Blue + Leather Dresser || Why Shop Small

A few months ago I got a handwritten note when I ordered a broom off amazon. It totally shocked when it fell out of the box like a Willy Wonka golden ticket. It read “Thank you for purchasing from a small business on Amazon. Your order means more to us than you know.” I was so struck by the thought that I kept the note.

As a fellow small business owner, I could relate. I mean, I know that every time someone buys one of my pieces, I let a little piece of myself go home with them. I try really hard not to come across as a weird helicopter mother when I help them load up and try to casually ask for a photo of it in its “new home.” I scribble my cell phone down for customers “if they have any problems” or want to know how to best tuck him in at night. I fret over how he’s holding up - is he making new friends? Are they feeding him well? Did they put him in a forgotten corner of the house or is he on display for all to see?

See, it’s more than just a hobby for us. When you buy from a small business, you buy something that’s been labored over. And loved. And it means more to us than you know.

You are feeding our families and clothing our kids. You are taking a discarded piece of furniture out of the landfill instead of adding styrofoam remnants from that assemble-yourself-box-store number you have to allen-wrench into being. And like Chelsea touched on in her recent post, that note got me thinking of new ways to incorporate other small businesses into what we do as fellow makers.

Whether we mean to or not, each of our products affects an intricate assortment of people. I purchased this vintage dresser from Geenae and her husband who were making room for a nursery. The dresser used to be his grandmothers, but with twins on the way, they needed the space. I was scheduled to pick up two of their dressers (the other became this white and wood number) when baby’s cold made me change plans last minute. Geenae was gracious enough to reschedule our meet for the following week so that I could focus on caring for Huntleigh but still nab some project pieces.

After conducting several repairs on Grandma’s dresser, I painted the body in “Deep Breath” by Behr Paint - a color I used for a custom build for clients Lauren and her husband this time two years ago.

This color has that inky quality I like so much in my darker pieces but it has vibrant teal undertones.

To finish it off right, I needed the perfect hardware. Instead of sourcing new pulls via an online dealer like I usually do, I decided to shop small.

I left the unique “bowling pin” peg legs in their original wood so I wanted pulls that would play off the brown tone. I found Julie and Brian selling these leather pulls in their Etsy shop YesterdaysNovember and thought they were perfect paired with their brass capped screws.

I also found Sarah from ModernMakerStamps (also an Etsy shop) who made my custom SMH logo rubber stamp so I can literally leave my mark on each piece I send into the world.

I even borrowed a few baby gifts that were also small business purchases from Huntleigh’s room for this shoot. The yellow letter board was shipped by Lyubomir and Yana in Canada and that gold mobile (given to us by my other beloved sis-in-law Casey), handmade by Eleonora in Croatia - both Etsy sellers, both small businesses.

In light of Small Business Saturday, Chelsea and I have both been thinking about how much your purchases mean to those of us who side-hustle for our families. If you’re also interested in supporting small businesses, Chelsea curated some superb mom and pop gift ideas this holiday that will not only say Merry Christmas to your gift recipient but to the small businesses you buy from.

We are so grateful to get to do the things we love but also to intersect with so many relationships along the way. As a small business, many of our customer interactions have turned into pleasant conversations or even the occasional “small world” moment. Chelsea and I create as an expression of worship and as an outlet for our insatiable imaginations - but it’s a sweeter joy to have these opportunities to meet you. I look forward to meeting whomever purchases Grandma’s re-loved 9-drawer. And to all our past customers and clients out there: thank you for shopping small!

Blue + Leather Dresser
Now Available for Sale
60”L x 18”D x 31”H
$745

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

eDesign Reveal: A Fresh Start & Our Biggest Reveal Yet

Hello, sweet friends! This is a special reveal and one that’s been close to my heart for quite some time. Last April during my kids’ Spring Break I read through Chip Gaines’ book, Capital Gaines. It’s an all-around motivating, get-it-done read, but the thing that stuck with me the most was the encouragement to bet on yourself. And it got me thinking that one person betting on their own selves can’t possibly have the same power as people betting on one another. I started mulling over the idea of looking for a design job to do for peanuts for someone in need. I wanted to give someone that oomph to keep on keeping on, even if just through the simple act of improving the way they feel at home. One month later in May, we were contacted by an amazing woman who was at a point of reinvesting in her life. Gods timing astounds me.

I think most all of us can attest that life doesn’t always, (or usually!), go as expected, and this woman had just been pitched a curve ball. With two young children in toe she was starting fresh with a new home, an old sofa, and a very happy fiddle leaf fig tree. The thing that just overwhelmed me with emotion while speaking with her was the fact that she wanted to make the most of this next chapter. It was apparent that there hadn’t been joy in her home for quite some time, and that’s what she wanted to bring back. ‘Happy’ was a frequent word that came up when discussing the vision and design of her home.

So with a strict $5,000 budget, I waved more than half of my design fee and cracked down on tackling her Family Room, Dining Room, Kitchen and Living Room. And this reveal may be one of our happiest yet! :)

BEFORE

The first order of business was rotating that sofa and pushing it against the wall! This family room space is shared with the children in a big way, and the original placement of the sectional floating in the middle of the floor just made it too chopped up and separated. Also, PSA: With $40 and an 8 minute YouTube video, you, too, can update your overhead lighting.

So. Much. Beige. With an emphasis on creating an environment that feels happy, color was top priority. The catch, however, was that because this is a rental, the wall color and carpet could not be updated. And because the client requested to use her sofa, (a smart move that allowed her to put her budget in SO MANY other places), that was another shade of beige to overcome.

Picking pillows and accent pieces for this space was an absolute blast. With a bland canvas to work with the sky really was the limit, so I had to uncover what palette spoke to my client best. She is extremely inspired and rejuvenated by the coast, but I didn’t want to do anything too literal. Creating a relaxing vibe with pops of vibrant color was the way to go. Blue is a favorite color of hers so I peppered it around subtly.

Ah, yes - the wall mounted Ikea IVAR cabinets. This is the third design since last Spring that we used wall mounted IKEA cabinets to create a custom, clean-lined storage option, (see here and here). You can always add hardware, legs, etc to these to blend them into your own space, but my favorite way to use them is to mount them over the floor 6-8” and give them a fresh coat of paint, (they come in wood). And at just $80 per set of cabinets, that means this massive custom media storage unit cost just $240 + cheap paint.

There wasn’t much to do in the kitchen but change out the pendants and add some stools - leather for the win!

More beige! For the particular vision and feel this client wanted, I knew the dark matching dining set had to go. A new mix of pieces pieced together from various retailers creates a one-of-a-kind dining set for the family. The first item we decided on was that rug - even prettier in person if you can believe it!

This cheery space feels special to me - the colors echo the rest of the home but there’s something about it that makes it feel set apart. It’s grown up but fun, simple but interesting, stunning but functional, (the cabinet is packed with board games)! I have never ever used a sofa in that color before but my gut was pulling for it and I was excited to fill in around it with some contrasting tones - even moodier rich and earth colors!

I think the vibrancy of the sofa just adds some sophisticated drama here when surrounded by earthier tones and textures.

Anchoring one whole side of the room by itself is one of my favorite go-tos; an oversized black framed mirror. Not right for every home, but right for this one in this place. It’s a beast in person, and emphasizes the drama of this room.

Well that’s a wrap! The first thing this sweet client told me when I sent her a sample of these photos was that she can’t believe this is her home and can’t wait to start on her bedroom together in the new year. I can’t wait, either!!!

You all have a wonderful Thanksgiving! It’s a treat every time I have an opportunity to jump on here and share something with you. You make this landing place so much fun and it brings me joy to get to bring finished projects here to show you. So thank you for taking the time out of your day to stop by - it really touches our hearts!

eDesign Project Progress: Dani's Modern Bohemian Living Room & Breakfast Nook

Hi guys! I'm trying something new today and stopping by to share....wait for it....PROGRESS! I've never been great at jumping on to let you how things are going with a particular project, but if project progress is your love language, I'm going to do my best to speak it!

At the beginning of the year multi-talented jewelry designer Dani Barbe reached out to us for help with her and her fiance's rental home. Although they are renting, they feel a deep desire to establish roots and create a home that truly feels 'them'. During our first discussion I just knew Dani was going to be a joy to work with, and I can honestly say several months later that the process has been a delight every step of the way. Maybe it's working with a fellow creative, maybe it's personality, but we're having all kinds of fun with this one, (so much so that we're keeping a good thing going and just added her formal dining room and studio work-space to the list of rooms to complete)!

If you haven't checked out our eDesign process you're going to get a glimpse of it today! After our initial consultation with Dani we took to Pinterest to pin inspirational rooms. Dani had a single leather sofa from Article, as well as a round breakfast table for her kitchen nook. Otherwise, we had some serious space to fill! It can be daunting to start with so much empty space and the impulse to fill it can feel overwhelming. But my strategy for this one was to make this space special with a few choice pieces and minimal filler.

Living Room

This was the 3D rendering I designed of her living room shortly after gauging her style through the rooms that spoke to her on Pinterest. Although we knew we wouldn't be using a lot of things for the space, we also didn't shy away from mixing antiques with modern elements.

After getting a thumbs up from Dani and her fiance on the 3D rendering, the StyleMutt Home team researched precise pieces to use for the space and we tried them on in design boards, (below). The toughest piece to find - a vintage turkish rug! The problem was not that we couldn't find the right rug; the problem was that every rug we mocked up looked SO good in the space! Ultimately, we all agreed that a warm, glowing pastel piece would suit the glowy space best. Can we use glowy to describe a space? It's my favorite adjective for this home!

See?! Glowy!!! This is a recent progress shot Dani sent and it makes my heart skip a beat every time I see it. You may notice a few key pieces still missing, (coffee table, mantle piece, plant), but those items are en route now and we're nearly there, you guys! See that big guy to the far left? 1900s Craigslist find. Isn't he a charmer! (Psst! I actually found it before doing ANY designing for this space; I saved it to my phone and it inspired a lot of other pieces that we selected).

Breakfast Nook

The process for the adjoining breakfast nook was the same, starting with a 3D rendering! We nailed down the basic concept for this space but the specific elements changed pretty dramatically when we really started researching products.

This space started with the wooden table and that was it! We wanted to incorporate some color into this space and at first I liked the idea of using patterned upholstered chairs and a neutral wall hanging in a natural un-dyed fiber. But as soon as I spotted these gorgeous vintage inspired blond cane chairs I was smitten enough to bag my original inclination and do the reverse! We paired the blond wood chairs with the warm wood table, (definitely a 'do'), and are having the incredible Filia over at Fibers by Filia create a custom piece similar to this one below! I refinished the thrifted cabinet in a simple glossy white to match Dani's kitchen cabinets that she just painted, and spared the original aged brass hardware. A timeless brass and glass multi-faceted pendant completes this cozy nook.

And here is a recent progress shot that Dani sent over! I can't wait to see it finished with the cabinet and Filia's fiber art piece on that empty wall, but as far as progress goes...I have no words. I just love this space so much. This work is the best!

We are all so thrilled to see this eDesign coming to life and can't wait to share the final reveal of these two spaces! We are currently working on Dani's formal dining room and studio space now but we thought we'd break things up to spare you from a novel of a post!

So what do you think, is a progress post your kind of thing? Because I've got more to share if you're feeling loved by it! ;) Either way, I so appreciate you coming by. Thank you!