A Pair of Bar Stools, A Pair of Options

I know, I know.  It's Friday and this isn't a #stylemuttspaces Reader Design post.  But that's because Chelsea and I are working on a joint furniture venture and we need your help.  Last summer while we were prepping for our first joint sale, some of Chelsea's neighbors decided to get in on the fun and set up their own MONDO sale across the street.

There we spotted a pair of camel leather bar stools and our wheels started turning...   It was those stools, in fact, that were the inspiration for the "turn a barstool or swivel seat into a modern accent chair" item on my furniture flip bucket list.

But we were busy manning our own sale that when we finally went across the street all ready to buy, they had tragically closed up shop.  But LO and BEHOLD, a year goes by and the same family drags out their surplus for their second annual sale and guess who makes a reappearance...

These Guys

||You handsome devils||

Huzzah!  So naturally we snapped them up this time around - after all second chances don't come by that often.  Now that these bad boys were finally ours, Chelsea and I started scheming on a joint project.  Upon closer inspection we realized they were a little too petite for our original ideas.

Then we had the idea to combining their forces and make them into a single bench.  Playing off their mid century lines, we though of making them into a retro-esque telephone table.  But this left us with two options:

Keep Back Rests

Go Backless

So this is where you come in.  Chelsea and I LOVE reader input and we want to know what you think.  We've put together some renderings to help you picture both options in a digital room.  We're not sure if our idea(s) are even feasible yet, but we'd love to get your raw thoughts on the direction we're going in!

So what do you think, are you feelin' our vintage vibes?  Would you vote #teambackrest, #teambackless, or in a completely different direction?  Let us know in the comments below mis amis! 

Bucket List Bucket Chairs || Item No.7 ||

It's been killing me to have been away from you StyleMutts for so long.  Chelsea has been so great to hold down the fort here while Caleb and I have been moving.  Moving out of our newlywed nest was not something we had planned really, but the reality was that rent was eating into our savings and therefore our marriage.  So when our lease was up we started praying for a solution and boy did GOD SHOW UP.  He led us to this sweetest hostess who has invited us to stay in her basement suite for the summer.  And you guys, there is nothing basement-y about this suite.  The living area alone is the size of our old place,   The bedroom has a walk-in closet that could easily turn into a guestroom.  The view overlooks a private lake.  It's a dream and for sure the nicest place we will ever temporarily call home.  

It certainly will be hard to leave at the end of the summer.  Especially for Thor who has found his first love: Honey Bear, our hostess's 4 year old white lab.  And guys... are they SMITTEN.  Honey Bear will come to the door and ask if Thor can come out to play.  They chase each other around the house for hours.  They snuggle together on the couch.  Sometimes they even make out (if licking each other's faces is dog for sucking face).  Thor won't even eat in the mornings because he's too excited to see her.  And if we're not home and he's moping through the cracked window, Honey Bear will curl up in the mulch bed below the window to keep him company in his isolation.  

Does anyone know how to prep a pup for a broken heart at the end of summer puppy love?

Anywho - now that we're more-or-less settled, I have saved a big fat juicy reveal I've been saving: the next item on my Furniture Flip Bucket List.

I saw these chairs on Craigslist AGES ago and sat too long on them.  No not physically, but by the time I decided to contact the seller, the post had evaporated.  I thought he had sold them because who wouldn't snap them up right?!?  So imagine my happy surprise when then reappeared a couple weeks later.  He must've just forgotten to renew his post when it expired: sometimes you really do get second chances!

Source: Homelife

Now, when I got the chairs I was really torn.  They looked so cool with their x-bases.  Very Arne Jacobsen Egg Chair inspired - circa 1958.  But the casters made them feel very conference room.  So I did some research into their original manufacturers and found that Virco is an American-based company that has been producing furnishings for K-12 schools since 1950.  Aha!  Now it's all starting to make sense.  

Ok so with this find, where do we stand with the Furniture Flip Bucket List?  That's right!  3 down!

That's right!  3 down baby!  So how do I get these boys out of the boardroom and back into the living room?  Well... I traded in their more design-limiting swivel bases for more versatile tapered legs.

Nope, they didn't have to make a deal with Ursula to get these sexy new legs - just a simple hardware change.

I chose a warm stain for the legs to match the Mid-Century era and the cognac coloring of the leather.

And as my MCM MO, I had to pick tapered legs with brass feet.

The beauty of this handsome pair is they are so light-weight and easy to move around.  Great for entertaining and comfy too!

What do you think?  Could these babies be a "part of your world?"

Camel Mid-Century Modern Accent Chairs
Now Available for Sale
$500 for the pair 

If you are interested in this piece or a custom order like it, please contact cate@stylemutthome.com.

Just joining the party?  Well welcome!  Catch up on completed Flip List Items No.5 and No.6.

Spring-Fresh Pallette

Frankly, I have no idea if Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow or not a few weeks ago on Groundhog Day, but we're gonna go ahead and make our way into Spring here in our chaotic abode. Sound like a plan?

Actually, I find the home decor transition from Fall/Winter into Spring/Summer to be challenging! I may be ready defrost my eyelashes, but truth be told, I prefer this: 

The mustard velvet, grey herringbone tweed, cozy knits -- it's my little slice of paradise. I love our Fall/Winter home. I love the time we spend here together doing puzzles, cuddling under blankets, and drinking hot chocolate. But alas, the seasons move forward and so must I. :)

I wanted to get an equally inviting mix in here for the upcoming seasons. With neutral furniture and plenty of white wall space, it's a really fun canvas to work with! I've been thinking for the past month about what colors I'd like to introduce in here for the Spring and Summer. The focus will be on the pillows, styling the bakers rack, and some art. Here's what I came up with and I'm so excited to implement this color palette!

A huge thank you to the Pinterest fairies for pulling through with this most perfect picture of my colors, (source here)!!! So here's what I'm playing with: Warm wood tones, camel browns, and snaps of mustard, mint and soft peachy pink.

To get a better sense of these colors in the context of my home, I put together this little vingette that really helped me visualize! 

The only taste of the type of pink I was thinking of was the covers of my old Little House on the Prairie books! But they're exactly the subtle glow I've been imagining.

So here's my plan to work these colors in without making a dent in our spending budget, (which, let's be honest, I like to save primarily for essentials like take-out Chinese and the latest RedBox movies; important stuff).

Pillows Part 1: I found this lively fabric at Fabric Junkie and snatched it up to use for a pillow or two. I don't know how to sew, (or have a machine), so I was so pumped when a friends young daughter told me she's been learning! She's in middle school, wants to be an interior designer, already sews pillows and clothes for herself, and is going to be the next big thing. You heard it here first, folks.

Pillows Part 2: I absolutely adore this camel colored leather and how it mixes in with our warm wood floor and some furniture pieces. I still have a bit of scrap leather leftover from the tote-turned-planter that I made last Summer, and am going to cut out some shapes similar to the pillows here to adhere to a plain white pillow. (source)

Art: I hate the thought of taking down all our current art and replacing it, but our chalk board sign that says 'Cheers', (first picture above), is the perfect piece to rework. The subtle hues of chalk are just the dose of color I'm trying to incorporate, so I did a little research and found this site that shows how to make some really fun chalk abstracts! I can't wait to try this out!

I think this small round-up of DIY projects will be just the amount of impact I can muster. Nothing too crazy or different from what we've got going on right now. What about you? Any new colors or textures that you're bringing into your home this Spring?

Last but not least, it was not 5 degrees yesterday and my little ones took a nice afternoon siesta - I certainly don't need any more reason than that to get out and paint! The large piece behind me, (think dresser / buffet / media center), will be revealed and available for sale next week!

Stay warm, snowflakes! Thank you all for stopping by!

P.S. From now on we will be saving all Reader Designs to share for a weekly Friday Special! You know what that means, don't you. Come back tomorrow for another dose of epic inspiration! Spoiler Alert: We may or may not have a CAMPER Reader Design to share this week. I know. I can't wait, either.