The Pinterest-Perfect Life of Former “Domino” Editor Michelle Adams

The design entrepreneur begins a new chapter in Ann Arbor
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Michelle Adams
After four years in her Burns Park home, Michelle Adams decided it was time for a change. Pictured in her current space, also in Ann Arbor, Adams is nearing the end of a year-long renovation.

After a night of babysitting at age 14, Michelle Adams knew what she wanted to do with her life. Her mom鈥檚 friend, who was an interior designer, had hired Adams to watch her daughters. While there, Adams sifted through her woman鈥檚 magazine collection, intrigued by designers like Rachel Ashwell (who鈥檚 credited with a shabby-chic aesthetic). 鈥淚 started a binder full of magazine tear-outs of the women I admired,鈥 recalls Adams, now 37. 鈥淚 still have it.鈥

Her next life-changing moment happened while flipping through yet another magazine during class at Michigan State University: 鈥淚 saw this ad for a magazine called Domino, and it looked so cool and different,鈥 says Adams of the then Conde Nast home design publication. I said, 鈥楾his is where I鈥檓 going to work.鈥 鈥

Adams not only ended up working at Domino 鈥 she eventually became editor-in-chief. The gig was part of a thriving career in New York City, where Adams 鈥 who also co-founded a successful online shelter magazine, Lonny 鈥 made a reputation as an unpretentious tastemaker.

Playful with a giddy sense of humor and a tendency for borderline-inappropriate jokes, Adams doesn鈥檛 shy away from risky moves. That鈥檚 why, in 2014, she decided to leave her dream job at Domino and New York and move back to the Midwest (she grew up moving around the region). 鈥淚 was really burned out from eight years of constant photo shoots and traveling,鈥 says Adams, who has visited everywhere from Morocco and India to Mexico and California. 鈥淚 knew I needed to take a break and figure out what else there was for me in life.鈥

Five years since settling in Ann Arbor 鈥 鈥淚 moved here because my family is close, and because I wanted a house and a yard and a dog鈥 鈥 Adams has several projects under her belt: The Maryn, her online editorial destination and home shop, turns three this year. She has also launched Adams Creative Studio, a design-consulting company whose clients include Zingerman鈥檚 Cornman Farms (she also completed an interior redo of their dreamy farmhouse recently, which was part of an ongoing collaboration with Cornman Farms chef and owner Kieron Hales). Then there was the complete renovation and redesign of her 1920s home in Ann Arbor鈥檚 leafy Burns Park neighborhood, which inspired much attention when it was featured in publications like Midwest Living and House Beautiful.

Adams may have left New York to slow down, but her life isn鈥檛 short on excitement. As editor-in-chief of The Maryn (whose name means woman of the sea), Adams has zigzagged across the United States, and as far as Provence, France, to art direct and produce elaborate home tours, gorgeous style stories, and lush artist profiles. The website, which has more than 11,000 Instagram followers, has spawned a series of collaborations with publishers and lifestyle sites. 鈥The Maryn has been a great excuse to meet people,鈥 Adams says. 鈥淚鈥檝e met a lot of people who have brought me into new projects.鈥

Michelle Adams
The French-Seaside vibe is the ideal shelving arrangement for crisp, white tableware. Adams styled this photo for her online shop, The Maryn.

Adams鈥 taste for adventure has served her well since her undergrad days, when she chased the Domino job by cold-calling editors. 鈥淎nyone who answered, I asked for a job,鈥 she says. The plan worked: In 2006, within one week of graduating college, she landed a job as an editorial assistant.

She spent the next two years working 70-hour weeks and 鈥渓earning from some of the most talented designers on the planet鈥 before the economy 鈥 and the publishing industry 鈥 collapsed. Multiple design magazines folded, Domino included. 鈥淎t the time, I was dating a photographer, Patrick Cline, and we were at Chili鈥檚, drowning our sorrows,鈥 recalls Adams. She was lamenting the lack of magazines to read; he, the lack of magazines to shoot for. 鈥淲e looked up at each other, and said, 鈥楲et鈥檚 effing make one!鈥 鈥

Lonny debuted in May 2009. 鈥淲e had no idea what it was going to become,鈥 says Adams of the magazine, which featured informal-yet-beautiful home tours. It was sold to a digital media company in 2012. That鈥檚 when Domino, revived under the ownership of Domino Media Group, offered Adams the top spot on the masthead. 鈥淕oing from editorial assistant to editor-in-chief felt hilarious,鈥 she says. 鈥淎nd unreal.鈥

Michelle Adams
The Bridal Suite at Cornman Farms features a transportive mural for brides to photograph their dresses against.

Years later, Adams鈥 time at Domino looms large. 鈥淭hat job made me,鈥 she says. Still, she doesn鈥檛 regret letting it go. Moving to Ann Arbor 鈥渨as the healthiest and best decision I鈥檝e ever made,鈥 says Adams, who, on the heels of her Cornman Farms redo, is now eyeing a jump into hospitality design for hotels and restaurants. 鈥淭hat would be amazing.鈥

In the meantime, she鈥檚 embarking on yet another project with her new best friend, a miniature golden doodle named Rufus. They moved into a mid-century fixer-upper because she was hungry for something new. 鈥淚鈥檓 having a ball shifting toward a Scandinavian style.鈥 Adams, who鈥檚 been putting in hours of work into the new place she bought in 2018, is the designer. Rufus is the muse. 鈥淲e are both very happy,鈥 she says.

Michelle Adams鈥 Five Fall Design Tips

Michelle Adams
Gallery walls and nautical scenes play recurring roles in design maven Michelle Adams鈥 world.

Warm Up

鈥淪wap out summer stripes and florals for fiery jewel tones and warm, earthy harvest hues. Pillows, throw blankets, and dinnerware are an easy place to start.鈥

Opt for Odd

鈥淪kip the standard jack-o-lantern and instead go with a grouping of white pumpkins and spotted gourds in rich fall colors and fun shapes. It鈥檚 festive, natural, and a bit unexpected.鈥

Strike a Match

鈥淎dd candlelight and burn incense to fill your home with a warm woodsy scent. I鈥檓 a big fan of the Pi帽on Natural Wood Incense by Incienso de Santa Fe. It makes my home smell like a mountain house with a roaring fire, and even comes with a cute little teepee burner!鈥

Get Nostalgic

鈥淚t鈥檚 hard to deny the sense of nostalgia every year when it鈥檚 time to head back to school. For a crash-course on Ivy League style, study up on classic films like Love Story and The Graduate, then ring in the season with tartan plaids, heavy tweeds, leopard prints, rich leathers, and stadium throws.鈥

Add Layers

鈥淒rape cozy blankets on sofas, pile on wool bedding, and toss extra slippers in a basket for house guests.鈥