Answer me this: what is better than a Friday?

How ‘bout a Friday Feature Reader Design!

Today’s #stylemuttspaces feature is Janet from Style to Move Blog and she is one savvy sophisticated homemaker. Based just north of Toronto, Janet has managed to pull off a restoration hardware look without restoration hardware prices. I mean just look at the perfect shades of flint gray, organic accents, and monochromatic genius!

From Janet:

I moved into this new home about five years ago with my husband and two kids (now teenagers). This was a bit of a shock to us because we had only lived in century homes full of character and charm. The real challenge has been how to give it some character and put our mark on it.

This is our family room which is off the kitchen so it gets lots of use. We had a lot of stress prior to moving here, so it was important that this home was calm. Therefore, we wanted a calm color scheme and no clutter. The book shelves (previously in our office) and the coffee table (previously a table) were painted a soft grey. I also turned the books paper side out to fit the color scheme and to add to the calm in the room.

I always like to mix ferns and woven baskets in my spaces because they add a relaxed sophistication. I'm also eclectic, so I like all styles.

You’ve certainly found your kinfolk here Janet – eclectic is just a synonym for StyleMutt ;)

The side bar was actually an island in my previous house. Here, I added some baskets underneath and painted it an almost black, giving it a farmhouse feel. Nothing in this room was overly expensive. Most things came from either a big box store, HomeSense or Ikea. Even the rug is two small inexpensive rugs put together.

So smart painting it a "almost black." Painting pieces a matte black or a charcoal gray softens the harshness the a black piece can give to a room, making it feel more rustic while still providing a rich tone. I told ya she was a savvy lady...

Thank you Janet for sharing such a smartly put-together living room with us on StyleMutt Home. You can follow Janet @styletomoveblog on Instagram for more of her savvy finds!

And hey, we are always looking for more readers to feature on Fridays. You don’t have to be a world renowned designer to get some real estate on our SPACES page – you just have to love your home and want to show if off. Post your proud pics to our Facebook wall or tag #stylemuttspaces on Instagram.

Hey, All! A huge trend I'm seeing right at this very moment is ORGANIZATION! Perhaps the new year surfaces a desire for more order in the home...or maybe folks are just bored during the cold winter months and itching for things to do! Whatever the reason, there are lots of posts about how to organize and organizing challenges floating all over social media.

I'm not a great organizer and am okay with a bit of chaos, but I do like for everything in my home to have a place to go at the end of the day, even if it is just random stashing. My favorite stashing is with baskets - especially big ones!

Obviously, using baskets to corral 'stuff' is nothing new. However, I do like to have a little fun with them before settling them into our home. Baskets are a great opportunity to create a custom piece!

Here is a picnic basket we received as a wedding gift and now use for the kids' library books. I painted three triangles on it to fit it into our room and break up that corner of brown. To make the triangles, I carved a triangle out of a piece of cardboard and used it as a stencil. I just placed the triangle stencil where I wanted it, painted it in, then moved it down to the next one - easy peasy!

Since most of the kids' toys are stashed in the basement and procreating as we speak, we don't need anything too big on our main floor for storage. This basket, which I painted simple stripes around, is the right size, easily accessible, and is another source of pattern on that floor.

Our 'entry nook' was the perfect spot for this taller basket which keeps a lot of our shoes. I went for a color-blocked look and absolutely adore it! Gives it a little 'oomph', you know?!

So there you have it! That's how I like to do baskets in our house. :) If they're needed, (and boy do we need them), why not have some fun with them!

Closing out the week I'll be back to discuss some staging tips for small pieces. Would love for you to dig up any pictures you have of staged end tables and accent chairs so you can be ready to share them to our facebook wall! We love seeing your handiwork and getting inspiration from you!

Thank you all for stopping by!