"In a world filled with iPods and other devices, it's uplifting to see a traditional music room. This was the concept chosen last fall by Corey Damen Jenkins, principal of Design With Vision in Bloomfield Hills, for The Art of Designing with Antiques series at Judy Frankel Antiques Centre in Troy.
What the designer dubbed "Salon de Musique" was meant to be different from anything that had been created for the series.
"I wanted to do something no one else had done before. It was my interpretation of a classic music room," says Jenkins, who took advantage of the French pieces available in the gallery at the time. "Technology can date. Fifteen years from now, today's technology will be dated. My goal is to give clients a space that is timeless and always looks fresh and classic."
Seemingly disparate objects worked together like an Art Deco-style table, French painted bookcases and a Napoleon-style desk in the study area (not shown). Traditional French armchairs were paired with contemporary art. Animal prints appeared in the rug and pillows. Most of the gilded mirrors are from the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
"The arrangement on the wall made a very narrow room seem larger. When used in conjunction with each other, they make such a powerful statement," Jenkins says.
Corbels that held decorative objects broke up the mirrors and "brought an unexpected element to the wall that provides balance," he says.
A stately piano from Evola Music in Bloomfield Hills was brought in along with a Baker sofa from the Michigan Design Center in Troy. The artwork above the sofa is by Lenore Gimpert.
Jenkins says we should think of pianos as furniture that should be showcased. This music room was divided into three distinct sections. The piano provided a place for people to gather in the middle, while the study was on one side and the seating area on the other.
"The way we live now is that we have to find more purposes for one space. Everyone could enjoy the piano because it was centrally located in the space," says Jenkins, who added themed references throughout, such as framed music notes in the study.
"I like to do something that's subtle without beating you over the head with it," he says.
A trio of chandeliers defined the different areas. "Together, they made an amazing composition, while adding a beautiful decorative element," Jenkins says.
Crown molding added interest to the walls, which were covered in a light shade of cream. "It's the whole that made the impact, not the parts," says Jenkins. Though his creation is no longer on display, the inspiration lives on. The designer is working on a music room for one of his clients.
For information, contact Corey Damen Jenkins at (248) 770-5771 or go to coreydamenjenkins.com.
Jeanine Matlow is a Metro Detroit interior decorator turned freelance writer specializing in stories about interior design. You can reach her at jeaninematlow@earthlink.net.
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