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This highly sophisticated, award-winning, house in Birmingham is in the style of a large urban loft. Tanya Wildt, Detroit Free Press

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This sophisticated Eurostyle house near downtown Birmingham is living out its second act. It began life in 2000 as home for a couple who were strictly minimalist — two bedrooms and lean decor, emphasis on lines and space.  

Ten years later it was reworked as a softer home with more bedrooms to hold a blended family of six — adult and becoming adult. This was all accomplished without changing the footprint, which its owners respect.

This remodeled design is sophisticated, using steel, concrete, light and dark woods, industrial parts and stone — mixing natural materials with industrial. “Like a New York loft,” said Realtor Cheryl Riback. The project was so inventive it added one needed new bedroom by inserting it below an open two-story ceiling.

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Even the narrow side yard here makes an architectural statement.

The house is on a corner, but the small yard is private, because it’s dropped slightly below street level. A short wall holds planters and a boxwood hedge, with taller shrubs topping it all. The view from the street is cut off.

The long rectangular space that’s enclosed is terraced at two levels, set with furniture and flower pots. A 10-foot gas pipe through one of the planters makes a nighttime firewall.

To keep change coherent, the new owners hired the same builder and landscaper as the first owner and added AZD Architects. Both the original and the remodeled house won multiple design awards.

Outside, besides creating the dropped terrace, these owners softened the concrete brick exterior with redwood overlays, stone pillars with lights and stone cladding.

Inside, the main floor has been opened up from end to end so it has just two long main parts. One side is an open, white living space with large windows and a contemporary fireplace at the far end. These owners added 15-foot-long, plain white draperies as a softening element.

The other side is the long Eurostyle kitchen that starts out with dark, textured wood walls around most appliances, then opens up to white space, counters, windows and stools —a place for gathering.  All floors on this main level are concrete and heated.

The kitchen, built for parties, includes two ovens, two microwaves, two dishwashers, an ice maker, a giant Dacor refrigerator, a wine fridge, a built-in coffee bar and quartz counters. For all that machinery, you don’t see much, because it blends into the cabinets.

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Up the steel industrial steps, with industrial cables used as the side balustrades, the top level has gained a fourth bedroom, that one they inserted into open ceiling space. This took steel bracing that runs down till it’s anchored in the lower level.

It has also gained some beautiful built-ins for clothing in the owners’ bedroom and some beautiful bathrooms.

“We moved the main bath, added a bath, added a closet, added a laundry,” the owner said.   

The lowest floor is daylight level. These owners finished it into two bedrooms, one full bath, a TV lounge and a second kitchen.

That was pretty much accidental, they said. When they built the new kitchen, they took out this quite adequate old kitchen, including a huge wine cooler.  Waste not, want not.  

They put a weight room into the garage and heated the garage and its driveway. Because the driveway is on a hill, ice can be a problem.

 Ann Street is the one block west of the dining and shopping area of Old Woodward in Birmingham.

Contemporary renovation

Where: 798 Ann St., Birmingham

How much:  $1.9 million

Bedrooms:  4

Bathrooms:  3 full, 1 half

Square feet:  3,157, plus about 1,000 in the finished lower level

Key features: Highly sophisticated, award-winning, bigfoot house in Birmingham is in the style of a large urban loft, combining natural with industrial materials. Large, amazing kitchen for entertaining. Landscaped sunken terrace outside for parties and relaxing.

Contact: Cheryl Riback, Hall and Hunter, 248-808-3112.

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