A camouflage marble island bench, vintage 1950s teak stools by Pierre Jeanneret and surface mount lights by Long Made Co. in the kitchen.
Inspired by a nearby mid-century modernist landmark, this Michigan family home pays homage to local brickwork traditions, reimagined through a perceptive new architectural language.
Structure, proportion and singular materiality converge at Rathmor, a family home in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. Designed by New York-based Adam Jordan Architecture and Interiors, the 4,000-square-foot (371-square-metre) home reflects the area’s historical brick construction and draws inspiration from the nearby Cranbrook Academy of Art.
Designed by Finnish architect Eliel Saarinen in the late 1920s, Cranbrook Academy of Art is considered a national architectural landmark and a foundation of modern American design. Its fusion of functional modernism and heritage craftsmanship embodies what is often referred to as American Bauhaus. Bricks are used both structurally and for more expressive details across the campus, featuring woven patterns, intricate inlays and variations in coursing depth.
The building became a primary reference point for architect Adam Jordan and his team in designing Rathmor. “It was also an opportunity to explore a material less common in our work,” he says. “When used with care and a high level of skill, we found that brick, an otherwise utilitarian material, can add a sense of warmth and subtle expression that elevates design.”
After several mockups, Jordan selected Roman brick with a warm brown undertone. Laid with exceptional precision by a local master brick mason, the material is set in a coursing pattern across the home’s façade volumes, shifting from a horizontal arrangement at ground level to a vertical expression on the upper walls.
“These patterns are further defined by a continuous reveal in the brickwork that wraps the entire home’s façade, along with select bricks that are projected to create variation and shadow play throughout the day,” Jordan says.
A custom travertine dining table designed by Adam Jordan Architecture and Interiors, with Tacchini Dialogo dining chairs by Afra & Tobia Scarpa. The dining area also includes a Lino brass chandelier by Danke Galerie in the style of Hans-Agne Jakobsson, and is framed with custom drapery by JC Landa.
Adam Jordan designed several custom pieces for the home, including the SY coffee table featured in the living room. It is accompanied by a Peanut B. modular sofa by Mauro Lipparini for Bonaldo, custom reproductions of Jeanneret-style lounge chairs, and custom wood-and-metal side tables.
Inspired by Cranbrook Academy of Art’s mosaic courtyards, Jordan carved landscaped negative spaces between the brick volumes, including the courtyard pictured, with a kousa dogwood at its centre.
Rathmor’s volumes create clear divisions between entertaining spaces—kitchen, living and dining areas—and private areas such as bedrooms and bathrooms. As a result, a series of protected courtyards between the volumes enables residents to enjoy abundant light and views of the surrounding landscape and nearby golf course while remaining protected from the elements.
Natural materials, which extend from the exterior to the interiors, are key to fulfilling the clients’ visions for both a pared-back, minimal home and a more traditional one. Inside, walls and ceilings are clad in warm, character-grade white oak fabricated by local carpenters. Locally machined natural stone with subtle ribbing is also used throughout the interior spaces as wall cladding, flooring and benchtops—”a reference to the linear patterning of the brickwork that helps to create a consistent material dialogue between inside and out,” Jordan says. The harmony of oak, stone, brick and glass creates a unified, tactile interior palette.
Rathmor by Adam Jordan Architecture and Interiors was originally featured as part of our special print edition of est magazine, ‘Design Instinct’.
In the window-lined primary suite, a custom bed and side tables designed by Adam Jordan Architecture and Interiors are curated with bedside sconces by Apparatus, a rug by Loloi Rugs and a Little Big Chair by NORR11, which emphasises the room’s textural dynamics.
Generous outdoor porches are designed to sit and enjoy Bloomfield Hills’ landscapes throughout the day. These porches feature teak armchairs, lounge chairs and a dining table by Restoration Hardware.
Rathmor’s landscape features tall grass beds, ornamental trees and canopy trees as part of a design by Dul Landscape Architecture. The home’s outdoor areas enhance Adam Jordan’s vision to make the home feel “familiar to its surroundings.”
