For the family room and much of the first floor, a color study helped the couple select a black-and-white theme. “I had shown them some more colorful palettes that didn’t resonate. They’re on the water, and that was their color,” says designer Michael Coyne.
“The best three gifts you can give to a house are a reflective personality, serenity in disposition, and attention to details. Aim for impeccable, not perfection,” designer Michael Coyne says of a recent project in Grosse Pointe Farms where entertaining, clean design, and priceless Lake St. Clair views were a top priority.
The house, a bright-white circa 1930s flat-front brick Colonial, sits on stunning lakefront property. After it suffered some minor fire damage, the new homeowners purchased the place intending to capitalize on the views and open the floor plan. With multiple rooms needing to be rebuilt immediately, Coyne, who owns Birmingham-based Michael Coyne Design Detroit, was brought on for a complete interior renovation. The goal was to create a space that was “low-maintenance, not pretentious, and, most importantly, entertainment-friendly,” Coyne says.
“We started with the family room, living room, dining room, and kitchen,” he says. Black-framed floor-to-ceiling windows and doors were added to the lakeside section of the home, allowing guests to move easily between the indoors and outdoors. “We opened the entry, the dining room, and the kitchen (so you can) see the lake from all of the main rooms.”
While inspiration for the design and style of the home grew organically through meetings between Coyne and the homeowners, a color study helped the couple select a black-and-white theme for the first floor. “I had shown them some more colorful palettes that didn’t resonate. They’re on the water, and that was their color.”
In the kitchen, the monochromatic palette highlights a curated mix of metals, fabrics, and finishes. “I believe that mixing wood species and metal finishes makes for a much prettier project with longer appeal,” Coyne says. The cabinets, designed by Coyne and custom-built by Dan Connell of Pointe Kitchen and Bath in Grosse Pointe Woods, feature unlacquered brass hardware. Explains Coyne: “It will change colors. It has a living finish, as they call it.” Antique brass is a sophisticated accent on the black leather chairs that surround the oversized island (a must for the homeowners, whose large family can often be found hanging out around it), while a rose gold faucet and hammered nickel sink play effortlessly with the marble counters, chrome, and polished brass accents of the range, and the black iron details on the sconces and Visual Comfort chandelier.
Designer Michael Coyne likes to mix metal with wood in many of his interiors, as seen here.
Mirrored cabinets in the kitchen draw your attention to the surrounding spaces. “I use mirrors and glass in cabinets and doors interchangeably. Mirrors give us a little protection when they’re on a door or window, and they hide all our sins when they’re on a cabinet,” Coyne says. The living room’s oversized 10-foot-long striped sofa (“for lots of kids to hang out on”) and two distinctly patterned custom ottomans seem to float above the party-ready sisal diamond grid white rug from Chris Smith’s Carpet Design Group in Troy.
“It’s designed for outdoor use but feels like silk and can be cleaned with bleach,” says Coyne, who also used the carpet in many areas of the home. “As with great artwork, great furniture — especially wood-framed pieces — looks great against white. I used this carpet because it’s the finest product.”
The living room transitions effortlessly into the dining space and adjoining family room. A Sarreid Limited Jupe dining table expands to seat eight round-to-round, courtesy of hidden leaves. Its compact size allows the homeowners to use it as an entry table when not in use. The crystal chandelier from Visual Comfort glimmers above, with more than 300 individually cut crystal cubes. In the family room, the sofa’s wood frame acts “like eyeliner,” Coyne says. “It really makes the silhouette stand out.” The acrylic cocktail table’s inherent design gives focus to tabletop décor. “The pieces are classic and modern,” Coyne says, adding, “we were careful to allow a lot of room for entertaining flow.”
The library awaits through French doors, and wows with high-gloss black custom cabinetry and alligator-embossed leather insert panels. A retro-inspired desk and sleek brass bar tower from P.F. Galleries in Troy add a Mid-century nod to the space’s distinguished design.
A curated selection of art showcases both the designer’s finds as well as pieces from the homeowners’ collections. In the stairwell, a circa-1940s motor yacht graphic takes the helm. “I found it at market in the middle of the project,” Coyne says, “and we all fell in love with it. It’s a great, simple piece. Uncomplicated. That was the overall theme, and that’s what these people are. They wanted simplicity, but beautiful simplicity.”
In the entry, an architectural metal Arteriors table complements the Deco-inspired design of the sculptural striped cube. Above, a painting featuring white birch hangs boldly. The piece, among the only brightly colored additions to the new space, was a gift from the wife to the husband, an avid outdoorsman.
The first-floor powder room (one of two) is a glamorous departure from the sleek color scheme. Its design, centered on the vanity, comes to life courtesy of York’s hand-painted cork wallpaper, which “has a bit of a tribal feel,” Coyne says. “It’s organic and tribal, all at the same time.”
The cut-crystal sconces from Visual Comfort mimic the pattern found in the wallcovering.
The renovation, which began in October of 2020 and was completed in April of 2022, increased the four-bedroom, five-bath house by 2,000 square feet. “We also added a large master bath, a comfortable mudroom, a casual powder room, and a four-car garage,” Coyne says. “Nothing was ever rushed. We made sure everything was impeccable and simple, so that nothing (in particular) would stand out. We want people to see the whole place as one beautiful, completed thought.”
The living room features blue and white touches, which look great when paired with black.
The approximately 5,000-square-foot home features a stunning landscape designed by Matt Mosher of Royal Oak’s Mosher Design Co. It was installed by Backer Landscaping of Roseville. Multiple outdoor living areas “more than double their entertainment space,” says Coyne — and that’s essential to the couple, who host friends and family year-round.
“I’ve been to a few parties at the house, and it works,” Coyne says. “The execution is most gratifying when you can see that it functions as my clients desired it to.”
In every area of the home, including the entry, there’s something special — like decorative jewels scattered throughout.
BUYER’S GUIDE
INTERIOR DESIGNER
Michael Coyne, Michael Coyne Design, Birmingham, michaelcoynedesign.com
DINING ROOM
Chair, Dining – Custom, Hickory Chair; Fabric, Natural Linen, Pindler, Michigan Design Center, Troy
Chandelier – Crystal Sphere, Visual Comfort
Drapery – Dinah, White, Pindler, Michigan Design Center, Troy
Flooring – 7-inch-wide White Oak, Custom Stain, Connell Building Co., St. Clair Shores
Lights, Picture – Polished Nickel, Visual Comfort
Plant Stands – Custom, Jay Kutcher Cabinetry
Table, Dining – Extension Table, Burnt Oak, Sarreid
Wall Paint – Benjamin Moore, White Dove
ENTRYWAY
Flooring – 7-inch-wide White Oak, Custom Stain, Connell Building Co., St. Clair Shores
Light, Picture – Visual Comfort
Sculpture, Man – Bungalow 5
Stool – Worlds Away
Table, Console – Arteriors
Vase – Global Views
Wall Paint – Benjamin Moore, White Dove
FAMILY ROOM
Cabinetry, Mini-Bar – Connell Building Co., St. Clair Shores
Chairs, Swivel – Hickory Chairl; Fabric, Pindler, Michigan Design Center, Troy
Flooring – 7” Wide White Oak, Custom Stain, Connell Building Company, St. Clair Shores
Sofa – Hickory Chair; Fabric, Pindler, Michigan Design Center, Troy
Stools – Custom, Michael Coyne Design, Birmingham; Foam N’ More, Clawson; Fabric, Pindler, Michigan Design Center, Troy
Wall Paint – Benjamin Moore, White Dove
Sisal diamond-grid white carpet lines the stairway, adding extra comfort, while head-turning art adds drama.
KITCHEN
Backsplash and Countertops – Statuary Marble, Ciot, Troy; Fabrication, Leonardo’s Marble & Granite, Wixom
Bar Stools – Dean Stools, Burnished Brass, Sunpan
Cabinets – Kelly Carpenter, Pointe Cabinets and Design, Grosse Pointe Woods
Chandelier – Currey & Company
Faucets – Brizo, Witbeck Home Appliance Mart, West Bloomfield
Flooring – Connell Building Co., St. Clair Shores
Hardware – Russell Hardware, Bloomfield Hills
Hood and Range – Custom, Bertazzoni, Pointe Cabinets and Design, Grosse Pointe Woods
Sconces – Visual Comfort
Sculpture, White Cherry – Arteriors
Sink – Franke, Ferguson Bath, Kitchen & Lighting Gallery, Troy
Vases, Gold – Regina Andrew Design, Wyandotte
Wall Paint – Benjamin Moore, White Dove
LIVING ROOM
Bench – Stone and Onyx, Kasmir Lyndhurst, Decoroom, Michigan Design Center, Troy
Chairs, Wingback – Theodore Alexander, Michigan Design Center, Troy
Drapery – Custom, Amelia Exite, Perfect Stitches, Troy; Fabric, Dinah, Pindler, Michigan Design Center, Troy
Flooring – 7-inch-wide White Oak, Custom Stain, Connell Building Co., St. Clair Shores
Lamps, Table – Gilded Gold Finish, Visual Comfort
Pedestals – Custom, Jay Kutcher Cabinetry
Pillow, Throw – Hermès
Rug – Distinctive Carpet, Chris Smith, Carpet Design Group, Troy
Sofa – Custom, Hickory Chair; Fabric, Silk Velvet, Stone, Kasmir Lyndhurst; Decoroom, Michigan Design Center, Troy
Table, Coffee – Lucite Cocktail Table 52-inch Interlude Home
Tables, Occasional – Bungalow 5
Wall Paint – Benjamin Moore, White Dove
POWDER ROOM
Chandelier – Barbara Barry, Visual Comfort
Flooring – 7-inch-wide White Oak, Custom Stain, Connell Building Co., St. Clair Shores
Mirror – CB2
Sconces – Visual Comfort
Sculpture, Horse on Glass Base – Regina Andrew Design, Wyandotte
Sculpture, White Marble – Arteriors
Vanity – Gloss Gray with Carrera Marble, Worlds Away
Wallpaper – A-1 Wallcovering, Mike McWhorter, Clarkston
STAIRCASE
Artwork – Wendover Art Group
Chandelier – Visual Comfort
Ottoman – Custom, Michael Coyne Design, Birmingham; Foam N’ More, Clawson; Fabric, Natural Linen, Pindler, Michigan Design Center, Troy
Runner – Kaya Carpets, Chris Smith, Carpet Design Group, Troy
Stair Rails, Paint – Benjamin Moore, Decorator’s White
ADDITONAL PROJECT CONTRIBUTORS
Flooring, Library – Helios Carpet
Flooring Installation – Connell Building Co., St. Clair Shores
Landscaping – Design, Matt Mosher, Mosher Design Co., Royal Oak; Installation, Backer Landscaping, Roseville
Library Walls – Dan’s Upholstery, Crocodile
Rack – Gold Bar Rack, PF Galleries, Troy
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