Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Scandinavian Style and French Antiques Fill Michelle Adams' Charming 1950s Home

Scandinavian Style and French Antiques Fill Michelle Adams' Charming 1950s Home

Design chameleon Michelle Adams loves a decorating challenge. In her latest endeavor, she breaks the mold of her midcentury house by deftly mixing styles and reimagining her favorite pieces within its modern frame.

Moving doesn't faze Michelle Adams. For most of her life, the creative consultant and founder of design website The Maryn moved every year or two, until she left New York for Michigan with the idea of finally putting down roots in an ornate 1800s Victorian. The settling in lasted only five years before she started getting the itch for a new project. "I was craving a design challenge, a newer home with cleaner lines and more open space," she says. "Oh, and something with even floors."



Enter this 1950s one-story in Ann Arbor. There was nothing overly exciting about it, but it had what Michelle describes as good energy and, she adds, "the fact that it wasn't an architectural gem gave me the freedom to make it what I wanted."



As she renovated and decorated the new space, Michelle found her eclectic personal style shifting from layered maximalism to a more minimalist version, responding to smaller square footage and a change in her own mindset.

"I was sort of at this point where I wanted to cut the noise, cut the stuff, and just live in peace with my favorite things, which can be hard when you love design," she says. "But it's a fun challenge to figure out how to use what you've got and display it in a completely different way."

In the dining area, a large plaster console is a minimalist focal point. "It almost looks like a mantel," she says. "When a layout is open concept, large pieces help establish each room as a separate space." Mismatched dining chairs don't look cluttered when there's a consistent characteristic. White ties these together. The open weave of oversize pendants prevents the lighting from overwhelming the room.



Now, outfitted with a pared-down mixture of Scandinavian modern, French antiques, and tons of artwork, the house feels both collected and unfussy, the well-edited oasis she craved. "Art is the enduring link in any home I live in," Michelle says. It enlivens the neutral foundation.

Michelle favors mixing styles so rooms don't look too thematic. "All modern furniture would have felt like a time capsule," she says. She pulls the look together by repeating finishes: crisp white on the modern sofa and traditional tufted chair, blond wood on the Scandinavian coffee table and armchair.



Michelle recessed the semicustom bookcase from California Closets into the wall so it doesn't take up valuable floor space. A Native American saddle blanket ups the color and comfort of this ladder-back armchair.



To keep the kitchen from appearing too sleek and sterile, Michelle placed woven-back stools at the counter and included plants, a colorful print, and mirrors. Not only do those decorative touches make it look more lived-in, they break up the white walls, peninsula, and lacquered cabinets.



A group of treasures on the kitchen peninsula reminds Michelle of past travels. The woven skull is from Spain; she found the antique mirror at a Paris flea market.



A nod to the more-is-more style of her previous home, Michelle hung a gallery wall by starting with the largest artwork then surrounding it with the others. The colors flow, but the mismatched frames and random spacing give the arrangement an organic look.

Michelle studied gallery walls at J.Crew stores to devise this recipe for hanging artwork: Mix photography with a painted portrait, a landscape, and something graphic, like abstract art. Chair-backs follow the contours of the midcentury-style kitchen table Michelle scored off Craigslist.



The upholstered headboard was in a guest room in her previous house but it works best in Michelle's own bedroom. Its simple shape doesn't compete with pattern-rich bedding and the ornate French nightstand. Michelle's secret weapon-stripes-makes pairing patterns a no-brainer. "Think of stripes as a neutral; they go with anything."



Michelle used twin beds as a solution for this small guest room with windows on two walls. She pulled the color palette from the rug's berry-pink stitching and layered in grown-up textiles, bed frames, and a vintage nightstand for sophistication.

Pieces with history add soul-like the bedside table with legs Michelle's dog, Rufus, chewed up.



"Juxtaposing something super modern with something older helps ground the modern element," says Michelle of pairing graphic Cambria quartz with an antique mirror frame. The black-and-white palette defined her former house.

And Michelle's cravings keep evolving. As it turns out, she's already onto the next move, house, and style direction.

Michelle's Favorite Decor Sources

Follow Michelle's creative lead with unique, affordable accents from a few of her favorite sources.

Bloomist: Environmentally friendly designs that bring nature indoors while supporting small-batch makers and artisan communities.

Flotsam + Fork: Kitchen and housewares made to stand the test of time from European brands.

GOODEE: An inclusive global marketplace of socially conscious designs.

Love Adorned: Unexpected accessories to finish any room.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
0:00
0:00
Open
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
0:00
0:00
Close
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Germany Votes to Suspend Family Reunification for Asylum Seekers
Budapest Pride Parade Draws 200,000 Participants Amid Government Ban
Southern Europe Experiences Extreme Heat
Xiaomi's YU7 SUV Launch Garners Record Pre-Orders Amid Market Challenges
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's Lavish Wedding in Venice
Russia Launches Largest Air Assault on Ukraine Since Invasion
Massive Anti-Government Protests Erupt in Belgrade
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Hungary's Prime Minister Criticizes NATO's Role in Ukraine
EU TO HUNGARY: LET THEM PRIDE OR PREP FOR SHADE. ORBÁN TO EU: STAY IN YOUR LANE AND FIX YOUR OWN MESS.
Hungarian Scientist to Conduct 30 Research Experiments on the International Space Station
NATO Members Agree to 5% Defense Spending Target by 2035
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
International Astronaut Team Launched to Space Station
Macron and Merz: Europe must arm itself in an unstable world
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Iran Intensifies Crackdown on Alleged Mossad Operatives After Sabotage Claims
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
Oil Prices Set to Surge After US Strikes Iran
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Telegram Founder: I Will Leave My Fortune to Over 100 of My Children
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
Hungary Ranked Among the World’s Safest Travel Destinations for 2025
G7 Leaders Fail to Reach Consensus on Key Global Issues
FBI and Senate Investigate Allegations of Chinese Plot to Influence the 2020 Election in Biden’s Favor Using Fake U.S. Driver’s Licenses
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Shock Within Iran’s Leadership: Khamenei’s Failed Plan to Launch 1,000 Missiles Against Israel
×