Skip to content

Top Navigation

Better Homes & Gardens
  • Holidays
  • Gardening
  • Recipes and Cooking
  • Decorating
  • Home Improvement Ideas
  • Cleaning and Organizing
  • Shop
  • Rooms
  • News
  • Beauty & Style
  • Health & Family
  • Pets
  • Local Services

Profile Menu

My Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • My Profile
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletter
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Help
  • Logout

More

  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • BH&G Insider
  • BH&G Magazine Archive
Login
Subscribe
Pin

Explore Better Homes & Gardens

Better Homes & Gardens
  • Explore

    Explore

    • 7 of the Most Common Perennial Garden Mistakes to Avoid

      Are your plants not looking as lush and colorful as you hoped? Make sure you haven't made any of these missteps. Read More Next
    • 6 Small Steps You Can Take Today to Get Organized for Good

      A professional organizer offers advice on how to tidy up your home without feeling overwhelmed. Read More Next
    • 5 Anti-Inflammatory Ingredients to Add to Your Smoothie for a Healthy Boost

      Anti-inflammatory smoothies do exist! Instead of blending in boatloads of sugar and artificial ingredients, try these smoothies for inflammation that are stoked with ingredients that may help lower your risk for chronic diseases including cancer, heart disease, depression, and more. Read More Next
  • Holidays

    Holidays

    See All Holidays

    This Is Why We Send Paper Valentines on February 14

    The tradition began more than 1,500 years ago.
    • Thanksgiving
    • Christmas
    • Hanukkah
    • New Year's
    • Halloween
    • Valentine's Day
    • Easter
    • Mother's Day
    • Father's Day
  • Gardening

    Gardening

    See All Gardening

    4 DIY Seed-Starting Pots You Can Make With Items You Already Have

    Upcycle old newspapers, junk mail, and other waste paper to make these easy, eco-friendly containers you can use to sprout new plants for your garden.
    • Flowers
    • Houseplants
    • Plant Encyclopedia
    • Garden Pests
    • Trees, Shrubs & Vines
    • Caring for Your Yard
    • Edible Gardening
    • Garden Design
    • Gardening By Region
    • Landscaping
  • Recipes and Cooking

    Recipes and Cooking

    See All Recipes and Cooking

    21 Essential Baking Tools Every Home Cook Needs (Plus 16 That Are Nice to Have)

    If you’re a beginner baker who’s just starting out (or a master chef looking to declutter), start with this list of baking tool must-haves. We’ll help you set up a baking kit for beginners with 21 essential tools. For those who already own these tools, this list may finally provide the motivation you need to toss that never-been-used soufflĆ© dish. Building your essential baking toolbox starts here!
    • How to Cook
    • Chicken Recipes
    • Desserts & Baking
    • Fish Recipes
    • Beef Recipes
    • Healthy Recipes
    • Breakfast and Brunch Recipes
    • Lunch
    • Dinner Recipes & Meal Ideas
    • Ethnic Food
  • Decorating

    Decorating

    See All Decorating

    Pantone Predicts the Bold, Happy Colors You'll See Everywhere in Spring 2021

    If these trendy hues are any indication, brighter days are coming. Here's how to use these stunning shades around your home.
    • Choosing Color
    • Expert Decorating Advice
    • Fireplace Design Ideas
    • Do It Yourself Magazine
    • Window Treatments
    • Styles & Decor
    • Interior Painting
    • Home Makeovers
    • Small-Space Decorating
    • Traditional Home
  • Home Improvement Ideas

    Home Improvement Ideas

    See All Home Improvement Ideas

    What Style Is Your House? The 10 Most Popular House Styles Explained

    With so many types of house styles, narrowing the list down to your favorite can be overwhelming. We'll show you the top 10 most popular house styles, including Cape Cod, country French, Colonial, Victorian, Tudor, Craftsman, cottage, Mediterranean, ranch, and contemporary. Here's how to tell the differences between each architectural style.
    • Home Exteriors
    • DIY Home Electrical Tips & Guides
    • Outdoor Structures
    • Home Remodeling
    • Plumbing Installations & Repairs
    • Remodeling Advice & Planning
    • Flooring
    • Lighting
    • Decks
    • Porches
  • Cleaning and Organizing

    Cleaning and Organizing

    See All Cleaning and Organizing

    A Whole-House Cleaning Schedule You'll Actually Stick To

    Cleaning your home doesn't have to be a daunting, time-consuming chore. The key to managing household duties quickly and efficiently is to design an easy-to-follow routine that includes all the most important tasks. Follow these step-by-step instructions for creating a customized whole-home cleaning schedule.
    • House Cleaning
    • Laundry & Linens
    • Cleaning Tips
    • Closet Organization
    • Organization Tips
    • Kitchen Storage Organization
  • Shop
  • Rooms

    Rooms

    See All Rooms

    Living Room Furniture Arrangement Ideas

    Get tips for arranging living room furniture in a way that creates a comfortable and welcoming environment and makes the most of your space.
    • Bedroom Decorating and Design Ideas
    • Bathroom Decorating and Design Ideas
    • Kitchen Decorating and Design Ideas
    • Living Room Decorating and Design
    • Dining Room
    • Home Office
    • Kid's Rooms
    • Baby Nursery
  • News
  • Beauty & Style

    Beauty & Style

    See All Beauty & Style

    Here's Exactly How to Find Your Perfect Nude Nail Color

    Truth be told, there's no such thing as a universal nude.
    • Anti-Aging
    • Hair
    • Skin Care
    • Makeup
    • Style
    • Nails
  • Health & Family

    Health & Family

    See All Health & Family

    7 Small But Impactful Ways to Fit Self-Care Into Your Day Right Now

    Staying atop of your wellbeing is a must, especially during uncertain, stressful times. These tips will help you make time for self-care for a mental health boost every day.
    • Family Activities
    • Reunions
    • Conditions
    • Parenting Skills
  • Pets

    Pets

    See All Pets

    50 Perfect Calico Cat Names for Your Beautiful Kitty

    Use your pet's unique coat as inspiration on what to call them.
    • Dogs and Puppies
    • Cats
    • Caring for Your Pet
  • Local Services

Profile Menu

Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
My Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • My Profile
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletter
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Help
  • Logout

More

  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • BH&G Insider
  • BH&G Magazine Archive
Login
Sweepstakes

Follow Us

  1. BHG.com
  2. Decorating
  3. Styles & Decor
  4. Traditional Decorating & Design Ideas
  5. Rich Color and Lively Patterns Bring New Energy to This Historic Detroit Home

Rich Color and Lively Patterns Bring New Energy to This Historic Detroit Home

By Khristi S. Zimmeth
June 04, 2020
Skip gallery slides
Save Pin FB
Credit: Werner Straube

Strong color and creative risks help an adventurous homeowner and an up-and-coming designer reinvent a historic Detroit home for a young family.

Start Slideshow

1 of 18

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Renovation Challenge

Credit: Werner Straube

They finish each other's sentences and joke that they are twins separated at birth. So it's a little surprising that homeowner Courtney Wigginton and Detroit-based designer Corey Damen Jenkins met after an internet search.

Both in their 30s, the pair forged an instant rapport upon meeting in 2013. No stranger to design challenges (Jenkins was recently named one of the nation's top African-American designers and a winner of HGTV's Showhouse Showdown) he nonetheless admits he was taken aback when Courtney and her husband, Jeff, outlined the to-do list for their 1939 Colonial Revival in a Detroit suburb.

"Overall, there were 32 spaces to design and furnish," the designer says. "The most daunting part was the timeline. They wanted structural renovations completed within six months. Courtney was pregnant with their second child and due soon after the move-in date. I warned them that their schedule was absolutely insane. They looked at each other, smiled, and said: 'We know.'"Ā 

1 of 18

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 18

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Bold Welcome

Credit: Werner Straube

Courtney and Jeff had considered other area designers, many of whom knew of the home's long history and its previous designer, Mario Buatta. "They all came up with ideas that mirrored the past owner," Courtney says. "When I met Corey, he understood right away that I wanted to make the home mine—keep its traditional bones yet spice it up."

Taking cues both from Courtney's closet and from the fashion runway, Jenkins presented a combination of bold hues and modern choices juxtaposed against a traditional backdrop. "She's not afraid of color or pattern or of combining the two in inventive ways," he says. Interiors were re-energized using jewel tones and vibrant saturated colors. "When we were getting started, designers like Elie Saab were featuring emerald, navy, and citron on the Paris runway, and Courtney loved those colors, so we started there," says Jenkins.

The emerald-green wall color in the foyer and stairwell is a custom mix. The spaces were repainted after a less-than-exciting white felt dull.

2 of 18

3 of 18

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Easygoing Style

Credit: Werner Straube

Courtney wanted the home to feel both elegant and easygoing and describes her style as "sophisticated yet livable." The first floor includes a mix of new, vintage, and inherited furnishings, some repurposed in surprising ways. A case in point: the living room's classic French bergĆØres, now covered in a seductive white patent leather. Courtney calls them her "go-go boot" chairs. "Corey came to me with the fabric and said, 'Just trust me,'" she recalls. "I said you're making the chairs sexy, and he said, 'Exactly.'" The fabric is also very forgiving, says Jenkins. "It's great not worrying about the kids' sticky fingers or someone spilling wine," adds Courtney.

3 of 18

Advertisement

4 of 18

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Creative Design Ideas

Credit: Werner Straube

Courtney, who grew up in a traditional-style home, had never worked with a designer. She had a thick file of clippings and ideas when she hired Jenkins, and she brought her mother to the first planning meeting. "Courtney gave me a budget but didn't micromanage me," Jenkins says.Ā 

In the parlor, a Henredon étagère houses a collection of white porcelain.

4 of 18

5 of 18

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Bold Color Palette

Credit: Werner Straube

The bold blues and greens of Courtney's chosen palette mingle beautifully in the parlor. Artwork above the settee pulls the scheme together.

5 of 18

6 of 18

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Dining Room Details

Credit: Werner Straube

The pair worked their way through the house using a philosophy of saves and splurges. At the top of the splurge list was the luxe de Gournay wallpaper in the dining room. "I saw it in a magazine and fell in love," says Courtney. "But when Corey told me the price, I almost had a heart attack. I had to keep reminding myself that it was a work of art."

The ceiling features an 11-step lacquered Venetian plaster treatment, which reflects the eye-catching de Gournay mural on the wall. Jenkins balanced the room's opulence with clean-lined chairs paired with an English double-pedestal dining table on a sisal carpet.Ā 

6 of 18

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 18

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Pretty Settee

Credit: Werner Straube

A settee, upholstered in aĀ lush green antique fabric is a polishing touch along one dining room wall.Ā 

7 of 18

8 of 18

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Stylish Kitchen

Credit: Werner Straube

A pair of midnight-blue Jimmy Choos, part of the color board the designer put together, provided the inspiration for the palette's sapphire tones and the kitchen's La Cornue range. "When I saw those shoes," Courtney remembers, "I said, 'Oh good, he gets me.'"

8 of 18

9 of 18

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Durable Breakfast Room

Credit: Werner Straube

Jenkins and Courtney worked to save in areas most frequented by Winston, 5, and Hayes, 2, opting for lower-cost yet still stylish furniture, including the breakfast room's Pier 1 chairs. Save or splurge, durability was key. "We chose a lot of velvets and linen blends, fabrics that work especially well for families with young kids."Ā 

9 of 18

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

10 of 18

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Statement Ceiling

Credit: Werner Straube

Jenkins covered the ceiling with an unexpected, shimmery Cole & Son wallpaper. "I believe in addressing all six walls in a room," says the designer. "Ceiling treatments offer a great opportunity to make a room feel more intimate and make a truly personal statement."Ā 

10 of 18

11 of 18

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Library Details

Credit: Werner Straube

A deep blue on the walls creates a rich backdrop for estate-sale paintings, inherited antiques, and a tall, handsome leather wing chair with nailhead trim by Henredon.

11 of 18

12 of 18

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Bright Bar Area

Credit: Werner Straube

In the bar, calacatta marble floors with wood insets createĀ a pretty pattern underfoot. Dark woodwork and leather upholstery lendĀ a masculine air to the light, bright space.

12 of 18

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

13 of 18

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Personalized Redesign

Credit: Werner Straube

Jenkins admits he's happy he didn't know when he took the project that Mario Buatta had been the previous designer. "It would have been a little intimidating," he says. He later showed the design icon photos of the redone house, and he says Buatta approved. "It almost felt like sacrilege to touch it," Jenkins says, but overall he has few regrets. "It just wasn't Courtney's style, but I do feel a little bad about all that chintz."Ā 

13 of 18

14 of 18

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Calm Master Bedroom

Credit: Werner Straube

The neutral color palette feels both chic and calm. The main attraction is the luxe four-poster by Ebanista dressed in Kravet fabrics and trimmed in appliquƩ from Schumacher and Robert Allen.

14 of 18

15 of 18

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Traditional Master Bath

Credit: Werner Straube

The master bath was renovated for a more symmetrical and sophisticated feel. The leather settee was recycled from the Wiggintons' former home and re-covered in white leather.Ā 

15 of 18

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

16 of 18

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Pattern-Filled Guest Bedroom

Credit: Werner Straube

An artful mix of patterns in a contained palette dominates the guest room. The high ceiling allows for a large hanging lantern to make a statement.Ā 

16 of 18

17 of 18

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Historic Colonial Home

Credit: Werner Straube

This handsome American Colonial Revival residence in Bloomfield Village was designed by the Detroit firm Maul & Lentz in 1939. Members of the American Institute of Architects, partners Walter Maul and Walter E. Lentz left their mark on many historic gems in the suburban communities dreamed up by Detroit developer Judson Bradway. A blue-blood real-estate tycoon, Bradway encouraged the development of Tudor and Colonial revivals within the approximately one-square-mile residential community of Bloomfield Village, beginning in 1924 and ending with about 950 houses in 1964. "It wasn't developed all at once," says Art Atkinson, village manager of the Bloomfield Village Association. Bradway issued restrictions on what was allowed within the development, and even today, the neighborhood maintains his standard of "harmonious homes" distinguished by architectural details; pleasing scale, balance, and proportion; high-quality materials; and tasteful paint color.

17 of 18

18 of 18

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Family At Home

Credit: Werner Straube

Jeff and Courtney Wigginton are pictured here with their sons, Winston, 5, and Hayes, 2.Ā Ā 

18 of 18

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook
Trending Videos
Advertisement
Skip slide summaries

Everything in This Slideshow

Advertisement

View All

1 of 18 Renovation Challenge
2 of 18 Bold Welcome
3 of 18 Easygoing Style
4 of 18 Creative Design Ideas
5 of 18 Bold Color Palette
6 of 18 Dining Room Details
7 of 18 Pretty Settee
8 of 18 Stylish Kitchen
9 of 18 Durable Breakfast Room
10 of 18 Statement Ceiling
11 of 18 Library Details
12 of 18 Bright Bar Area
13 of 18 Personalized Redesign
14 of 18 Calm Master Bedroom
15 of 18 Traditional Master Bath
16 of 18 Pattern-Filled Guest Bedroom
17 of 18 Historic Colonial Home
18 of 18 Family At Home

Share options

Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Login

Shop | Better Homes & Gardens

  • Farmhouse Furniture
  • Accent Tables
  • Ottomans
  • Trunks & Chests
  • Wall Shelves
  • Lamp Shades
  • Wall Mirrors
  • Throw Pillows
  • Wall Art
  • Living Room Sets
  • Shop More Next

Better Homes & Gardens may receive compensation when you click through and purchase from links contained on this website.

  • Better Homes & Gardens BHG Logo Products at Walmart
  • Better Homes & Gardens BHG Real Estate Real Estate Services
Better Homes & Gardens

Magazines & More

Learn More

  • About Us
  • Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
  • Books from Better Homes & Gardens
  • Help
  • Media Kit
  • Content Licensing
  • Sitemap

Connect

Follow Us
Subscribe to Our Newsletter
Other Meredith Sites

Other Meredith Sites

  • 4 Your Health this link opens in a new tab
  • Allrecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • All People Quilt this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Insights this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Surveys this link opens in a new tab
  • Cooking Light this link opens in a new tab
  • Daily Paws this link opens in a new tab
  • EatingWell this link opens in a new tab
  • Eat This, Not That this link opens in a new tab
  • Entertainment Weekly this link opens in a new tab
  • Food & Wine this link opens in a new tab
  • Health this link opens in a new tab
  • Hello Giggles this link opens in a new tab
  • Instyle this link opens in a new tab
  • Martha Stewart this link opens in a new tab
  • Midwest Living this link opens in a new tab
  • More this link opens in a new tab
  • MyRecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • MyWedding this link opens in a new tab
  • My Food and Family this link opens in a new tab
  • MyLife this link opens in a new tab
  • Parenting this link opens in a new tab
  • Parents this link opens in a new tab
  • People this link opens in a new tab
  • People en EspaƱol this link opens in a new tab
  • Rachael Ray Magazine this link opens in a new tab
  • Real Simple this link opens in a new tab
  • Ser Padres this link opens in a new tab
  • Shape this link opens in a new tab
  • Siempre Mujer this link opens in a new tab
  • Southern Living this link opens in a new tab
  • SwearBy this link opens in a new tab
  • Travel & Leisure this link opens in a new tab
BH&G is part of the Meredith Home Group. © Copyright 2021 Meredith Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
© Copyright . All rights reserved. Printed from https://www.bhg.com

View image

Rich Color and Lively Patterns Bring New Energy to This Historic Detroit Home
this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.