House tours show exceptional homes in area

Two separate house tours in the month of September provide attendees the opportunity to visit and peruse some of Birmingham and Bloomfield's most beautiful homes, with The Community House hosting its annual Birmingham House Tour, presented by Hall & Hunter Realtors, on Thursday, September 13, from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm, and the Michigan Design Center's Home Tour: Smart Solutions on Saturday, September 29, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

This will be the 31st annual Birmingham House Tour for The Community House, with all proceeds supporting The Community House children’s and adult’s programs and services. This year’s tour offers a visit into seven spectacular private residential homes, each highlighting extraordinary architecture and interior design. Presented by Hall & Hunter Realtors, the seven homes are situated in the Birmingham and Bloomfield neighborhoods. For interior design and architecture buffs, as well as any HGTV fan, the self-guided tour provides a chance to get up-close-and-personal with a variety of inspirational and aspirational home styles.

The event is chaired by Rose and Brian Bolyard. Tickets are $40 in advance or $45 the day of the tour. Advance reservations are recommended; tickets are limited and the event does sell out.

The Community House is located at 380 South Bates Street in Birmingham. For ticket information, contact 248-644-5832 or purchase tickets online at communityhouse.com.

As for the second homes tour later in September, Michigan Design Center General Manager and Executive Vice President Susan Todebush said, “The homes on this year’s tour are spectacular. The designers have very skillfully incorporated custom touches throughout the homes, and they will be on hand all day to answer questions and discuss the details with our guests.”

Included on the Design Center's home tour are interior designer Carrie Long’s own home, as well as three designed for clients by designers Ann-Marie Anton, Diane Hancock, and Rita O’Brien. The dwellings designed by O’Brien and Anton were done for their sisters.

The residences are all in the Birmingham-Bloomfield-Franklin area and include a renovated 1950 Cape Cod, a new-build contemporary, a mid-century ranch with pool and pool house, and a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) platinum-certified contemporary. The designers employed Smart Solutions to achieve their goals.

Tickets from the event go to benefit the educational and charitable programs of the Junior League of Birmingham (JLB), which improves the community through partnerships with organizations. Current JLB partner organizations include CARE House of Oakland County, Lighthouse of Oakland Country, Common Ground, Foster Closet of Michigan, and Metro Detroit S.O.A.P.

Tickets are $35 each, or $60 for a pair. Order tickets online at michigandesign.com/news-events.

Todebush offered this advice – “Don’t wait too long to get your tickets – last year’s tour was an early sell-out, and tickets are limited.”