Wool + Twig || A Small Business Collaboration

It's no secret that our generation is flooded with entrepreneurial fervor.  By the time I graduated college, a large chunk of my peers entered the workforce with a "side hustle" or two to make ends meet in a bleak economy.  We at StyleMutt Home firmly believe that small businesses should band together instead of compete against each other because...

“A rising tide lifts all boats”

— John F. Kennedy

Don't get me wrong, I am very grateful for the large businesses that we've partnered with over the past.  But it's these small businesses that really make some serious magic happen with nothing more than their personal grit and determination.  So it's even more titillating (yes I said it) when you can combine some serious small-business-sized forces to do something really, really fun.

Wool + Twig

Vintage Rugs

Brittney Rossie

Brand and Business Strategy

The Silk Mill

Event Venue in Fredericksburg, VA

StyleMutt Home

Furniture + eDesign

So what do you get when a curated rug vendor, a brand and business coach, an epic factory venue, and yours truly band together in support of each other?  A beautiful display of small business collaboration and...

a really, really fun photoshoot

A while back, my dear friend and business guru Brittney Rossie connected us to a new small business in our area to see how we at StyleMutt home could help them grow.  An email brainstorming session later, we had cooked up this cockamamie scheme to do a photoshoot to promote overall brand exposure and also exercise our collective creative muscles.  

But to do such a photoshoot, you need an epic location.  And I new just the place...

The Silk Mill

which also happed to be my wedding venue

Source: Jillian Michelle Photography

With such a large factory space, we could easily set up some fun vignettes featuring our products:

The rugs were obviously the star of the show.

But one of our made-to-order benches in camel + nude did get to play a supporting role to those delicious imported rugs and kilim pillows.

As if the opportunity to play with some gorgeous rugs wasn't enough, Aly from Wool + Twig was a HOOT to work with!  She was seriously up for anything - including some fun headshots.

Both with and without her actual head lol

Scroll through these images to see just some of her amazing inventory:

After seeing her carefully curated collection in person, I couldn't help but bring home another pillow child.

We certainly had a lot of fun behind the scenes

And I'm not ashamed to admit I did a few carpet angels the first chance I got...  They were soooooo plush....

But the fun doesn't stop here.  Wool + Twig was generous enough to offer us stylemutts a juicy discount for 3 days only!

Shop Wool + Twig

Just click the image to shop her entire inventory and enter the code STYLEMUTT at check-out to get 30% off your purchase!  Happy rug and pillow shopping mutts!

Winter Eclectic Home Tour

Welcome to our 800 sq.ft. 1 bedroom apartment!  If you are arriving from French & French Interiors on the Winter Eclectic Home Tour hosted by Domicle 37, thank you so much for stopping by!  No we are not decorated for Christmas just yet (I know, I know... LAME).  I promise you I'm not a scrooge, just a procrastinator and we only just got our tree yesterday.  But I am so grateful for the opportunity to share all the little changes we've made since the summer tour.

Growing up, my family would always put a basket of special Christmas-only books under the tree to peruse in your PJ's at will.  My favorite was an I Spy Christmas Edition.  I kid you not, I've practically memorized all 13 double-page spreads plus the bonus round at the end!  So even though I don't have oodles of holiday decor for you all, I thought I would (in my own way) invite you to join in on my beloved Christmas tradition  and invite you play a rousing round of I Spy between my Summer and Winter Eclectic Home Tours.

Did you spot the major differences?  Other than the dog lol?  (And no, I didn't replace him with a rug ;)  The basic layout is the same (the vintage cot under the window, the tufted sofa dividing the living and dining room).  As a general rule of thumb, I like to decorate with a lot of color - no matter the season. To me, layers of colors and textures always make a space feel warm and cozy (especially for the holidays!).  Ok I'll give you a 5 more seconds before I divulge the answers... 5...4...3...2... 

First, I finally brought home the killim pillows I had my eyes on since before we moved in last November (huzaah!)  After waiting so long, I like the idea of leaving them out through the holiday season instead of switching them for something more obviously merry.  Besides, I consider them my pillow children and it wouldn't be Christmas without them.

Probably the biggest difference in the room is the big splurge of a rug.  Weighing in at $250, I saved up for her for over a year and finally bought her from target last spring with some birthday money.  The bonus is that Thor LOVES it - it's a high pile so he rolls around on it like it's real grass.

Still hanging on the wall are the three drawers I rescued from a rotting desk on trash day.  Below them is one of the suitcase tables I scored off Chelsea and the brass floor lamp of my dreams. 

If you looked closely, you may have noticed that the floor lamp is actually a change: I sold the old faux-gold one when I found this true vintage one for only $5!

In addition to pillows, we also have many plant children (who for the most part are alive and well).

We've added Figadora the Fiddle Leaf Fig to our sunny plant corner which is where we plan on putting the Christmas tree.  (But don't tell Figadora - I honestly don't know how the fragile diva will take it).

The brown vinyl chair was about $40 off craigslist and may or may not have smelled like...

“Mothballs and old man farts”

— My Husband

The smell has definitely subsided since it's had the chance to air out (and marinate in the fleet of Christmas-scented candles we light anytime someone's home).  Unfortunately, the chair is not the most comfortable so I'm using it as a place holder until I find the perfect camel leather armchair or affordable sectional (even though that would mean also saying goodbye to my bestie the blue tufted sofa).

Sharing the wall with our front door is our makeshift TV stand (also a roadside rescue) - another placeholder until I can convince Caleb we should get a proper piece of furniture that will allow me to hide the necessary evils (aka all our electronics).

Next to the rug, the second most expensive item in the room actually is the little wooden set of drawers which was a recent find for a whopping $75. 

I answered a craigslist ad by an elderly gentleman who lives right around the corner from my parents.  His listing wasn't very clear so when I arrived to pick up, I was pleasantly surprised that he had two for sale!  So I impulsively shelled out double the money right then and there and have been using one as our new end table.  Turns out the seller was a retired US Patent clerk and the unique design for these drawers dates back to 1903 - he actually had a the original patent on hand and sent me home with a copy! 

Behind the sofa is our dining room that always packs a colorful punch.

In such a small space, the round table makes a huge difference for maximum maneuverability. 

The white triplet campaign bookshelves allow my feral love of color to really take over.

Since they are a little on the short side,  I have space above to prop artwork I can switch out at will.

The clean, white finish is a nice contrast to my budding collections of books, minerals, terracotta pots, cloches, brass candlesticks, and moss balls.  (I'm 99.9987% positive Caleb is rolling his eyes somewhere.  At least they are all corralled in on place).

Above the round table hangs my DIY 4-arm brass chandelier.  Since we're in a rental, I used a recessed light conversion kit to retro fit the original can light.

Since installing it, I've added elongated bulbs to play off the quirky angles.

Hanging from our copper pipe curtain rod is a happy electric green pothos plant - which makes me smile every time I see it even though Caleb wrestles with it almost every time he tries to close the blinds.

There is actually one thing we have already set up for the holiday season: we repurposed our magazine-turned-shoe-rack into a record station.  Caleb loves putting on some Perry Como or Rosemary Clooney during the holidays so pulling them out from their usual spot on the TV stand and putting them out in the open gives us easy access.  (Bonus: he's been waking me up to holiday tunes almost every morning!)

Past the bathroom and down the hallway is our one and only bedroom.

Nope, we still don't have a headboard but we realized taking down the giant chartreuse curtain makes the room feel a lot brighter.

For now, we've moved the Johann Steingruber 1773 "H" replica blueprint above the bed and I've started to tinker with abstract and geometric art on either nightstand.

Flanking the bed are my entries to a friendly Flip Off competition against my sister-in-law and business partner Chelsea.  She sold her flip, but I held on to mine for some extra bedroom storage.

Above them are the brass swing arm sconces I rewired to plug-in (rental probs) which I snagged from a fellow DC furniture flipper for a steal! 

Opposite the window is my dresser and my beloved jewelry collection.

I love being able to see all my accessories in the printer's drawer (even if it is a dust trap).

Opposite the bed is Caleb's dresser - another thrifted MCM find.

I found the waterfall mirror separately on Craigslist but it looks like it was made the dresser no?

In the corner by the window is probably my favorite thrifted find: the brass + leather cantilever chair which sits next to my DIY mcm plant stand.

Well that concludes our tour!  (800 sq.ft. goes by fast doesn't it?!?!)  Thanks again for swinging by my style mutt of a space (even one that's sans holiday decor)!  I promise you that everyone has some EPIC holiday home tours rearin' at the gate.  Be sure to check out tomorrow's epic line-up of home tours (and be sure to catch up on yesterday's as well - you shant be sorry my friends!)

Please Note: Links to Home Tour are not live until day of tour

Monday

Bright Green Door // Michelle Matangi Home // Sharon Williams // CAD Interiors // Domicile 37

Tuesday

Casa Watkins Living // Maggie Overby Studios // House Homemade // French & French Interiors // StyleMutt Home

Wednesday

Up To Date Interiors // The Striped House // Designing Vibes // Iris Nacole // Fearfully & Wonderfully Made // Blue i Style

Thursday

PMQ for Two // Maker of Home // Go Haus Go // Whimsical Blue Living // FOXY OXIE

Friday

This is Our Bliss // Monica Wants It // Insieme House // Jest Cafe // The Gathered Home

Reader Design: Veronica's Boho Haven

So this Friday reader design can practically write itself.  It's just that picturelicious and our bohemian princess of a host does such a wonderful job of narrating the entire juicy tour.

Meet Veronica of Hamlet Interiors in Grand Rapids, Michigan

Source:  Carley Page

Bonafied bohemian princess no?  Just wait till you see her kilim-clad, plant-pleothra,  breathy-boho palace:

This space is right off the kitchen. As you can see I'm obsessed with plants. I currently own over 35 and don't plan to stop. We had the benches built. I found these chairs thrifting and had them covered with a Kilim.

You must mean 35 plants per room right Veronica?  Your home is practically dripping in beautiful touches of flora!

I collect textiles. I just started a textile company that debuts in December selling Moroccan textiles.  The one shown here is a Turkish prayer rug.

I may have too many plants on the table. They make me happy

Nonsense Veronica.  If you can keep them all alive - then you can have as many plants as you want.

Proof I change things a lot :-)

Just a close up of my kitchen. We opted for gray cabinets and quartz counters. We renovated the entire home. This space took the longest to complete.

But boy did that reno pay off:

This is a shot of my kitchen before plants came into my world. You would be surprised to see all the greenery now.

The shelving area near the kitchen. Where I store all my pretties. And my plants.

This is a close up of how I have styled my shelves near my kitchen nook. They change on the monthly. As a designer and creative I constantly crave change.

Yup.  We style mutts have caught the same constant-change bug.

We had our home featured on design sponge early on in my design career.  I found these equipale chairs and knew they would be perfect for the space.

My dining space evolved over time. I started with a small shelf and then realized I wanted a non symmetrical shelving unit to house all my knick knacks. I'm hoping over time to add more pieces from my travels (I've been to over 13 countries) our contractor made this from plumbers pipe sprayed black and stained pine. I don't DIY. So there's that

Teehee - not everyone is up to a DIY as massive as built-ins!   But if you are, Chelsea has this great tutorial for pipe shelves.

This is my DREAM COUCH people!!!  Warm leather.  Ugh.  I want.
  Veronica, if you find it missing one day... well I may have just incriminated myself...

This is the master. We decided to paint the back wall bohemian black. The name sold me. I'm a boho girl! This space will probably change again but I'm all about letting a home shape the design aesthetic. Exterior and interior flow

So this corner of my bedroom has been changed 4 times or so. To curb my desire to purchase things I just move around what I already have. Nothing against buying something but usually I think about whether I really have a spot for it and if it's functional. Although peacock chairs are just pretty and not that functional. I have 3 of them.

Close up of all the texture that I love

What an adorable little office-let!  You would never realize it was in such a small little nook because it's so light and airy!

We have a daughter with special needs (Down syndrome and CP and heart defects) that wasn't supposed to survive past birth but she is Gods miracle baby. She is now 5. We call her our fierce girl. We keep a bed in her room in case the nanny stays over or if we need to be near her.

Doesn't that just make you catch your breath a little?  That typographical art has so much more power knowing the meaning to Veronica and her little miracle.  Chelsea has a chalkboard in the kitchen that says speak words that make souls stronger - she says it's a "gentle, visible reminder to build my children and loved ones up."  Not being a mother myself, I can only imagine how many daily prayers like these you all whisper over your children.  Such meaningful artwork is a powerful glimpse of a mother's love.

Here is another spot in my special girls room. More plants to behold

This is a old shot of my sons room. I'm not finished with the new space yet. This is from our design sponge tour.

We decided to keep a paneled wall. We like to keep things interesting. It's the only space we left original to the home

My front door situation that changes every 3 months. Just for fun.

Thank you Veronica for guiding us through such a sweet tour of your bohome.  I can't wait for your textile company's launch this winter.  If it's anything like the tour of texture we've just seen in your home, then I will start saving to be one of your first customers.  Be sure to follow Veronica @hamletinteriors for more bohemian inspiration and sweet peeks into her precious family.

And friends, we just can't get enough of these Friday features.  If you have a home you love, then by all means - let us show it off!  Just tag your pics with #stylemuttspaces on Instagram or post them to our Facebook page and we'll contact you with further details.