Palm Beach Meets Antique Maximalism
A historic Florida home sprinkled with original oil paintings and bold color.
If you, like me, spend evenings on Zillow looking for photos of the insides of homes you drive by — or linger on neighborhood walks when curtains are open and you can see inside — then this piece is especially for you.
I’m a house-lover. I want to see every corner and weird feature of every house I enter. I LOVE when a house matches its owner and when it is full of expression and stories.
Home is the freest place we can be, and looking inside at the stories it tells is like looking right into someone’s heart. And I just want to write about that more.
Over the course of 2022/2023 year, I was commissioned to write, design, and photograph a book about historic homes in my city — Lakeland, Florida. The book was based on Connor’s film, The People Who Live There. And my breaking and entering dreams came true. I toured, photographed, and asked a million questions to homeowners with incredible spaces.
Today, I want to share a home from the book. I dubbed it the “Palm Beach Meets Antique Maximalism” home.
The experience of documenting these sacred spaces is something I’d like to keep doing forever. So please look forward to more home stories!
Nestled in the heart of Lakeland, the Madden residence exudes an enchanting aura, seamlessly blending the luxury of a Palm Beach resort with the warm intimacy of an English parlor.
The house, adorned with carefully curated brass antiques and oil portraits, is a symphony of historical grandeur painted in bright hues. This home, a creation of the Great Depression era, boasts a narrative woven with threads of time, enhanced by significant renovations carried out during the vibrant sixties.
Everywhere you look, there is juxtaposition. Shining, seamless marble floors meet boldly patterned rugs. Original fireplace bricks contrast a china collection.
Steve and Stephanie, the present owners of this captivating space, have embraced their role as storytellers, preserving the very essence of the house in its most cherished nooks and crannies.
Stephanie is an oil painter and her paintings are hung throughout the home like an invisible thread.
As one steps across the threshold of the front door, a whimsical cheetah-printed carpet playfully paves the way up the grand staircase, a precursor to the delights within.
Greeting guests on either side are two parlors, each with its distinct personality. The "Lincoln Room," with an air of sophistication, and the "Roosevelt Room," radiating casual charm, earn their monikers from Stephanie's ingenious brush strokes.
Her vibrant oil renditions of these iconic presidents grace the walls, adding a touch of historical whimsy to the living spaces. Echoing a feeling like Oxford Exchange, the parlor spaces feel appropriate for cigar-smoking or afternoon tea.
Ralph Lauren would simply be dazzled, I believe.
This residence holds hidden treasures of the eras within its very structure.
A former owner worked at the now-closed Cypress Gardens, a piece of Florida lore. He used large rocks from the park to structure his own waterfall in the backyard of the home. The rocks are still visible through the living room’s grand windows, while they are still working to get the water flowing again.
Most notable among the histories is an unassuming relic—a decades-old Publix freezer tucked a few steps below the bustling kitchen.
Yes, a REAL original Publix freezer. There are only two like it in operation today.
A nostalgic echo of a former homeowner's culinary preferences, it stands as a charming testament to days gone by, still faithfully fulfilling its cooling duties amidst the home's contemporary rhythms.
A former homeowner had requested their favorite grocery store’s freezer to an important Publix associate, and then they got exactly what they wished for!
While modern sensibilities and classic aesthetics intermingle seamlessly, an undeniable love for antiquity takes center stage in every room. Stephanie's affiliation with the Lakeland Antique Club is apparent in the intricate dance of vintage pieces, each whispering tales of a bygone era. From the parlors to winding hallways and even the luxurious bathrooms, textures, colors, and patterns layer upon one another in harmonious chaos, akin to the narrative woven into the very walls of the house.
Just as the Madden home is a repository of history and charm, every piece of furniture and objet d'art has its own narrative to share. This home is truly a living tapestry, each thread a story, each color a memory, and each nook an invitation to explore the past and present. History and hospitality coalesce, creating an atmosphere where every cherished artifact has found its perfect place and every visitor is a part of the ongoing tale.
“My mom would always say to us, ‘leave things better than you found them.’ And so I think of that when I think about restoring old homes. Were we good stewards? Did we turn it over to the next person better than we found it? And that’s been a big mantra of ours as well.” — Steve Madden
It is fascinating to think what such an old home has held in its walls. How many dinner parties, graduations, and game nights did this home support?
The renovations and restorations have taken a significant amount of time and effort, but I will leave you with a thought from Stephanie about the process:
“You have all these dreams and hopes, and then you get into the messy middle and that’s where the rubber meets the road. And it’s hard and it’s dirty, and it’s messy, and difficult to remember all those hopes you had at the beginning that it’s going to be worth it. I don’t look back at any of our projects and our renovations and think, ‘we shouldn’t have done that. It was a waste of time.’ It always gave us a sense of accomplishment; gave us a sense of being a part of history and purpose. And I think of our kids. if they fall down... or no matter what happens in their life; they can remodel, they can revitalize and renovate, and there’s always hope for a better future.” — Stephanie Madden
About the book:
The People Who Live There is a 160-page coffee table book and I designed every page! It features more home tours, and unique history from my little city.
I worked on it for 9 months in partnership with Paige Wagner Homes, and am so thankful for the kind response. Seeing it in local stores and in homes is a feeling I will not forget!
Articles you don’t want to miss:
The story of the book this story came from
Design School: A class on Juxtaposition
Where did Barbie Pink come from?
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