Once the Honeymoon Cottage of renowned architect Wallace Frost, this iconic home was masterfully brought to the present by designer Lynn Witmer, who also honored its heritage.
Lynn Witmer, interior designer and owner of Witmer Design in Bloomfield Hills, recently had an opportunity to revive the great room and dining room in a historic Wallace Frost home in Birmingham. The client was a close friend, Elizabeth Deeney, who lives with her husband, Jerry, and their West Highland terriers, Stella Bleu and Winnie James.
Known as the Honeymoon Cottage, the circa-1929 residence was originally designed for the prominent architect and his wife. “Frost was very much known for a timbered two-story great room in his day. It’s the heart of the home. We wanted to keep the integrity and honor the wood features, like the hand-hewn timber,” Witmer says. “That was (among) our absolute keepers.”
Modern updates include the home’s limestone fireplace. “It was a bit of a juggle to keep the integrity of the original floor, but we had a fantastic construction team,” Witmer notes.
The built-ins in the great room were redesigned in order to bring a more modern interpretation to the overall feeling of the room. Painting them in one of Witmer’s favorite Sherwin-Williams’ colors, Greenblack, added the weight the room needed to balance the wood elements that Frost was famous for. “We completely redesigned and modernized them,” Witmer says. She points out that comfy seating now accommodates the couple and their frequent guests, while white walls serve to showcase the wood tones and key pieces the couple, avid art collectors, curated with the David Klein Gallery.
For homeowner Elizabeth Deeney, the bubble-inspired fixture in the dining room is champagne personified. “It delights me every time I walk past it,” she says.
According to the designer, combining old and new elements requires a balancing act. “The history is all there, (so) it’s about bringing it forward in a light that’s more relevant today.” That process involves putting a good deal of careful thought into the textures and wood tones of the furnishings and architecture. With the right pieces, the result “can be (both) modern and authentic,” Witmer says.
The results of Witmer’s philosophy are gloriously evident in the dining room, where the ebonized white oak table has an organic quality and the chairs feature a modern texture on the seats. “It’s all very subtle. It was about the layers that thread through the rooms,” she adds.
Homeowner Elizabeth Deeney points out the bubble light fixture in the dining room, and explains that it sparks joy. “Lynn gave me three options (for the lighting, and when I saw this one), I said, ‘You gave me champagne personified in a light fixture.’ It delights me every time I walk past it.”
Frost was known for his signature use of wood in his designs, and through the use of paint and expertly-curated furnishings, Witmer was able to perfectly balance these warm tones.
The overarching goal of the renovation was to establish a sense of ease of living. “The house is a respite where (the couple) can decompress. Nothing is too precious. It’s all about rooms that are sophisticated, elegant, and timeless, but comfortable,” Witmer says. “They have amazing taste and they let me conceptualize the design. Elizabeth and I are in sync, like sisters. This was a labor of love; it was so easy and seamless.”
Deeney explains that she and Witmer became fast friends and developed an incredible connection more than 20 years ago. “Lynn’s a really generous person and that’s reflected in her work. She’s so considerate of the person in the space, and has the ability to see a space in that lens,” she says.
“We bought this home for the great room. It took our breath away. It’s the heartbeat of the house, but we didn’t use it a lot until Lynn made it the comfortable oasis it is,” Deeney adds.
In their professional life, the couple both work in a creative arena focused on experiential, global auto, and tech activations. “Our home is our happy, comfortable place, and we use it often since the refresh that changed the orientation of the great room. It’s our ‘remains of the day’ space. We don’t use the dining room as frequently, but we love to entertain, and the round table feels so warm and inviting,” she says.
“We love this house, and we’re committed to it, but we needed Lynn to come in and really see us through,” Deeney continues. “(Lynn) took all of the nuance and elevated it, and brought it to its full potential. Because we’re so close, the process was nothing short of beautiful. It was an absolute pleasure.”
More information: witmerdesign.com
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