An architect's masterpiece: Frank Arvan has a home that stands test of time

Original Article posted on The Detroit News website
Originally posted January 20, 2012 at 1AM
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Written by Judith Harris Solomon

Architect Frank Arvan wears a lot of hats. He is the newly elected president of the AIA (American Institute of Architecture) Detroit for 2012 as well as the Detroit Institute of Arts exhibit designer for temporary installations, including the blockbuster Rembrandt show on view until the middle of February. And speaking of masterpieces, Arvan's own house in Royal Oak, designed and built nine years ago, has beautifully stood the test of time and continues to be noteworthy.

The home was constructed not long after the Detroit native returned to this area after spending 19 years as a practicing architect and teacher in Manhattan.

"New York is a stressful place to live," he says. "I was looking for a slower pace and I knew there were exciting opportunities here. I like Royal Oak because it's a walkable community. I'm just two blocks from Main Street; the price point here is less than Birmingham and the character of the city fits my personality. It's a little funkier, edgier and less well-heeled than Birmingham."

Arvan's award-winning 2,800-square-foot home beautifully exemplifies his belief that "architecture should fit in to where it is but also go beyond." So the single-story scale of the front part of the house "fits closely with the scale of the houses across the street and has a hip roof and chimney (similar to some of the neighboring houses) plus a porch with columns just like a traditional house," Arvan says. "But beyond that, most of the home's materials and forms don't fit into that traditional mold."

Courtyard unites buildings
"The way the space is used is not traditional," Arvan says. "The home is almost like three separate buildings. First, there is 22- by 22-foot front structure which contains the living room. Then, to the West, a two-story section has a guest room and bath on the first floor and a studio/office above. The third section, at the back, houses the dining room and kitchen on the first floor and a master suite above. All three are united by a 22- by 22- foot central courtyard and both the living room and dining room connect to the courtyard through floor to ceiling glass walls. The flow of space from the inside to the outside is an important way the architecture connects with nature."

Another terrific Arvan trademark is the repetition of materials throughout the house "so each room is not totally distinct from the other. When they share the same material palette, it creates a serene environment," he says. To wit, the roof and siding on most of the exterior plus one wall of the home's long interior hallway are made of the same Galvalume metal shingles.

"It's an interesting material that looks like a traditional shingle but is made out of raw Galvalume, a very modern material. It's also sustainable and can last for 50 years," he says. Also, the polished, poured-in-place concrete, used for the living room, kitchen and dining room floors nicely relates to the exterior's rough concrete walls. The kitchen bathroom counters and tub surrounds are all made out of Kashmir white granite as is the living room's cocktail table that Arvan both designed and constructed. And the iridescent sand and green one- by one - inch floor-to-ceiling glass tiles placed over the kitchen sink are also extensively used in the master bath.

Furnishings were thoughtfully selected "to act as a counterpoint to the home's hard concrete and metallic architecture," Arvan says. So in the living room brightly colored throw pillows nestle on reproduction Arts and Crafts-style Stickley sofas that are covered in a nubby, charcoal-colored wool fabric.

The oak dining room chairs, also Stickley reproductions, sport red leather upholstered seats. And a dynamic curving glass chandelier from Italy, similar in shape to three inverted Alvar Aalto iconic vases, hangs over the Stickley dining room table. One wall of the dining room is painted lime-green while the 91/2 foot-high ceiling is painted metallic-gray. And here's an idea worth copying! At the top of the walls, 11/2 inch-deep aluminum molding, fastened with stainless steel screws, enables Arvan to hang pictures without having to put holes in the walls.

Bridge accesses bedroom suite
On the second floor, the master bedroom suite is reached by crossing a two-step metal and fiberglass bridge. "The bridge is the most dynamic, most important place in the house," Arvan says. "When you stand there, you are in between all three parts of the house." And here's another nice touch. On one entire wall of the bedroom, four floor-level glass windows focus your attention down to the courtyard below.

Across from the windows, a charcoal-gray upholstered bed frame and headboard (covered with a burnt-orange-colored bedspread) is placed in front of a silver metallic wall. And a reproduction black leather Le Corbusier chaise lounge sits next to a guitar, which Arvan enjoys playing from time to time,

Also on the second floor, Arvan's 13- by 18-foot studio/ office has huge windows that overlook the courtyard and the neighborhood. "It's the command center and a great place to work," he says. "The north light is perfect."

Judith Harris Solomon is a Metro Detroit freelance writer.