Good golly, miss molly, this Spring has flown by! But as they say, time flies when you're having fun and what we've been up to is nothing short of a grand ol' time for StyleMutt Home! We've completed another design job which we have the opportunity to share today, (and we don't get to share them all as some of our clients live too far for us to photograph). We had the pleasure of meeting Ali at the beginning of this year - well, by skype at least! She gave us a tour of her new corner condo in Washington, D.C. and asked if we'd be interested in helping her furnish and finish it off! She desired an open, airy home that was big on color and had purchased a gorgeous IKEA Karlstad sectional as well a cozy West Elm rug. Other than that, she had a handful of accessories from her last place that she wasn't extremely excited about and a new open space to fill!
Entryway Before:
Ali, being the true eclectic style mutt she is, appreciates a wide variety of styles, (we seriously lucked out with this job, you guys) - We used several of her shabby chic accessories paired with a custom apothecary piece that Cate refinished in a muted teal and some more polished accessories to tie this space in with the rest of the condo.
Entryway Now!
Living Room Before + The Plan
As mentioned, Ali desired to turn her home into a light and airy space but didn't want to skimp on color - to lighten things up we chose Swiss Coffee by Behr for her walls and then had some fun with pillows and accessories! For anyone looking into white paint options for their walls, Swiss Coffee was a recommendation from our friend, Karen, at White on the Wall. She told us it's a beautiful warm-ish white that doesn't translate yellow in the least - JUST what we were looking for, and it truly is perfect in this space. We decided to run the color throughout the entire floor and it looks amazing around every corner! Thanks for the tip, Karen!
It should be noted at this point in the tour that we never stepped foot in Ali's home before we arrived to shoot the photos. We never even met her in person! All of this work was done remotely through successful communication with Ali. As with every design project we take on, these design boards are a great way for us to communicate with our clients. Once we've discussed a few different ideas we start creating these mock boards fairly early on so we can gauge if we are on the right track. If they have existing furniture pieces they'd like to use or any particular pieces of art, (as Ali had), we use those in the design boards so we can figure out how to best work them. Once we've got a plan, the shopping fun begins!
Living Room Now!
Ali's home is a perfect example of mixing old and new, saving money here so we can splurge there.
For example, the new white West Elm planter holding the snake plant is placed inside a vintage brass bullet plant stand that cost $13. We love finding unique items for our clients that make their home special without exploding their budget.
Mid-century storage pieces are a-plenty in our local Washington, DC/Northern Virginia area. We found this gorgeous piece on Craigslist and although we didn't stick to mid-century throughout, it is a style that pairs really well with the laid back bohemian note we were hitting.
While working with Ali, she acquired some beautiful tiger oak antiques from a friend. This glass cabinet was the perfect size between these windows and a nice transition between living and dining. (everybody wave to Cate when you find her below!)
Oh, how the details matter so. A gray West Elm knit basket with a pretty fringe keeps the Majesty Palm, (or, 'Your Majesty', as we affectionately named her). With Ali's extensive travels around the world we really wanted to showcase her keepsakes in a way that complimented her style.
One quick project we tackled before styling and shooting photos was updating this arched lamp that Ali had. It was brushed nickel and we wanted to warm it up as an aged brass. Ali sprayed it in a shiny gold Rustoleum and then we dabbed it lightly all over with wood stain to give it a touch of patina.
Just as with our first DC client, Ali has amazing taste in art. Can you believe she took this photograph while in Cambodia and had it blown up and framed?! After just a tiny bit of gentle convincing, Ali hung it over her couch. What a statement this piece has become in her living room now! A piece as large and unique as this deserves a big open wall to itself - it's a total conversation starter!
We arrived armed with plants when we came to shoot Ali's home. We knew what plants we would put where based on the lighting of the rooms from the photos Ali was sending.
Office Nook Before
Office Nook Now!
When you've got an office nook right out in the open of your living room, it's so important to make sure the style of the space is consistent with the surrounding area. We used various books for snaps of color, pretty office accessories from Target, (i.e. the blush and brass file holder), and a gorgeous chair from CB2 for a touch of feminine sophistication.
Dining Room Before
Dining Room Now!
We found the table, white chairs and rug from inexpensive sites online, (the table is Target, rug from a Rugs USA sale), in order to splurge a bit on the wishbone chairs and light fixture, (which is from Pottery Barn KIDS of all places - stores catered to high end children's decor, like PB Kids/Teen and Land of Nod, are great for finding less expensive, but high impact, pieces)!
With all the new pieces in the dining set, we wanted to pair an interesting antique to give Ali the eclectic feel she likes. This china cabinet found on Craigslist brings out the charm of this room without calling too much attention.
If you ever find a pair of something for a great deal, jump on it! This is the second vintage brass bullet plant stand we found and it's just another perfectly aged piece for this mostly new space.
Ali created this succulent garden on her own and we couldn't be more impressed! Someone's got quite the green thumb!
After searching high and low for budget friendly vintage brass candlesticks, we finally struck gold when we found this entire cluster for a whopping $1.59! They're such a lovely contrast over the blue shibori table runner from CB2.
We've arrived at the end of the tour! Equipped with her own DIY bravery and some handy family members, Ali chose our most basic package which meant we walked her through the entire design process remotely. In other words, we chose the paint color for the walls and she did the painting. We picked the dining room pendant and she got it installed. Can we please give this chick a round of applause! We are completely thrilled with how smoothly this e-design experience was and feel that this is the next wave in the design world. We cannot wait to do it again!
Oh wait - we are! Before we departed Ali's place she hired us to work on her master and guest bedrooms! Check it out :) Thank you all so much for coming by!
HEY, WHERE'D YOU GET THAT?
(we've done our best to source everything out for your convenience, however several items are out of stock or were thrifted)
Living Room/Entryway:
Teal Apothecary Piece - originally from Kirklands, refinished by StyleMutt Home
Wooden Catchall Dish - HomeGoods
Glass Jar Lamp - Target
Faux Plant - Target
Rug - West Elm
Sectional - Ikea Karlstad
End table - Craigslist
Ottoman - Wayfair
Pillows - Etsy, West Elm, and Pottery Barn
Wall Weaving - Target
Brass Octagon Lantern - HomeGoods
Desk Chair - CB2
Media Center - Craigslist
Media Center Lamps - Target
Basket Tray - Target
Dining Room:
Table - Target
White Chairs - Poly + Bark
Wishbone Chairs - Overstock
Rug - Rugs USA
Brass and Glass Light Fixture - Pottery Barn Kids
Table Runner - CB2
China Cabinet - Craigslist