Locals Enjoy Their 'Chic on the Cheap' Finds

Area homeowners and home designers share tips on where to find used furnishings and how to make them better than good-as-new.

Some of interior designer Caroline von Weyher’s favorite furniture finds have been at a variety of Metro Detroit’s thrift shops and garage sales. With a little elbow grease, a bit of creativity and vision and an open mind, von Weyher, owner of Von Haus interior design firm in Birmingham, has transformed many a castaway from dull to divine, from plain to pleasant. “Garage sales and thrift and/or consignment stores can be great places to find a vintage light fixture or a piece of furniture that (with a little refinishing or reupholstering) can make a great addition to your home,” said von Weyher, who loves the Junior League Shop in Birmingham. “Someone's discarded wood dining room chair can be totally transformed by painting it, say, red, …

• Photos (2)

Savvy Shoppers Love to Save Money at Local Thrift, Discount Stores

Metro Detroiters share tips on chic on the cheap and weigh in with a closetful of ideas.

When it comes to apparel, Carol Marshall of Bloomfield Township almost never pays more than a few dollars for anything, including shoes, purses, dresses – you name it. “I don’t think I’ve paid more than $5 for anything for a really long time,” notes one of Metro Detroit’s sharpest — and savviest — dressers. “Even if something’s marked, like $5, I usually will have a coupon for 50 percent off.” Marshall, a regular volunteer at The Community House and the Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center, both in Birmingham, is a veritable professional thrift-store shopper. On a recent weekday morning, the polished and poised Marshall was adorned in a chic pink, black and floral ensemble that evoked a sunny field of posies amid sticks of strawberry and black…

• Photos (4)

First Impressions Count When it Comes to Home Sweet Home

Does your entryway say 'welcome home?' These design tips can help create cheerful greetings.

From your driveway to your walkway to your front door, there are several eye-catching ways to welcome guests, family, and, heck, even yourself, in style. I went the Irish route when sprucing up my entryway. If you’ve been to Dublin, you’ve seen the renowned “doors of Dublin,” which pop with pretty and unique colors. I think the Irish would approve of my front door, which is a bright blue, as are my shutters. On a recent trip to Ireland, our guide told us with a wink that legend has it that residents paint their doors a unique color so they can immediately recognize their home when they’ve had one too many pints of Guinness at the local pub. Others told me that actually the Irish tend to paint their doors in pretty colors due to the large …

•  2 Comments
• Photos (16)

Huntington Woods House Tour Puts Out Welcome Mats June 3

Five great houses open their doors to the public with everything from traditional interiors to pretty gardens to ultra-modern motifs.

Updated: May 29, 5:43 p.m., to include new information When Tiffany Elie was dating her husband-to-be, the two lived in Oak Park and Royal Oak. Going back and forth from each other’s homes during their courtship took them along the charming streets of Huntington Woods. “We would see the nice homes, the friendly neighborhoods, parents with strollers, kids playing in the yards … and I thought, this is where we should live some day,” Elie said.  That day is here and although the couple had to leave the area temporarily twice to live in Germany for the husband’s job, they and their two daughters now are happy residents of Huntington Woods. Living in a 1940s home that has been completely renovated and overhauled, the family enjoys their days …

•  1 Comment
• Photos (15)

Janice Rex-Weaver

10:57 am on Sunday, May 27, 2012

I've been on a hunt woods house tour.....well worth the drive down there from rochester!   more ›

House Hunt: For Sale, Rent in Berkley and Huntington Woods

Looking for a new home? Here are some houses available in the area.

Click through the image gallery to see a sampling of area homes that are for sale or available to rent in Berkley and Huntington Woods. Locations, prices and other details are listed below each photograph. Are you a real estate agent with homes for sale or lease in Berkley or Huntington Woods? Email Berkley@Patch.com and we'll try to feature yours next week.

• Photos (5)

Glass Adds Class to Any Home or Occasion

New or old, glass and its sparkling qualities appeals to many. See some of the best at galleries and festivals around Metro Detroit.

Cleary, glass is beautiful. Stop reading this now and look around. Do you see anything made from glass? Take a second to think of the process of how it was made and the skill behind it, whether it’s an everyday drinking glass or a heavy, richly hued decorative bowl. Simply put, glass is made from a basic mixture of silica, which comes from fine white sand or pulverized sandstone, sodium bicarbonate and lime. See it in all its colorful, reflective, sparkling wonder at the Annual International Glass Invitational Awards Exhibition, now at the Habatat Galleries in Royal Oak. Running through Saturday, the display features more than 90 works of glass from around the world and this year is celebrating its 40th International Invitational. Epiphany…

• Photos (6)

The Dirty Dozen: 12 Tips for Spring Cleaning

We peek into the wash buckets of some of the areas savviest spring cleaners, who reveal great ideas to help clean up your act.

When interior designer Brian Clay Collins of Grosse Pointe embarks on his annual spring-clean at his northern Michigan home, it’s with glass cleaners, vinegar and lint-free towels in-hand, among other things. “The absolute requirement for clean wood floors is warm water with a bit of white vinegar, used with a big sponge rinsed frequently,” said Collins, who owns Brian Clay Collins Design. “This is all done, alas, on hands and knees!!” Like hundreds of other homeowners who now are focusing on sprucing up, freshening and deep-cleaning their homes, Collins swears by favorite products. For example, he prefers Glass Plus for cleaning glass “becaue it’s ammonia-free, so less likely to damage the silvering on mirrors.” Dr. Jennifer Bonde, owner …

• Photos (1)

Median Home Sale Prices Continue Rising Locally This Spring, Report Shows

Monthly figures for Oakland County show residential real estate market still rebounds.

Refreshing news for Berkley and Huntington Woods home-sellers is in the latest look at sale prices for homes and condos in four Metro Detroit counties. Median prices rose to $70,000 in Oakland, Macomb, Livingston and Wayne last month, a 1.6-percent rise from March. The new median is nearly 19 percent higher than in April 2011, according to a report Monday from Realcomp II Ltd., a multiple listing service in Farmington Hills. Selling prices rose within each county, extending a four-month trend for 2012. Livingston County has the highest median ($150,000), followed by Oakland ($114,500), Macomb ($72,500) and "Greater Wayne," excluding Detroit ($62,000). Percentage increases from the previous April are in a table below.   Sales volume slipped…

• Photos (1)

10 Tips on How to Sell Your House Fast

Putting your home on the market? A local Realtor shares selling ideas on how to get that purchase agreement signed quickly.

Declutter, freshen – and cover up the tarantulas. That's the advice of at least one local expert for homeowners who want to sell their house quickly Spring is the best time to sell your home, according to lendingtree.com. If you’re getting ready to sell, Realtor Ginny Fisher of  Hall & Hunter Realtors in Birmingham said to focus on first impressions. “The advice I give to all my sellers?" Fisher said. "The buyer will be making judgments about the house from the moment they pull up in front of it, so take the time to get your house ready to put on the market and look at your home from a buyer’s perspective.” Fisher, who’s been a Realtor for 15 years at Hall & Hunter, added, “Spending the time and some money to make your house sparkle will …

• Photos (6)

Designers' Show House Showcases Pewabic Tile

Want a glimpse of Detroit's artistic past? Check out the stunning, several-decades-old tile work during the Detroit Junior League's stylish house tour in Grosse Pointe Shores.