When Carrie Long sat down with her clients to talk about the design for their new home in Northville, there was no push-and-pull, as often happens in many first-time meetings.
“It was an amazing and electric design session,” Long, of Royal Oak’s Carrie Long Interiors, recalls. “They were extremely knowledgeable about construction and building, and they came with great ideas. We literally fed off each other in that session.”
The designer and clients were so engaged and in sync, Long says, she knew right away that it would be a fun and fantastic project. “The architect (TK Design and Associates of South Lyon) was hired before me, so we (were able to get) to work immediately,” she says. The new build would be an 8,700-square-foot home that blended Modern Farmhouse, Euro, and Tudor sensibilities. “It’s very classic,” Long says.
The couple also loves entertaining friends and family, particularly their son, his wife, their daughter, and all of their cousins. As it turns out, every space is so inviting and calming, Long says, you want to enter but you never want to leave. “It’s a big, keeping-everyone-connected house,” she says.
The wide-open, Euro-style kitchen features a tray ceiling with hand-scraped beams. It’s equipped with high-end appliances, including a Wolf range and a raised and fully integrated Sub-Zero refrigerator. The island sports a cerused oak finish — a technique that creates a two-toned look, where the open grain of the wood is accentuated against a contrasting base color.
Just off the living room, with its coffered ceiling, intimate seating, and limestone fireplace, a four-season sitting room welcomes with a cushy down-and-foam-filled sectional, good lighting for reading, and views of the beautiful outdoors.
Scale was very important to this couple, so no room is too oversized. Cozy, comfy, and inviting are the ruling adjectives, and warm is the feeling Long imbued throughout. Six fireplaces — in the living room, family room, office, master bedroom, and lower level — ensure the home is toasty throughout the cold-weather months.
As the house was being built, Long says everybody — from the finish carpenters to the design staff — “became very friendly with the family. Now the landscaper goes biking with them. You can’t help but fall in love with this family.”
Long so enjoyed the couple’s company — she describes them as “wildly successful and totally into family” — she invited them on to a trip to New York City to hunt for vintage and antique furnishings such as rugs, artwork, and lighting for their new home. For the sitting room, they were thrilled to find a wooden chaise from the deck of the Queen Elizabeth. The chandelier in the living room is another vintage find from New York.
The designer’s team created many striking custom pieces for the house, including handsome floor and accent pillows, the sweeping stairs and railing in the entry, a coffee table, the leather-wrapped mirror above the fireplace in the living room, and the master bedroom’s headboard.
In the mahogany-stained office, the desk, ceiling light, fireplace, and built-in shelves were all designed by Long. “This was a true labor of love,” Long says.
The lower level is just as welcoming as the rest of the house, with a two-way fireplace, a bar, a dining area, and a huge, site-built wine room with soft theater lights and European oak walls that can hold up to 1,500 bottles. Long designed the revolving glass doors and wine display.
For the husband, there’s also a full woodworking shop, where he makes his own furniture pieces, including the end tables in the sitting room. In the upper level, the wife has created a craft room as her personal space.
All in all, this place is a dream house for a loving family who will spend the rest of their days celebrating their togetherness in the most comfortable way.
BUYER’S GUIDE
INTERIOR DESIGNER
Carrie Long, Carrie Long Interiors,
Royal Oak, carrielonginteriors.com
Featured Business
Sub-Zero / Wolf, Range, Refrigerator – Kitchen, Auburn Hills, www.subzero-wolf.com.
BEDROOM, MASTER
Armchairs – Custom Upholstery, Sunpan
Bench – Brentano, Lee Industries
Chandelier – Regina Andrew Detroit, Wyandotte
Flooring – Everlast Floors, Troy
Headboard – Custom, Carrie Long Interiors, Royal Oak
Lamp, Table – Visual Comfort
Rug – ABC Carpet & Home
Wall Paint – Benjamin Moore, Smoke Embers
BREAKFAST NOOK
Chairs, Dining – Jerry Pair, Lee Industries
Chandelier – Williams-Sonoma
Flooring – Everlast Floors, Troy
Table, Dining – Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams
Wall Paint – Benjamin Moore, Elmira White
ENTRYWAY
Armchairs – Antique
Chairs, Dining – Judy Frankel Antiques, Troy
Chandelier – Visual Comfort
Flooring – Ciot, Troy
Mirror – Judy Frankel Antiques, Troy
Stairs and Railing – Custom, Carrie Long Interiors, Royal Oak
Table, Dining – Judy Frankel Antiques, Troy
Table, End – Antique
Wall Paint – Benjamin Moore, White Dove and Black Magic
KITCHEN
Backsplash – Ciot, Troy
Bar Stools – HH Leather, Lee Industries
Cabinetry – Perspectives Cabinetry, Troy
Ceiling Treatment – Tray with Hand-Scraped Wood Beams
Countertop – Madre Pearl Quartzite, Granite Source, Ciot, Troy
Flooring – Everlast Floors, Troy
Lighting, Bar – Visual Comfort
Refrigerator – Sub-Zero
Sink – House of Rohl
Wall Paint – Benjamin Moore, Elmira White
LIVING ROOM
Armchair (Gray) – Brentano, R. Jones
Armchairs (Tan) – Pierre Frey, R. Jones
Flooring – Everlast Floors, Troy
Mirror – Custom, Leather-Wrapped, Carrie Long Interiors, Royal Oak
Pillows, Accent – Custom, Carrie Long Interiors, Royal Oak
Rug – ABC Carpet & Home
Sofa – Brentano, Stewart
Table, Coffee – Custom, Carrie Long Interiors, Royal Oak
Wall Paint – Benjamin Moore, China White
LOWER LEVEL
Bench, Bar – Brentano, Lee Industries
Chairs, Bar – Williams-Sonoma
Fireplace – Ciot, Troy
Flooring – Ciot, Troy
Pillows, Accent – Custom, Carrie Long Interiors, Royal Oak
Pillows, Floor – Custom, Carrie Long Interiors, Royal Oak
Rugs – ABC Carpet & Home
Sofa – Lee Industries
Tables, End – Global Views, Judy Frankel Antiques, Troy
Wall Paint – Benjamin Moore, Seattle Mist
OFFICE
Armchairs – HH Fabric, Lee Industries
Chair, Desk – Jerry Pair, R. Jones
Desk – Custom, Carrie Long Interiors, Royal Oak
Fireplace – Custom, Gray Stone, Carrie Long Interiors, Royal Oak
Flooring – Everlast Floors, Troy
Light, Ceiling – Custom, Carrie Long Interiors, Royal Oak
Shelves, Built-In – Custom, Carrie Long Interiors, Royal Oak
Wall Treatment – Minwax, Stained Walnut
Window Shades – Designs Designs, Wixom
SITTING ROOM
Armchair and Ottoman – Jerry Pair, Lee Industries
Blanket, Throw – Cristions, Birmingham
Chaise Lounge – Antique
Fan – Lumens
Flooring – Everlast Floors, Troy
Lamps, Floor – Visual Comfort
Pillows, Accent – Custom, Carrie Long Interiors, Royal Oak
Sectional – Glant, Lee Industries
Table, Coffee – Janus et Cie
Table, Occasional – Lee Industries
Wall Paint – Benjamin Moore, Seattle Mist
WINE ROOM
Armchairs – Judy Frankel Antiques, Troy
Chairs, Dining – Vintage
Doors, Glass – Custom, Revolving Single Pivot, Carrie Long Interiors, Royal Oak
Flooring, Tile – Ciot, Troy
Flooring, Wood – Everlast Floors, Troy
Rug – ABC Carpet & Home
Sconces – The Urban Electric Co.
Table, Coffee – Judy Frankel Antiques, Troy
Table, Dining – Judy Frankel Antiques, Troy
Wall Covering – Gray Woven Linen, Aesthetics Wallpaper
Wine Display – Custom, Carrie Long Interiors, Royal Oak
Additional Contributors
Architect – TK Design and Associates, South Lyon
Builder – Mike Miller Building Co., Northville
Landscaping – Shecter Landscaping, Keego Harbor
Painter – AREi Paint Services, Beverly Hills
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