This graceful home, designed by Architect Robert Sarota, is a classic California Contemporary design, built in l955 for Harold and Arlene Kaplan, owners of Peoples Outfitters, a well-known Michigan retail establishment.
The home occupies property formerly a part of the Fisher Estate. The interior and exterior golden tan brick complement the clean contemporary lines of the home. The floors of the porch , foyer and terrace are of Connecticut slate, extending the warmth of the interior design to the exterior of the home, while the use of American walnut paneling and beams throughout lends a warm and earthy feeling to a spacious contemporary floor plan. The ceiling-to-floor windows in the great room provide a magnificent view of impeccably landscaped gardens surrounding a kidney-shaped swimming pool.
The classic l950's feel of the home is enhanced by an authentic soda fountain and bar located in a corner of the great room. Built-in features are found throughout the home, most notably in the original St. Charles kitchen with its enormous irregularly-shaped island of marble and butcher block. The current owner has decorated the home with furnishings reminiscent of the l950s and adorned it with an impressive collection of art representing local and international artists and many ethnic cultures, including Brazil, Haiti, Africa and India. Expressive of casual elegance, this home reflects the pleasant ambience of the modern period of Palmer Woods architecture.