Design Reveal: Impulsive to Intentional

Hey there! It’s been quite the start to 2025, sharing three wrapped projects by mid-March! My heart is full and I am so grateful for such amazing work with awesome people. Today’s project was not only local, but a friend of a friend of a friend - both of whom I’ve worked with before! This client came to me after she and her husband had completed some high-quality DIY projects in their family room. She admittedly shared they had seen the ideas in various images on Pinterest and just went for them! The outcome was not what they were hoping for and left them feeling a little disappointed with this room. Understandable when you’ve already put so much time and effort in! I think this story is pretty common; with access to thousands of home interior images, it’s easy to get inspired when you see something in someone else’s home! The problem is lacking a fuller vision for your own home. What works out beautifully in one home may not translate as well in yours. It’s tricky!

Before

Such was the case here. The accent wall over the fireplace mantle and the accent wall directly behind the TV were competing with each other and making the room feel all chopped up. Without undoing the work they had already put in, my goal was to create one strong focal point and one soft focal point. By painting over the blue accent above the fireplace, the focus is no longer on a big blue square, but on the surrounding pieces throughout the space.

After

Before

I loved where they were going with the vertical shiplap behind the TV! Great instincts there. But limiting the accent to just behind the TV was not benefiting the space. I advised them to extend the shiplap the entire length of the wall and paint it in a soft, earthy green (we used Acacia Haze by Sherwin Williams).

After

Before

One of the most common things I encourage clients is to mount their curtain rods as close to the ceiling as possible and then we select a length of curtain that just kisses the floor. This maximizes the vertical space of a standard height room, making it appear just a little taller.

After

I also pulled in a patterned rug that is a better scale for the size of this room and the layout of furniture. Lots of floorspace for kiddos to sprawl out!

This client’s visual inspiration was full of soft, earthy colors and warm wood toned accents. The previous blue elements didn’t align with what they seemed naturally drawn to. Keeping their sofa was a no-brainer as it was a new purchase and working really well for them, but pretty much everything else went out! Rather than keep to as tight of a color palette as the blues had been, I wanted to use a variety of tones in the same ‘earthy’ family. It’s a funny rule of thumb, but I never look outside and think the sky clashes with the trees or the ground. There’s so much beauty in nature and I’m very much inspired by it’s colors!

These battery operated wall sconces are the perfect finishing touch to this side of the room and help balance out the lighting in the evenings.

That’s a wrap! This project actually flew; these clients are super go-getters and without hesitation tackled the implementation of these ideas and purchases so fast! They were definitely ready to go and are now able to relax and enjoy the fruits of their labor.

Thank you all for stopping by!

Addition Reveal: Master Bathroom

How is it that it feels like we are in the thick of Summer, and at the same time school feels like it’s right around the corner?? Time definitely does not wait for us to spend our seasons how we would like, does it! For this reason I have been much slower to share finished rooms in our home than I had planned. As our kids get older Summertime looks different than how it used to - these young humans are now excitedly making their own big plans, like biking to 7-Eleven for slurpees with friends, or spending an entire day planning and executing a variety of trick-shots throughout the neighborhood. These are good days, they just involve me a little less. It’s an interesting balance as a Mom of older kids/young teens to be present and available to them, but not waiting around and watching your own life pass by.

I am incredibly thankful for the passions God led me to discover when I was a young Mom. It was such a time of revelation for me and one thing that came from it is this business I so enjoy! Helping others truly love the home they are in is a gift to my heart. It’s creative and connective, both which add so much color to this life!

Adding on to our home has been a steep learning experience. The number of decisions felt endless not too long ago! The master bathroom was a space I anticipated having a lot of detailed decisions to make, but in real time ended up not being as stressful as I thought. We had a loose idea of what we wanted the bathroom to feel like, and when it came time to decide on each element, that idea was really useful for basing each decision.

I wanted to use a variety of organic textures in this space so the room as a whole would just feel soft and peaceful. The stone tile floor and the wicker linen/towel cabinet were two elements I was most excited about and wanted to build around.

The vanity was a tough one because I was hoping to find something in natural wood. After a lot of research it was apparent that it just didn’t fit our budget, so I took a gamble and went with this matte black piece instead and absolutely love how it turned out! Keeping the remaining elements simple and understated maintain that soft, organic feel. I even sprayed the original yellow-gold hardware on the vanity black so it would just be visually simple and unfussy.

After spending 12 years not even being able to fit in our bathroom at the same time (literally - Matt and I are used to waiting outside the door for the other to be finished because it was the size of an airplane bathroom), this space is a new experience! Tremendously grateful for the opportunity to add this space to our home and to even enjoy the details that we got to pick together! Matt and I discovered we are both VERY decisive when we are tired of walking tile aisles, and that our capacity to look at tile is about 45 minutes. Hah!

I’m thinking our Rec Room will be the next to share on here! Another very collaborative project with Matt which makes it that much more special. Thank you so much for stopping by today! You make these finished projects that much more fun to celebrate.

Room links

Vanity
Vanity Faucets
Mirrors
Lights
Shower Tile (with gray grout)
Shower Faucet
Bathroom Floor (with white grout)
Wicker Cabinet
Wall paint: Snowbound by Sherwin Williams

Room designed by us, built by Veterans Next Mission

Simple Christmas Tour

Hello, hello! 'Tis the season for Christmas decorated home tours, and while it's been really fun to see how other friends have decorated their homes for the holiday season, I wasn't planning to share my own home until yesterday afternoon! We've enjoyed getting our Christmas decorations out as a family and setting up our tree and lights, but it's kind of been something I just wanted to enjoy with my family this year. It's easy to feel pulled in a lot of different directions during the holidays, and with our plates full of other really good things, this was one that I was planning to shed. I confided my conflict to Cate who wisely advised that if it doesn't bring me joy, then don't worry about it. And at that, I decided to whip up this post!

I don't share a lot about life behind the scenes of StyleMutt Home, (not as much, anyways). But it's moving forward at Polar Express speeds, (just like anyone's). The way I decorate our home is every bit a reflection of that passage of time, our growing children, myself. Our home has always been an extension of the character of our family and my personal development as a creative individual. The reason I enjoy documenting our home is the same reason I journal - to be able to look back and see growth and movement. So, despite the simplicity, it warms my heart to share our Christmas 2017 home with you, friends!

Notice the angel on the far left, with her nose in the air and arms crossed. No candle, baked good, seashell or wreath like the others....she's my favorite. Hah!!

Oh my goodness, I hope I can still remember in years to come how funny it was trying to figure out a layout this year! We are right smack in the middle of a sofa debacle that is a story for another day, but we figured things out by using only the chaise part of a massive sofa / chaise combo.

Our kitchen has seen A LOT of action lately now that we're in full swing holiday party season. Yup, lots of mediocre baking going on in here. If you like quantity over quality, I'm you're gal! Lol! Between the kids' classrooms and their various activities, it's been one party after another!

Shire's bedroom is pure Christmas magic to me. I find myself in here without any reason to be; it's just a happy place. The bedspread was from my grandparents' old lake house, and the mini tree is on loan from my sister. I love that Shire's room is a compilation of special memories, people and places.

Our bedroom is the last stop because the boys room is just done being photographed. It's a charming hot mess and I love it because I birthed them, but their door is officially closed to the public. :)  I enjoyed adding a tiny bit to our own bedroom, though, to make it special for the holidays! The bunch of boxwood was just the kind of small festive nod I was looking for for our room. It suits the simplicity of the space well and because there's not a lot going on, I feel like you really see it, you know? I often tell clients, the less there is, the more you see.

The only other impactful addition to the room is the kilim rug  covered bench at the end of the bed! Both the rug and the bench were found on a neighbors curb on trash day, so I brought both pieces home and turned them into one!

Well that's it! Thank you so very much for taking the time to come by. I hope you enjoy these days until Christmas and have peace about what is on your own plate. A bit of advice - no one else will really notice what you don't get done. As I walked into yet another children's holiday party last night for my son's cubscout pack, I placed my 4 dozen brownies on  table full of other various treats and thought to myself, no one would have noticed if I didn't bring these. Here's to shedding the excess so we can focus on the priorities.

Merry Christmas and God bless!