrylic chairs, and glass lights from High Point “that look like a drop of water,” Johnson says.
More organic influences can be seen in the restful plant/craft room, which both the homeowner and the designer claim as one of their favorite spaces. A former mudroom, it’s now a well-used multipurpose space. “She loves plants, and this is where she goes to de-stress,” Johnson says. A vintage card catalog, used to store pencils and supplies, was moved from the living room and is among the things the homeowner already had that the designer recycled.
“I love that everything didn’t have to be new,” Johnson says, pointing out that they repurposed as much as they could, including existing furniture and lamps in the primary bedroom that were treated to new shades, while they added new bedding and drapes. “My goal is never to fill a house with things that don’t have meaning,” she explains.
Both the homeowner and the designer are thrilled with the results. “She really uses all of the home,” Johnson says. “No room is a showpiece; everything is very livable and comfortable.” The home now successfully mirrors the homeowner’s life and her needs, Johnson notes. “She’s powerful and bold in real life, but needs soothing and a sense of calm, too. The design reflects both her dynamic personality and the peaceful sanctuary she deserves.”
1.Interior Designer
Mia Johnson, Mia Johnson Interior Design, West Bloomfield, miajohnsonhome.com
Additional Contributors
Custom Aquarium and Millwork:
TGR Contracting, Southfield
Electrical: Sparq Electric, Southfield
2.Pond Light
Beacon Custom Lighting,
beaconcustomlighting.com
These lights set the theme of the (dining) room,” says interior designer Mia Johnson. “Once we finalized their selection, the aquarium came about. We wanted a subtle living and water theme.”
3.Canyon Sunset Lacquer Shade
Dressing Room Interiors, dressingroomsinteriorsstudio.com
“I love these shades,” Johnson says. “Instantly, I knew they’d be the perfect replacement shade for the Cyan Ibis lamp.”
4.Magnolia Bloom Wallpaper
Milton & King, miltonandking.com
“Wallpaper always adds a fun touch to projects. The Magnolia Bloom wallpaper made the perfect backdrop for the client’s office.”
5.Daydream Wallpaper in Sunshine
Hygge & West, hyggeandwest.com
When designing her client’s daughter’s bedroom, Johnson chose this whimsical wallpaper because “I imagined her looking up and daydreaming of all the creative things.”
6.Hand-knotted Regal Geometric Tiger Rug
Chairish, chairish.com
“This rug is handmade in Afghanistan. It took over six months, but it was so worth the wait. It’s so stunning in the space,” Johnson says.
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