Today, I’m sharing a beautiful home filled with thrift store finds and antiques mainly purchased on a budget. Lauren Janer’s cozy house in Birmingham, Michigan, is about as charming as it gets if you love rattan, thrifted treasures, and budget-friendly art.
I met Lauren (virtually) through her mom, Terri. Terri and I met in New Canaan and featured her new home in Michigan in this post. Lauren credits her mom for inspiring the home she shares with her husband, Jeff, and their dog, Harley.
I’ve been following Lauren on Instagram, where she posts Pinterest worthy photos of her home with second hand flea market finds, furniture pieces from Facebook marketplace, and treasures from local antique shops.
Lauren’s home is filled with plants in interesting vintage planters, trays holding candlesticks, vintage books, bowls filled with treasures like shells, and shelves holding her beautiful collections.
Lauren’s home is cozy in part because of its size, but mostly it’s because of her selection of lamps. Lighting from lamps is the most important element in creating a cozy well-lit vibe. The lamp, the shade, and the type of light bulb all play an important part.
Here is my interview with Lauren
Make sure to follow her on Instagram, where she shares her Midwest home and lifestyle, as well as antiquing, gardening, cooking, and lots of fun drinks! Here we go…
Describe your style in three words:
I would describe my style as vintage, coastal-inspired, and maximalist, with a great deal of influence from British Colonial design.
I found this article from The Spruce that explains the British Colonial Style interesting).
How long have you lived in your current home? Location?
I have lived in my 1,400-square-foot bungalow in Birmingham, MI, for two years now. Built in the 1940s, it exudes character and charm.
Where do you find your inspiration?
A lot of my design inspiration comes from my mom! She has always had an eye for design and is an incredibly talented artist. Growing up, I watched her mix textures, colors, and patterns, paint and create incredible pieces of art, and carefully curate antiques and vintage pieces that added a great deal of interest to our family home.
What is your home’s biggest challenge?
The size! While I love the charm and character of my home, there is not much to work with in terms of space. I would love just a little more room to display more of my growing vintage collection!
What is your favorite element in your home?
I love that the entire second floor of my home serves as the primary suite. It has become such a cozy sanctuary over time, and my dog Harley loves it, too!
What is the DIY project you are most proud of?
Lauren’s artwork arranged in a gallery wall was the first post I saw when I discovered her Instagram. I love how she uses various picture frames and printed art for a cohesive gallery wall.
I am most proud of the gallery wall I created in my living room. I wanted to make something that looked and felt upscale but didn’t break the bank. I sourced the Old English images from Etsy, printed them at Walgreens, and framed them in various gold and wood frames from Amazon and HomeGoods.
What’s your biggest indulgence?
I like to splurge on unique antiques from time to time. I thrift and antique often so if I stumble upon something that’s a bit more expensive that I love (and know I probably won’t find again), I’ll usually buy it!
Is there any source for unique pieces you are willing to share?
In the past year, I have found some of the most wonderful antiques from Facebook Marketplace! I know it’s a well-known platform, but I encourage everyone to look at their local listings daily because you never know what you might find. This past weekend, I bought a Vintage American of Martinsville Bamboo China Cabinet for only $200 on Marketplace!
Lauren’s favorite sources
I asked Lauren to share some of her favorite thrift stores and antique shops in the metro Detroit area, where she finds thrifted home decor, vintage finds, and antiques. She gave me her list of favorite thrift shops.
Crimson Rose Antiques
Clawson Antiques
Vogue Vintage
Time Warp
What do your friends say when they walk into your home?
My friends are the sweetest and always compliment my home, which means the world to me! They also ask where I source a lot of my decor and which antique/thrift stores I recommend locally.
Favorite quote about….home.
My favorite quote about home right now is by the iconic Nancy Meyers: “I see a house as a lead character in a movie. It tells you so much about a person.”
What are you currently collecting?
I love to collect chinoiserie transferware, especially with the Blue Willow pattern. I have a growing collection of vintage decanters on my bar cart as well. I recently discovered stirrup cups and now have a growing collection of those too! They were designed as parting gifts to guests at traditional foxhunts, which is why the cups are were made with horse, dog, and fox heads on them. My favorite part about stirrup cup is that it was designed to be sat on its head – how fun!
Thank you, Lauren, for sharing your beautiful home with MLT readers!
Remember to test for lead
An important reminder about buying dishes and ceramics at local thrift stores, garage sales, yard sales, Goodwill, eBay, or your favorite antique store is to test for lead before using them daily.
You can purchase a test kit like this for around $10, and it comes with 10 swabs. I use them on new items purchased in foreign countries just to be sure they do not contain any lead.
Lead Test Kit Swabs – Home Lead Testing Kit
Yes,..
very simple and cost-effective, but still very good to be part of a beautiful and simple decoration