Carrie Long has an uncanny ability to see beauty in bones.
For example, when the founder and principal designer of Royal Oak’s Carrie Long Interiors set eyes on the circa-1936 Colonial in West Bloomfield Twp., she saw beyond the long-neglected foreclosure. What she envisioned was a light-filled, welcoming and livable home for her own family — her husband, Greg Sobol, and their two young children.
“We were drawn to the home for its proportions, character and the opportunity to thoughtfully reinvent a historic house rather than start from scratch,” Long says. “We needed a home that was kid-friendly but still sophisticated, designed for frequent entertaining — and comfortable and functional for everyday life, reflective of how we actually live.”
Mission accomplished.
Armed with a belief that great design should feel effortless, “elevated but never intimidating,” Long focused on proportion, natural materials and light to create spaces that feel calm, layered and deeply personal rather than giving in to trends. “Timelessness,” she says.
Tapping builder Domenic Serra, owner of DAS Contracting, Long gutted the house for a full renovation and layout reconfiguration plus an addition. “It was completely reimagined for modern family living while respecting the integrity and charm of the original structure,” Long says.
The result is a “warm modern” masterpiece, with naturally flowing light-filled spaces that feel calm and cohesive. In addition to detailed finishes, custom millwork and furnishings, soft neutrals, natural textures, sculptural forms and layered woods and stone lay the groundwork for playful, witty and artful details and vignettes that bring the family’s personality.
“Art plays a significant role in the design,” Long says. “I love using special, unique pieces of art to anchor and elevate a space, whether it’s a bold statement piece or a carefully curated gallery wall. Art brings soul, color and personality — and often serves as the emotional starting point for a room.”
Estate-sale finds and fanciful accents like brass animal-shaped hooks in the kids’ bathroom and a pair of French bulldog figurines standing guard over the fireplace are scattered among original pieces by artists Frank Stella and Francine Turk. Judaica, including pieces from Long’s time in Israel, is displayed year-round, and kid-proof, designer-approved vinyl wallpaper and flooring lives among a biomorphically shaped sectional and chairs.
A series of oddly shaped spaces were transformed into a functional flow: the one-time kitchen became a scullery, while an enigmatic dead space is where Long created the new kitchen; a windowless screened-in porch became an expansively windowed sunroom, one of Long’s favorite rooms in the house.
In the supremely functional galley-style kitchen, clean-lined white cabinetry and marble surfaces are softened with warm wood accents and vintage textiles. Living and dining spaces feature sculptural seating, streamlined built-ins; bathrooms balance classic geometry with modern restraint, using pattern and texture to create subdued interest.
“Designing our own home allowed me to fully express my design philosophy — blending architecture, function, art and emotion into one cohesive environment,” Long says. “It’s both our personal sanctuary and a living example of my work.
“But what I love most is how the home feels,” she says. “It’s calm, grounded and deeply personal. Walking through the door or waking up in the morning, it feels like a sanctuary — a place that reflects our family, our creativity and the way we want to live.”
“We needed a home that was kid-friendly but still sophisticated, designed for frequent entertaining — and comfortable and functional for everyday life, reflective of how we actually live.” — Carrie Long