The Art of Reinvention
Michelle Cheatham doesn’t just collect antiques—she curates stories. As the founder of Architects Daughter, she draws on a lifelong immersion in design: from growing up with an architect father, to earning an interior design degree at the University of Georgia, to discovering the thrill of European antiques while working at San Francisco antiques auction house Butterfield & Butterfield.
Today, Cheatham splits her time between sourcing remarkable finds abroad and designing her own line of outdoor furniture and lighting, produced in Mexico and Morocco. The result is a showroom that’s eclectic and refined—French antiques beside contemporary accents, rustic European charm layered with architectural edge. The showroom’s signature thread? A green palette that connects her work to nature and brings calm to every corner.
This fall, she’s bringing two showstoppers: massive early-1900s walnut jewelry counters from Paris, reimagined as coffee tables (with the bones to become dramatic dining pieces). One piece is a whimsical freeform in walnut with a unique curved area where, decades ago, clients leaned over glass to admire gemstones—a subtle, storied kind of glamour.
Everything in Cheatham’s space is handpicked with discipline and heart. When sourcing, Cheatham said, “l want to be my best self—to be true and authentic—and this carries into what I select to buy. I am very particular, selecting only interesting and unusual pieces. I wouldn't buy anything that I wouldn't put in my own home.”
Architects Daughter has become a favorite among interior designers looking to elevate their rooms—and their portfolios—with singular, magazine-worthy pieces. It’s a space that invites you to rethink what you know about antiques and to find clarity, beauty and reinvention in the unexpected.
Follow Cheatham on Instagram @architectsdaughtersf or view her website www.architectectsdaughter.com.