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On Location

Trading New York for Michigan and a Home With ‘Fun Pops of Color’

Many of their friends from Grand Rapids were “moving back home and telling us how great it was.” So they followed suit.

A wide view of the kitchen.
Nick and Rebecca Gray built a new house in Grand Rapids, Mich., after their designers suggested they would be better off starting fresh rather than trying to expand their previous home.Credit...Diana Paulson

By Tim McKeough

When Nick and Rebecca Gray lived in New York City back in the 2010s, they made a lot of new friends. What surprised them was how many came from the same place Mr. Gray did.

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The couple at home with their children.Credit...Diana Paulson

“We met three sets of really good friends who grew up in the Grand Rapids, Michigan, area,” said Mr. Gray, 42, who was raised in nearby Decatur. But as time went on, he continued, “they all started having kids and leaving New York, moving back home and telling us how great it was.”

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The living room has clerestory windows and a high ceiling finished in oak.Credit...Diana Paulson
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The designers used blue Japanese tile from Zia Tile for the kitchen backsplash.Credit...Diana Paulson

The couple, who work in financial services, visited often, developing a renewed sense of appreciation for Michigan. In 2019, they bought a small midcentury-modern house in East Grand Rapids as an investment property, planning to rent it out.

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The basement recreation room has a kitchenette.Credit...Diana Paulson
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Candleholders from AOT top a West Elm table in the dining area. The chairs are from Industry West.Credit...Diana Paulson

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