BIRMINGHAM, MI — While many people discover their life’s passion only through trial and error over the course of many years, others happen upon it at an early age. For Lauren Tolles, her entrée into the world of design began in childhood, trailing her mother in the San Francisco Design Center as she hunted for treasures to incorporate into her own home.
These early experiences led Tolles, NCIDQ, ASID, and founder of Maison Birmingham, to pursue design as a career, earning both a master’s degree in architecture and NCIDQ certification as an interior designer. Prior to starting her company, Tolles operated her own interior design company and worked with local architecture firms.
With Maison Birmingham, the custom design-build studio she opened in 2016, Tolles can employ both skill sets. Her technical skills as an architect enable her to consider the home as a whole, and how a new design will fit with the overall space, including the exterior. Her more artistic design side helps her to create distinctive spaces for clients.
“Working as both an architect and an interior designer has really given our firm a unique edge in that it allows us to utilize a holistic and hands-on approach to creating timeless interiors that reflect each client’s lifestyle and needs,” Tolles notes. “Our clients love when they come in for a kitchen renovation and find out what is possible once we move some walls.”
COMMUNITY STYLE
Elegant and innovative kitchen – as well as bath – concepts are a primary focus for the Birmingham, MI-based company. Services range from interior architecture, to custom cabinetry, interior design and project management.
“My goal was to provide a unique, full-service destination for clients, where our team would handle all aspects of interior architecture and design, source all the materials and custom cabinetry, and ultimately complete the construction,” explains Tolles.
The majority of the firm’s work is done in the affluent neighborhoods of southeast Michigan, including Birmingham, Grosse Pointe and Bloomfield Hills. The family-focused area yields customers seeking spaces designed for growing families and multiple generations, but Maison Birmingham also sees its share of grandparents and empty nesters seeking to create warm, welcoming spaces for family and guests.
“The location generally gives us the creative freedom to create high-quality spaces, without necessarily working against a hard budget,” Tolles reports. “This region also has its fair share of gorgeous historic homes, which allows our team to build off the project’s original design and provide modern renovations while still upholding the historic integrity of the space.”
Maison Birmingham isn’t accustomed to sticking with one particular style or aesthetic, but rather is known for pulling inspiration from a variety of different styles and materials, and shaping that eclectic mix into a unique, holistic and cohesive space, adds Tolles.
The belief that projects should be a collaborative effort between the architects, builders, designers and clients is paramount to the firm, and the company maintains a close relationship with the client throughout a project. “From beginning to end, clients need only connect with Maison Birmingham for all of their design needs. The firm manages every vendor communication and scheduling detail to ensure the easiest and most seamless experience for the client,” she stresses.
One of the many special details the company affords the customer is handcrafted renderings, as opposed to computer drawings or digital renderings. Tolles notes, “Clients enjoy reviewing and admiring a hand-drawn, detailed sketch of what their future space will look like.” She adds that the renderings are so well received, customers have framed and hung them up as artwork in their new space once completed.
DISTINCTIVE DESIGN ELEMENTS
Maison Birmingham’s 2,500-sq.-ft. showroom provides clients with a range of design styles, all within a residential-type setting. Samples of cabinetry, stone, tile and more provide inspiration, while distinctive pieces add personalization options.
“As a custom design-build studio, we feature a variety of unique and high-quality products, but we are most known for our own exquisite Maison Birmingham handcrafted custom cabinetry,” Tolles states. “We are also the first and only showroom in the U.S. to carry the custom European cabinetry line Boform and European-style custom cabinetry by Artcraft.”
In addition to cabinetry, the showroom also carries wood countertops, tile, appliances, lighting, hardware and accessories from manufacturers throughout the U.S., Canada, Italy, France and Denmark. This includes Grothouse, ILVE and Ann-Morris. Additionally, Maison will serve as the first showroom in the nation to feature VintageView, a Colorado-based world leader in custom metal wine racking systems, this coming spring.
“Our firm partners with exclusive vendors to offer internationally curated products that can’t be found anywhere else in the state of Michigan,” Tolles remarks.
PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS
Clients typically seek out Maison Birmingham after seeing the company’s designs online or in magazines and they want a distinctive, custom design of their own, Tolles explains.
One of the company’s most recent projects, which incorporated a range of unique touches, was the designer’s own home.
“I wanted our recently built new home to be modern, yet unique and cohesive with our neighborhood’s traditional setting,” says Tolles.
One of her favorite rooms to design – the kitchen – included a breakfast nook with two retractable door cabinets with LED lights on sensors that conceal small appliances and a coffee station. In addition, a sliding stone backsplash system with walnut cabinetry behind it was designed to store spices. Even the family room television is concealed behind an engineered system of panels that slide away behind fixed, oversized wainscot panels with lighting.
“From these examples you can gather that we’re really focused on using technology and innovation to provide our clients with solutions that incorporate everyday life needs and activities, while maintaining a clean, calm aesthetic,” she points out. “That’s really what our clients appreciate about us – we’re on the forefront of product innovation and technology, and utilize these cutting-edge developments to make their spaces beautiful, functional and unique.” ▪