Mirrored Suitcase Bar

Happiest Christmas style mutts!  We hope you spent the day snuggled with family (or framily: friends-who-are-basically-family) and made some special memories.  Be it the gifts or the gathering that made your day great, Chelsea and I sincerely wish the best to you and yours.  

Well, if you're anything like my tinsel-happy husband, you may be experiencing some PTCD today: post-traumatic Christmas disorder.  Am I right?  364 days of build-up can certainly leave you a little lack-luster on Dec 26 ;)  But fear not my friends!  There is still one more celebration just around the corner: New Year's Eve!  

Who's ready to host and end-of-the-year bash?  [insert eager hand-raising emoji right here].  Except I do have a teensy-weensy problem.  About 800sq. ft. teensy-weensy to be exact.  Other than the occasional family pop-by, Caleb and I have not hosted much of anyone in our small (but adorable) apartment.  As with our last place, floor space is prime real estate when you're renting so having a dedicated space to mixology isn't always a priority.  

This time last year, I introduced many of you to our small space solution pop-up bar.  So this year I'm actually putting one in the shop for any of my fellow apartment-dwelling, space slim DC area peeps.

This one is made from a vintage suitcase in impeccable condition.  Which I purchased at Sweet Clover Barn last spring while treasure hunting with Chelsea.  It's a gorgeous camel leather with a glossy sheen and brass accents.

The suitcase even comes with a key if you ever need to lock it up your liquor from Uncle Henry or your boosy cat (hey - I'm not judging, I just don't know what kind of parties you throw...).

The bar also comes with a natural wood base and a vintage tri-fold vanity mirror.  Both can be easily folded up if the bar needs to be stowed away - and the folded mirror even fits in the suitcase lid compartment.

Whatever your NYE will bring (be it throwing parties or just throwing back drinks) we hope you'll be safe while you're celebrating!

Mirrored Suitcase Bar
Now Available for Sale
Dimensions (open): 21"W x 15" D x 33"H
Dimensions (closed): 21"W x 15"D x 46"H
Price: $145

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

Cate [and Caleb's] Color Clad Apartment ||part 2||

This is a moment I've been waiting for since April.  Ever since we left our jobs, moved in with friends, found new jobs, found a great apartment, and up-and-moved to Leesburg, VA.  We spent March-November with all our stuff in storage which left me pining for a space of our own to decorate again.  The urge got so bad that I even did this mock up back in October to try to quench my redesign thirst.  

Look familiar?

Now, we've been relatively settled in the new place for almost 3 months [and mostly unpacked for about 1] so I reckon it's time for a tour ;)  Annnnnnnddddd since it's Friday - that makes this today's #stylemuttspaces feature.  

If you're new to this style mutt spot, first of all welcome!  Second, let me fill you in: any one [designer, betty home-maker, under-water-basket-weaver] can submit their home for a reader feature on our SPACES page.  This page serves as a curated pool of decor inspiration for any and all [so be sure to check it out if you haven't already - there's LOADS to be inspired by especially for style mutts]. 

So let me get to it and invite you in already!!!

Ok so I don't have the rug yet, or my kilim pillows, and the chair's not all leather - but it's a step in the right direction considering most of the decor was free, cheap, or a hand-me-down.

The first thing that greets you when you walk in, is a rattan shoe rack that was a spontaneous free find on craigslist.  It is actually a magazine rack that was way out of the way to pick up, but it was free and it was cute and even though I didn't have a plan for it when I drove over there to get it, I brought it home, cleaned it up, and then realized it was the perfect solution to our small entryway issues.  Above it hangs some of my original artwork that epitomizes those punches of color I like so much.

The plant stand was also unplanned but only $5 at a gem of a thrift store!  Since there wasn't an impressive selection of palm-fronded trees in the dead of winter at Home Depot, I went with low-maintenance/ black-thumb resistant snake plant I decided to name Sebastian just now.

I got the cot thinking it would serve as our extra seating but Thor quickly claimed it as his seat in the house because he can snooze with his head on the window sill and one eye on lookout for any signs of Caleb after a long day at work.

On the wall hangs my trio of old dresser drawers with an assortment of plants and my favorite brass accents - Steve the Stag in the place of honor obvi.

Just behind the couch is our teeny-tiny dining area - which is exciting because we have never had one before!  The sliding doors open up to our deck which stretches over to our bedroom window too.

Here lives my favorite and most ambitious impulse buys: the white campaign bookshelf triplets. 

They fit perfectly in their little nook and sport more pops of color and the most damning evidence of my collectionist tendencies.  I can see a minerals collection, a cloche collection, colored hardback collection, white ceramics collection, and a moss ball collection apparently.

To the left of the living room is our galley kitchen and the hallway leading to the master.  A necessary ceiling fan prevented me from re-installing our copper pipe canopy bed, but I kept the statement chartreuse curtain as our pseudo headboard.

Points if you recognize that bench ;)

Flanking the bed are these epic brass swing-arm sconces I scored from a fellow local furniture flipper.  We connected via craigslist and I ended up chatting her up for over an hour when I "popped" by to pick up the fixtures.  She was kind enough to cut me a deal and we've stayed in touch swapping tips & tricks.  We're gearing up to show off her home and some of her KILLER furniture flips one of these fridays so you can all look forward to that soon. 

I kept the pieces I restored from our furniture flip off which are perfect because they lend so much extra storage.

At the foot of the bed is another miracle MCM find we're using to corral all of Caleb's clothes.  

He's kind enough to let me leave that frou-frou tray on it 24-7.   Fun fact: that collection of color-dipped candles were made for me by our very own style mutt Chelsea ;)

My dresser hugs the wall between the entrance to the room and our closet (trust me, I'm sparing you some clutter-shock by skipping  the closet part of the tour).

Above hangs the diy faux pull-down chart from our old place while atop lays the dust-trap of a printer's drawer to display all my bells and whistles.

I have to laugh when I look back at our old apartment and I admit that I'm a twinge embarrassed.  But I also have to remember that at the time I was very proud of how I decorated it.  Isn't that always how it goes?  I remember being proud of my second grade poetry but there's nothing impressive about rhyming the word wave with save am I right?  Regardless I have to acknowledge that my first apartment helped evolve and refine my taste.  And perhaps in another two years I will look back at this apartment and also be embarrassed.  But I suppose that's the cyclical curse of an ever-changing style mutt my friends.

Thanks for popping in to take this little tour with me!  I will of course keep you posted as I acquire the pieces we're saving up for and inevitably start rearranging in t-minus 2 months...

Reader Design: Casey's Charming One Bedroom

I left my heart in PA last weekend, it's true. I had the sweet pleasure of joining forces with the other ladies in my family to help my younger sister, Casey, settle into her adorable new nest - a quirky one bedroom apartment tucked smack dab in the middle of what I will affectionately call Mayberry, for those who remember the old Andy Griffith show. It's the sweetest little town full of even sweeter people. So happy for this new chapter in her life!

This was a full team effort with Cate managing phase one - the initial move from one apartment to the other! Equipped with two unstoppable forces of muscle, (my Dad and brother - Cate's husband), she managed to help Casey completely pack up one apartment and unpack into a new one all in the same day, (while poor Casey came down with a horrid stomach bug on moving day). My Mom and I came a week later, (this past weekend), to help figure out what items she still needed. For two years Casey had lived in a 150 sq ft studio apartment - 150 sq ft!!! That's like a whole new category of tiny homes! Moving into this one bedroom apartment, complete with a kitchen, eating area, and living room - truly feels like a giant leap up. This is a real apartment and we wanted to help make it feel like home.

So, let's look around!

You enter the apartment at the kitchen. It's not huge but very warm and inviting. Casey is a true hostess at heart with ready-to-grab glasses and snacks at a moment's notice.

The framed art is a verse printed on a hand painted watercolor - you can this and other beautiful prints from www.ashleeproffitt.com.

As you walk through the kitchen you enter a small passageway that connects all the rooms. There is ample room for a small dining table, but Casey had a vision of bar style seating here. How cool is that?! So, rather than search for the perfect size table, we just grabbed a pre-cut shelf at Home Depot and some metal brackets. We used drywall anchors to attach the brackets to the wall, and regular screws to attach the shelf to the brackets. Easy peasy and super cool! I want a bar counter...

Past the eating counter you walk into the living room...

...which, SURPRISE! has a permanent ladder slicing the room in half and leading to an attic. Luckily for Casey, it's a gorgeous ladder! Warm wood and black wrought iron rails...totally cool. We had a couple ideas for the ladder from a total book-keep, to an indoor garden, to growing ivy all the way up to the top...but ultimately, once we played with it, it seemed to make the most sense to just let it breathe. It's not a large room and while the ladder is a cool architectural piece, it seemed best to leave it alone. A few books pushed to the side make it functional, while a small piece of art pulls the visual interest out a little.

I wasn't the only one to benefit from Cate's brilliant taste this past month, (oh, I didn't tell you? I bought these chairs. :) Reveal coming soon!) - Casey got Cate and Caleb's old couch when they recently moved! Not bad, not bad at allllllll. Topped with a couple pillows in some of her favorite colors, and fresh natural wood lamps on either side, the room is instantly cozy and welcoming. 

This gorgeous little coffee table belonged to our Grandma and was no longer needed when they downsized. Isn't that metal inset stunning?!

Naturally, while we were busily setting up the nest, we found a yard sale! The perfect pedestal table, (below), was waiting just for us, as well as a beautiful piece of art. I, myself, found a box of old dentist tools which I was HIGHLY interested in, but the ladies put their feet down. Who doesn't want to do their own dental work?! I still don't understand...

The lovely ladder, in all it's glory. I have to admit, every time I see this ladder I hear the last lyric to Led Zeppelin's 'Stairway to Heaven', when he's singing in his broken, shrill voice, "and she's buuuying a staaaaairway to hea-ven." 

The bedroom is as peaceful as can be and that light just doesn't quit! It seems to filter in every hour of the day.

These ladder shelves have been with Casey since before college and whats so cool is that with every one of her moves, they've had different arrangements! For this narrow space they are perfectly suitable bedside surfaces and fill the corners well.

It was so fun helping Casey settle into this new place as I learned so much about her aesthetic! She likes clean and simple, uncluttered, and open. While adding this desk and stool, (both from Target), was, in fact, putting more furniture in her room, it really functions to organize and hold house hold bits and bobs that were previously out in the open of her living room. Now her living room is far less 'cluttered', and this desk hardly calls for attention in the room as it matches her black dresser and is a clean and simple design.

The weekend was a success and we accomplished what we set out to do - help the youngest lady of our family nest - and we got to celebrate her 25th birthday! But, it wasn't ALL work. We know how to relax and make ourselves comfortable. In Home Depot. :)

And we braked to watch the Derby at a local bar! We missed our Cate, but she was visiting with her family last weekend at a little spot called the GRAND CANYON! 

Mom, sister, me.

Spending this time together was such a gift! Thank you so much, Casey, for inviting us to enjoy and celebrate your new apartment with you! Looking forward to the next visit already!

Have a room or part of your home you'd be willing to share with us here? Don't be shy! We encourage all styles and stages of life to share! Don't hold out on inspiring us - that's what Reader Designs are all about! Check out our growing SPACES page for countless ideas and unique home tours from around the world. Whenever you're ready, just post your photos to our Facebook page or tag #stylemuttspaces on Instagram!

Thank you all for stopping by! Happy weekending!