Common Ground

A dramatic bluff-top site inspired one couple’s desire for a minimalist and airy family home. The result garnered a 2009 Detroit Home Design Award for residential architecture.

Aleene Jinn Hang

‘Like 24-hour Zen’

A polished, edited interior creates a calming décor that’s well-suited to restful views of water, rolling lawns, and passers-by at leisure in a public space.

Rebecca Powers

Sultry Sounds for Hot Nights

In Portuguese, bossa nova means “new trend,” and this lovely Brazilian music swept through America like a caressing Rio breeze in the late 1950s and throughout the ’60s.

George Bulanda

Setting Pretty

The Tabletops luncheon at Pine Lake Country Club benefiting Variety, the Children’s Charity, became a feast for the eyes when volunteer designers set 30 tables as inspiration for a place in the...

Megan Swoyer

A Garden Plot

Kelly Reemtsen's 2008 oil, Pink Waterhose (With White Dress) looks innocuous enough; a woman appears ready to water her flowers. But look at the way she’s clutching the hose, almost as if it’s...

George Bulanda

Living Light

Neutral, Archival, Practical and Brilliant colors to help light up any room.

Almost Invisible

Appropriately named Float glassware, by Vancouver-based Molo Design, is visually airy and minimally elegant.

Décor with an Italian Accent

In addition to the arrival of Italians in the form of Fiat personnel at Chrysler’s Auburn Hills headquarters, several other Italian manufacturers are establishing higher profiles here.

A Welcoming Spirit

The home is one of 20 across southeast Michigan run by JARC (formerly known as The Jewish Association for Retarded Citizens). The 40-year-old Farmington Hills-based organization, now known by its...

Megan Swoyer

Stretching the Boundaries of Yoga

Designers tend to be conceptual, big-picture types. But even given that, pairing yoga with architecture and urban planning seems a stretch, so to speak.

Aleene Jinn Hang

Kemble’s Keepers

Sought-after interior designer Celerie Kemble has released a coffee-table book attractive enough to grace the sophisticated rooms she creates.

 Water Torture

A basement flood can make a homeowner go off the deep end. But if you have a sump pump, there are some precautions you can take.

By George Bulanda

Crawl Space or Slab?

While colder climates are ideally suited for in-ground basements, many homes here are built on concrete slabs or crawl spaces. If you’re planning to buy a home built on either of these...

Adam Helfman

The ABCs of AC

On stifling days or nights, air-conditioning problems can make us hot under the collar. This primer can help you keep your cool all summer long.

Adam Helfman

Brush Up on Paint

Is semi-gloss, flat, satin, or high-gloss the best choice? And what about the exterior? Don’t fret; we’ve got you covered.

By Adam Helfman

Home Eco-nomics

Three new books offer fresh tips on becoming a clean, green, and energy-lean homeowner.

Garden-patch Organics

10 tips to help your organic garden.

Janet Macunovich

Invitation to Summer

The fantasy of throwing a party provides its own gratifying entertainment. You compose an ideal guest list with the right mix of personalities, decide on flowers, read hors d’oeuvre recipes, even...

Rebecca Powers