As active furniture flippers for the past 6 years, Chelsea and I really have our fingers on the pulse of our local craigslist. In fact, between the two of us, we have found and flipped nearly 200 pieces in the DC Metro area - which has proven to be a crash-course in decor supply and demand. We've often shifted our aesthetic to capitalize on budding trends: specializing in chalk paint + heavy distressing, hunting down mid-century modern scores, playing with bohemian touches, etc...
When we decided to launch StyleMutt Home in September 2014 we started to really pushed the decor envelope to try out new styles, paint colors, staging techniques, patterns. And we've had a BALL YA'LL. Exercising these creative muscles started opening up design possibilities (see some of our latest here and here). We chalk this up to the Lord's blessing. And that being yourself is so much more rewarding than just trying to fit in.
Some Personal Fave Past Projects
So lately our Craigslist spidey-senses have started noticing some developing trends. The price for Grandma's old dresser is going up in correlation with the sheer number of DIY pieces for sale. Now, we LOVE seeing so much budding talent in our area. But it makes us ask ourselves how can we stand out to potential buyers?
So when I found this campaign piece, I decided to conduct a little experiment. (I actually do this often when staging my pieces for sale). I LOVE bright, bold, loud colors. On/ in/ around everything. But based on what I've seen in our area, most people want a "tamer" more rustic look and something too eclectic could be a off-putting. So I decided to refinish this piece in a color that would still play well with the neutrals that are so indicative of the farmhouse craze everyone is in these days.
If you're as obsessed with HGTV like I am, you may notice that the predominately grain sack and burlap color scheme of the farmhouse scene has started to relax it's restrictions the rest of the color spectrum. Home decor shows like Fixer Upper (a personal fave) have started mixing in muted teals, deep greens, saturated navys, matte charcoals, and warm woods amongst all that greige. And well I just happened to have a can of muted teal on hand from a custom order so I went for it.
I still styled it with some fun abstract art because well... it's me we're talking about here. The hung art is intentionally undersized (it's so wrong it's almost right) in hopes that it shows how a "safe" piece can still be used in bold ways (you know - just in case it struck a cord with a another style mutt in the market for some new furniture ;)
I laid aside my overactive love of brass and styled with a silver lamp to match the chrome pulls. In my mind, silver is a "safer" choice for hardware because brass can rub some people the wrong way (I used to only see the 80's when I saw yellowy brass, but just because I've changed my tune doesn't mean everyone else has). Besides they original chrome pulls with in immaculate condition - all they needed was a little polish.
And for good measure (since FLFs are after all quickly becoming the standard for home decorators) I asked my newest plantchild Figadora the Fiddle Leaf Fig to pose with mommy's newest flip.
So now we wait for the experiment's results: will the piece appeal to a lot of potential buyers with a variety of styles? Will it only attract another style mutt like myself? Or will it sit in the garage shop until I try something new? I'll have to keep you posted. In the meantime, how would you characterize your style? How does this gray-blue piece strike you - yay or nay?
Muted Teal Campaign Chest
58"L x 16"D x 30"H
Now Available for Sale
$545
