A Vvvvery Interesting Piece, Indeed

Hi friends! I posted this stack of pieces the other day that we collected after a particularly lucky weekend on Craigslist a few weeks ago. I've already shared how the mid-century cabinet in the middle turned out, and how Shire flipped those accent tables on top. If you're an Instagram pal you may have seen a teaser of that bottom piece already. Well here it is, done and ready for a new home!

I really wanted this piece to be something unique when it was finished. It didn't need hardware as there is a deep lip underneath each drawer for easy opening and closing, but even before I began painting it just seemed to fall a little flat. As soon as I saw it I wanted to add some visual interest here. I sketched a few things out on paper, and while my drawings are at the artistic skill level of a 1st grader, seeing them side by side made the decision easy!

There was just something about these 'V' pulls that was so unique, but not in a 'what in the world are those' kind of way, (unless I'm missing something). So I measured out some 3/8" wood trim and cut all the pieces I'd need. Each individual pull is made up of two pieces, which you can see below. My '1' marked pieces were 4", and my '2' marked pieces were 3.6". I made 9 pairs in total, one for each drawer.

I used a very small nail to tap the pieces together as shown. It didn't really matter that they be attached well at this point, since I would ultimately attach both pieces to the drawers. At first I thought I would attach the pieces to the drawers facing down, as shown below. I didn't hate it but wanted to see both ways. I really loved the pieces opening upward; I can't explain why, but it just looked better!

Gentle distressing, (with my go-to tool, a medium grit sanding sponge), along all the edges and corners of the piece brings out the shape and lines without being too distracting.

Now available for sale!
66"L x 29.5"H x 18"D
$625
Contact chelsea@stylemutthome.com if interested in this piece of a custom order like it!

Thank you so much for stopping by and have a wonderful day!

¡Olé! for Serape

So besides settling into our new apartment, I've also been settling into my new job.  My schedule has been rather unruly as of late but the new gig does have perks... like it's own private thrift store!  Yup, you heard me right - the company I work for has a monthly thrift store where the proceeds go toward a charitable fund.  And the beside the remarkable prices, the best part is that employees get first dibs!  Twas there that I scored this er... beauty...

What I liked most about it was its lines: tapered mid-century legs with brass feet and the beautifully bowed wood back.  What I did NOT like however, was the icky gray-brown stain [the picture really doesn't do it justice] and well that... interesting floral print.   

Now let me shed some insight on the inner-workings of my head when I'm hunting for a piece to flip.  First, I scan the thrift store for a piece with "potential."  Once I identify my target, I then assess my options.   Sometimes I know exactly what I would do to cute-ify it, sometimes all I have to go on is a je ne sais quoi.  Next step is to check the price - is it a steal?  If it is, I pull the trigger and buy - plan or no.  I'm sure inspiration will strike sooner or later...

And sometimes inspiration strikes sooner rather than later.  In this case, it struck while I'm walking back to my office with my haul.  Have you also noticed this recent design trend of reupholstering mid-century furniture in unexpected textiles...?

Source: Modernhaus

Source: Barrington Blue

Source: Sit and Read

Source: Anthropologie

I think I love this budding trend because of [you guessed it] all of the colorsssssssssss.  

Now I begin to take stock of potential supplies and remember that I brought home a stray Mexican serape blanket a few months ago.  It's PERFECT and now I officially have a plan of action.  The end result? 

¡Olé! 

The bright pinks, greens, blues, and reds of the serape are a happy pop of color to what was once a ho-hum floral.

I spent 6-ish hours stripping stain to reveal the original warm wood underneath but it's so worth it because now the wood is a buttery soft texture instead of a shellac.   

The backrest cushion was a happy accident.  I didn't really care for the original metal bars as a decorative element.  I realized I had some spare batting from my cowhide bench so I wrapped it in extra serape fabric and hand stitched the cushion into place.

I also got that epic rattan plant stand at work for $5!

It's such a simple idea with a BOLD impact.  ¿No?  If you like statement pieces then be sure to check back in with us on Friday for our next #stylemuttspaces reader design!  Hasta la vista mis amigos ;)

Mid-Century Serape Chair
Now available for sale
$180

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

Modern or Coastal ||Flip List Item No.2||

So I'm trolling craigslist [like I've been known to do] and I found a modern dresser in need of some TLC.  Now normally, I would pass right by a laminate dresser but this piece was... special.

It's hard to tell in this pic, but this "white monster" as I've affectionately nicknamed it, had a weird cream/white two tone thing going on.  But it was still a modern dresser with glossy-fronted drawers that slide like butter.  It the perfect candidate for Furniture Flip Bucket List item No.2: wrap a piece in a wood shim treatment.  

wood shims taper off to one end so that you can wedge them in to help level something.  I could have used flat wood and gotten more of a butcher-block look, but I wanted to use shims to recreate this uneven affect in my inspiration photo:

Source:  The Rycotewood Furniture Centre at OCVC

So I went about covering the bright-white yucky laminate portions of the dresser with the wood shims: the top, sides, and toe-kick.  I started out with the intention of creating a polished modern look like the photo above but as I worked on it, it began to steer me in a different direction.

I liked how raw and rustic the cedar shims looked untreated (and not to mention the cedar smelled AH-MAH-ZING).  So I just went with it and ended up with a piece that's both modern and coastal:

To play off the unfinished wood's beachy vibes, I styled it with some tropical leaves [that I may or may not have harvested from a decorative potted plant in a parking lot.  I kinda felt like Chelsea did when "smuggling" home some paint sticks for this DIY project].

I then added a couple seaside touches like this piece of coral.

To play up the dresser's more modern side, I added vintage candle sticks with clean lines.  Despite the uneven surface, the shims are narrow enough that items large and small can find a flat surface to rest on anywhere across the top.

And modern satin nickel knobs on the glossy drawer fronts make a nice modern finishing touch.

All together the piece sings a modern-coastal song:

Modern Coastal Dresser
$600
SOLD

As for the progress on my 2015 flip bucket list, that means I've got 6 down and 1 to go before the end of the year.  Woot Woot!

Want to catch up?  Since January, I've crossed off items:
No.6
No.5
No.7
No.4
No.3
and now No.2: wood shim treatment

Here's to hoping that I can squeeze in item No.1: Build my Own Bakers Rack before 2016!