Less than impressed. That’s how designer Dayna Rasschaert, of Dayna Flory Interiors, felt the first time she walked into the Bloomfield Village house she now calls home. “I hate to say it now because of how much I adore our home, but I didn’t like it at all,” she says. “Typically, I can always see how great a space could be, but I was really stuck on the tight foyer and entry stair.”
But her growing family needed more room, and the neighborhood and the exterior of the four-bedroom 1951 Colonial were “fabulous,” she says. She also wasn’t afraid of a design challenge. “I love a good before-and-after,” she asserts. So Rasschaert and her husband took the plunge and purchased the home in 2015.
Over the next decade, the designer has gradually transformed the home into the perfect nest for her family, which includes her husband, Dan, along with a 10-year-old son, a 7-year-old daughter, and Poppy, a Pomeranian puppy. “We didn’t change the square footage or layout of the home,” Rasschaert says of the 2,700-square-foot residence’s floor plan. “There were times when we played around with the idea, but in the end we always decided to stick with the space we had. It was a good lesson that, with the right design, you can really make any space work well.”
She started by refinishing the floors, removing a lot of “really dated” 1990s wallpaper and carpet in the home office, baths, and foyer, and painting and letting in the light. “We removed so many built-ins, paneling, carpeting, wallpaper,” she recalls. “You could tell the original homeowner had impeccable taste and the home was, at one point, decorated beautifully.”
Time passes, however, and updates become necessary. “Design is an ongoing process,” Rasschaert explains. “It’s amazing how good it can make you feel just to refresh and move a few items around in your space to improve function and aesthetics.”
Adding color also makes homeowners — and visitors — feel good. “Color brings life to a space,” the designer notes. She says she’s a fan of warmer tones, including red and yellow, but she likes all hues. “I use color in pops. The Missoni stair runner completely transformed my foyer. It was a dark space, but by adding the wall paneling, painting it a bright white, and then with the very bold and bright carpeting, the space came to life. It went from being the area I most disliked in the home to one of my favorite features. It’s amazing how just a change in textiles and colors, and adding wainscoting, helped so much,” she says of the once-disliked entryway. The new runner and Missoni pattern “makes it so cheery and ties it all together. Everyone loves it when they come in. You can’t help but notice it.”
In 2019, they moved on to the kitchen area, carving out space from the garage and leaving an existing bathroom. “Having two baths on the first floor is essential,” she says. “It’s now one of my favorite things in the house.” Working with EuroCraft, who made the cabinets and helped her with the design, she transformed the space by installing two islands — a feature she says has made the family’s daily life easier.
When the kids get home from school they head to the mudroom bench, unload their gear, and go straight into the bath to wash up. I use the smaller island as a landing zone for school papers, and the larger one for food prep and serving.” The small island is also fantastic for holding appetizers and drinks when the family entertains. “It looks like a table, but I had EuroCraft make it out of cabinetry. There are hidden drawers for extra storage, and also electrical outlets.”
Rasschaert is also a big fan of the back sunroom, an earlier addition. “When we have downtime as a family, this is where we hang out together,” she says. “Being connected to the outdoors is amazing; it’s light and bright. We love to grab popcorn and Sno-caps, and cuddle up with Poppy.”
Her kids love the second-floor playroom, which was created from an extra bedroom. “This space came with an adorable Dutch door. It has been the perfect space for my kids to play over the years. It will always hold great memories and a special place in my heart. I highly recommend that, if you have a spare bedroom in your home, you utilize it this way. It was nice for all of us to have all the toys in one very accessible place.”
She says working on her own home was both fun and challenging. “I wouldn’t say it was easier or harder,” she says. And when she needed second opinions, she had plenty of support. “Luckily I have my mother, who has fabulous taste, and fellow designer friends who are so talented. They let me bounce ideas off of them. It really is nice having a second opinion, and it makes me appreciate why people hire me to help them with their homes.”
The house will continue to evolve, she says. “I’m a very visual person, so I take in and am inspired by everything around me. New colorful wallpaper and fabrics really make me excited. There are so many great textile designers who come out with very inspiring new options all the time.”
She doesn’t think the home will ever really be finished. “Technically, it is,” she says, but adds that she will continue to “tweak it for fun along the way.” That said, she has no regrets. “I love everything I’ve chosen so far.”
1.Interior Designer
Dayna Rasschaert, Dayna Flory Interiors,
Bloomfield Hills, daynafloryinteriors.com
Additional Contributors
Cabinetry: EuroCraft Interiors Custom
Cabinetry, Sterling Heights
Contractor: Masterworks Contracting,
Macomb Township
Countertops: CIOT, Troy; Granite Creations, Farmington
Upholstery: Foam N’ More, Clawson;
Perfect Stitches, Troy
2.Venetian Medium Chandelier
Visual Comfort, City Lights Detroit, Michigan Design Center, Troy, visualcomfort.com, citylightsdetroit.com, michigandesign.com
“I love the dark contrast of the chandelier in the space. I went back and forth on which finish to choose,” says designer Danya Rasschaert. “It has a timeless, clean-lined traditional quality I knew would stay in style for years to come. The star canopy at the ceiling also adds a very unique detail.”
3.The Wave Velvet
Schumacher, Michigan Design Center, Troy, schumacher.com,
michigandesign.com
Go big or go home,” Rasschaert says. “Pairing two bold geometric patterns on the chair in the sunroom created the most playful and interesting element in the room. Brown is one of my favorite go-to colors to add to spaces.”
4.Custom Primary Bed
Foam N’ More, Clawson, foamforyou.co
I designed this bed 20 years ago when I started working as a designer. Seven years later, Foam N’ More brought it to life. I love this bed as much today as the day it was delivered. The shape is so unique and timeless. I’m always inspired by design elements from the ’60s,” Rasschaert says.
5.Missoni Home Venezia
Prestige Mills, prestigemills.com
“Missoni makes my favorite carpeting. I recently added this amazing bold striped carpet to the foyer, stairs, and upstairs hallway,” the designer says. “Continuing the runner into the hallway made the space feel warm and complete. The colors bring joy to us every day!”
6.Jamboree
House of Scalamandré, Michigan Design Center, Troy, michigandesign.com
“The palette for the living room and entire house started with this amazing multicolored dot fabric.”
7.Horseshoe Coffee Table
CB2, Birmingham, cb2.com
“I always adore a waterfall-style table. I use them often in my projects. I find the simple sculptural nature of them very interesting. It is a nice way to bring a more modern element into traditional spaces.”
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