Nothing to focus on, yet everything draws your attention.
This is home sweet home for Mike and Michelle Carder.
“People just start looking in all different directions, there’s so many things to keep the eyes moving, there’s nothing to focus on,” Michelle says.
While art on a wall or a table is typically what people think about when they are decorating, putting it all together into a cohesive masterpiece is an art in and of itself.
“I’ve always loved old homes, Mike not so much, but he loves me so good enough,” Michelle says. “So he gave up the opportunity to have a house on the lake and we bought here in the historic district of Cadillac. We absolutely love the house and area.”
But clearly, the historic home didn’t start like this.
“Superficially, it looked pretty decent there were areas of the house that obviously need a lot of work,” Michelle says. “The kitchen, the bathrooms, the colors were very neutral because it was geared to sell.”
She had to start somewhere.
“We went to Home Depot and I bought, oh gosh, about $800 worth of paint and just started to paint,” she says. “That was the first agenda item, was to get some color on the walls.”
From room to room, the design started to take shape and they saved the best for last.
“We started on the kitchen around December of 2016, took us over two years to complete it, so that’s been the big project in the house for sure,” Michelle says. “The kitchen and the downstairs bathroom. We’re not done yet, but that was a big start.”
There is no shortage of inspiration here.
“It starts with color,” Michelle says. “I think color is very important. It starts by creating a mood, an energy, so that really is a starting point, then it can go in any direction. I can be inspired by anything…the kitchen was inspired by a tiny nosegay by Makenzie Child. All of the colors pretty much came from that. Sometimes even music, creating a mood, an atmospheres sometimes books, magazines, things I see on Instagram or Pinterest, I am not picky about where I find inspiration I will take it from anywhere.”
She started collecting art nearly two decades ago.
“I pick up a pieces here, pick up a piece there, and it just grew over the years,” Michelle says. “Even after we moved here, we bought a few pieces here and there and it’s very eclectic. We have everything from a Rembrandt that we found in an antique store for $70 much to our amazement, to things that are a little more current, fun and whimsical.”
Truly, the home is a work of art, and plenty of people agree. You can follow Michelle and her historic home on Instagram @thebeigeblues.
“I had quite a Facebook following for a while then just started on Insta(gram) and I have over 1000 followers on and I think 4000 on Facebook, and I enjoy it so much,” Michelle says. “It’s actually a community. In fact, the house is going to be on The Girl with the Green Sofas blog. She actually has an excellent blog in the UK and I’m pretty excited about that.”
And to anyone else who wants to take their own home decor up a notch, Michelle has some advice.
“It’s only paint and whatnot, the absolutely worse thing that can happen is you don’t like it and you paint over it, which is something I have done many times,” Michelle says. “But what often happens is if you try something that’s a little bit out of the box you just put it up there you give it a chance, you end up liking it.”
There’s no doubt Michelle has created an environment she loves, while preserving the character of the more than century old home, that inspire a feeling of wonder whenever you step inside.
“Very, very fortunate to be here in Michigan and particularly in Cadillac in this beautiful historic house, I feel responsible for its caretaking and even if it’s having this blip of wild ears while we’re here, I’m sure it will go back to something more traditional,” Michelle says. “But yeah, gratitude the thing I think of most.”
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