A ANGIE LANE’S MIDWEST MODERN MANIFESTO

A MICHIGAN ARCHITECT/INTERIOR DESIGNER’S BOLD, COLORFUL DECLARATION THAT, YES, MIDWESTERNERS HAVE STYLE. AND HERE’S HOW IT WORKS.

By ELIZABETH EDWARDS

ngie Lane was (partly) raised in the house her father was born in—an old, once-upon-a-time farmhouse in a small town outside of Lansing. While interior decorating wasn’t exactly her father’s thing, she does remember afghans hand-knit by her aunts (“some of them were, well, you know, hideous, but some of them I still have,” Lane says). Her dad and aunts also collected pudding stones—a rare composite stone left by glaciers found only in several places in the world, Michigan among them. As a child, she filed those objects away in her memory—cherishing their shapes, colors and the nostalgic feelings they conjured.

Later, Lane attended University of Michigan for undergraduate and graduate studies, leaving with a Masters of

Architecture degree. Before opening her own practice, Lane worked for several architectural firms, including one that also offered interior design services—a side of the design world Lane found she loved. “It’s so much more tactile than the architectural side,” she says. “You’re getting samples, you’re testing colors and searching for different furniture shapes.”

All of those shapes and colors got Lane thinking that she could figure out a “system” for isolating what makes an interior feel balanced—without repressing individual expression.

“It’s just kind of how my brain works, I like to simplify things,” she says. Eventually, Lane developed her own design formula: A (hard pattern) + B (soft pattern) + C (bright color) + D (nostalgic/ eclectic). Take those afghans—they’d give a room both A (hard pattern), C (bright color) and D (nostalgic/eclectic). The pudding stones? Those are B (soft pattern) for their curved shapes.

The magic in Lane’s formula is that

A, B, C and D don’t have to be equal parts—and the formula could be used in regions other than the Midwest— although the very warmth inherent in the formula rules out anything too spare and monochromatic. Lane had mused about writing a book demonstrating her theory for a while when Covid hit. The lockdown gave her the time to focus and 10 months later she had produced “Midwest Modern Manifesto—Easy Formula to Get Designer Style in Your Home.” Within the book’s 300-plus colorful pages is an explanation of Lane’s formula, as well as room photos of both her designs and a number of Midwestern interior designers. The book closes with an unexpectedly perfect nod to our regional brand of hospitality: a chapter on colorful, delicious cocktails. As she writes with exquisite Midwestern pragmatism: “You’ve flipped through this long-ass book, now it’s time to relax. Cheers!”

Order Midwest Manifesto at midwestmodernmanifesto.com.

Opposite:

A Hard Pattern: plaid ceiling, art piece

B Soft Pattern: window treatment, rug

C Bright Color: decor, trim, paint

D Nostalgic/Eclectic: letter A, rug, pyramid pillow

“This lounge concept was meant to be feminine meets old school lodge where the lodge elements were used in an atypical way: oversized plaid ceiling, abstract wildlife displays and vintage tapestries as pillows instead of wall hangings.”

Below:

A Hard Pattern: rug, windows

B Soft Pattern: nature pattern pillows

C Bright Color: blue wall, green bench

D Nostalgic/Eclectic: wide blue stripe on white wall and ceiling

Right:

A Hard Pattern: radiator cover, quilt

B Soft Pattern: table bases

C Bright Color: lamp shade, decor

D Nostalgic/Eclectic: antique chairs, tiki mug

“Here all the displays are abstract representations of all of the state symbols of Michigan. I like all the texture happening in this corner. We’re tactile beings and we like to touch stuff. There’s smooth ceramics, antique wood, basketweave and even concrete nuggets (on the table bases).”

Below:

A Hard Pattern: rug

B Soft Pattern: pillows

C Bright Color: wall, pillows, art

D Nostalgic/Eclectic: floral painting

“One of my favorite lighting tips: use a swag light from the center fixture spot to the light to end up where you want it. Especially in old houses, there can be limited light fixture locations as well as outlets for lamps.”

THE EAST COAST IS KNOWN FOR ITS PREPPY CLASSICISM. THE SOUTH IS KNOWN FOR ITS ADHERENCE TO TRADITIONAL INTERIORS AND MORE RECENTLY, THE WHOLE MODERN FARMHOUSE

THE WEST COAST HAS ITS BOHEMIAN VIBE AND LAID-BACK CALI COOL. WHAT DOES THE MIDWEST HAVE? WELL, NOW WE HAVE MIDWEST MODERN.