I am particularly tickled over today’s #stylemuttspaces feature. A while back, fellow CNU alum Lindsey asked me over for a re-upholstery consult by sending me this photo:

Obviously I knew I just HAD to share her home with you and boy-oh-boy are you all in for a retro treat!

From Lindsey:

Andrew and I bought our first home in June 2014. We got a great deal on a lovely 1970s townhouse because, well, it didn't look dramatically updated past then. Carpeted stairs, carpeted bathrooms, gold glitter seashell sinks--oh my! We have lots of down-the-road dreams for our new home, but for the time being, paint is the upgrade we can afford. And paint alone brought things a few decades into the future :)

The Before

The After

The Lounge [is] the small room adjacent to the kitchen is the dining room. The living room at the front of the house is spacious and sunny, and was a much better size our grandparents' dining table. We swapped out the wooden chandelier in the original dining room for the ceiling fan from the living room to better suit our sitting room. But as we compiled our hand-me-down lamps, chairs, and turntable, the room became an undeniable retro lounge.

Before & After

Lindsey’s house is full of authentic-retro personality and she is constantly evolving it’s retro-liciousness. Since setting up when the family (Lindsey, husband, and dog Hannah) moved in, she has cleverly swapped out her lack-hack coffee table for this awesome West Elm clover one and updated her IKEA end table and couch with custom tapered legs from tablelegs.com. Brilliant! She’s completed the room with unique family pieces: a brass record stand (Lindsey’s mom’s from childhood), her parent’s original Stiffel lamps (circa 1970s), Grandma Peggy’s mod green lounge chair, and Grammy’s orange and aqua succulent planters.

I love the high end look of the white eames-inspired chair and acrylic side table juxtaposed with the mod green lounge chair.

Both Lindsey and her husband Andrew are fans of Henri Matisse, so when they found “The big Parakeet and the Mermaid” Matisse print in antique store in Delaware it was a no brainer. Plus it was framed in Belvedere Square, Towson, Maryland (just near where Lindsey and Andrew got hitched!) and it was only $20. BOOM.

Lindsey’s other art is a combination of other Matisse prints from the Moma exhibit, prints from used art books, postcards from vacation and quirky prints that make her smile like this Etsy find, “The Houseguest” by Janet Hill.

A record collection to swoon for wouldn't you say?

That slate blue wall color really plays up the sunlight (and Hannah Girl’s intelligent icy blue eyes).

I love the combination of the Crate&Barrel Bucato Yellow Rug, warm wood tones, olive upholstered chair, and little pops of redsy oranges!

Every corner has a story: Lindsey bought this “Wild Thing Your Make My Heart Sing” wooden clock from a whimsical clockmaker in Kalispell, Montana when she was 15.

I asked my parents to hang onto it for me for when I got married and had a house one day. Grateful my taste has not changed too much! Sure enough, they held onto it for me and Andrew and I adore it. It's such a fun pop of red in the lounge.

The iron plant stand in the corner is an antique find which Lindsey updated from a white worthy of “Grandma’s porch” to a sleek black.

And the transformation doesn’t stop there. Lindsey deploys her secret weapon (a coat of paint) in the basement powder room for amazing impact.

The Before

You can see the before, carpeting on the floor, medicine cabinet protruding far into the room, full length towel bar (why??) and porcelain toilet paper holder. We pulled up the carpet (Which, it turns out, had not been glued down) to find simple tile in decent shape.

The After

A little paint plus some Andy Warhol art of my childhood boyfriend (Elvis, I'm an old soul, what can I say?). The bathroom has a very low ceiling, which stumped me, since I dreamed of a bright red bathroom next to our basement movie room. I found a creative compromise by painting the low ceiling a soft white. Though we still have the same sparkly sink, the fun pop art is a nice distraction in the meantime ;)

Paint Colors: Behr's Ballet White & Allure || Andy Warhol's Double Elvis Poster || Double Han Solo Print || Poster Frames: Michaels

Rug: Target || Freestanding Toilet Paper Holder: Target

Guys this doesn’t even cover half how awesome the rest of Lindsey’s house is. Give her some extra love and maybe, just maybe, she’ll let us share some more ;) Thank you Lindsey for opening up your home to us and showing us the amazing wonders a little paint can do!

Don't forget we are always looking for more readers to feature on Fridays. You don’t have to be a world renowned designer to get some real estate on our SPACES page – you just have to love your home and want to show if off. Post your proud pics to our Facebook wall or tag #stylemuttspaces on Instagram.

Hi All! Just a warning, there will be lots of potty talk today - loads and loads of it. I am sure the holidays and all the extended family time have that effect on some people, but today we're actually talking bathrooms! We are approaching a very busy time of year for home updates. All those projects that people have been saving for 'after the holidays', are now staring them right in the face. For us, it's our master bathroom. Here is a not-super-interesting fact: Our master bathroom is 47" x 56", (plus a shower) . Single pedestal sink, no counter-space, no storage. I am so very grateful to have our own bathroom, don't get me wrong. I would just prefer not to wait in line to brush my teeth, (a line that only consists of two people).

I know the number of people facing this same issue is growing as folks are opting to live smaller these days, in general. But, does smaller floor space automatically mean sacrificing modern amenities?

Using the incredible online bathroom fixture and amenity resource, DecorPlanet, I spent a bit of time researching space saving ideas and storage solutions which are still high in style and comfort.

Here is a sample of a bathroom I designed with DecorPlanet amenities. My goal was to be mindful of space but use every opportunity to marry function and glamour.

I really, (really), enjoyed swooning over the brass fixtures that DecorPlanet offers. If there's ever a time to go brass, it would be in a small bathroom. The impact is so stunning! To send the brass soaring I complimented it with a classic blue and white palette accented with snaps of red. However, as I tend to prefer rooms that are just a bit off beat, I used large scale patterns on both the wall as well as the shower curtain. This keeps it from going too traditional and gives the space a slightly more eclectic look.

Let's scale back all the 'extra's' to show off all the D ecorPlanet pieces:

DecorPlanet has thousands of beautiful bathroom amenities so it was really hard to decide which pieces to use for this design, but once I started down the brass road there was no turning back. I actually had a dream about this bathroom after I finished the final design!

Here are the details for each piece I chose and why I used them:

1. The double sink: Whitehaus Large U-Shaped Double Basin Console with Chrome Overflows and Towel Rails - China Series. I chose this piece because it's compact without sacrificing the double sink. By using a console sink, there is opportunity for storage underneath for waste baskets of containers holding spare towels or toiletries.
2. Waste basket: Nameeks Windisch Waste Basket 89102
3. Medicine cabinet mirror: Fresca 40 Wide Bathroom Medicine Cabinet with Mirrors. ModernBath offers a large variety of mirrors, both with storage and without. I chose a simpler design with interior storage since I knew I'd be adding a chandelier in the space, rather than wall mounted lighting.
4. A bathroom chandelier...sure, why not?! The Kichler Rossington 5 Light Chandelier in Natural Brass, (which I 'hung' a bit low just to fit it in), is anything but conventional, but the impact it has on this soft, feminine bathroom is striking. They also have a 3 arm version of this fixture.
5. Wall mounted tolilet: Eago WD101 Modern Wall Mount Dual Flush Toilet. I'm a huge fan of wall mounted toilets and they are growing in popularity for private residences. This sleek design not only looks stylish but has a very small footprint in the floor plan, saving a decent amount of space!
6. Brass toilet paper holder: Smedbo Villa V241 Toilet Roll Euro Holder Without Lid in Polished Brass
7. Brass + glass shelves: Nameeks Windisch Bathroom Shelf 85506ON. There is loads of space above a toilet for storage if necessary. These gorgeous shelves with their brass edges can almost double as wall art!
8. Brass clawfoot tub: Nameeks Knief Edwardian XL Bathtub 0100-063-O. Who doesn't want a clawfoot tub? With the right size, a clawfoot tub with shower attachment can still be a practical solution for a small space.
9. Brass towel bar: Danze Opulence™ Towel Bar 24 in Polished Brass PVD. This towel bar, like the chandelier, is very clean lined and simple in design. When using a finish with so much shine, as brass, I like to use pieces with minimal embellishment and let the beautiful reflections do the talking.

Small bathroom design might not be relevant to you right at this moment, but perhaps it will be someday. My goal was that these ideas at least give you a bit of hope that functional design can still meet your style aesthetic. Need some more inspiration? Follow the link below for DecorPlanet's round up of space saving solutions!

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

*This was a sponsored post, but every word, opinion and design, (for better or worse), are mine.