When architect Michael Poris was approached to renovate a historic farmhouse in Birmingham, Michigan, he took inspiration from the client’s large collection of found industrial objects. “When we first went into the house, it was filled with industrial objects,” recalls Poris, co-founder of McIntosh Poris Associates. “It definitely wasn’t child friendly! It was all sharp, rusty, industrial stuff… but it was really interesting and we wanted to incorporate these objects along with the classic Modernist pieces he had. It’s very eclectic.”

The brief to Poris was to make the home more liveable for the client and his young son and to reflect the client’s personal style, without spending a lot of money. As a result, Poris chose to make small changes to the home that would have a big impact, and focus on introducing character to the interior with found materials and custom furniture made by local makers.

“The house had been chopped up over time—as it was divided into two homes during the Depression—and didn’t have a functional layout,” says Poris. “It had small spaces and an odd flow. We had to put it back together.”

The mass of the home was left unchanged, but given a contemporary refresh. The outdated spindle columns on the porch were replaced with simple cedar timbers, and the aluminum horizontal siding was replaced with James Hardie board and batten siding. “The board and batten siding is very traditional on farmhouses and barns across the Midwest,” says Poris. “It’s not expensive and it’s the perfect look for a contemporary farmhouse.” A standing seam metal roof was also added—one of the most expensive elements of the renovation.

Inside the home, the ground floor was opened up to make the space flow better. The walls were painted a lighter color and a dark trim was introduced to balance the heavy industrial elements used in the interior. Pops of bright orange throughout reference the industrial design language, and help to bring a sense of playfulness into the home.

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A major part of the renovation involved the reconfiguration of the rooms around the rear entrance, which leads to a hall beneath a stair landing. This space was previously dark, low-ceilinged and uninviting. Additionally, the bathroom was unnecessarily large and there was a tiny mudroom.

Poris resolved these issues by replacing the stair landing with a steel and glass landing that allows natural light from the first floor window to flood the space below, as well as the kitchen. He also made the downstairs bathroom smaller to allow for a larger mudroom and a laundry.

The kitchen had been partially redone during the previous renovation attempt. Although the client disliked the new cabinets, they were kept to help manage the budget and repainted to give them a different character. A small pass was introduced leading from the kitchen to a cafe table space for casual dining.

Another remnant of the previous division of the home was a second stair that now served no use and ended at a wall. Instead of removing this element, it was decided to transform it into a library. In doing so, the narrative and history of the house has been preserved and given a new functionality—much like the custom furniture throughout.

Reclaimed timber was used to construct the shelves and a pull-out ladder, also crafted from reclaimed and found materials, was introduced. The rooms on this second floor were reconfigured to create three larger bedrooms, rather than the original four smaller bedrooms.

Much of the character of the home comes from the custom furniture created specifically for the home by local artisans, many from the nearby Cranbrook Academy of Art. “Working in Detroit over the last 25 years we've developed a real liking of working with found objects,” says Poris. “We like to look at things in a new way.”

The rest of the furniture is a mix of classic pieces—such as Eames chairs and a Harry Bertoia Bird chair—and more affordable pieces. The bright orange credenza in the living room, for example, is from IKEA. “It was about taking all these disparate things and working them into the old farmhouse to end up with this industrial-urban house,” says Poris.

“This project wasn't a major redo. Rather, we made the home more livable, more interesting, and took out some of the sharp edges to make it more child-friendly,” says Poris. “It’s kind of like a ‘found’ home—everyone talks about sustainability and the most sustainable thing you can do is reuse something. We took it from this drab old farmhouse and transformed it into a home that really fit in with his personality. It’s not your typical farmhouse any more.”

This Michigan Couple Found Out They Own the Last Standing Home by Alexander Girard

Project Credits:

Architect of Credit: McIntosh Poris Associates

Builder: Richard Hyman Builders Inc.

Interior Design: McIntosh Poris Associates

Cabinetry Installation: KSI Kitchen & Bath

Furniture Design: Seth Keller

Metal Fabricator: Richard Gage Design Studio

Photographer: Brett Mountain, Justin Maconochie