Learn about the Outdoor Living Space Deborah, Karen & Robert designed  
Deborah Silver
Deborah Silver has owned and operated a landscape design and installation firm in northern Oakland County since 1986.
Though her 1972 degree from Kalamazoo College was in Biology and 19th Century English Literature, she supported herself as a fine arts painter for the next ten years. During that period, a two year grant from the National Endowment for the Arts led her to a year’s study in New York City with America Realist painters Sondra Freckelton and Jack Beal.
In 1982 Silver took a job superintending for Frances Hughes, noted Detroit nurseryman, to augment her income as a painter. She eventually gave up her painting for a career in landscape design, combining a lifelong interest in gardening with her skills in the arts.
In addition to numerous residential projects, her work includes the Grand Hotel landscape and garden design, 1985-95, and the Botanical Gardens at the New Baltimore Zoo, Baltimore, Maryland, 1997.
In 1996, she opened Detroit Garden Works, a 4,500 square foot space devoted exclusively to objects for gardens.
In 2004 she opened Branch, a studio dedicated to the design and fabrication of garden planters, furniture, sculpture and ornaments for residential, commercial and public landscape projects.
Karen Heller
Karen Heller, whose background is in advertising and fund raising, laid the foundation for a successful career spanning 29 years at various showrooms in Michigan Design Center. Currently, she is Showroom Manager of the Henredon Interior Design Showroom, a position she says has been the most challenging, most rewarding, and the most fun!
Long recognizing that success is based on the team effort of a great staff and building relationships with the design community, the showroom and Henredon continually seek to support their customers, not only with great product and excellent service, but also in meaningful ways such as supplying product to the designers as they seek to showcase their talents in projects like the 2008 Birmingham Showhouse.
Robert Zebrowski
“My job is to help customers create one-of-a-kind, livable spaces, which fulfill their dreams and reflect their individual lifestyles,” explains Robert.
Whether your tastes lean toward traditional, contemporary or a custom mix of both – an eclectic, transitional flavor, Robert Zebrowski, Director of Design and Project Consultant, has the knowledge and resources to help you create a masterpiece in your home. “My job is to help customers create one-of-a-kind, livable spaces, which fulfill their dreams and reflect their individual lifestyles,” explains Robert.
Robert’s expertise arises from a unique combination of training, education and experience. He is a Certified Kitchen Designer and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Art / Art History from the State University of New York.
He has worked in the kitchen and bath industry for more than 15 years, and has seen many changes over that period. “Today’s consumers are interested in the details that make a room personal. For example, decorative range hoods are becoming popular now, as are carved moldings and turned legs that turn ordinary cabinets into elegant pieces of furniture.”
To help stay abreast of current trends, Robert is a member of several associations, including the American Society of Interior Designers, the National Kitchen and Bath Association and the Building Industry Association of Southeast Michigan. He is actively involved on national and local levels, and donates his time to various community service projects.
“Building relationships is important at Extraordinary Works ,” continues Robert. “We have established alliances with many interior designers, builders and architects who have come to rely on the quality products and materials we offer, enhanced by our creative design ideas.” This same professionalism carries through when dealing directly with homeowners. Challenges like ‘how to conceal the abundant number of small appliances used in kitchens today’ are met with innovative solutions. “The creative aspects of my job are what make it fun!" |
