by Doug KonenPhotography by Kerry Bowman
A Huntington Woods couple finds the perfect home in need of a little fine tuning for their collection of masterful mid-century furnishings.
Three years ago this Yamasaki-designed home in the front of the Woods was starting to show its age. Outside, the venerable shape and proportions were partially obscured by an overgrown landscape. Classic modernist geometry defined by expansive glass and blond brick, uncomplicated cypress trim and a dollop of primary colors succumbed to brown paint. It was a misguided rethinking of the exterior details that made this 1951 house a stand out.
Inside, the concrete ground level floors were covered by white ceramic tile.
Upstairs, a mix of wide and narrow oak flooring surrendered to shaggy carpeting. What once was a distinguished building, designed by an even more distinguished architect had become somewhat faded.
Discovering the house in 1996 was a stroke of good fortune for homeowners John and Sylvia Rowans. Its period style was the ultimate complement to their growing collection of mid century furnishings and decorative objects. Rowans says he began collecting while living in a loft in downtown Detroit. "The space was raw, which I liked," and the Eames and Herman Miller provided a stylish, optimistic balance to that coarse urban environment. When they bought the house, Rowans a woodworker and artist, and his wife, a teacher, were sure of two things. First, they would gently coax the house back to its original stature and second, with a setting like this their passion for collecting would surely grow. "The last owner wasn't even out of the driveway before we started to rip up the carpeting" Sylvia confided. Immediately the Rowans moved on to the tiled floor with hammers and enthusiasm. It took several days of nearly non-stop whacking but an important deadline was looming. Just two months after moving in they hosted their own wedding reception.
Behind the blue door visitors step into the house through a space that soars to two levels energized by floor to ceiling glass. The dramatic sweep upward serves to heighten the visitor's expectations–and to hint at the architectural ideals developed by a 20th century master. Green slate gives way to oak stair treads on the left or the cool, inviting concrete floors that lay straight ahead. Recessed lighting, built-in storage and radiant heating within the concrete underscore the functional qualities of the house. Resting quite naturally atop those floors are the vintage Eames chairs and assorted furnishings that add a sculptural quality to the smooth planes of the house.
Included among their vintage treasures, the Rowans count an orange velvet love seat and hand-blown glass lamp bought from the Yamasaki estate. It is the perfect pairing of house and furnishings.
Determined to revive the exterior as well, Rowans has steadily scrapped and stripped the murky brown paint that covered nearly every wood surface. No longer hidden, the color and grain of the cypress remind us of the softening effect of the exterior wood trim against the brick walls. A breezeway tethers garage to house with broad cypress planks that hint at a pergola. And if God is in the details, Rowans has tithed a healthy respect with new, custom made galvanized gutters and downspouts dictated by the original architectural specifications. For sheer visual impact, Rowans returned several plywood panels on the west end of the house to their original, Mondrian-like color scheme.
"I still have a lot to do" says Rowans but clearly he's already taken some important steps with this classic house. And knowing what you like is the way to filling your house with things you love. Clearly these two know exactly what they like. 
