Dee & Paul’s Thrill of the (Halloween) Hunt

Name: Dee and Paul
Location: Northville, Michigan
Size: 2,600 square feet
Years lived in: 6 years; Owned

Dee and Paul live in Northville, a western suburb of Detroit. Their traditional home is open, airy and layered with trinkets. Dee is drawn toward turquoise, sparkles, shiny surfaces, beach imagery, and a mix of old and new. Paul likes mementos from the couple’s travels (especially out west) and vintage clocks (which he restores). Dee enjoys the “thrill of the hunt;” searching antique shops, resale shops, consignment shops, flea markets and estate sales for new trinkets to display around the house, as well as objects for her business.

Dee uses her love of old and new to create altered and re-purposed art which she sells on Etsy. Her workshop is in the basement, but her handmade home décor is always on display throughout the house – at least until it sells.

I had difficulty choosing the final photographs for this house tour. I took over 200 photos at Dee and Paul’s house! Dee has an eye for detail and I wanted to capture (and show off) as many of her clever designs as I could. For her Halloween décor, Dee found old books with “eerie” titles like The Drowning Season, Desecration, and Her Last Death at second-hand stores. Her Etsy creations and other Halloween decorations are thoughtfully styled atop stacks of those seasonally appropriate books.

My Style: Casual and comfortable with touches of chic and bling.

Inspiration: Whatever I like.

Favorite Element: The high ceilings, curves, arches, angles and alcoves in the walls.

Biggest Challenge: First, finding a house we both agreed on. We house hunted for three years! Then, painting the 18-foot ceilings and walls.

What Friends Say: They like the eclectic décor and the openness of the house.

Biggest Embarrassment: The basement!

Proudest DIY: The deck. Paul replaced the old deck with maintenance-free Innovations brand vinyl boarding and rails. I insisted on all boards running on the diagonal, which caused a lot of time-consuming measurements and angle cuts.

Biggest Indulgence: The installation of Mohawk Lumber brand pre-finished 3/4-inch thick solid oak 3-inch wide wood plank flooring in the foyer, hallway, kitchen and laundry room.

Best Advice: My tastes change often, so I don’t like to make huge investments in décor items. I try to get traditional pieces of furniture so everything will flow together.

Dream Sources: Flea markets and old shops in Europe – especially in Paris and London.

• Stained glass lit window: Greenmead Historical Society Flea Market; Livonia, MI (Paul back lit and installed it.)

• Vintage turquoise/rhinestone wind-up clocks (Dee’s collection): eBay and Etsy

• Fleur de lis serving table: Totu’s; West Bloomfield, MI

• Pottery collection: local art fairs, resale shops, consignment shops, garage sales and flea markets

• The bedroom set is the couple’s original, which Dee labels (with a smile) as “vintage modern from the 70s.”
• Bedding and pillows: Marshalls
• Artwork: Your Blessings Consignment; Milford, MI

• Filled with treasures found on Dee’s hunts around Metro Detroit, as well as handcrafted items from her Etsy shop.

• Drop leaf desk: Saline Antique Market; Saline, MI

• Paul’s trinkets

Thanks, Dee and Paul!

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